Hi all - sorry for the clickbait, however just wanted to share something that happened this weekend.
As I recently discovered the movie mode on my TV and realised how much nicer it was I decided to play with my AVR's settings a bit to see if there are any changes (I was very happy with the results at this point so this was just an experiment). SO I wrote down the settings the AVR was at and one by one changed them. Most things didn't make an impact so I went back however when I went to the speaker levels and crossover - and changed them up - I literally got an upgrade for free.
My fronts were set by audessey at -8db, the center was set at -6db, my rears were set at -8db and the sub was at -5db. So Just for fun I changed it all to 0db, now before this I was keeping my AVR at around 80+ out of 98 to get the desired level of sound, however now at around 65 it is fairly loud for everyday consumption. So then I decided to change a few things where I could have a little enhancement. So I changed the Center to +2DB, leaving the R/L and Sub at 0DB and the rears to -3 each and well - I am mightily impressed. The next real improvement was taking the "ECO" mode off, a fair bit of difference to perceived sound, maybe perhaps at 60/98 now it is a little louder due to more power. The last thing I did was change the LFE crossover to a 120Hz from 80Hz - (I also tried 150 & 180 but to my ears 120 was the best of the lot).
***(FOR FUN I tried to setup my AVR again with Audessey after making these changes and it again set it up in the same ranges as earlier +/- a couple DB - so I reverted to my earlier findings).
Now hear me out, I was absolutely happy with what I had, I had no complaints, I was enjoying it thoroughly, almost everyday. I actually didn't want better - the only thing I wanted to "improve" was the sub by going dual - that also, is curiosity driven rather than a requirement. Now, I am floored, this is better, much much better than what I had and I thought that was fantastic so you can imagine how I must feel right now
.
1 - Everything is "much clearer" dialogues, effects, sounds. Even at low volume and whisper quiet scenes.
2 - The bass is pretty similar as it earlier was - brilliant, albeit with a definite increase in impact. Sub still disappears in the sound and there is no rattling or booming.
4 - It is ridiculously loud now at around 75/98 instead of the earlier used 80+/98 to listen at reasonable levels.
However the biggest impact in my experience is how much more SNAPPY the system has become. It is ridiculous how much clearer the top end has become and it isn't like the Klipsch sharp - not at all (I have nothing against Klipsch and I have owned them, I have made my friends buy them and it is just an example), it is very mild yet super clean. The sounds in a movie has a lot more detail but music is where this improvement is most apparent. I actually listened to some of my favourite fast paced queen songs almost all Sunday morning and then I ended up watching the Greyhound again.
To all newbies and people who are as clueless as me - please try and play with your settings that Audessey did for you, it might make you happier.
******NOTE DOWN all settings before changing them.
As I recently discovered the movie mode on my TV and realised how much nicer it was I decided to play with my AVR's settings a bit to see if there are any changes (I was very happy with the results at this point so this was just an experiment). SO I wrote down the settings the AVR was at and one by one changed them. Most things didn't make an impact so I went back however when I went to the speaker levels and crossover - and changed them up - I literally got an upgrade for free.
My fronts were set by audessey at -8db, the center was set at -6db, my rears were set at -8db and the sub was at -5db. So Just for fun I changed it all to 0db, now before this I was keeping my AVR at around 80+ out of 98 to get the desired level of sound, however now at around 65 it is fairly loud for everyday consumption. So then I decided to change a few things where I could have a little enhancement. So I changed the Center to +2DB, leaving the R/L and Sub at 0DB and the rears to -3 each and well - I am mightily impressed. The next real improvement was taking the "ECO" mode off, a fair bit of difference to perceived sound, maybe perhaps at 60/98 now it is a little louder due to more power. The last thing I did was change the LFE crossover to a 120Hz from 80Hz - (I also tried 150 & 180 but to my ears 120 was the best of the lot).
***(FOR FUN I tried to setup my AVR again with Audessey after making these changes and it again set it up in the same ranges as earlier +/- a couple DB - so I reverted to my earlier findings).
Now hear me out, I was absolutely happy with what I had, I had no complaints, I was enjoying it thoroughly, almost everyday. I actually didn't want better - the only thing I wanted to "improve" was the sub by going dual - that also, is curiosity driven rather than a requirement. Now, I am floored, this is better, much much better than what I had and I thought that was fantastic so you can imagine how I must feel right now
. 1 - Everything is "much clearer" dialogues, effects, sounds. Even at low volume and whisper quiet scenes.
2 - The bass is pretty similar as it earlier was - brilliant, albeit with a definite increase in impact. Sub still disappears in the sound and there is no rattling or booming.
4 - It is ridiculously loud now at around 75/98 instead of the earlier used 80+/98 to listen at reasonable levels.
However the biggest impact in my experience is how much more SNAPPY the system has become. It is ridiculous how much clearer the top end has become and it isn't like the Klipsch sharp - not at all (I have nothing against Klipsch and I have owned them, I have made my friends buy them and it is just an example), it is very mild yet super clean. The sounds in a movie has a lot more detail but music is where this improvement is most apparent. I actually listened to some of my favourite fast paced queen songs almost all Sunday morning and then I ended up watching the Greyhound again.
To all newbies and people who are as clueless as me - please try and play with your settings that Audessey did for you, it might make you happier.
******NOTE DOWN all settings before changing them.
