Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Onkyo 805 and Audysey with Axiom speakers-question

I recently purchased an Onkyo 805 reciver. Should I use this reciever with the Audyssey EQ on or off?? I noticed also that when I use "pure audio" my M60's come to life. When I use another format such as "stereo" they don't sound as great. Don'g get me wrong, they still sound good, but not as good as "pure audio".

My question is if I calibrate my system will the Onkyo Audyssey EQ will it make my speakers sound better. Will the M60's and the rest of my Axiom speakers benefit from this calibration. Does Axiom recommend using these kind of calibration options that come with some receivers?

Thanks a bunch.

jj

Are you using a sub-woofer?
If not, then I think your 805 is configured to use a sub. That would explain why pure audio (which bypass the circuits separating the bass and sending it to the subwoofer) would sound better.

As for EQ, I would not use it.

The only way to tell if you like the Audyssey is to try it, for my room I like the settings Audyssey provided.

Are you familiar with Audyssey? Why would you not use it?

Very familiar with it. It tends to make sound "smoother", which actually reduces the accuracy of instrument attacks. It can sound "better" for a little while (especially when faced with new setup), but you are not hearing what was recorded.

But then again, you never hear exactly what was recorded.

Ssssh! We're not supposed to say things like that!

JJ, I am really interested in knowing how you like your SR805, as I am currently trying to find one in my city for purchase. The 806 will replace the 805 in about a month or two, so it's scarce right now in my area. I really hope I land one though.

As for EQ, there has been quite a bit of discussions here of late about using it or not. The TX version does offer some room corections but I have not personaly heard that in action. I tend to side with EFalardeau on this one, but everyone is different in what they like in sound, so I say give it a try and if you don't like it, use the old fashion manual SPL meter, distance and xover config.

As for Pure Direct, on the 805, it actualy still uses the digital circuitry to output the sound, so it's not 100% analog passthrough as it might sugest. But still it will not add any DSP type processing in that mode.

Looking forward to hear your impressions of the 805.

Cheers,

Riker

Riker,

I got my 805 from ecost.com for $515 at the time. Last time I checked it went up a little. It is a reconditioned unit. I've had it for about 2 weeks. No problems at all. With out the Audyssey EQ it sound great. Yes I have an EP500 connected to it, so I do have a sub. Only thing that is negative about this receiver is that it tends to get a little hot. I did connect some cooling fans to keep it cool when I turn on the unit. Seems to work. The 805 is warm, but not hot as it was before the fans. It likes to breath. This unit is a beast compared to my Yammy RX2400...Here is a review by audioholics on it that may interest you (http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/receivers/onkyo-tx-sr805/tx-sr805-design/?searchterm=Onkyo%20805).

I was asking regardign the Audyssey because I do not want may Axioms to sound muted or smoothed out. Right now I hear every little detail on music and movies, especially with TrueHD and DTS Master HD-DVD's and Blu ray.

When Axiom tests their speakers do they test them with out an EQ or with one? Maybe this is something Allen can answer.

I will test it out as you recommend. I can always rest the unit or just adjust everything manually.

jj

JJ,

Unfortunately for me, I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and if I order electronics from the states on the internet, I don't get any warranty support. So, that's a big bummer for me. To give you an idea, I was quoted a " special , going to be discontinued " price by my local Onkyo dealer of $1,250.00 and that's a DEAL, it was selling for $1,500.00 when it came out.. so ya, we get totaly hosed when it comes to elctronics.

The Audyssey MultEQ XT will calculate via 8 readings of different locations the best overall configuration and corrections based on it's software. Once the calibration has been done, it will become your default sound. If you like that sound, keep it, if you don't, then do a manual configuration. I really can't comment on the actual results of a Audyssey config because I have never heard one. I have read that for some, mostly those who are familiar with manually calibrating their systems, the Audyssey config did not sound correct to them.

Axiom speakers have been designed and used to be tested right here in my own backward of Ottawa at the National Research Center in their anachoic chamber which is as flat as you can get..so to answer your question, definitevely NO the Axioms were not tested with EQ, quite the contrary. They even hang a subwoofer on a 30 ft pole (I think it's 30ft, but it could be higher) outside in the great outdoors and take measurements. No EQ there !.

Everything I have read about these newer Onkyos is that they run hot..but does it clip ? or does it shutdown completely because of heat ? or does it keep cranking out the tunes all night with no problems, except you can fry an egg on it for breakfast ?

If the heat does not negatively affect the sound or the operation of the receiver, then I can live with that. I'll just make sure I give it enough room to breathe.

Thanks for the link !

Cheers,

Riker

Audyssey tries to create a flat curve in your rooms response. If you are used to overblown mids or bass, then the sound will not be right.

Alot of the benefits are lost when the proper follow up is not done. For example, Onkyo classifies any speaker with a 3db rolloff of 80hz as full range. If you do not change this afterwards, you may feel like your bass is missing.

There is a huge thread over at AVS discussing this. It is frequented by one of the inventors of Audyssey. There is also a huge Onkyo 705 thread that has lots of Audyssey tips in the FAQ.

Hey Dewd,

What I read about the 805 specificaly is that it does not allow you to chose between the 3 curves, ie: Flat curve, Audyssey curve and the front curve, it only gives you the Audyssey curve and you can't change that.

Riker

JJ, yes when you have some time you should use the Audyssey MultEQ XT equalization on your Onkyo, which is one of its major features that you paid good money for. You say that you don't want the sound of your Axioms to be "smoothed out", but that isn't what happens in the way that you're thinking. Tests have shown that it has the ability to smooth some(but certainly not all)of the irregularities that our rooms impose on all speakers and improve the overall sound quality which is a combination of our speakers and our room.

Hi JJ,

I agree that you should give Audyssey a try. If you don’t like the way it makes your speakers sound then just stop using it like I did. I liked it at first but as Efalardeau said that didn’t last. Once I tried “pure direct” for stereo I realized just how bad Audyssey sounded in my room. It made voices sound hollow and tinny compared to how they sounded without it.

Now on good stereo recordings I only use “pure direct” everything else seems to dampen some of the dynamic range and reduce the crispness of the sound. Most poor stereo recordings sound better to me with Pro Logic. You should try all your options, (as was said you paid for them) but in the end there the only right way to set up your system is how it sounds best for you.

Dean

That is true, at least partially. You can choose between Audyssey curve and a flat curve by using a THX mode and choosing ReEQ. This effectively turns off THX but keeps a flat Audessey curve in place. There is no front curve equivalent on the Onkyos.

Right !. I remember that as well... just forgot in my previous post..thanks for reminding me.

Cheers

But you are still asking a 7-band EQ to adjust for your room. This is more ridiculous than you can imagine. Please do read a bit more about what happens in a room before giving any credence to something like this.

Very good, Eric; that pretty neatly summarizes the points that Audyssey has been making in the literature the past couple years(also briefly summarized in their 4th faq here )criticizing room equalization processing which relies on a few parametric "bands". As you say, this might be considered ridiculous in view of the complexities involved, and this is why Audyssey instead has developed a technology employing hundreds of coefficients, rather than a 7-band EQ.

If you think it is just a parametric EQ, then you are not as familiar with it as you claim.

To the OP, please give it a shot. If it doesn't sound right, check the FAQ I referenced and see if any of the tips help. If you don't like it, hey, it is YOUR system.

OK, finally got to get the Onkyo to working. I tried the Audessey and did not like it. Seemed that it it flatted out the Axioms. They do not sound so clear.

Another questions I have for you.....I crancked that sucker up to the max -9db, but for some reason it did not sound as loud as my prior Yammy 2400. The Yammy sounded louder when I had it to its max. The Yammy is rated at 120 watts. The Onkyo is rated at 130 watts. Why did the Yammy sound louder?? If I select the the 4ohms in the menu will it sound louder??

Thanks

JJ, don't know what "max-9dB" means, but whatever it is, the setting of the volume control on different makes of receivers doesn't indicate their relative power capabilities. If you measure the loudness with an SPL meter, both of those receivers will be able to produce equal loudness levels, but the volume control may be calibrated differently, so one of them(even the more powerful of the two)may require a higher setting for equal loudness. Apparently in your case the Onkyo requires a higher setting for the same power output. The difference between 120 and 130 watts is only about 0.3dB in maximum loudness(e.g., 110dB vs 110.3dB)which is essentially meaningless. At the loud level that you're listening, the receivers aren't using anywhere near their maximum, probably just a few watts on average. The fact that the volume control may be near the maximum doesn't mean that the power output is near the maximum; it depends on how high the level of the source material is at that moment. For example, if someone is whispering the receiver may put out 1 watt or less to reproduce that even if the volume control is all the way up.

No, don't select the 4 ohm setting; that reduces the maximum voltage that the receiver's power supply section can output, and therefore the maximum power capacity is also reduced(as much as 50%).