B
ut what’s “too high”??
Tastes vary, and so do movie soundtracks, but your SVS
is capable of tremendous levels of low distortion, low frequency bass — far more than
most subs. Take advantage of this, especially if you like action movies with lots of “.1”
channel (LFE) action, and give the sub a bit more “bump” during calibration (also
known as running the sub “hot”). Keep in mind too that the human ear is relatively in-
sensitive to low frequencies. This, coupled with the fact most folks don’t watch movies
at Dolby Digital theater reference level (loud!), means turning the bass up a few decibels
usually yields a better movie sound experience.
W
hat sub levels do we recommend?
If you watch movies at moderate sound
levels, a good start is a range of +1dB to +3dB above your other channels (as measured
with your sound meter). This means the test tone will waiver about 78 dB for the sub-
woofer portion of the calibration run using your receiver test tones, or 88dB with Avia.
(
Note:
You may want to rotate the sound meter dial to 80dB to get a good reading
with these higher levels.) Note too that many modern A/V receivers allow a variety of
subwoofer level settings, depending on the “listening mode” you are in. With “Dolby
Digital” as your “mode” use the above calibration routine. You may well find that CD
“Stereo” music calls for a lower bass settings. The above is a guide… experiment! The
louder your master volume though, the more you should back off the sub level to com-
pensate. You must avoid your driver “bottoming”, resulting in a loud “clack”!
L
ocation and measurement.
You should take the above measurements from your
preferred seat for watching movies. Be advised, strong bass levels can vary
significantly
simply by moving a few feet. Such is the nature of long wave-length, low bass. Try
different locations and different levels for your subwoofer. Calibrating with the sub-
woofer’s volume too high (and often, too low) is the most common setup error!
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V
olume/
G
ain
Use “gain” (in conjunction with your receiver’s subwoofer output
level control) to dial in a bass calibration to your liking. Start calibration with the sub’s
volume/gain no more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up (turned clockwise from the left).
C
rossover
F
requency.
If you use your DD/DTS receiver/processor’s internal
crossover to manage bass frequencies (highly recommended), the setting of this knob on
the sub is irrelevant. (
Note
: Use the SVS’s crossover “Enable/Disable” switch discussed
below to take advantage of this configuration.) Otherwise this knob is used to best blend
your SVS to your other speakers. Typically used in stereo only systems today.
P
hase
.
Think of bass waves as conflicting or enhancing each other, depending on the
timing of their arrival at your listening location (either together, or not). Since some of
your room’s bass might come from main, center and/or surround speakers, as well as
your sub, getting these bass wave forms to arrive in a complementary,
enhancing
fash-
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SV Subwoofers
Summary of Contents for PB12-ISD
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