Best Practices for Calibrating Your Home AV System from james's blog

With all the technological advances in home audio and video equipment, it’s easy to get lost in all the features and options available. However, to truly enjoy the amazing picture and sound quality your system is capable of, proper calibration is essential. In this blog post, we will go over the best practices for calibrating your home AV system, including speakers, displays, and getting the most accurate settings.

Equipment Needed for Calibration

The first step is gathering the necessary equipment to properly calibrate your home theater. Here are the basics you will need:

Calibration Software/Disc: Obtain calibration software like Audyssey, AccuCal or calibration test discs like Avia Guide to Home Theater that generate audio and video test signals.

SPL Meter: An accurate sound pressure level (SPL) meter is needed to set speaker volumes and balance. Look for one optimized for audio use.

Blu-ray Player: You'll need a high-quality Blu-ray player to play calibration discs and access test patterns.

Microphone: Most calibration software requires a microphone to analyze speaker distances, levels and room acoustics issues.

Audio/Video Cables: HDMI, optical audio and RCA cables to connect equipment properly.

Calibrating the Audio System

Once equipped, it's time to start calibrating the audio portion of your home theater. Proper steps include:

Speaker Placement: Position speakers according to recommended distances from main listening position. Toe-in front speakers towards you.

Level Matching: Use test tones and SPL meter to set all speakers to same reference volume level, usually 75-80dB. Adjust speaker distances/levels as needed.

Surround Levels: Calibrate surround and elevation speakers to Reference level using test tones. Adjust speaker distances or levels as needed.

Subwoofer Level: Set subwoofer volume to Reference level using test tones. Adjust subwoofer distance/level as needed.

Room EQ: Run room calibration software using supplied microphone. It measures each speaker and applies EQ filters to optimize for your room.

Calibrating the Video Display

Now it's time to calibrate the video display to ensure an accurate picture. Here are the recommended steps:

Display Settings: Set display to calibrated "Cinema", "Movie" or "Professional" picture mode for lowest processing.

Picture Controls: Calibrate picture controls like backlight, contrast, brightness, color using test patterns. Aim for accuracy.

Grayscale: Use grayscale test patterns and calibration software to ensure perfect grayscale and color temperature.

Color Gamut: Use color tests to ensure the full range of supported color spaces like Rec.709 are displayed accurately.

CalMAN/SpectraCal: For professional calibrations, use hardware like CalMAN software and SpectraCal colorimeters for finer image adjustments.

Putting it All Together

The final and most important step is verifying your entire system is working together properly after calibration:

Audio/Video Sync: Use test patterns and sounds to ensure perfect lip sync between picture and sound.

Dynamic Range: Play a variety of content with calibrated dynamic range (DR) like Dolby TrueHD to hear full range.

Picture Quality: Watch various scenes from movies/TV in your calibrated picture mode. All should look natural.

Room Acoustics: If sounds are echoing, pay attention to room treatment options to further optimize sound.

Recalibration: Calibrations may need adjusting periodically, especially after firmware/software updates or room changes.

Relax and Enjoy! With everything accurately set, you can now sit back and truly appreciate all the details in your favorite shows and movies.

Tips for Maintaining Calibration

To keep your system performing at its calibrated best, follow some maintenance best practices:

Display Settings: Avoid changing display picture modes which can override calibration settings.

Equipment Upgrades: Recalibrate whenever adding/changing hardware like speakers, receivers or displays.

Calibration Disc: Run full calibration checks periodically using test disc to verify settings haven't drifted.

Room Changes: Recalibrate if moving furniture or doing room treatments which alters acoustics.

Brightness Over Time: OLED/LCD displays can dim slightly with use, requiring recalibration of brightness/contrast.

Calibration Software: Keep your room EQ/calibration software up to date for any underlying algorithm improvements.

Calibrating your home theater need not be intimidating with the right equipment and process. Following these best practices will ensure you experience your system performing at its full potential for detailed, accurate pictures and immersive surround sound.

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