Orlando

I have a Sony 30ES receiver and need help understanding the EQ settings. (The manual is not very good at explaining these settings.) All it says is the following:

Front Bass Gain between -10 dB to +10dB(in 1 dB steps)
Front Bass Frequency between 100 Hz and 1.0 kHz (in 21 steps)
Front Mid Gain between -10 dB to +10dB(in 1 dB steps)
Front Mid Frequency between 500 Hz and 5.0 kHz (in 21 steps)
Front Treble Gain between -10 dB to +10dB(in 1 dB steps)
Front Treble Frequency between 1 kHz and 10 kHz (in 21 steps)

These parameters are then repeated for Center and Rear.

What do they mean? Is there a cut-off at the Frequency settings? Like the Frequency above or below not being played? Does the dB increase only affect that one frequency or does it give a smooth curve with the height being the frequency?

Any other places to look, help or explanations you might have would be greatly appreciated. I just have no idea what these mean and would like to understand what I'm doing.

Thank you again for all your help.

[This message has been edited by Orlando (edited July 30, 2000).]

daledude

I don't own this receiver, but from the looks of what you posted it's just telling you the setting for the equilizer.

It tells you the frequency in Hz (bass 100hz to 1 khz (1khz=1000hz) has 21 steps. I would assume this to mean that there are 21 frequences that are adjustable in this range. The Gain of -10 to +10 db means that you can boost or cut these freq. by 10 decibals in 1db increments (decibals = how loud a sound is).

It just repeats this for the lows/bass, mid/midrange, and highs/treble.

Orlando

Thanks for the comments daledude. I checked this out and it seems that you can only pick one Freq. in that range and adjust the dB for that one Freq. in the three different bands.
I'm still tinkering and if anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.

BEC

A real time analyzer (or a good low-frequency spectrum analyzer) is the best way to do this. You can rent one w/a good microphone from music shop (or borrow one from work if you happen to be around test equipment like that).

You can do a low-end version w/computer software, sound card, and a radio shack SPL meter. I think the software is still free. You measure the frequency response of each speaker to pink noise. Ideally, it's flat. Almost always, it's really irregular, w/a big boomy bump around 60 Hz.

By trial and error, try a step-and-dither approach for each band. Pick a band (say bass). SET the gain to +/- 6 dB - something fairly large. Adjust the center frequency step wise, listening to a reference source as the EQ band move across the range. Re-adjust the gain accordingly. Remember, the frequency is only the center of the boost/reduction- not the only frequenct being addressed. Each band has a fairly wide (fixed, non-second order) width - so there's some room for error.

Center/rear/front should sound more similar w/EQ, ideally the same w/the test tones than w/o EQ. (Ever notice how all five speakers DON'T sound the same w/pink noise - even L/R?)

If you can't tell the difference w/ and w/o EQ, you probably haven't hit the problem or don't have enough bands. If the speakers sound less alike after EQ, you enhanced the difference - try reversing the sign of the gain.

I did trial and error first and then borrowed a real time analyzer. The Trial-and-error results were vaguely close to what I set after using the analyzer (all the gain signs correct, differing in magnitude by 2-6 dB, frequencies off by 1 to 3 steps).

W/EQ, clear change. The biggest effect was filling in a midrange hole near 500 Hz. W/analyzer vs w/o, the EQ numbers are quite different w/somewhat subtle differences to the ear (at least my ear).




[This message has been edited by BEC (edited August 01, 2000).]

Orlando

WOW - BEC thanks that is a good start. I just need to work out exactly how to do that with this receiver.

daledude

quote:<HR>Originally posted by Orlando:
Thanks for the comments daledude. I checked this out and it seems that you can only pick one Freq. in that range and adjust the dB for that one Freq. in the three different bands.
I'm still tinkering and if anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.<HR>

That seems really odd that you can only adjust one frequencey. Maybe you just have to adjust one frequency at a time?

BEC has a the right idea. It's really hard to set an eq properly without some dedicated testing equipment. Instead of worrying about getting the flattest frequency response, you could just tune it by ear till you like what your hearing.

Jim Badger

I noticed the same thing about being able to adjust only one freq. on my Sony DB930. It doesn't make much sense to me, but it seems that's the way it is. If I adjust the +/- db at 200hz and then adjust at the next step of 220hz and go back to 200hz the +/- db setting is whatever I set at 220hz. What did I just write?!!! I'm confused! But really, each step does not seem to keep it's own +/- db setting. Only one for the bass, one for the mid and one for the treble. After playing around with it for a couple hours everything sounds the same!

Orlando

Jim - I know what you mean. That's why I had to break it up into a couple of days. It seems after about 20 minutes I can't seem to make anymore positive changes. My wife and kid have both commented about how it sounds better. Which I think it does too. The only problem I'm having now is that the sound (for lack of a better term) gets fatiguing. Like OK turn it off I've had enough. But yet it still sounds better.

daledude (& Jim) - The way I figure the settings work is that you are adjusting the arch of the range. The dB level you pick is the height of the arch and the Freg. you select is the peak with the arch then sloping down from both sides of the selected Freg.

Thanks again for all the help.