Get A More IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE From Your Home Theater by Doing THIS

One of the goals of every home theater is to have an IMMERSIVE sound. Unfortunately, Audyssey, YPAO, ARC and even Dirac Live do not always get it right. Today I will show you a simple tip that will help ensure that your theater room provides an incredible immersive experience.
Note: Some prefer to use C Weighting and Slow Response as it takes an average of the response which is fine as well.
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The SPL meters below have A/C weighting. Most of the less expensive ones on Amazon do not.
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Speakers:
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(4) Klipsch CDT-5800-C II Atmos Speakers - amzn.to/2P4PdEZ
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PS5
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Videos Referenced:
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Valencia Oxford Theater Seating Review - • Home Theater Seating w...
JTR Subwoofers - • Home Theater Subwoofer...
Marantz AV7705 Review - • Marantz AV7705 and Emo...
Pioneer UDP-LX500 Review - • Pioneer UDP-LX500 Revi...
Monolith 11X Amplifier Review - • Monoprice Monolith 11X...
_____
My Home Theater Photos & Videos:
Theater Room Video Tour- • Home Theater Tour with...
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7.2.4 Dolby Atmos Build Thread - goo.gl/YShhGf
High Res Photos - imgur.com/gall...
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Disclaimer: Affiliate Links are used in the description of this video. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

[@Youthman]

The SPL meters below have A/C weighting. Note: Most less expensive ones on Amazon do not. Budget SPL Meters: VLIKE - amzn.to/3ccOe18 Galaxy Audio CM130 - amzn.to/3ccbYmg Protmex MS6708 - amzn.to/3ibJs7R Extech 407730 - amzn.to/34L6N8t Mid Level SPL Meters: REED Instruments R8050 - amzn.to/3cf5oet REED Instruments R8060 - amzn.to/3g5MvMm Ways You Can Support: Patreon: www.patreon.com/youthman Youthman Courses - www.youthmancourses.com/ Youthman Merch - teespring.com/stores/youthman/

[@JumpRopeLift]

My RatShack SPL meter is older. Lol.

[@JoshHare85]

Hey Youthman! Great video, just a quick question, when you say ‘point the db meter at the speaker’ do you mean from the sweet spot listening area or the same distance from each speaker individually? Thanks 👍🏼

[@Youthman]

Yes you want to measure from your primary listening position

[@JoshHare85]

@@Youthman thanks for the quick reply 😎 great. I have a 2008 Onkyo with Audyssey, it’ll be interesting to see if this makes a difference! The Daily Hifi podcast is great also 😉 Cheers from 🇦🇺

[@supreme9080]

I’m grateful for this video. All of my speakers were low. No wonder I was having such issue with punch. Thanks so much for this vid. I downloaded an app that had the weighted scales and measured from my viewing seat. Much appreciated.

[@jollyguy2323]

There are plenty of videos online about this setup BUT what makes your stand apart are the details that many other videos assume. Example, asking to set your db to Zero is said as a one line in other videos but you took the trouble to show what this means and how to do it. This makes us so much more clear fir folks that may. It know about this to begin with. Keep making these videos. Like your channel and more importantly love the small details you provide

[@Youthman]

Thank you Raj

[@ripleyhrgiger4669]

YES THIS RIGHT HERE - I was thinking "okay this is fine and all but where should my volume be set to take this measurement?" Thanks for covering that important detail. And holy smokes, I bet this is why I feel like my surrounds and atmos aren't as dynamic as they should be even with dynamic EQ enabled. I always felt something wasn't right... I'll be doing this tonight.

[@claypyrotech7473]

I agree he answered my question because I never seen a Receiver say Decibal instead of volume %. I was wondering my receiver says around 84% is THX reference I wonder if that's the same ?.

[@voiceofreason9238]

This video is the first one I've seen which makes sense using an SPL meter AND Audyssey. Excellent demonstration and explanation. Thanks!

[@Youthman]

Thank you kindly

[@owlpix8273]

Ditto Voice of Reason. I have seen many videos and they skip these little details like turning the volume to reference and making slight adjustments. Youthman's video makes sense! Thanks!

[@raymondayala5355]

@@Youthman me too!! Thank you so much. I recently purchased the Denon 4700 and I’m ordering the SVS UTLRA tower theater package with 2 prime elevation speakers and the PC100 Sub. I wanted to know if you think the Denon has enough juice to power my system or if I need a separate amp? Would I just get a $500 amp to power to front, right, left and then use the Denon to power the surrounds and height speakers? Would I need an amp for the subwoofer? Lol. I’ve been passionate about home theater for quite some time now. I was a Bose enthusiast until I bought my first bower and Wilkins 600 series for my Vava 150 projector and became obsessed with audio. There’s something about going to a theater and hearing that crisp clear and deep sound without over bearing bass. Do you personally think the AVS ultra theater system is somewhat close to mimicking theater sound? Thank you so much for all that you do!

[@Youthman]

My advice is to power your set up with just the Denon first and see if it meets your needs. If Do you feel you need more power to get the volume that you like, you can always add an amplifier to the front three speakers. That would certainly help

[@Youthman]

Your subwoofer does not need an amplifier because it has a built-in amplifier on its own

[@desertplanet3320]

Thanks again for awesome info/procedure and tweaks. 😁 One thing to keep in mind with the Level tweak, is that when you use internal test tones after room eq, the internal test tones don't use the room eq.. So the levels will not be correct.. You need to have the room eq engaged while doing SPL levels to get correct levels. only best way is with external test tones. amd keeping your room eq ON. I recommend the the 2015 atmos demo disc.. It has all the test tones you need.. And this 2015 disc does not have the error on sub level that all the years after do... (the test tones on atmos demo disc after 2015 have sub test tone 10db to hot . So end result would make your sub 10db lower than other channels).. So you would turn on your room eq for input that will play your demo disc. Set master volume to - 10db for ref. The atmos demo disc is calibrated to get 85db if you set your master volume to 0db. Which is crazy loud. So using -10db instead set all SPL to 75db.. For each channel except subwoofer, unplug subwoofer power... when measuring all other channels. The reason, when each channel is played, it will steer base to subwoofer also at crossover you choose.. Which will give you wrong SPL for that channel.. So measure each channel with subwoofer unplugged... Now when you get to subwoofer, plug it back in and measure it.. I like to to use for all channels, C weight and Slow and point SPL meter to ceiling at main listening position. (this mimics your ears better as your ears are not pointed at each speaker) Hope this helps.. 😁

[@canweshoot]

You saved the day, brother. Or at least you saved me from typing all that. Another thing to watch out for, folks, is that the Radio Shack analog spl meters were notorious for undermeasuring bass (LFE test track) by 3dB. I have one that does that, and I used to think that it was an Audyssey miss, and jack up the subs 3dB unnecessarily. That will also screw up Dynamic EQ bass. Also, In the era of MultEQ-X, I have yet to see any trim need to be changed if using the Audssey Pro mic and in an ideal position #1 position. One last point: If your test tone source is a Dolby one, be sure to check in the AVR menu audio information to see if there is a DialNorm flag. If so, it will say how much (commonly -4dB), and you need to subtract that from your target (71dB vs 75dB). If there is no DialNorm flag, 75dB is proper.

[@kaulikelani4937]

I think the most immersive thing I've done for my home theatre is I hired someone to fight me during fight scenes in movies. It's amazing, I feel like I'm literally in the movie.

[@vasanthpadmanaban9748]

Who did you hire?

[@michaelburke5750]

You made my day! Wow, that was funny.

[@shahross8366]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣☠️

[@cbriscoe658]

Great instructional video. I've watched a lot set up videos, but I have never seen setting your volume to reference level. Thank you for a clear and concise video.

[@Youthman]

You’re quite welcome

[@mattgiunt]

Having used a yamaha 2080 and YPAO for room corrections I had an interesting experience going back to use a Radio Shack sound pressure meter.You are able to save two patterns on Yamaha so I kept one with YPAO settings and one where I used the meter for levels(and they were off a bit from YPAO) and I used a digital tape measure for distances(except subs which I kept the YPAO distance).Testing both patterns on same movies I actually found the YPAO settings were more pleasing to listen to vs. the measured settings.I think YPAO has come a long way in its higher end models. Sound was more expansive and bigger using levels set by YPAO even though they were off according to Sound pressure level readings.

[@iscbts70]

I’ve always used my SPL meter set to C-weighting, slow. Not sure where I heard that (Audioholics maybe), but the Denon website recommends that setting. I also place the meter with the microphone facing up towards the ceiling at ear height.

[@Youthman]

Nothing wrong with that. Different people use different settings. C weighting will work fine because it takes an average. I just prefer to use A weighted Fast when calibrating my setup. The key is to have them all the same volume.

[@ZeonStar77]

I’ve always heard to use C Weight when doing this as well and never thought to question it. What is the difference in A and C weight anyway?

[@tb2324]

I’m pretty sure that is SVS’s recommendation as well. Or it was many years ago.

[@Doozer72]

Back in the old days, Home Theater magazine and others also suggested C-weighting/slow and the mic always pointed up at your main listening position at ear height.

[@alanlindsay8310]

@@Doozer72 This is correct. I've been doing room calibrations for over 20 years and this is the proper way when using a standard SPL meter.

[@jamiet74]

After calibrating to Reference Level, you will actually have an average of 85dB with 105dB Peaks (20dB Dynamic Range) The internal test tones in (most) AVRs are 30dBFS,traditionally they were 20dBFS but many found this too loud during the calibration process. Everything you said is correct, except that when at 0dB Master Volume with a calibrated system,you should have 85dB/105dB average/peaks

[@Youthman]

Thanks. I learn something new every day.

[@Christopher._M]

So in this video he set it at 75DB so his peaks will be 95 DB?

[@manamimnm]

@@Christopher._M If the test tone was set to -30 dBFS then the peak is at 105 dB. But remember that a program is mainly running on 2 channels so you have to add +3 dB.

[@johnthompson1120]

So instead of setting the volume on the avr to 0 which would be reference level I should set it to -10? Then adjust the levels accordingly with a mic until I get a 75db reading?

[@doublet147]

Great & simple run through. I can't believe I didn't think to go this route of leveling. I'm fairly new to home theaters. I think because I'm an audio/studio engineer, I just chose to use ear correction to my liking after software room correction. I'm interested in seeing how my ear adjustments stand up to instrumental adjustments. I actually may still may go with my ear. Because tuning your system should always in the end be what you like.

[@Youthman]

Do whatever works best for your system

[@rv112xy]

This gentleman is such a nice guy. It's a pleasure to listen his tips and improve your system. Thank you!

[@Youthman]

Thank you kindly

[@BenjaminSherlock]

I never use audyssey... it never gets it right. I always have to re-adjust manually afterwards anyway, so I don't even bother. This was a great vid to assist in the process, though. Keep up the great work, man!

[@Youthman]

Thank you Banjamin. Nothing wrong with manual calibration.

[@fotophotographer]

I see others have commented on this as well, but it is interesting that Audioholics recommends the opposite (use C weighting and slow response). It might be interesting / worthwhile to clarify the difference between A and C, Slow and Fast and why you've chosen one setup over another. Overall, a great video. I really appreciated how you clarified the difference between dB volume scale and a number scale. I have watched so many level videos and yours is the first to clarify the difference.

[@brucericketts3943]

I just watched this video and oh my lord what a difference. So much better! I have a question on buying a separate amp. I have the Denon x4300h which does 9.2. My sweet spot is about 13ft from the tv and front sound stage. I want to do 7.3.4 and add a 7 channel amp to the system. All of my speakers are Klipsch and very sensitive as you know. Roughly 96 to 97db. My options are the Emotiva BasX A7 90 watts per channel $699, the Outlaw 7000X 130 watts per channel $1019, and the Monolith 7 channel 200 watts per channel $1730. Please help me make the decision. Thank you so much for the great videos you put out. Have a blessed day!

[@richardbeebe1861]

OUTSTANDING tip! Thank you

[@MrKoolademann]

Thank you so much !!!! Sound is day and night. Woke up other speakers. Awesome video. Keep up the great work.

[@Youthman]

Fantastic! Glad you found the video so helpful

[@Mrsunshine1234]

I had ceiling speakers installed when we had the house built. Nothing fantastic but better than just the tv. After a year I finally ordered the receiver. It's a Denon AVR-S570BT. Nothing over the top, but it'll do the job perfectly for what I have.

[@johnscott4385]

Good information. Clear presentation. Thanks.

[@vanwilliams4028]

Great vid. Going through my system after a rebuild so I'm going back to the basics. Thanks!

[@willo300]

Clear and easy to follow instructions thanks Youthman - I think I'll try this tomorrow 👍

[@shannonjennings1454]

If for no one else (which I highly doubt), you made this video just for me! I have been wondering what I could do to get the most out of my system because something seems off. After running Audyssey, I still wasn't pleased and felt let down by my system. Nothing seemed balanced at all and I knew there had to be a way of calibrating your system yourself. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I will do this on my days off. Keep up the great and informative content like this. I just subscribed because of this👍

[@Youthman]

Glad you found the video helpful Shannon. Let me know how it works out

[@shannonjennings1454]

@@Youthman Will do👍

[@macho9556]

Deffinetly watching this when I get home from work. Thanks Youthman!!

[@Youthman]

Thanks Macho

[@macho9556]

@@Youthman Thank YOU sir!!

[@jeffmatthews2398]

Great video, thank you! I will be saving up for this unit and cant wait to see the difference it makes.

[@coreyhurst469]

Many of your levels that audessy set are at -12. This means that the voltage on your prep outs is not matching up well with your amps. It is bottoming out in a manner of speaking and can damage your system. You need a line level gain booster for your system. You aren’t getting full power out of your amplifier. I had this problem with my Denon avr and anthem 5ch amp. I added a line gain booster and wow!

[@CharloBagis]

I moved some furniture in my living room and planned to re-calibrate coming weekend. Thanks for the tip Michael 👍

[@Youthman]

Glad to help

[@FenderStrat19711]

This video was VERY informative. I had never considered using a sound meter to properly calibrate my audio system, and I certainly never knew anything about the proper settings and measurements to use. Thanks so much for posting, I never knew any of this!!!

[@Youthman]

I’m grateful to hear you found the video helpful

[@45forall]

I always did my measurements this way. Until a recent video from audioholics. Since then I'm kind of confused, because as far as I understood, Denon and Marantz have Audyssey off, when you set the volumes over the manual level settings menu. And the measurements are indeed different. I downloaded a ping video for my 7.1.4 setup, played it with audyssey activated and set my speaker levels. Afterwards I went into the the manual level menu with my spl I checked if the settings were identical to those measured with the 7.1.4 video. And guess what: They were not. The difference a big. So yes, this method is known for a long time. But guess it's time to find if audyssey is really off by default when using the manual setup option. Is there maybe any way for you to find out which information is right, Michael? Would be really amazing. I couldn't find an official information regarding this topic. Thx a lot! Your videos are great ;-)

[@KSULynch]

I just watched that Audioholics video and wondering the same thing… How the heck do I test the speakers individually and where to get the files? The one they showed at DynAudio is gone.

[@tahirhameed-mth1530]

I also find levelling same all speakers to your sitting area just by your ears also gives you immerse sound. SPL is best instrument to fine tune. I recommend many colleague and they amazed by this.

[@mustangfred2006]

Thank you Youthman. So helpful. Didn't realize you should set your sub to 75 db as well. And your spl meter is way more than ten years old, me thinks.

[@Youthman]

It’s probably close to 15 years old because that’s when we built our home theater.

[@victormuriel7266]

I guess this is going to help to improve my system a lot, and that's going to be an interesting experiment because I have all bookshelves and all the same model.

[@bonscott3291]

On my 7706 with Emotiva XPA7. Audyssey set all of my speaker levels to -12db using XLR . Using RCA Audyssey set them all above -12db. I was told -12db is bottomed out and would either have to use attenuators for XLR or stick to the RCA connections

[@coreyhurst469]

You are correct. On my Denon using an external amp on the front right and left channel and using the rca connection it also bottomed out at -12. I added a line level gain booster or sometimes called a bump box. I could then turn up the voltage from the pre out to match with the amps pre in. Fixed everything. I noticed this in his video too. System isn’t set up right imho.

[@roguewarr4662]

Very informative on set up of speaker levels . For novice and advance people , with home AVR that can be some what intuitive to operate in settings . You made it looks smooth .

[@samcoombs2402]

We level matched our system using this method what a difference it has made thanks youthman

[@tk45440]

Same here. I have had a Livingroom surround setup with a few iterations since well before 2010. 3.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, and currently 5.1.4, all living happily with Audassy or AccuEQ alone. It wasn't until April this year that I actually bought an SPL meter and did this most basic of calibrations. Its like 10% effort above room correction. It takes so little effort to get the SPL meter and push a few more buttons, but makes a bigger difference that you would expect. Another great vid, I'm having a blast going back through your stuff.

[@Youthman]

Thank you kindly. Glad you found the video helpful and has taken your set up to an improved level as well

[@wesg92]

I recently posted about level matching in the Anthem FB group, as I have a MRX1140 and have never done this. I was told by several there that you DO NOT want to do this with an Anthem. The pink noise it plays does not account for the EQ settings and it will throw everything off if you do this. Just wanted to share as there are a lot of videos that have confused me or caused me to make my system work because what the video recommends doesn't apply to Anthem/ARC, and this is never pointed out in the video. Thanks, and keep making awesome content!

[@Youthman]

That is the first I have heard of that. That’s unfortunate because most room correction do not get this correct. I’m also curious how increasing trim level would effect EQ. That doesn’t make sense to me.

[@wesg92]

@@Youthman ya, I don't understand it, just relaying what I've been told. Since the test tones on Anthem are generated without the EQ applied, your SPL measurements will be wrong/not accurate to what is played when the EQ is applied. Also told that there is no reference level on an Anthem, and setting it to 0 and running test tones you will likely damage your speakers. It's just tough because I watch a lot of YT videos and often what they suggest is in direct conflict with what Anthem is saying to do, so I'm not sure these techniques for level matching, aligning subs to mains, aligning subs to each other, setting crossovers, etc. apply in all circumstances/hardware. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm still learning a ton, but this is what I've discovered. Appreciate the reply as always, and happy to discuss further offline if you'd like.

[@Youthman]

I learn something new every day and I’m certainly not super familiar with anthem. I would check with them directly to see if they can provide an answer. Maybe they do things differently.

[@wesg92]

@@Youthman Good idea! I'll reach out directly as well and see what they say, and report back.

[@Youthman]

Definitely let me know what you find out.

[@chrism9976]

Is this what Audyssey recommends? I feel that Audyssey/Dirac/ARc/etc sets the levels, distance and crossovers IAW the frequency response through the microphone from each of the listening positions. Sort of defeats the purpose of room correction software if we manually change the settings.

[@pyrocrew13]

Wow! What’s difference!! Fronts were pretty close. Atmos and rears were really low. Quick test and soooo much better. 75-75.6 on all except center which is now 77. Subs are 81- 83. Thanks!!

[@Youthman]

So glad to hear the video was helpful.

[@sutraleticsssutraleticss5001]

Great video, very well explained. Audyssey set my levels to approx 77db. I used the SPL to level all channels to 77, then increased the centre by 1db. They sound awesome. Do I need to further tweak?

[@DDS23]

Also manually adjust the distance of my speakers after Audyssey calibration. Tanks for your tips to correctly manually adjust my speaker levels. After adjusting my speaker levels i put a disc on and went back to adjust my rear surround speakers because I found them just a little louder than rest of my speakers.

[@BOSS-UAQ]

Thanks man, you always help me with useful information. Thanks again

[@Youthman]

Glad you found the video helpful

[@Jimbomania]

I just upgraded to SVS Prime Bookshelves for my front stage and without even knowing about all this I had bumped up my rears and Atmos channels. It helped a lot. Now I'll have to play around with matching the sound level 👌

[@joseagui6125]

I apologize. Your video is perfectly clear, it's just another issue, and I didn't know how to tell you. ”I mean the channel adjustment level option. exits by pressing the option button on the remote. do you have any way to adjust it? thank you first of all.

[@m4nc1n1]

SPL meter within REW and using the Marantz tones with volume at reference like you said works much better than an SPL meter. AfterAudysey does its thing, this is how I do it.

[@Youthman]

Yes you can do it several ways. Test disk...REW and calibration mic. Just wanted to keep this as simple as possible.

[@junior-OG]

me too👍

[@mikemmikem2758]

Not sure Audyssey is the culprit re: discrepancy between what it measures and what SPL meter shows. Spoke with an audio expert at SVS and his recommendation is C/Slow for all speakers with the following comment verbatim: " A weighting scale doesn’t read bass. The A scale starts to roll-off

[@MrJunie64]

Once again you have helped me, and my system sounds better then ever. You rock!!!!!!

[@Youthman]

I appreciate the kind words.

[@maze400]

Very good clear explanation. I have a question. I leveled my speakers first with the SPL and then ran Audyssey AccuEQ and had to relevel them as well. My question is this, if you have to relevel after room correction, what is room correction actually doing?

[@Youthman]

EQ, time alignment

[@marlonhouston6685]

Brother I was just thinking of that this morning and order a Promex MS6708 today to adjust my level. Man U must be a mind reader. 😄

[@Youthman]

Indeed I am. 🤣🤣🤣

[@Youthman]

Well maybe it’s more probability that one out of 76,000 subscribers was thinking about doing this 😀

[@swcargill]

Whoa!!! Just Whoa!!!. This Extremely Informative video made all the difference in my movie watching experience. I don't have a dedicated theater room but an open living room with weird dynamics. I thought I just had to live with the ok sound. Fine tuning my speaker levels with your advice made all the difference and turned my ok sound from Audyssey recommendations into an awesome movie experience. Thank you for making good clean Rated G videos that I enjoy watching with my daughter.

[@tobyhines7587]

Wow. For over 40 years I've used Radio Shack meter on C slow pointed straight up to level match, I now bump up atmos and surrounds a few dB. Do not listen much above 90 dB condo living.

[@ark9515]

@Youthman aka Michael Stevens. I have 2 questions for you: A) Every other single video that I have seen on KZbin when it comes to SPL meters used to level match speakers in a Home Theater setting suggests to use a 'C' - weighted setting for level matching speakers on Slow Response. Even Jean from Audioholics has done the same. Why do you prefer to level match speakers with an 'A' weighted setting on on Fast response. B) What is your experience with the mobile app versions of the SPL meter? Can I mix and match doing calibration with an SPL meter (because I have one but A weighted only) and with an App version (Decibel X-pro with the C weighting for Subs) or vice-versa? How accurate are the apps?

[@kujoomd2863]

Great video Mike, the room correction software never quite gets level or distance correct. Manually fixing these parameters really does make a difference, you explained this very well. I wanted to add that a umik-1 and REW also work very well for taking these measurements. The umik-2 you are giving away might even be better 😁

[@Youthman]

You are correct. You can use the UMIK-1 and built in SPL meter in REW.

[@voiceofreason9238]

Audyssey does not set distance for physical distance, it's set for time delay so at Reference level the sound from all speakers reach the listeners ears all at the same time.

[@charlesaldous5389]

Whereas, here in the UK, I used to use my Radio Shack digital meter, then when I got an Arcam, I used their auto speaker setup (not Dirac Live). Then my Denon AVR-X3300W has Audyssey on it, so I used that (XT32). I upgraded my phone so I could get the Audyssey MultEQ Editor App. So now I have perfect curves! Well, the amp that is, not me. But I'm blowed if I can hardly tell the difference! I have B&W speakers, but the differences between the different setup options is so negligible, that I can't really tell which is best!

[@CaptainCave-t3n]

I have been doing it wrong the whole time I have been using C weight for my speakers lol. Back to the settings. Thanks Youthman 😊

[@reezepees25]

Ik dont think you did it wrong. I think that Youthman had turned arround.

[@Youthman]

I just searched online and some use C and Fast while others use C and slow. Slow creates an “average” which would be completely fine to use as well. This is just the way I calibrate my setup.

[@jarodreddig63]

It’s ok you’ll be fine.

[@nedkulic2164]

Absolutely Awesome stuff Michael.... Thank you!!! 😊, this will definitely bring about a good balance of immersive sound.👏👏👏 🤜🤛

[@Youthman]

Thank you Ned

[@erickibler901]

Hi Michael, I’m trying to follow the steps you’ve laid out here to set reference level for my Marantz SR6014 receiver and the 5.1 system of speakers that I have consisting of Klipsch R625FA (L&R), Klipsch R52C, SVS SB1000PRO, and 2 JAMO satellite speakers for the rears. When done with all the steps of this process, 3 of the speaker level settings are on the plus(+) side. I read that levels on the plus side can introduce clipping and distortion on that channel. I’m not sure what to do. I’ve considered rerunning the calibration and leaving it alone, setting the meter level to something other that 70(60?) and then rebalancing, or setting the highest level back to -0.5dB and backing all the others back the same amount to maintain balance. What do you recommend?

[@mikemmikem2758]

Where did you come up with A weighting for speakers? From what I know A weighting is for measuring noise (not spkr noise) and a standard for OHSA. Also I've never heard changing the setting to measure subs. All speakers should be measured C/Slow.

[@airman6822]

Awesome vid. I'm anxious to try this. I have adjusted some by ear but my hearing isn't as good as it used to be. Probably because of loud movies, LOL.

[@yourpalfranc]

The SPL meter came yesterday, and I got around to calibrating with your instructions this afternoon. WOW!! What a difference!! I'd just gone with the Audessy setup for years. I'm so glad I saw this video. I have a question...whereas all your dB values were negative numbers, mine are all positive, except for my sub, which is a little hot at 0.0 dB (but where I like it). What accounts for that difference? The room? My AVR is a Marantz SR6015. Oh, I also was able to set up a library in Plex with some Atmos demo files that makes it super convenient to play them for demo or calibration purposes. Thanks again for the information, Michael!! ~Frank

[@VividTheater]

Awesome stuff Youthman! Since Audyseey is not getting the levels dead on, would the EQ settings need to be tweaked after as well?

[@tomconnell7154]

OK, so I watched this and then I got me a SLP reader from Amazon and followed your directions. I have never actually used a reader before and just went off earshot.... After the reader test and adjusting the levels... HOLEY sh**.... It DEFINITELY opened up the whole immersive sound of my home theater. Thanks bud for the guidance! Now it's Movie Time!

[@Youthman]

Awesome! So glad you now have a much better experience.

[@victormuriel7266]

Great video Michael, thanks again for sharing this knowledge with us. Blessings. 🙏🏻 Best regards from Mexico 🇲🇽

[@Youthman]

Thank you kindly Victor

[@hometheaterjoe9489]

Awesome video!! Saving this one in my playlist. Thank you buddy!! It will help immensely!!

[@NathanBRing]

I did this with my phone and oh man, i just remember listening to my movies so much better, it really sounded like i was in the movie

[@MasterMark5]

Wow Youthman just level matching my speakers made a MASSIVE difference, i watched a movie and i could hear so much more than i did before. Thank you so much for the tip!

[@Youthman]

Glad your system is sounding much better now.

[@LifeofBliss]

Level matching really helps with surround affects in my experience... great video and tips bud

[@jebo4jc]

Adding this to the to do list for the home theater. Thanks as always Michael!

[@Youthman]

Glad you found it helpful Jeremy

[@zelko0768]

Sweet vid. So when you said point at the speakers you actually meant point at them. I remember doing this back in the day where the SPL was just facing forward for the readings.

[@macho9556]

As others have said, thank you for a great explanation on how to do this. Especially the toggling of the volume settings. Other videos say the same but never explain the db volume setting. I have a question Youthman, or for anyone to answer. The lowest I can go with my L/R is 85db at -12. I've never seen or heard an explanation if this happens. What are your thoughts on that? Level match the speakers to 85 instead of 75? Is this good? Bad?

[@mr.w4904]

Exactly, I thought it was just me

[@Youthman]

My guess is your speakers are very efficient like mine. You may need to use attenuators to allow you to hit 75dB

[@macho9556]

@@Youthman Thanks for your response Youthman. I have the RF7-III's and RC64-III. Is your patreon, Patreon.com/Youthman?

[@troybryantIII]

Wow. Your channel has helped so much. I started off with bose. Was tired of the wires and the volume just wasn't right. Moved to Sonos but update after update became annoying. Then I saw one of your svs pb 16 videos and rest was history

[@Youthman]

Thank you Troy I’m glad the channel has been helpful

[@wolverine3344]

The information you provide to our community is beyond valuable. Love the analog SPL meter, same I had in the 90s lol

[@Youthman]

Appreciate the kind words wolverine

[@sebulbathx]

I get why some want to bump up the center channel but I think it disrupts the balance between LF, C and RF. It becomes like the center channel stand out between the three and it plays a little on its own. But everyone has different tastes of course. Just an opinion. :) But great video. Level matching and calibration in general is a little overlooked by the general consumer I think. The goal, for me at least, is to make everything play as one unit and try to make it sound like the producer wanted as close as possible.

[@Youthman]

Sometimes it’s a result of an insufficient center.

[@sebulbathx]

@@Youthman Yes true. I am curious I've recently bought a Marantz avr and started using Audyseey. But what I find a little weird is the roll off in the top and mid range compensation. Do you know why they have those features especially why they want to roll off the top?

[@michaeltamburello]

You missed a step and that is where exactly to place the SPL meter. I put mine dead center in the room to obtain a common level that's best for the overall room and various listening positions. Agree on the sub bump up. Center channels vary too differently among movies. Usually leave it a zero. Love your channel. Thanks

[@Youthman]

I stated in the video at ear level. I guess I assumed everyone would understand I was sitting in my primary listening position.

[@ZiadCh]

Thanks for another great video. My subwoofer is way too loud, it shakes the entire floor. How do I fix it ? Thanks

[@Youthman]

There is a gain knob on the sub and a trim level in your AVR. Simply turn it down.

[@vickcruz5553]

Youthman!! Avid follower here. So I wanted to ask, how do you keep the sound from your theater from going through your large window and through your door? I ask only because I just purchased a condo and have invested in my monster home theater gear long before moving in. My front door is awful for keeping sound in from my one speaker vinyl record player, so I am worried about sound from my HT once I get that bad boy set up. I dont have big amps, I only use a AVR 4300h and dont go above 60db usually, unless I want to be naughty. But even 60 I dont do much. Is your door to your room hollow? I will be investing in weather strips for the door frame and a door sweep but I think my front door is hollow. How do you keep your sound in your room without bleeding out and not disturb the rest of your home or fam?

[@Youthman]

The short answer is you don’t. The only way to truly soundproof your room is to build a room inside of a room and spend a ton of money insulating the area between them with very thick absorption. Bass frequencies are very long so it takes a very thick Acoustic treatment to stop that bass wave. If you’re only turning it up to 60 DV, I don’t think you’ll have any problem. It’s when you turn it up to 90 DB or 100 DB that Could be bothersome to those in your home. I simply wait till my wife go shopping to crank it up LOL

[@GuitarGuy5000000000]

This was eye opening for sure. I knew already that auto calibration can mistake your speaker sizes and crossovers, but wasn't sure how accurate the levels were. Come to think of it, my surrounds could probably be a bit louder. I will test it like you showed here and see if I'm right! Many thanks for this video.

[@Youthman]

Glad to help

[@HometheaterEnthusiast]

That was a simple but powerful tip, loved it 😍 I think those who have a umic with them can utilise it for the SPL measurement. All the best for the journey towards 100k 🤩🤩

[@Youthman]

Thank you kindly. Yes you’re correct you can use the REW and a calibration microphone to do the same thing

[@ricardogarcia869]

Great video Michael, thank you for all the videos you upload. They have really helped me build my home theater. Nothing like yours but it sounds good.I recently purchased a Denon AVR-X3700H which I am still playing around with the settings. I have always calibrated my home theater to reference level using the same radio shack spl meter you demonstrated. I do this after the audyssey auto cal. I have always used the C weighting and slow. I will try to do it your way to see if there is any difference. Is A weighting and fast a more accurate calibration?

[@darrenloke5486]

Great guide, definitely beginner friendly. I would also suggest for folks without a physical SPL meter to use their phone too. There’s dB meter apps in the store that can help measure it, possibly may not be as accurate, but definitely doable.

[@davidhillberg9031]

When I level matched mine, almost all levels were in the + db's, is this a problem?

[@markie4tv]

cheers for this, followed your guide and made a big difference , one thing , you didn’t mention distances from the seating to the speakers , would it make much difference if the distance was out a little?

[@mikkelrasmussen7306]

Great tutorial - thanks :) A lot of my levels are not in the negative. Only my center and sub is at minus. But the SPL app was at 75 when I did the measuring with all my speakers. What am i’m doing wrong? 🤔

[@Youthman]

It's not that you are doing anything wrong, you might just have speakers that are not sensitive and require MUCH more from your amplifier to reach reference volume. Check out this video I made on speaker sensitivity - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nV6qgKmka8Soo5o

[@mikkelrasmussen7306]

Thanks@@Youthman :)

[@faysalusman]

For subwoofer, should we aim for 75db while using the spl meter ?

[@evilawkeye2215]

Michael, another great video! This is something that I need to do. Great detail and well explained. Just quick question, on each speaker level matching the spl points at the desired speaker! Is this the same for the sub? I have a downward firing sub! Thanks

[@Youthman]

Since lower frequencies are Omni directional, it shouldn’t matter which direction you point the mic

[@santiagovanegas3812]

Since the sound of atmos speakers is reflected from the ceiling, do I point the SPL meter at the ceiling or to the actual speaker? Great video!

[@Youthman]

I later discovered that typically you want to point the microphone upward toward the ceiling for all speakers.

[@vasiliosvavasis]

Great tip setting the volume to 0.0db before measuring the speaker Db thank you What should the bass crossover be set to on the receiver I have mine set to 80hz which is factory I have played around with it to see changes. What ur tip

[@Youthman]

Every setup is different but 80Hz is definitely a safe crossover to begin with

[@louis-philippeletourneau7689]

A great and useful video like usual. Thanks Youthman! 😊🎶

[@doctorD46]

Another great video Michael. Be Blessed.

[@jolandogreaves2020]

Appreciate this vid bro..... loving what I'm hearing

[@gingerninja7187]

Hi Mr youthman , on the Dolby atmos disc ,their are different speaker configurations, to test your speaker levels ,(SPL) this is interesting,as the levels are quite different from what your avr or processor, are playing, is the levels on the disc ,more of a target for Dolby atmos , if you haven’t tried this it’s worth giving it a go ,or maybe do a video on this subject ,

[@mikeberndt181]

I have the same meter. Bought it almost 20 years ago. Even had the one before it which was square.

[@MichaelGreco]

I've been doing C and slow for everything since I got my spl meter. I'll try what you mentioned in the video

[@Triggaaar]

Hey Youthman. Nice video, cheers. When you were adjusting the SPL of your speakers, the pink noise from your centre speaker had a completely different tone to you front left & right. What was that about? I think you have the same speakers across the front, so maybe something to do with your room acoustics and EQ?

[@lowercasebcd]

I read that audyssey room correction is not applied to the tones in the avr. So level matching using those would throw it way out of level if using audyssey. It’s a better option to use the tones on a disc such as the Spears and Munsil disc through the source. Then you are level matching tones that are being played with the audyssey correction enabled.

[@Youthman]

You are correct. This is a basic tutorial as most do not have a calibration disk with test tones.

[@mikegoddard7354]

That was the issue with my surrounds, unless the volume is cranked up crazy loud they hardly make noise. Someone told me I need to do that, guess im going to have to

[@FenderStrat19711]

Dear Youthman, I tried to calibrate my system today, with not great results. My AVR is the Sony STR DN1040. My speakers are small Infinity TSS-800 satellites. To measure the sound, I used a Meterk Digital Sound Level Decibel Meter that I purchased on Amazon. Using the manual speaker set up in the Sony STR DN1040, I attempted to bring the front left speaker up to a volume of 75 decibels. The only way I could reach that level was to push the speaker level to +10 DB - the loudest setting it could reach. Ultimately, I settled for calibrating all the speakers at 70 decibels, and I did not think I should push the system that hard just to reach the 75 decibel mark. Is my setup simply too weak to reach a "reference" setting? Should I have bigger, better speakers to do that? Should I have a better receiver, such as the Denon AVR-X3700H? Or should I PUSH my system up to that +10 DB limit to reach "reference" level? Note that the front left speaker, where I encountered this, was the speaker that was the most far away. Possibly the other speakers would not have to be set at +10, but they might be close. Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks so much!!!

[@Youthman]

I believe it is a combination of your Sony receiver, which are typically not known for having large power supplies and your infinity speakers likely being lower sensitive speakers meaning they require more power to reach reference level. You are correct you do not want to put your trim levels at +10. That’s an easy way to damage your speakers

[@FenderStrat19711]

@@Youthman Thank you SO much. I should probably back my speakers down to the 50 decibel level, and then just wait until I have better equipment before attempting to calibrate to reference level. Thanks SO much for your answers, and for your amazing, cheerful and informative videos that you regularly post. They are the best. You've got a new subscriber in me!

[@Youthman]

Glad to help and good luck with your system

[@kevindillinger3699]

Youthman. I have a Marantz SR7015. When calibrating my speaker the most I can get out of my Atmos speakers is 69db. My Atmos speakers are on top of my front speakers Firing up. With them firing up is that why I can't achieve the 75db mark. In that case should I set all my speakers to the 68db.

[@mearle8756]

Thanks for another great video Michael, wondering your current thoughts on dynamic EQ?

[@Youthman]

I like Dynamic EQ if you do not use a house curve with miniDSP

[@jaden9037]

youthman, thank you so much for giving this information. I’d like to ask do you have to do that for each surroundsound set up like Dolby atmos and neural X I have the Denon AVR-x 4700h just trying to dial it in for best action sound.. Thanks

[@AMERICOBECKS]

Very informative as always, quick question when connecting your subwoofers do you use the LFE input on both (dual subs) or rigth and left input? Does it make any difference? Thanks Mr Michael

[@Youthman]

I recommend using the LFE input on your subs (if they have one) and set my crossover in the AVR or Processor

[@prabhurc3]

Thanks for this video, never seen anyone talking about this. My system sounded lot better after this trick.. But Isn't this one of the core thing Audyssey supposed to do? With all the advanced things happening (Eq for flatter frequency) wondering why there is a basic miss here...

[@Youthman]

Audyssey has never been perfect. In some rooms Audyssey may get it right while others it doesn’t. Always best to check.