Neil Palfreyman
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
I have a new ARCAM AVR550 and am trying to set up Dirac Live for a 5.1 configuration using Dirac V3.0 (I’ve tried 2.5.3 as well) on a Windows 10 laptop using the standard ARCAM “stick” (V2) calibration mic, with the correct mic calibration curve loaded.
I’m having problems setting the level of my Sub Woofer, which is an Acoustic Energy Evo 150W (active), during the initial volume calibration phase. I have no trim levels set in the amp and have the crossover at a standard 80Hz.
The issue seems to be that the calibration mic provided with the ARCAM doesn’t pick up enough of the Sub’s output to get it into the green regions in Dirac. The Dirac instructions tell me to get every speaker to a near identical level, but even with my Sub set to it’s maximum level (something I have *never* had to do before) it registers around 8bd lower than the other speakers and is barely in the green zone in Dirac.
Checking the levels with a separate SPL meter (a proper one, not a ‘phone App) tells me that the sub is actually 26 db higher than the other speakers, not the 8db lower that Dirac tells me it is! So I’m suspicious of the standard mic’s ability to pick up the Sub’s frequency ranges and concerned that the calibration wont be as effective as it should be or that I may damage my sub.
What I really need is to discuss the process with someone who’s familiar with it, to find out things like: Is it normal for the sub to register so low in Dirac? Is it possible to get it “in line” with the other speakers? Is my calibration mic duff? (I suspect not, because if I do the calibration anyway the results sound good.) Would buying a better calibration mic resolve this?
I would be very grateful if anyone with experience of using Dirac to set up a 5.1 system can comment on their experiences in getting the sub calibrated.
I’m having problems setting the level of my Sub Woofer, which is an Acoustic Energy Evo 150W (active), during the initial volume calibration phase. I have no trim levels set in the amp and have the crossover at a standard 80Hz.
The issue seems to be that the calibration mic provided with the ARCAM doesn’t pick up enough of the Sub’s output to get it into the green regions in Dirac. The Dirac instructions tell me to get every speaker to a near identical level, but even with my Sub set to it’s maximum level (something I have *never* had to do before) it registers around 8bd lower than the other speakers and is barely in the green zone in Dirac.
Checking the levels with a separate SPL meter (a proper one, not a ‘phone App) tells me that the sub is actually 26 db higher than the other speakers, not the 8db lower that Dirac tells me it is! So I’m suspicious of the standard mic’s ability to pick up the Sub’s frequency ranges and concerned that the calibration wont be as effective as it should be or that I may damage my sub.
What I really need is to discuss the process with someone who’s familiar with it, to find out things like: Is it normal for the sub to register so low in Dirac? Is it possible to get it “in line” with the other speakers? Is my calibration mic duff? (I suspect not, because if I do the calibration anyway the results sound good.) Would buying a better calibration mic resolve this?
I would be very grateful if anyone with experience of using Dirac to set up a 5.1 system can comment on their experiences in getting the sub calibrated.
