Section 5-Setting Up Your Receiver
Though much of this information may also be
found in you’re receiver manual, the guidelines
below are specifically for your receiver to ELT-1
speaker connections, and should be followed for
best performance.
5.1 Simple Calibration
First you'll need an SPL meter. Radio Shack sells
an analog meter that works very well for this
purpose.
Set the meter on ‘slow’ and
“C” weighting. The dial
should be set at either 70 or
80 depending on your pre/pro
or receiver’s test tone level.
Consult your owner’s manual
to determine what reference
point your unit uses (most
use 75, so the 70 setting on
the meter would be appropri-
ate).
Let's start by setting the level
of your sub to match the rest of your speakers.
From the receiver’s speaker calibration menu, set
the subwoofer level to 0 dB. Start with the gain
on the subwoofer at about 1/4 max.
In the speaker configuration menu (as a part of
the set-up on your HT receiver), be sure all your
speakers are set to “small” with subwoofer to
"yes". The crossover should be set to 80 Hz or
100 Hz. Experiment with what you prefer. Typi-
cally, higher crossover settings are used for sys-
tems in extremely large rooms or with very de-
manding low-end material.
Set the volume control on your receiver to the
"00 dB" level. See the note below if your unit
uses a positive number scale for volume instead
of a minus-to-plus scale.
Ensure that all main, center, and rear channels
are calibrated to the reference point using your
test tones, then direct the tone to the subwoofer.
Adjust its level using the gain control on the sub-
woofer itself until it reaches the SPL level used
for the other speakers. An assistant will be very
helpful for this process. Some like to run their
sub “hot” for movies by increasing the sub level
by 5 dB or so above the main channel level. This
can be very effective at lower listening levels,
but be sure to use care when watching that big
action movie for the first time! Especially at or
near reference levels. Once the subwoofer is
calibrated, small adjustments can be made easily
using the subwoofer level control in your proces-
sor/receiver. If you find the need to go much
above +2 or +3 consistently, we recommend ad-
justing the gain control on the sub upward in-
stead and using a lower number for reference
level* on the processor.
Note: If your unit does not use a minus/plus
volume scale, activate the test tones and in-
crease the volume of your pre/pro or receiver
until it reaches 75 or 85 dB on your SPL meter.
Remember this number as this will be “reference
level”*. Remember to check with your unit’s
manual to determine if they use a 75 or 85 dB
test tone.
*What is “Reference Level?”
Reference level allows for peaks of 105 dB from
the speakers and 115 dB for the LFE (low fre-
quency effects) channel. When calibrated as
above, the correct relative volume of each
speaker is as the director/sound engineer of the
film intended.
5.2 Setting “Small” or “Large”
Like many things audio related, this is somewhat
subjective, but it’s also a function of your room.
By a good majority, most rooms will obtain their
best sound with all speakers set to "small" with
the receiver’s internal crossover setting engaged
at 80 Hz. This is assuming a high performance
subwoofer, as a good sub ideally placed will han-
dle sub-80 Hz information better than "most"
loudspeakers in "most" rooms. This is mainly
due to the tendency for competing sources of in-
formation below 80 Hz that result in destructive
bass wave cancellation, thus effectively eliminat-
ing the amount of total information you hear at
the listening position. However, in addition to
the greater overall output, an 80 Hz crossover
setting will allow your other loudspeakers to play
with greater ease and less distortion— free from
the demands of deep and complex sub-80 Hz
waveform reproduction. Your speaker system
amplifier will see some benefit as well, since
much of the stress of producing deep bass will
be eliminated, and handled solely by the inte-
grated 200W amplifier featured in your SW-10
subwoofer. Consequentially, your front loud-
speakers will sound cleaner and more controlled.
