Onkyo TX-NR609: Audyssey speaker calibration & Audyssey Dynamic EQ/Volume

[admin_exported]

I will be setting up my Onkyo AVR this coming week. I have a choice of the Audyssey Quickstart or 2EQ Full Calibration for measuring/setting speaker positions. I have only two main seating positions, both just off-centre directly in front of tv/centre/fronts, so shall I just go for the Quickstart, especially as I have a Sound Level Meter to check levels at 75dB (as often recommended on this forum)?

And then there is the Audyssey DSX / Dynamic EQ / Dynamic Volume. I know I can experiment with these, but just interested in the forum opinions. I guess I am not in favour of introducing too much processing that might just sound 'different', and where the Dynamic EQ recommends a setting of 0dB for movies and 10dB for tv content, there is no way my other half will even contemplate changing anything on the AVR when I am not around - so is it really worth bothering about?

Dynamic Volume might sound useful for variations in tv programmes / commercials, but will this be at the expense of anything detrimental to the overall sound?

My speakers are the MA Radius 90HD for fronts / rears, 180HD centre, 370HD sub.

Bottom line is, is it worth bothering with Audyssey settings at all, as in some previous AVR reviews from WHF team I seem to recall that they have said they prefer leaving Audyssey turned off after the initial speaker set up has been performed.

Thanks for any feedback.

Paul.

 

[wireman]

In my view, it's worth setting up Audyssey properly from the start. Okay, WHF have often preferred to leave it off, but Audyssey's view is that if your environment doesn't need correction, Audyssey won't make any - and your environment is likely to be very different from the WHF review rooms. In my own cluttered environment, Audyssey always sounds better "on", provided it's been set up properly as Audyssey detail on their own web-site - and it's consistently been very accurate with regard to levels/distances. I also think it pays to re-run Audyssey once any new equipment (receiver/speakers) has been "run-in" after a few hundred hours, allowing for subtle changes in the audible character of the equipment. If Audyssey sounds better "off", it's probably because it's not been set-up correctly (there are many reasons why this may be, also detailed on the Audyssey web-site), but you can always leave it switched off if you just prefer it that way.

 

[Anonymous]

Wireman,

Thanks for the opinion. I'll set it up and see how it sounds for me and with it off.

Off on holiday for a week unfortunately, so installing the new kit when I return. Can't wait.

Paul.