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But what’s “too high”?? Tastes vary, and so do movie soundtracks, but your
SVS is capable of tremendous levels of low distortion, low frequency bass — far
more than most commercial subs. Take advantage of this, especially if you like
action movies with lots of “.1” channel (LFE) action, and give the sub a bit more
“bump” during calibration. Keep in mind too that the human ear is relatively
insensitive to low frequencies. This, coupled with the fact most folks don’t
watch movies at Dolby Digital reference level (loud!), means tweaking the bass
up a few dBs usually yields a better movie sound experience.
What sub levels do we recommend? If you watch movies at relatively mod-
erate sound levels, a good start is a range of +2dB to +3dB above your other
channels (as measured with your sound meter). This means the test tone will
waiver about 78 dB for the subwoofer portion of the calibration run (88dB with
Avia). (Note: You may want to rotate the sound meter SPL meter dial to 80dB
to get a good reading with these higher levels.) Note too that many modern sur-
round sound receivers allow a variety of different subwoofer level settings, de-
pending on the “listening mode” you are in. With “Dolby Digital” as your
“mode” use the above calibration routine. You may well find that CD “Stereo”
music calls for a lower bass settings. The above is a guide… experiment! The
louder your master volume though, the more you should back off the sub level to
compensate. Avoid your driver bottoming, resulting in a loud “clack”!
Location and measurement. You should take the above measurements from
your typical preferred seat for watching movies (center cushion, right?). Be ad-
vised, strong bass levels can vary tremendously simply by moving a few feet.
Such is the nature of long wave-length, low bass sound. Don’t hesitate to try
different locations and different levels for your subwoofer. Calibrating too high
(and often, too low) is the most common subwoofer setup error!
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Volume/Gain Use gain (in conjunction with your receiver’s subwoofer output
level control) to dial in a bass calibration to your liking. Start calibration with the
sub’s volume 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up (turned clockwise from the left).
Crossover Frequency. If you use your DD/DTS receiver/processor’s internal
crossover to manage bass frequencies (highly recommended), the setting of this
knob on the sub is irrelevant. (Note: You should use the crossover “Enable/
Disable” switch discussed below to take advantage of this configuration.) Other-
wise this knob is used to best blend your SVS to your other speakers. Typically
used in stereo only systems today.
Phase. Think of bass waves as conflicting or enhancing each other, depending
on the timing of their arrival at your listening location (either together, or not).
Since some of your room’s bass might come from main, center and/or surround
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SV Subwoofers