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.

yep, i am going to ratshack this afternoon to get the fusion analog cables.. also, an SPL meter.. an extra s-video, a digital cable, and some banana speaker plugs..

anything else you guys might be able to recommend that i havent thought of??

bigjohn

beer

CHECK!!

already got a six pack of shiner in the fridge..

bigjohn

shiner -- [ shudder ]

Shiner? Don't know that. Is it like Pabst or Olde English?

Better, but not by far.

Although I did have Shiner Summer Brew at mwc's house in Dallas. It wasn't bad.

olde spice...hehehe

I think Shiner Bock is what Amber Bock tries to be...

bigjohn - have i got it straight?

^billy

bigjohn - lest we forget, it might not also be a bad idea to make a small trip through the manuals you have. Most everything will enter and/or leave the receiver, so that is your centerpiece.

Another thought - do a google on speaker calibration. There is some helpful info out there.

Have you bought speaker wire yet?

Let's see...since I went through this exercise last week.... A level ...for your surround mounting brackets...(a stud finder...if you don't trust the old fashioned way)...a tape measure...to ensure equal height...and to be sure you don't errantly cut lengths of speaker wire, sharp wire strippers...or just some strippers... Sounds like you're good on interconnects... Avia disk ...or something similar...if you don't want to play it by ear. 9V battery for the spl meter. A gate to keep the dog out of the way. Extra zip ties...to clean up the mess of cables you're going to have. (of course...I was also setting up a new TV...tv stand...dvd...AVR...you name it...at the same time...I seriously wore myself out!!!)

OH...some quality wood screws for the qs8 mounts...assuming you're going to use a stud ( I definitely would recommend you do)...while I'm here...my only complaint about the mounts...is the rigidity ...or lack thereof....of the horizontal cross bar.

And anytime you have a level... a tape measure!

Glad the fiancee's got a human sized (12") level... I'd feel kind of silly hanging QS brackets with a 4' spirit level.

Bren R.

I liked the "Summer Brew" better than the standard Shiner as well. But what did you think about the Fisher's French ale?

I am using 2 video component cables (RCA brand, 1.8m, purchased at Home Depot for 14.99 Cdn each) to run my component audio from my DVD player to my Receiver. FAR cheaper than monster, and I believe they are cheaper than Radio shack as well.

As far as I can tell, they work just as well for audio as they do video.
Brent

In reply to:

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what did you think about the Fisher's French ale?

---

I was able to drink it.

Wait a darn minute. Fischer is the beer of Alsace, a region that may currently be under French jurisdiction, but has been considered more "Germanic" during many periods of history.

Despite being bordered by perhaps the two greatest brewing cultures in the world (Germany and Belgium), there is very damn little good beer made in France. Draw your own conclusions.

they make pretty good fries..

you can get some at mcdonalds, wendys, burger king, whataburger, long john silvers, arbys, hardess, jack in the box.. almost anywhere!!

bigjohn

True. They care called French Fries. However, the Belgians have taken them to a level that can only be called artistic or obsessive (all in your point of view). They have their own version of the Rhienheitsgebot (german laws about brewing beer in case you are not a beer geek) for french fries. Quality of potato, oil, temperature, cleanliness. It's crazy! Of course the fries are really freaking good.
/uselessknowledge

jr

Hey, is Frjtz Fries still open (on Hayes and Laguna)? I've been meaning to go there.

Picky...picky...picky

God, I hope so. I really want to go there.

I don't know, but I don't think so. I was in Hayes Valley a few weeks ago and don't recall seeing it. I do recall being sad that Powell's Place is now gone.
Back on the fry note I do believe there is a fry place in ghirardelli or somewhere near fisherman's (tourest trap hell) wharf.

jr

The last time I was at Fisherman's Wharf was with family from Oklahoma and soon-to-be family from Ohio a couple days before my wedding. As they arrived I heard a giant sucking sound, and before I knew it we were standing in front of the Wax Museum.

Oh, and Frjtz IS in Ghirardhelli square, on the second floor.