Audio Calibration

It is inevitable for a home theater system to have many components. And in order for your home theater system to be of optimum quality, all components should be in mint condition. But if you think about it, audio quality is not really viewed as an important component in a home theater system. This should not be viewed as such at all.

The process of audio calibration is indeed a very important one when discussing the enhancement of viewing pleasure. So, what exactly is audio calibration? And what is the main aim of audio calibration? This process is actually aimed at making sure that all components of your audio system are still in working condition after some time of usage already. Audio calibration should also be done whenever a new component would be added to your home theater system. And for this process, some people might think that it would be ideal to enlist the services of professional audio calibrators. This can be true, but there are more practical ways of doing this actually. In fact, you can audio calibration of your system on your own. With the proper audio calibration equipment for a budget of under $100, you can already carry out your own audio calibration anytime. With this minimal cost, you can get the audio calibration DVD, usually the Avia Guide to Home Theater DVD, which would guide you through the whole process. Plus, you will take in huge savings from not having to enlist the services of professionals anymore!

The typical home theater system should undergo audio calibration around twice a year, if no new components are added. The Avia DVD comes with a series of tests for your system. These tests include: Speaker Volume, SPL Meters, and Frequency Sweeps. These tests are aimed at making sure sound system calibration is established. Let us tackle each test in depth.

First off is speaker volume. Make sure that all the speakers you’re using for your home theater system are properly connected and ready for testing. This test can be found in THX-certified DVD movies. For all existing channels in your audio system, your speakers will give off a small tone as each speaker is highlighted in a graphic representation of the audio channels. From the graphic representation, if the highlighted speaker is the front left, for instance, then the tone should come from the front left speaker as well. Plus, make sure that the tone given off by all existing speakers are of the same quality, in terms of volume and pitch. If a speaker sounds off, then there must be a loose connection with the power supply or with some component. If it’s the pitch that sounds off, you should check the polarity of your speakers. To have consistent pitch, the speakers should also have consistent polarity. Thus, you should check this out as well.

The next test is the SPL Meter, or the Sound Pressure Level meter, which can be bought at roughly $20. This device is used in determining whether or not the volumes of two speakers are at par. This device is essential because the human ear cannot capture some sounds. Before applying the SPL meter, make sure that its batteries are working condition. You should also set the range at 70db, which is the ideal for home theaters.

The last test is Frequency Sweeps. Two frequency sweeps should be made, the low frequency sweep, and the full range frequency sweep. The low frequency sweep is used to measure the crossover of sounds from the center and front speakers to the subwoofer of your system. The full range frequency sweep is used to test the tones from DVDs, by measuring from each frequency the sounds’ volume.

All these tests are discussed in depth in the Avia DVD. And these are developed for the purpose of enhancing the viewing pleasure of everyone in your family.