SV Sound SVS PB1-Plus manual SV Subwoofers

Page 6

SV Subwoofers

ting ALL speakers to “Small” works best. Let your sub make the bass! Also, is your subwoofer turned “ON”? We don’t mean “is your subwoofer amplifier

on?” (that’ll be important later too) but rather, is your receiver sending a bass signal to your sub amp? This can only happen if you say “Yes” (or “ON”) in the “Subwoofer” selection during the all-important setup menu of any typical Dolby Digital/DTS capable receiver. If you have a choice of “crossover points” for your bass, usually “80Hz” works best, unless you have unusually small main speakers.

•Is your receiver connected to the sub amp? Use a well-shielded RCA cable (sometimes called a “patch cord”) to connect the subwoofer output of your DD/DTS receiver to either input jack of your subwoofer’s dedicated amplifier. As mentioned earlier, you’ll need to “split” the bass signal with a “Y Cable” if you bought a pair of subs. You only need feed one of the two inputs (either Right or Left) of any sin- gle Powered Box SVS however.

•Is your Radio Shack ® sound pressure level (SPL) me- ter ready? This tool is simply vital to proper home theater au- dio setup. It’s akin to a tire pressure gauge for your car. The manual which comes with the SPL meter is excellent; we recom- mend you read it entirely. Haven’t got the meter yet? Head down to your neighborhood Radio Shack ® and snag one. We prefer the analog instead of the digital display model but both work well. Ask for part number #33-4050. At about $40, it’s a bar- gain. Proper configuration without this meter is practically impossible.

Getting ready to start now: Make sure your receiver/processor master volume is set at “00 dB” or some other easy to remember reference level. Finally, ensure your SVS’s volume control is set no more than 1/4 to 1/3rd up at first. It’s also critical to check the subwoofer level control of your surround receiver before you begin the test tones. Set it to no higher than “-5 dB” initially (that’s one quarter way up, given a typical receiver’s subwoofer channel level limits of –10 dB to +10 dB) . Your LFE “trim”, if you have one, should be set to 0dB to start (that’s full up) but this can be dialed down later to tame peaks if needed. IMPORTANT: Turn off ANY sound-field processing modes, “peak limiters”, “mid-night mode” etc. Set the SPL meter to “Slow” and “C-weighting” (turn the range dial to 70dB).

Now play your receiver's internal test tones so you have something to measure with your SPL meter. Better yet, buy a calibration disk, such as the Video Essentials, Sound and Vision HT Tune Up, or Avia DVDs. A test disk’s tones ensure your entire signal path, from the DVD player to your speakers, is set correctly. Whatever you use, when the tones start alternating from speaker to speaker (watch your sound me- ter now), set each full range speaker’s level to about 75 dB (or 85dB if using Avia or S&V), by using the receiver’s dedicated channel controls (leaving receiver’s master vol- ume the same). We recommend you turn down the receiver’s subwoofer output level before you significantly lower your sub’s volume/gain control. This helps keep input distortion to a minimum. You should not be set much lower than –5 dB however, since some adjustment room is needed to lower bass as needed. If your subwoofer reading is still too high then turn down the sub’s amp volume a little with each run.