Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Calibrate Denon 3805

AVIA Guide to Home Theater

A less expensive option is:

Digital Video Essentials

Here is a tutorial that explains the whys and hows, and compares the two discs.

AN INTRODUCTION TO TEST & CALIBRATION DVDS

i just got the denon 3805 and i think the person who set it up didnt do a good job. at first htere was somewhat too much bass on my front in walls and he "cut out some frequencies" going to it. also there is really no noise coming from the subwoofer. if the microphone isnt so well, then where and how do i learn how to do it myself?

Mo', if you run a search through these and other forums such as Audioholics.com as well as a search around the internet you should find loads of information regarding initial setup and calibration.

The following is a rather easy explanation regarding audio calibrating with your A/V receiver.

A/V Calibration Basics

BTW, who are you referring to whenever you mention that 'the person' didn't set your receiver up correctly? Just curious.

I think if you just follow along with this thread it's all gonna get covered.

The steps are pretty simple :

1. Make sure all the speakers are actually working, ie that you get some "proper audio content" (ie not just noise or hum) coming out of each speaker.

2. Read the manual enough to understand how to manually adjust speaker levels using the remote. You just need to know how to move the levels up and down, not how to find the right level.

3. Buy or borrow a setup disk (per the links from Ajax above) and an SPL meter (normally from Radio Shack). The advantage of borrowing is that the person you borrow from will probably help you with the setup

4. Play the disk, and jump to the section where they talk about setting audio levels. The disk will play a series of tones out of the different speakers -- you will sit in your normal listening position, watch the SPL meter as the tones play, and probably see that each speaker is playing at a different level.

5. using the receiver remote, adjust the louder speakers down and the quieter speakers up until the tones are all playing at about the same volume. If you run out of adjustment on the sub remember that it has a level control for coarse adjustments.

6. Enjoy.

In reply to:

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3. Buy or borrow a setup disk (per the links from Ajax above) and an SPL meter (normally from Radio Shack). The advantage of borrowing is that the person you borrow from will probably help you with the setup

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Just out of curiosity I wonder if anybody other than myself uses the Rat Shack digital SPL meter? Whenever I bought mine they didn't have the analog model in stock.

Yes, I use, and prefer the digital I used the analog for more than 20 years before going digital.

Excellent tutorial, Rick. I regularly do searches for "calibration" tutorials, and have never come across that one. Thanks.

I've got the digital and the analog meters. When I moved into this house last month, I used the digital meter to set up shop. Prior to that I used the analog. I can't really say that I think one's particularly better than the other. They both do the job nicely.