Pioneer MCACC and front speaker settings

[DandyCobalt]

Since adding a Cyrus X Power to drive my front CM8s, what should I do with the MCACC settings on my LX53 amp? ( I have a 6.1 setup of CM8s and CM1s plus two small front heights). I'm particularly concerned that the MCACC might adversely limit the front L/R CM8s, affecting their stereo and SACD/DVD-A music performance.

Specifically, the MCACC gives you a choice of SYMMETRY ("symmetric correction for each pair of left and right speakers to flatten the frequency-amplitude characteristics), ALL CHANNEL ADJUST ("a flat setting where all the speakers are set individually so no special weighting is given to any one channel") and FRONT ALIGN ("sets all speakers in accordance with the front speaker settings (no Eq is applied to the front left and right channels).

Should I programme different MCACC settings (six memories are available) for stereo, SACD and/or movie use? And which of these above should I use. (the manual leaves you at the crossroads at this point). Any ideas?

 

[DandyCobalt]

No replies on this, so I experimented over the weekend. As the MCACC tries to get all the speakers to match (using Symmetry) it reduces the front speakers by about 9dB.

For SACD, I've used Front Align setting on a full auto MCACC setup; For Stereo listening I copied these same MCACC settings, but then manually adjusted the front channel levels to 0dB - ie. raised them back to where they are before the MCACC tries to lower them. From my sound engineer-observing days for live music, I think they keep the input level at 0dB, and then adjust gain/reverb etc etc - so thought I should follow the same principal.

Anyway, seems to work well like this and produced great sound. Plus wife preferred listening to music than to unending test tones Open for other theories or suggested approaches.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have been trying different combinations with my pioneer and the MCACC settings, i manually set the memorys from 2 to 6 and let the MCACC control memory 1, seems to work ok.

I am a complete novice to this and like you have just played around (driving my other half nuts in process) i will be interested in your results.

Good luck

 

[Anonymous]

For SACD, I've used Front Align setting on a full auto MCACC setup;

Front Align does not touch fronts, so how do you be sure that your fronts don't need any calibration according to your listening room?

 

[Chewy]

For SACD, I've used Front Align setting on a full auto MCACC setup;

Front Align does not touch fronts, so how do you be sure that your fronts don't need any calibration according to your listening room?

Front Align does touch the fronts. It will calculate the correct EQ for the front left (or right - can't remember exactly which) and then apply those EQ settings to all three front speakers.

As far as I am concerned the only option to select is All Channel Adjust, when I had my LX-83 I struggled to see the relevance of the other settings - a properly EQ'd set-up requires a different set of equaliser settings for each individual speaker so the frequency response for each speaker is as flat as possible at the primary listening position.

This is even more important for most of us in our listening rooms, which are perfect symmetrical between all axis points that pass through the listening position.

 

[ellisdj]

all channel adjust mate - way forward