I am currently out of town, away from my home where a beautiful brand new, Value Electronics calibrated Sony A90J OLED panel sits waiting.
Before I left for work 2 weeks ago I had spent all of my free time playing around with my new MiniDSP 10x10HD and SVS SB-1000 Pro subs.
I'm hoping to get some confirmation on the basic agenda/plan/punch-list for optimization so that I can get home this weekend and get straight into the good work, rather than spinning my wheels, or doing bad work!
I'm pretty handy with some of the tools, or at least knowledgeable enough to follow the terrific guides floating about places like ASR. I also really like Jeff Mery and Nathan Lively on Youtube. With a basic associates degree in Audio Engineering and a lot of DIY techno production and rave sound system stuff... I have some experience, but not nearly enough!
Part of what brings me to ask for some critique/guidance is that I have such a hodgepodge of equipment (and this will remain, as my budget is spent) that my needs fall outside of what any 1 singular walk-through video covers (to my knowledge). I see this as an opportunity to learn and have fun. I'm just hoping to maximize my 5 days of airbnb life as my excitement builds for the new display setup!
Problems:
1. Use A90Js built in sound as the center channel speaker. A. Has massive internal latency. B. Probably isn't flat and doesn't have the low end extension of my LR.
2. Speaking of LR, I am using powered Genelec 8030a studio monitors. I've loved them for 10 years or more, but I've never properly equalized or integrated them with a subwoofer system.
3. Have 3 potential subs. A. 2 x SVS and 1 x Dayton, maybe 2 SVS is better than the 3? B. tiny bedroom maxed out with furniture, placement is very very limited (and expectations set accordingly).
4. Older AVR, Onkyo TX-nr809 with old Odyssey. Ideally I'd use only the crossovers and only because I can't shut them completely off for the sub.
Goals:
1. Use MSO to optimize bass for 6 listening positions all in bed (left, center, right laying down, left, center, right sitting up).
2. Following Nathan Lively's philosophy I'd like to phase match/integrate the crossover between subwoofer system and mains, as in if the Onkyo imposes a 80Hz crossover electronically, what filters and delays can I add in the MiniDSP to have the actual acoustic crossover match/sum.
3. Have time/phase alignment as accurate as possible with the mess/mix of gear. The TV as center channel ads something like 13ms.
4. Equalize the L, C, R, but not in a single listening position (head in a vice) manor.. more of a "flatten the speaker and let the room be the room above X frequency band".
I know for some people this would be a very strait forward process. And I'm hoping to lean on that! For me its a little overwhelming, especially coming from this mixture of home theater vs studio vs live sound system. I think all 3 fields can occasionally go too far in assuming what works for others doesn't apply, and then I also respect that room size is very much fundamental to the approach. For instance.. I don't see how Nathan's live sound approach to electronic vs acoustic crossovers would NOT apply to home theater, yet I don't see people discussing that very often.
At time of writing I'm honestly not sure what step one is.
Measure TV as speaker in driveway? find its free-field frequency response and also the actual latency value? Look at its natural LF roll-off to determine bass management xover setting?
Then repeat this with the Genelecs?
Then repeat with the 3 subs? Or should the subs just be placed in the room from the start since they interact with the room so much that a free field measurement isn't of much help?
If anyone has read this far, thanks!
Some links for those who are unfamiliar with Nathan or Jeff's content:
Before I left for work 2 weeks ago I had spent all of my free time playing around with my new MiniDSP 10x10HD and SVS SB-1000 Pro subs.
I'm hoping to get some confirmation on the basic agenda/plan/punch-list for optimization so that I can get home this weekend and get straight into the good work, rather than spinning my wheels, or doing bad work!
I'm pretty handy with some of the tools, or at least knowledgeable enough to follow the terrific guides floating about places like ASR. I also really like Jeff Mery and Nathan Lively on Youtube. With a basic associates degree in Audio Engineering and a lot of DIY techno production and rave sound system stuff... I have some experience, but not nearly enough!
Part of what brings me to ask for some critique/guidance is that I have such a hodgepodge of equipment (and this will remain, as my budget is spent) that my needs fall outside of what any 1 singular walk-through video covers (to my knowledge). I see this as an opportunity to learn and have fun. I'm just hoping to maximize my 5 days of airbnb life as my excitement builds for the new display setup!
Problems:
1. Use A90Js built in sound as the center channel speaker. A. Has massive internal latency. B. Probably isn't flat and doesn't have the low end extension of my LR.
2. Speaking of LR, I am using powered Genelec 8030a studio monitors. I've loved them for 10 years or more, but I've never properly equalized or integrated them with a subwoofer system.
3. Have 3 potential subs. A. 2 x SVS and 1 x Dayton, maybe 2 SVS is better than the 3? B. tiny bedroom maxed out with furniture, placement is very very limited (and expectations set accordingly).
4. Older AVR, Onkyo TX-nr809 with old Odyssey. Ideally I'd use only the crossovers and only because I can't shut them completely off for the sub.
Goals:
1. Use MSO to optimize bass for 6 listening positions all in bed (left, center, right laying down, left, center, right sitting up).
2. Following Nathan Lively's philosophy I'd like to phase match/integrate the crossover between subwoofer system and mains, as in if the Onkyo imposes a 80Hz crossover electronically, what filters and delays can I add in the MiniDSP to have the actual acoustic crossover match/sum.
3. Have time/phase alignment as accurate as possible with the mess/mix of gear. The TV as center channel ads something like 13ms.
4. Equalize the L, C, R, but not in a single listening position (head in a vice) manor.. more of a "flatten the speaker and let the room be the room above X frequency band".
I know for some people this would be a very strait forward process. And I'm hoping to lean on that! For me its a little overwhelming, especially coming from this mixture of home theater vs studio vs live sound system. I think all 3 fields can occasionally go too far in assuming what works for others doesn't apply, and then I also respect that room size is very much fundamental to the approach. For instance.. I don't see how Nathan's live sound approach to electronic vs acoustic crossovers would NOT apply to home theater, yet I don't see people discussing that very often.
At time of writing I'm honestly not sure what step one is.
Measure TV as speaker in driveway? find its free-field frequency response and also the actual latency value? Look at its natural LF roll-off to determine bass management xover setting?
Then repeat this with the Genelecs?
Then repeat with the 3 subs? Or should the subs just be placed in the room from the start since they interact with the room so much that a free field measurement isn't of much help?
If anyone has read this far, thanks!
Some links for those who are unfamiliar with Nathan or Jeff's content: