What is the best sub set up cd.

[King]

Current best sup set up cd or Blu ray?

At 0 setting on the volume, the sub db should be what, for reference level?

Thanks

[curtis]

At 0 setting on the volume, the sub db should be what, for reference level?

The same as any other speaker. If you set each of your speakers to 75dB, then the sub should be set to 75dB.

[King]

The same as any other speaker. If you set each of your speakers to 75dB, then the sub should be set to 75dB.

It does not seem right, using the pink noise from my AVR and SP meter.
The sub seems light using this technique. I realize I can turn it up.
I thought there was a special CD,SACD or Blu Ray for sound set up??

Thanks

[curtis]

It does not seem right, using the pink noise from my AVR and SP meter.
The sub seems light using this technique. i realize I can turn it up.
I thought there was a special CD,SACD or Blu Ray for sound set up??

That is what people usually say for the first time. Have you tried listening to music or movies with it set that way?

the Avia disc is good for calibrating.

[TooManyHobbies]

Like King, I also set up my new dual F15 subs using the pink noise from my pre/pro and an SPL meter. The initial impression listening to music was the bass was lacking. After some additional listening, the subs ended up being adjusted 2-3 dB higher than the mains as measured with the SPL meter. I'd also be interested in a setup CD, but am not aware of one. My brother-in-law is a bass guitar player and has a home studio where he records and mixes his own music. I've asked him to come audition my system with music he has recorded and mixed and give me his opinion of the sub to main level matching, but that will likely be awhile, since he lives 125 miles away. In the meantime, I've done some experimenting while listening to several hours of a variety of music and a couple movies, and I ended up returning to the setting where the subs are 2-3 dB higher than the mains using pre/pro pink noise. My wife and I are both happy with this adjustment.

I did notice that bass prominence (or lack thereof) varies from one recording to the next and particularly between older recordings (say, pre-digital masters) and newer ones even where the label and artist are the same. The newer recordings seem to always have more bass. I wouldn't necessarily attribute this to some feature of analog versus digital recording, but probably more due to changes in mixing styles over time. The 2-3 dB boost was a compromise over a variety of music in our collection. So, the media might have a significant influence on the bass levels one finds acceptable.

One final consideration is loudness compensation. Our previous receiver had loudness compensation, which we used, and the efficiency of our speakers meant we typically listened at fairly low amp volume levels. Our new pre/pro does not have loudness compensation, and although our mains used with the F15 subs have lower sensitive than before, we are still listening at relatively low levels, typically -30 to -32 dB on the volume control. I have not researched the loudness curve effect at these listening levels, but this could also influence the perception of bass between different setups.

Bill

[Quinn]

Curtis, isn't there a correction table somewhere for the Radio Shack sound meter being off a few dBs at lower Hz?

EDIT- Found it at SVS....

So find out what your subwoofer(s) are REALLY doing, and add the following numbers as appropriate to your SPL meter readings:

At 10Hz add 20dBs to the meter's readings and at ...

12Hz add 16.5dB
16Hz add 11.5dB
20Hz add 7.5dB
25Hz add 5dB
31.5Hz add 3dB
40Hz add 2.5dB
50Hz add 1.5dB
63Hz add 1.5dB
80Hz add 1.5dB
100Hz add 2dB
125Hz add .5dB

[Mike^S]

Edit: argh wait a minute, I think I was right the first time. If the meter says 75dB, then the sub is probably putting out around 77-78dB. So that means if you set your mains to 75dB, then the sub should be set to 72-73dB.

[King]

Yup, that means your measurement for the sub should actually be 2-3 dB less than your mains when measured with the rat shack spl mic.

Now I am confused...
Does this mean set the sub 3 db less then the mains using the pink noise and the shack meter?

[Mike^S]

Now I am confused...
Does this mean set the sub 3 db less then the mains using the pink noise and the shack meter?

Edit, I think I was right the first time. lol

[Quinn]

Now I am confused...
Does this mean set the sub 3 db less then the mains using the pink noise and the shack meter?

Yes.

From SVS-

Simply look to the below frequencies and add the required decibels (dBs) at the frequency in question. So if your system seems to be measuring 70dBs with a 20Hz tone, then really it's putting out 77.5dBs