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Open Letter To REL, SVS, Hsu, etc., et al

Why don’t you include a cd that will actually enable your customers to properly set up their purchase from you? Telling me to choose something with ‘low bass content’ and put it on repeat is pathetic at best. There are very specific and very limited numbers of tones needed to dial in a sub. One of the above companies tells me to use track 4 from ‘Sneakers’, a 29 year old movie, as an aid in dialing in a sub. Maybe in 70 years the track will be in the public domain and they can just rip it for free to whatever medium is current in 2091.
Test tones, as far as I know, aren’t copyrighted, and would cost very little to put on a cd. 50 blank cd’s cost 15.00 retail. Include one with tones and instructions in the box. Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz, etc., etc., would also qualify as a place to put your sub setup tones, along with detailed voice instructions. 
I know many people now use automated setups in their AVR’s, but I’d bet many reading this on Audiogon don’t- most two channel systems are behind the times in this regard.
Or am I missing something?
james_edward
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,741 posts
 
vandertones includes a very well recorded acoustic bass scaling above and below the 100-120 hz crossover zone for setting sub level. The actual test tones are unique on centers problematic to most average rooms....but will provide information on how your system performs. FWIW Vandy subs ( model 3 ) include 11 bands of EQ to fix those issues........ since 1977

carry on.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,741 posts
 
recorded at Oceanway, with a guy who CAN play.... ha.
reven6e
44 posts
 
The Velodyne setup track. 

https://www.velodyneacoustics.com/downloads/97-0023b-DD+Sweep-Tone-78min.wav


millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
What do you need with test tracks? Use music. Unless of course you enjoy listening to test racks all day, play more test tracks than music, in which case what are your favorite test tracks to listen to? You could make a compilation tape of test tracks, or even better find a channel and stream all day long. Some of them like the old Stereophile Test CD come awfully close to music. There's the one with the Fender bass guitar. Personally I would be bored out of my mind. But its your system. Play whatever music, er test tones, floats your boat.
audioguy85's avatar
audioguy85
1,989 posts
 
Dialing in a sub? All I do, after what I believe is the proper placement, is turn volume to 1/2, turn the crossover to maximum ( because the crossover is handed by the AVR. Also, I’m sure to set the phase to zero if sub is in front, Done! Never had an issue. Then again, this is for dedicated home theater. I refuse to use any sort of sub in a dedicated 2 channel audio system. Subs belong in home theater or in the trunk of a car, period. Once again, if your 2 channel speakers such so bad in bass that you need to "Dr" it with a sub, you bought the wrong set of 2 channel speakers to begin with and they should be replaced Pronto. All my opinion, some may object lol.... 
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