SPL Meter???????

[L.J.]

Who? What? When? Where? Why? & How?

Been hearing alot about this the last couple of days. I'm new to all this so I'm just trying to get as much info as possible. Thanks for any comments.

[kexodusc]

Just a cool, $45 ish gizmo that solves all your HT problems.
Well not really. But seriously, they are very useful.

SPL Meter do just what their name implies,"Sound Pressure Level" measuments. Ie: Loudness or volume.
Essential for the proper calibration of your home theater or stereo system. You cannot do this by ear (though if you have an auto-calibration tool with your A/V receiver, the spl meter is less useful).

Once you have an spl meter you can do all sorts of neat things - estimate how much real power your using, see how loud you listen to music (I laugh at the guys who tell me their speakers play 130 dB).
Useful when integrating subwoofers with speakers too.

The inexpensive Radio Shack analog meter is the most popular around here, because it's cheap and it works.

[L.J.]

Just a cool, $45 ish gizmo that solves all your HT problems.
Well not really. But seriously, they are very useful.

SPL Meter do just what their name implies,"Sound Pressure Level" measuments. Ie: Loudness or volume.
Essential for the proper calibration of your home theater or stereo system. You cannot do this by ear (though if you have an auto-calibration tool with your A/V receiver, the spl meter is less useful).

Once you have an spl meter you can do all sorts of neat things - estimate how much real power your using, see how loud you listen to music (I laugh at the guys who tell me their speakers play 130 dB).
Useful when integrating subwoofers with speakers too.

The inexpensive Radio Shack analog meter is the most popular around here, because it's cheap and it works.

My recv is the Denon 2805 and it has a auto eq with mic set up feature. My sub has a phase control knob on back and I was adviced to use a spl to get everything fine tuned. Would it still be best to get the spl or should I just rely on the auto eq built in my recv? It's not gonna kill me to spend $45 dollars but I dont want to spend the money if not needed.

[paul_pci]

Most of us use one in concert with a calibration disc like Digital Video Essentials to balance the volume across all the channels. Balanced sound rules!

[kexodusc]

L.J.

I think an SPL meter is a smart investment...you can save a bit of cash getting one from ebay.
For your sub, I'd leave the phase alone (ie: 0), physically measure the distance, and leave it at that.
In my experience, those auto-setup things are pretty horrible at reading LFE signals though. The Denons, Yammies, and H/K's I've witnessed almost always set the subwoofer too low. An SPL meter can help here by double checking everything.

Whether you truly need it or not, I can't really answer that for you. It's a handy tool to have, helps you learn alot abour system.

[L.J.]

L.J.

I think an SPL meter is a smart investment...you can save a bit of cash getting one from ebay.
For your sub, I'd leave the phase alone (ie: 0), physically measure the distance, and leave it at that.
In my experience, those auto-setup things are pretty horrible at reading LFE signals though. The Denons, Yammies, and H/K's I've witnessed almost always set the subwoofer too low. An SPL meter can help here by double checking everything.

Whether you truly need it or not, I can't really answer that for you. It's a handy tool to have, helps you learn alot abour system.

You're 100% right about the auto-setup not reading the LFE signals correctly. It even says so in the Denon manual. I think I'll invest in a spl, do some more research and get all this fine tuning situated. I wish Denon's manual was a little easier to go through. It seems like I have to read the whole thing everytime I need one piece of info. Thanks for the advice