This is my first home theater with towers and a sub amp and all that so I need some help. I started off setting the sub crossover at 80hz and the volume at 40% then ran audyssey it set my speakers to large and everything at 80hz the sub was very lacking in power. I played the ironhide sweep bass scene from transformers and it was blah so I'm here for help. Should I turn up the volume on the sub? Shouldn't my speakers be set to small?

The crossover knob on the back of the sub, if yours has one, needs to be turned to the highest setting, or "bypass", if that is an option. Since the receiver will be handling the bass mgmt, you want to get that crossover knob out of the way. Normally, with the EP500, you can start with the volume (gain) knob pretty low. I think I leave my EP600 volume knob about at 20%, and then after running Audyssey the sub dB level on the receiver will be closer to 0dB, with the other speakers.

Audyssey actualy is not what is setting your speakers to small or large, it measures the -3dB point of each speaker and reports that back to the receiver manufacturer, in your case Denon. If a speaker has a 40hz -3dB point, they will be set to large.

So it is not unusual for your m80s and vp180 to be large, mine was also. With that said, you still want to go into the receiver setup and set them to "small", and I would say a 60-80hz crossover.

Audyssey needs a totally "quiet" environment when run, with no noise at all. Also, placement is key for the various mic locations.

Talking about quiet. I turn off the furnace/air, cat water fountain, fans, heaters, fridge, washer, drier. Anything that makes noise. Then I try to keep the cat from making noise; the hardest part unless she's asleep. I also sit in the back of the room thinking a body standing in the middle might alter things.

I've wondered about leaving the room when doing the calibration tests. Shouldn't you sit where you're going to be sitting, so the system is calibrated for your presence?

Same here Brian, one day the wife took the kids to the mall giving me plenty of time to get it "just" right. On the last cycle I heard them come home upstairs and start running down the steps to see me, I was not a happy camper.

I don't always sit in the same place, or at the same distance. Then when there's company that's another thing entirely. I just figure that I'd take bodies out of the equation and live with the results.

You want to put the mic at ear level in those locations, if you were sitting there it would case reflection problems. When I do the back row, I recline my front seats so they don't interfere.

With MCACC, I only reference one location. For me I like to use the center of the room, on a tripod, at ear level when sitting. The only problem I have is the far corner. The other far corner is open to the dining room. This corner has too much bass when you are sitting in or near it. I like the position of the subwoofer though. It's current position eliminates nulls in the room. My computer sits in this bass rich area so it's not too big of a problem.

So set the crossover at 150 On the back of the sub? It's a V3 model if that helps

I need to go buy a bigger power cord I couldn't put the sub in the position I wanted too. Are these cords universal? Or do I need a special kind?

They're universal. Just make sure it's, say, 14 gauge.

Your local hardware store like a Home Depot should carry an exact power cord in a longer length. They are sometimes marketed for use with PC's on the packaging. Just bring it with you and show them what you need in a longer length.

I've read a long time ago that some sound engineers would sometimes put dummies in a large portion of a concert hall in order to get the right sound quality, as the hall had better suited reverberation for recording than in an empty concert hall.

it would be interesting to compare a room calibration with and without people in the seats...
has anyone done it? with what results?

That's a good one for "Myth Busters"

Edit: Again...Power Cords

I have often been referred to as a "dummy" :-)

do most people set the sub to 'bypass'?


Thanks.

Yes if your AVR handles the crossover setting to the sub which most do. So set your sub to bypass and forget about it, set your speakers to small and change your crossover on the receiver to whatever sounds good to you (40,60,80Hz).

I think a big problem I had was where my seat was, after sitting in every other seat 2 were unbelievably bass heavy and of course my seat sucked lol. When I get the new power cord I will be able to put the sub where I want it to be so hopefully that will fix my issues along with your tips. I'm trying to think if the V3 has a bypass on the back?

I'm almost certain that the V3s don't have an actual bypass setting, but you can turn the crossover all the way up, and it'll not bother the 80 Hz and down range.

Ugh I went to a few stores bestbuy, home depot, radio shack and nobody has a 12inch power cord.

Is this the right thing i need?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/produc...=1&format=2

Yeah, that looks good.

Cool thank you. Even with the sub in a horrible location im pretty impressed with it. I cant wait to hear it when i have it properly located

What did I miss? Why not just get a heavy-duty extension cord?

Looks ok to me. Anyone have any objections?

I'll allow it.

Not without paying ferret tax first.

Oh, so we're just going to abandon procedure altogether and go with a consensus model now?

Jackals.

We can use Robert's Rules if you want. Yeesh. Do I have a second to the motion?

Second.

The motion has been carried, any objections?

Julia Robert's is good but I also like Roberts Downey Jr.

Yeah. This meeting is taking too long.

I abstain.

Your sexual habits are irrelevant here.