I’ve been working on getting my new system calibrated both automatically and manually and I’ve run into some trouble getting my Bravus 8D working in “Auto” mode.  The sub seems to kick in late and stop early and very abruptly. 

I’ve changed the mode to “On” and it works fine then but I’d like it to work in “Auto” mode so I don’t have to keep turning it on and off. 

Here are my components

Receiver:           Onkyo 805
FR/FL:                4B
Center:              4C
Surrounds:         632-IC
Sub:                   Bravus 8D

Receiver settings

Crossover:         100Hz (For all speakers)
Sub Volume:      0 (This was set to I believe -12 by the auto config but changed it per some reading and the fact it wasn’t working)

I’ve left my Bravus crossover setting to “Bypass” based on what I’ve read that should allow me to fully control it from the receiver.  I tried moving it up to 150Hz based on some forum posts but that didn’t seem to change anything.

I’m pretty new at this but it seems that the “Auto” feature isn’t kicking on until a certain level of sound is sent down but I can’t figure how I can lower that level or send more signal to kick it in earlier and make the sub sound more smooth in its transitions.

I’m sure this is just a newbie configuration issue but I can’t seem to get it straightened out.

Thanks,

Bryan

Hey Bryan,

It sounds to me like the output level at your receiver may be a bit low and that is why it is taking a second for the sub to detect the signal.  I would try bumping it up to +2 or 3 and see if that works a little better, then you can turn down the output at the sub if its too loud in relation to the rest of your system. 

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

Moving the output up to +2 or +3 didn't seem to make any difference.  I then moved it up to +12 and that seemed to be much better but there are still times that the sub is slow to kick in and early to turn off. 

Should I raise my crossover on my L/R and center?  Would that help?  How does the equalizer affect this?  I've tried both turning it off and using the Audyssey calibrated setting.  Neither seemed to help but maybe a setting things manually would help.

 Bryan

Are your fronts set to small and is the double bass feature turned on in the Onkyo?

I'd also recommend turning the Audyssey off if you haven't done so already. 

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

The 805 doesn't have a "small" or "large" setting.  In the speaker configuration screen you can set the speakers to "Full Band" or various crossover points.  Mine are all set to 100Hz (I'm running 5.1 in case it matters).  I've tried 120Hz but that doesn't seem to make a difference to the sub's "Auto" feature but does sometimes make the dialog get processed by the sub if it's low enough and sounds bad.

When the speaker is set to any specific crossover point I can't set the double bass feaure.  It's only available if the fronts are "Full Band".

I've turned off Audyssey and that didn't seem to help.  I did however as a test raise the 63Hz and 160Hz channels in the equalizer for the Fronts and Center to see if that would send more down to the sub to get it to kick in quicker and it appeared to but there was still a delay.

I've also played with the LPF of the LPE.  It defaults to 80Hz and I've moved it up to 120Hz since it seems to me that my filter should be above my crossover point if I understand what it does.

One other strange thing of note is that If I'm listening to a track and it's kicked the sub on and then I quickly move to another track everything is OK.  The sub processes the new track just fine and it sounds as it should.  However, if I start initally with the 2nd track I notice the delay.  Therefore, it seems to me the signal is getting down OK and processed OK but the "Auto" is just slow in responding but once it's been kicked on it's fine...until of course the signal stops or drops below it's processing which still seems to happen abruptly.

Bryan

That's right I was thinking of the Denons that have the large/small settings, sorry about that.  So setting the crossover to 100 Hz for the 4Bs and 4C is good, but yeah you don't want to raise it any higher than that. 

I still think it is an output issue from the receiver or input sensitivity on the sub's end.  I would leave the sub's level at a positive value, maybe not +12 but it sounds like you are going to want to keep it above +5, and then drop the level of the fronts and center by whatever positive value you have the sub set to, so if you put the sub at +5 and your fronts and center are at +5 now, drop them down to zero.  When you do this you will be forced to turn up your master volume to get the same output from the fronts and center and that should give an adequate level of output to the sub so that it detects the signal more readily.

Hopefully that will work, if it doesn't feel free to log into webchat or give us a call and we can troubleshoot with you a little more quickly, thanks!

 

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

I talked to support on Friday and the confirmed my settings and said it sounded like the slight delay is somewhat expected.  Given I've seen others report this issue I'm thinking something else is going on.  Here is another post explaining a similar issue and I know I've read others.

http://www.aperionaudio.com/community/forums/permalink/7411/7406/ShowThread.aspx#7406

Don't get me wrong.  I love the speakers and sub sounds great.  I've really been able to crank it up this past weekend and it sounded awesome.  I just want things to work as they should.

Bryan

I've been having similar issues with my bravus 8 and I agree with you about it working as it should.  My Okyo 705 receiver output is at +8 and boosted the setting on the sub to +6 and the volume on the sub is set to -1.  It sounds pretty good.  The best thing I did was just set the sub to the "on" mode when I'm watching movies.  That way I can't hear it shutting off and turning on during bass and no bass scenes.  I just hear that background noise that the sub makes when it is turned on.  Just have to remember to turn it to auto when I'm finished.

What speakers do you have?  I have 4Bs and a 4C.  Also what are your crossovers set to? 

Where I'm at is I reconfigured my system using the Aperion provided SPL meter.  I even configured the sub.  I then lowered everything except the sub by equal amounts.  I started out lowering things by -5db.  I then lowered the volume on the sub (not the setting in the Onkyo) by the same amount.  What this effectively did was make me raise the volume since I lowered the other settings which in turn sent more signal down to the sub to get it to kick in more consistently.

See the following thread where Caleb describes this better than me. 

http://www.aperionaudio.com/community/forums/thread/7406.aspx

Now, truth be told, it took a while to get it tuned in (actually I'm still playing with it) and I eventually had to raise the sub output on the receiver to get this balanced right but definitely use the SPL meter to get the system balanced and then play with the sub levels.  You'll want to send it a lot of signal which sounds scary but it'll handle it beautifully.

Bryan

I'm glad that others are experiencing the same pain that I am setting up their systems as I am.  Here is my setup:

Front Speakers: 2 NEW Intimus 5B Bookshelf Speakers
Center Channel: 1 NEW Intimus 5C Center Channel Speaker
Surrounds: 2 NEW Intimus 5DB Dipole/Bipole Surround Speakers
Subwoofer: 1 Bravus 10D - Dual 10" Powered Subwoofer

I used the SPL meter to setup my Onkyo TX-SR605 and to get all the levels even I had to reduce my sub to the lowest setting...like -13dB or something.  Anyway, so I have the same problem as all of you...my sub comes in and out.

 Tonight I am going to try what you all suggested...but from the sounds of everyone, the result is ok, but not great.

 

sethwill:

I'm glad that others are experiencing the same pain that I am setting up their systems as I am.  Here is my setup:

Front Speakers: 2 NEW Intimus 5B Bookshelf Speakers
Center Channel: 1 NEW Intimus 5C Center Channel Speaker
Surrounds: 2 NEW Intimus 5DB Dipole/Bipole Surround Speakers
Subwoofer: 1 Bravus 10D - Dual 10" Powered Subwoofer

I used the SPL meter to setup my Onkyo TX-SR605 and to get all the levels even I had to reduce my sub to the lowest setting...like -13dB or something.  Anyway, so I have the same problem as all of you...my sub comes in and out.

 Tonight I am going to try what you all suggested...but from the sounds of everyone, the result is ok, but not great.

 

My Onkyo 503 does not have the automatic setup but manually I have my AVR crossover at 100.  The AVR level on my 5Bs is 0 and the AVR level on my sub out is 0.   The sub crossover is set to Bypass and the level is set to -8.  I have never had it go off when it should not have.  What I have noticed is that if the green light is on and I turn the power switch off, it can take a bit long to come back on, but it does when it gets triggered.  My guess is that the shut down trigger time is in the ballpark of 15 to 20 minutes.  When I turn my AVR on I belive the green light comes on even if no source is playing meaning the AVR startup electrical activity is enough to ture the sub on.

Hope this helps

Cheers 

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Russ

Joined you!

sethwill:

I'm glad that others are experiencing the same pain that I am setting up their systems as I am.  Here is my setup:

Front Speakers: 2 NEW Intimus 5B Bookshelf Speakers
Center Channel: 1 NEW Intimus 5C Center Channel Speaker
Surrounds: 2 NEW Intimus 5DB Dipole/Bipole Surround Speakers
Subwoofer: 1 Bravus 10D - Dual 10" Powered Subwoofer

I used the SPL meter to setup my Onkyo TX-SR605 and to get all the levels even I had to reduce my sub to the lowest setting...like -13dB or something.  Anyway, so I have the same problem as all of you...my sub comes in and out.

 Tonight I am going to try what you all suggested...but from the sounds of everyone, the result is ok, but not great.

 

 

Hey Seth, welcome to the forum!

-13 is waaaay too low and that's why the sub isn't always detecting the signal to the sub.  You need to boost that level at the receiver and then turn down the sub's volume to compensate.  It's also a good idea to lower the levels of your fronts and center which will make you turn up your master volume which will also send more signal to the sub. 

Feel free to log into webchat or give us a call at 888-880-8992 if you want to talk it over in more detail, thanks!

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru