Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Need help in configure hsu sub with denon 3805

Hi,
I was trying to configure the sub with denon 3805 in order to get even bass that blends in with M60 last night. After a while, i still couldn't get the right bass. If I turn the volume from the sub down , then i can't hear anything. The only time i can hear it sounds comfortably when there is loud noise of explosion. If i turn volume up about 12 o'clock , then there is too much bass ...

Could someone please help me to set it up? Do i need to manually adjust the db level in the receiver to blend the bass from the sub to M60 while letting the volume in the sub at 12 o'clock?

thanks a lot.

First. do you have a SPL meter?

you need to use both the gain control on the sub and the level control on the receiver.

For instance, the settings on mine, which is not relevent to yours....just an example, the gain on the sub is about a quarter turn(9 o'clock position) and on my receiver the sub level is at -7.

I don't have SPL, but i have denon mic that does auto setup. it works pretty well.

So, what i should do is, first, to set volume in the sub to 9 or 12 o'clock. Then, set the sub level in receiver to whichever level that I'm comfortable with, while playing source such as CD with bass or test tone from receive.

I think auto setup set my subs level to -5

thanks.

oh...so the Denon automatically set the volume?

I think it just may be the case that you are not used to what you are hearing. If you set the sub gain at say 10 or 11 o'clock, and then let the denon do the auto level setting, I think it should be fine. Once the Denon is set, you should not have to fiddle with the gain control on the sub anymore.

The best thing to do is to get an SPL meter and check to see how accurate the Denon sets all the channels. Remember, when setting the sub level...the sub will not sound as loud as the other channels when in fact it is.

Yes. I haven't had time to play with it, but that's what denon does for auto setup. One thing i forgot to tell you that I actually set the volume knob on the sub to 12 o'clock before i start running auto setup. I will try it again tonight with the volume down to 9 o'clock and calibrate again since it it comfortable when i listen to music with 9 o'clock setting.

By the way, i can borrow an SPL meter from a friend , but i have no idea how to use it. Can you walk me through?

thanks.

Sure...I'm sure there are a few of us on this board that will walk you through it

I believe the Hsu manual has instructions on how to use the meter. There is also a post somewhere with instructions too.

Here is tutorial on how to calibrate. If you still have questions, ask away.

By the way, the meter pictured in the tutorial is the old, discontinued analog meter. Radio Shack has a new analog model, and a digital model (analog and digital refer to the meter's display, not the meter's internal electronics). Either will suffice.

One complaint I hear all the time is, using a digital speedometer on a car as an analogy, that the digital meter is more difficult to read. I use the digital and find this just not to be true. When calibrating, using either the white noise from your receiver, or from one of the calibration disks (Avia, Digital Video Essentials, Sound & Vision), the white noise doesn't waver like the speed of car will. You start the white noise and the meter goes to it's reading and holds steady. If you need to increase the volume to get it to the correct level, you turn up the volume a notch, and the meter goes up to it's reading and holds steady again. It doesn't bounce or waver at all.

Choose the one that fits your budget, and that pleases you.

I would recommend setting the sub level all the way up on your Denon's on screen display. This will ensure that the sub is receiving a full signal at all times. From there you can manually play with the subs volume knob to find the correct level for each application. Works for me.

Thanks Mark. I've heard that advice before. I think I gotta try it.

I also have a Denon 3805 and am running same speaker configuration as you, except sub is svs pb2 plus. I am working on mounting speakers and running wires now. While laying in bed, dreading the next trip into the attic, I decided to read the manual on setup. I was hoping to use a spl meter and set it up manually. I wanted to do this to ensure accuracy. I dont know if it was the the alcohol or being so tired, but I had no idea on what the manual said. I know the words looked english but confused the hell out of me. If any cares to walk through a manual setup of the 3805 I also would appreciate it. Keep in mind I am not hip to the audio world lingo ; ). I will try grasping the instructions again when I am not drunk; that will probably help.

Thanks Ajax. You answered many questions before I could even type out my question.

Where's drmurray when you need him. To quote him, "Did I mention that the Denon manuals suck?"

thats funny.. everything seems to make BETTER sense when i am drunk.. or maybe its cause i just dont care..

njoyment: You're welcome

Big John: I bet you're ALWAYS drunk.

My vote goes to, start setting it up sober so at least some of it is right, and be drunk before you're done. Then just make sure you're drunk whenever you listen to it, and it'll sound just like you remember.

Which HSU sub do you have? Is the crossover defeatable on your model? If so, you should bypass the sub's crossover. If not, turn the crossover up all the way so that it doesn't cascade witht he Denon's crossover.

mwc,
I have STF-2

Bigwill,
when you say "setting the sub level all the way up on your Denon's on screen display", do you mean that i turn the master volume on receiver to the max (i think mine is +17)?
thanks.

The STF-2 has a defeatable crossover. If your Denon is performing the crossover duties, then be sure to defeat the crossover on the HSU and as a starting point, set the HSU's volume control to about the half way point. Then let the Denon's auto setup perform the level adjustments via the microphone. The receiver will attenuate the sub level to match the rest of the channels.

As a rule of thumb, you want your LFE channel volume level to be about the same as the other channels so that the sub doesn't call attention to itself and it blends in well with the over all sound.

mwc, I prefer to have the subs amplifier work less hard to amplify a strong signal, than to have the knob cranked to amplify a weak signal. Before setting the on-screen volume level to max (and turning down the subs volume knob to a reasonable level) I had some problems w/ what I think was the driver bottoming out. Whatever the cause of all the funky noises, following the advice I received above corrected the problem. The sub (an EP350) will now play extremely loud when I want it to w/out a hint of foul noise.

audiofan, you need to connect your receiver to your TV via the "MONITOR" out jack on the back of your receiver. Next, turn on your TV and switch it to the input jack you used to connect the receiver (Video 1, Video 2, etc...).
Near the bottom right-hand corner of your Denon's remote there is a button labeled "System Set-Up" (or something like that). Push it and the Denon's on screen menu will appear. That is where the volume levels for all of your speakers - including the sub - can be adjusted. On my Denon you must play the test tones to adjust the volume levels. Probably the same on yours.

Bigwill,
That's what i do with my 3805. however, i didn't do it manually, but using auto setup/room EQ feature. The receiver sets Front/Center/Rear speaker to LARGE. The only thing irritate me that it measures the distance from the sub to listening position not right and channel level of sub is 5db.

I'm satisfied with all so far, except the sub level. I seem can't make it blend with my main speakers.

Which model of denon do you have? and which volume level do you set on yours?

thanks.

What's that old saying? "When you want something done right, do it yourself." I'd just do it the old fashioned way, w/ an spl meter, then tinker to taste.
I have a Denon 2802. Very few frills.