Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Audyssey Dynamic EQ Graphs

I thought some of you might find it interesting to see what DEQ does to your frequency response in the lower ranges.

The graphs below were taken before I started equalizing my EP800 again recently, so these show Audyssey effects unaltered by any outside equalization.

The series of graphs below begins with showing the effects of DEQ at -20 receiver gain and progresses through -10, 0, and +10. In my mind, I had imagined a more complex "algorithm" (since that's the word they use to describe the processing) than what the charts show, which is a flat x dB bump in all of the low frequencies based on the volume. Lower volumes = bigger value for x, with x reaching 0 at 0 dB receiver volume, and x becoming negative at values greater than 0 dB receiver volume.

Contrast the graphs above with the effect of "night mode"



In night mode, there is less "algorithmic" processing going on by the Denon as it's almost exactly a 1.5 dB attenuation from approximately 20 Hz through the end of this frequency spectrum (~80 Hz). Regardless of volume, the same cut is applied.

I have to admit that I'd always thought night mode would apply more of a cut than 1.5 dB. No wonder my wife still complains that I wake her up watching movies after she's gone to bed!

Those Audyssey stats are very impressive.

so do you like the DEQ feature? I am still on the fence about whether or not to buy.

I don't understand the technicalities in any of your writeups Jason, but they are very impressive, keep it up!!

Don't worry, I don't either Cam. I'm waiting for someone to call BS on my whole series of posts.

But since no one has yet, I suppose I'll go on.

I tested DEQ (Dynamic EQ) today with my current settings (i.e. BFD equalizing the subwoofer after Audyssey had been run) and was happily surprised to see that it worked exactly as intended.

Below is one more comparative graph showing the DEQ does at -30 dB volume (on the receiver), which is the volume I normally listen to on DirecTV.



When listening at -30 on the receiver's volume, Audyssey is applying a ~15 dB bump starting around 12 Hz ranging down to a 6 dB increase at 80 Hz. This does result in really nice bass at low volumes, so it is a feature I enjoy.

Jay, you asked above if I like it / if it's worth it. To me, it is. I think the easiest way to think of it is the difference between having to turn your SW level up and down to match the volume level at which you are listening. While I've done that in the past before I had this feature and it wasn't that awful, this is a bit more convenient way to get more consistent bass at any volume level without having to adjust your channel level settings.

I suppose there's a good argument to be made that you're not getting the intended flat bass response when using this feature, but as someone who just plopped down some serious money on a subwoofer, I don't mind feeling the EP800 rumble at lower volumes as well.

Jason

What frequency ranges does DEQ apply - only the lower bass frequency range? Or does it also boost other frequency ranges? Is it configurable or does it simply rely on "past statistics" that Audyssey has compiled to determine which frequency ranges required boosting at lower listening levels?

Admittedly, I don' know much about Audyssey. I have an Outlaw 990 pre/pro that does not do any dynamic equalization. I have to admit that when listening to TV at lower volume levels I feel that I'm losing the subwoofer effects. To compensate I've turned up my subwoofer. But then its too loud when I watch a DVD (well, too loud for my wife :)). Having looked at some of the Denon products for my next purchase, I was interested in whether or not the Audyssey solutions work well enough to sway my decision.

Also, how well does Dynamic Volume work? Another annoyance with cable television is the constant volume level differences between programs and commercials. I'm constantly having to turn the volume down during commercials. Does Dynamic Volume address this well enough?

Thanks!

Bryan

Jason, I love to call BS, but no need here. The Audyssey Dynamic EQ appears to work as advertised and as subjective listening comments indicated.

The Dynamic Volume must work very well as that is the one thing most people seem to really like about the upgrade. I guess I need to buy it so I can try it out.