Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Calibrate Denon 3805

I just got the Denon 3805 and wondering whether to buy the Denon microphone for auto setup or do it manually using the SPL meter and the Avia disk? Thanks.

Hi "V" and welcome to the forum!
Many here (myself included) seem to feel that the auto-calibration modes generally do a very good job of setting speaker distances, but are otherwise not the best choices for the EQ and crossover settings that are factored.

I know that the best EQ setting for my 3805 is "off" and that I prefer to set the crossover settings myself. If you already owned the mic, I'd say give it a try and see how it works for you; if you don't own the mic, I think the money is much better spent on the audio meter and a test disc!

i almost posted a similar topic yesturday. my 3805 should be ib next week. let me know how it goes because i will need some help also.

vball,

I have the 3805 as well. It was the first real audio/visual component I have ever owned and was quite intimidated by it. That was a year ago almost to the day. I purchased the mic thinking that was the way to go and to be honest, it was a very helpful learning tool for me as I experimented with various speaker placements and eq settings that I might otherwise never had done. That being said, I'm like Mark, my eq is turned off. If you don't own it, I wouldn't buy it. If you really must try one, you can borrow mine. Just email me and we'll make arrangements.

John

Don,
i ordered the 3805 and should be here next week. did you end up buying a spl meter from radio shack? from reading most post here that seems to be the way to go.

I also agree with Mark that the Denon mic is not nearly worth the $60 (or whatever) they are charging for it. Its one of the reasons I went for the 2805 but I'm sure you can tweak your setup a little better with an SPL meter and Avia dvd.

Sure did. Until the Denon and Axiom speakers arrived, my home theater consisted of a Sony HTIB, which had no crossover settings nor level adjustments. When I opened the Denon and Axiom boxes and began reading the instructions, I about crapped in my pants. I really started hitting the forums then looking for information on what to's and how to's. By far, the Axiom boards have been the best in terms of objectivity and hospitality. Every here recommends an spl meter of some type and most have a Radioshack. It's not that expensive and we highly recommend owning one. Besides calibrating your system, its also fun to check sound levels in your house. Surprising stuff.

Highly recommend the do it yourself with the meter and test disc.

You will get more enjoyment out of the system knowing you set it up.

You will more than likely end up with a more balanced system than with using the denon mic.

You will get to know your receiver and its settings much better and thus be better able to operate your system. (lets face it there are an incredible amount of settings in these new receivers and it definetly helps to know what they do and don't do in order to get the best sound you can)

DonJuan,

Thank you for your generous offer. I think I will listen to everyone here and purchase SPL meter at RadioShack. Any preference between digital or analog meter?

what is an avia dvd and where can i get it?
thanks

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.