Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions CALIBRATING

ok.. first question in my set up procedure. when calibrating, i will put the meter in the exact position where my ears will be.. i got that.. my question is, will i need to face the meter in the direction of the speakers? in other words, when i am calibrating the surrounds(QS8's), which are 3ft above, a little behind and 10ft to the sides of the listening position, will i need to face the meter straight toward the TV, or to the side facing the speakers? and i remember reading a post saying to listen to the speakers a few days, or weeks before calibrating, is that true?? i thought the whole 'break-in' theory was pretty much a crock of $hit??

also, to hook up the dvd/cd to play sacd's, i will need:
1 s-video cable(not using component)
1 digital cable(for dolby & dts)
and 5 RCA analog cables??

is this correct??

also, i will be running from the vcr to the receiver with rca cables, and from the receiver to the TV with an s-video.. does anyone with an ONKYO 701 know if the whole 'up conversion' features will take the signal in from the rca(VCR) and allow it to flow thru the s-video to the tv?

i guess this is a 3 part question..any help would be appreciated.

bigjohn

BigJohn,

If you have a tripod, put the meter on it in the sweet spot at the level of your ears. Point it forward toward the screen a bit tilted up (maybe 45 degrees or so...but I have heard it doesn't really matter) and calibrate away. For the remainder of the speakers, leave it in the position it is in...you don't usually turn your head in a theatre when watching a movie, right...same principle applies here...

I calibrated my speakers almost as soon as I received them to just get a level set. I went back again after a week or so just too make sure everything was still where it was...I tweaked it a bit but from what my memory recalls, there was not much if any change.

As for the video "pass-through" capabilities of that Onkyo, if the manual does not elaborate on it, I say try it and see if you get video.

Any update on the Tracking Numbers?

You will enjoy...

WhatFurrer

And ensure you set meter "C"weight/slow.

Good luck and enjoy. Glad to see everyone on that side of the world has finally got out of bed.


Semper Fi

BigJohn
you may first want to try out a regular composite RCA cable to connect video on the dvd player. As I mentioned before, I found my pq was better using a composite connection than an S-Video one. I'm sure it would save you a few bucks and you could always borrow an S-Vid connector later from a friend/a store to compare. Of course, YMMV.

Congrats on your impending arrival. I hope you'll still find time to post on the forum!

"What" pretty much covered it.

Remember, when calibrating, that your body position can have an effect. Obviously you have to be in a position where you can read the meter. But try to be off to one side, and back as far as you can get (and still read the meter), in order to minimize any influence your body (and yours is a BIG body ) will have.

When calibrating the surrounds, change sides so that you're away from the speaker being calibrated. Right surround, be to the left of, and behind, the meter, etc.

I think it's worth it to have a tripod. It makes calibrating much easier. If you haven't got a tripod, I bought this lightweight, yet sturdy, model for $32 including shipping. I'm quite happy with it.

As "What" implied, You'll end up calibrating more than just once. Any time you move your speakers, even a little, you should recalibrate. Some folks do it on a monthly basis, just to be sure.

Have fun, John.

You're gonna need six analog cables. You forgot the cable for the subwoofer input.

good call player8.. thanks for the heads up. this is all new to me, so i am on a learn as i go basis. its kinda scary!!
thanks

bigjohn

Yeah...6 cables..and don't get the 1m length monster cables from BB...or you'll be cussing a blue streak trying to get those dang connectors fitted on the back. I was close to punching my dvd player...trying to get those stupid connectors on. 1 is fine...2 is ok...somewhere between 2 and 6...became very frustrating.

John,

Radio Shack Gold Cables... Their Fusion cables are also good...

Relatively cheap as well...

[Police bullhorn mode on] "Stand away from the Monster Cable display and no one will get hurt..." [Police bullhorn mode off]

WhatFurrer

In reply to:

---

"Stand away from the Monster Cable display and no one will get hurt..."

---

Except Noel Lee's pocketbook. Speaking of which, I'd read he was an engineer... wondered what sort of engineer would go into the boutique cable industry. So I looked up his CV, which reads:

Engineering Degree - California Polytechnical State University
Laser-fusion engineer - Lawrence-Livermore Lab
Drummer - Asian Wood
CEO - Monster Cable

Draw your own conclusions.

Bren R.