nice short Q and A with Max, back page TAS , March 2021
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?
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?
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- 47 posts total
Martin Logan subs have a Tone sweep button mentioned in this video. https://youtu.be/wty1M6GzVt4 Good points made above that it would be nice if the SVS app could generate test tones. Using the tone generator in REW is simple solution. Is it not more important to use demo material that you are familiar with, so that when you add or take away equipment, you can hear the difference. The most important thing is to keep it consistent. If a demo CD is introducing new content along with new hardware... what’s the point? |
@audioguy85, Very few speakers have useful output below 40 Hz. Anybody can set up a sub for home theater. It takes a real hero to get one set up for an audio system but, doable. I cheat. I let a computer do it for me. Certain speakers like one way ESLs clean up dramatically when you take the bass away from them but all speakers clean up to some degree. @james_edward , all the test tones in the world won't help you if the instructions supplied with the sub are out to lunch. The manufacturers know they will not be able to sell subs if they are complicated and if there are add on costs. So, they settle for low pass only crossovers and adding the sub in under the main speakers settling for significant overlap and phasing issues that are hard to overcome without more complex measurement and digital manipulation. Even if you could get the speakers in phase the subwoofers will be starting one to two cycles late. To get the main speakers and subs to start at the same time you have to delay the main speakers and this can only be done digitally. There are ways to overcome this but most rooms and set ups won't allow for it. The DEQX Premate has a good bass management system. Check it out. |
- 47 posts total