Audyssey MultEQ Pro User Guide for the Audyssey Sound Equalizer Audyssey Laboratories, Inc, 350 South Figueroa Street, Suite 233, Los Angeles, CA 90071 www.audyssey.
Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 MultEQ Pro Setup Guide ............................................................................................................................. 1 License Keys ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Important Safety Precautions ......................
Table of Contents Target Sound Options ............................................................................................................................... 28 Target Curve Designer & Target Curve Editor .......................................................................................... 29 The Target Curve Designer ................................................................................................................... 29 Using the Target Curve Editor .............................
Introduction TM The Audyssey Sound Equalizer is a stand-alone hardware platform for custom installers to implement ® Audyssey MultEQ XT sound equalization technology in high-quality listening rooms using separate amplifiers and preamplifiers. The Sound Equalizer removes linear distortion (frequency response anomalies) caused by the interaction of sound from loudspeakers within the room.
• Do not exceed the limits of MultEQ Pro and the Sound Equalizer as given in the specifications and other warnings provided in this manual. • Do not cascade other devices into the calibrated microphone-to-calibrated preamplifier-toSound Equalizer path. Serious damage could occur to each piece of equipment. • Do not connect the calibrated microphone to the 1/Mic input of the Sound Equalizer until instructed to do so.
Calibrated Microphone and Microphone Stand Each Audyssey microphone is calibrated by Audyssey and comes with a custom calibration curve that matches the microphone to a highprecision, ¼” reference microphone. The calibration curve for your microphone is stored on your MultEQ Pro application CD.
Setup Before Customer Installation MultEQ Pro Main Setup Insert the MultEQ Pro CD included in your Audyssey Installer Kit into your PC’s CD-ROM drive. Install Microsoft .NET There are four possible options to choose from in the MultEQ Pro Main Setup window (depending on the status of necessary installations). You will click on the text itself to begin the operation desired. • Install Microsoft .
Uninstalling MultEQ Pro A dialog with a progress bar will appear as the MultEQ Pro application is uninstalled. The dialog will disappear once the uninstallation is complete. Copied one file successfully Viewing the Setup Guide An electronic version of the MultEQ Pro Setup Guide is available to view at any time during the setup.
Register on the Audyssey Installer Website Before installing Audyssey products at a customer’s home, be sure to visit the Audyssey Installer Website (A) at www.audyssey.com/InstallerWeb to register your personal account. A B You must register on the Audyssey Installer Website in order to: 6 • Purchase and activate product licenses • Upload installation results and store customer certificates (B) (page 34).
Enter your Username (typically your email address) and Password to enter the site. If you have not yet registered on the site, and therefore do not have a Username & Password, click the Register button and follow the instructions. Upon completion of the registration process, you’ll be taken back to the Sign In page. To register, you must already be an Audyssey installer with an Audyssey Installer Kit. Each Installer Kit has an assigned 5-digit serial number, located in three places: 1.
Audyssey Registered Installer After signing in, the Welcome screen gives a brief overview of the Installer Website. Use the links in the left-hand column to navigate the site’s functions. Certificate Overview This page explains the details of the Customer Certificate. Create Customer Certificate Upload MultEQ Pro calibrations results to generate a Customer Certificate. At completion of the intuitive process, certificates can be printed.
Purchasing and Activating MultEQ Pro Licenses To perform a MultEQ Pro calibration for any Audyssey Installer-Ready product, you must purchase a license and generate a license key for each unit you plan to install. Sound Equalizer installations do not require a license key. Audyssey Sound Equalizer installations do not require a license key. Step 1 allows you to purchase a MultEQ Pro license.
4. Enter your full name, credit card information and billing information. Click Continue. 5. Review your purchase and billing information, then click Complete Order. It may take a few moments for your order to be processed. Don’t close the window, or click the browser’s “Back” button. 6. Once your order is complete, an invoice will be sent to your registered email address. You will have the choice of printing out your receipt, and activating your purchased licenses.
Change License Types You can convert any license type to any other Installer-Ready product from the same manufacturer. You must do this before activating a purchased key (see Step 2). 1. Underneath the “Purchased Licenses” table, click on Change License Types. 2. Use the drop down menu to choose to which model number you would like your license transferred. Step 2: Create a Key Activating a purchased license will generate a license key.
1. Depending on the manufacturer, you must enter the serial number or MAC address for the unit. If you do not enter the correct number, an incorrect license key will be generated. Serial numbers and MAC addresses are case sensitive, and be careful not to enter extra spaces. Custom Rackmount and Clamps Middle Atlantic Products carries a custom rackmount with clamps for the Audyssey Sound Equalizer. If you are a Middle Atlantic Products dealer, contact your account representative.
Setup at Customer Installation Site Preamplifier/Processor Connections to the Sound Equalizer Before proceeding, the Sound Equalizer, amplifier(s) and preamplifier/processor should be powered off. The Sound Equalizer 1/Mic Input has two functions: Make the necessary audio connections between the outputs of the preamplifier/processor and the ANALOG INPUT channels of the Sound Equalizer.
Mini-XLR cables The Installer Kit contains two mini-XLR cables. One mini-XLR cable is used to connect the microphone preamplifier to the Sound Equalizer and the other is used to connect the mic preamp to the Sound Equalizer. The length of cable needed depends on the size of the customer’s room and/or the number of zones being installed. Additional mini-XLR cables may be purchased separately for a longerlength connection (See Zone Configuration, page 21).
Microphone Position Place the microphone in a vertical position with the capsule pointing directly at the ceiling for all room measurements. Make sure there are no nearby obstructions or large reflecting surfaces. Make sure that the first microphone position is located at the main listening seat. This is where the delays and trims will be calculated.
USB Connection Any of the laptop’s USB ports may be used for this connection. The USB connection gives the laptop control over the Sound Equalizer during MultEQ Pro calibration. Provide enough slack for the USB cable so that it will not suddenly disconnect during MultEQ Pro calibration. Accidental USB disruption/ disconnection will likely require MultEQ Pro be restarted.
Configuring the Preamplifier/Processor The MultEQ Pro application is responsible for measuring the room response and computing the complex equalization filters for the room. The speaker type, crossover frequency, level, and trim settings reported by the application must be entered manually in the preamplifier/processor. Before the MultEQ Pro Calibration If the subwoofer has a built-in lowpass filter it should be bypassed, or set to the THX setting.
The MultEQ Pro Application Overview and Screen Sequence The MultEQ Pro application consists of a series of screens which leads installers through the calibration process. Each screen of the application is listed in the left column of the application (B) to help track progress.
Welcome Introduction to the MultEQ Pro application. Product Selection Choose Audyssey Sound Equalizer from the list of Audyssey products and press the ► button. Product Selection MultEQ Pro supports multiple products from various manufacturers. The MultEQ Pro application screens that follow are common to most Audyssey InstallerReady products. Some functions may vary so it is important to review the product’s specific User Guide.
Job Information This information is used to manage customer calibration results on the Audyssey Installer Website (page 6). Calibration results and customer certificates are listed on the Audyssey Installer Website by the customer or job name entered at the Job Information screen. Options The importance of microphone calibration is often overlooked. Even the highest quality micro-phones often contain small variations that cause measurement artifacts.
Zone Configuration The Sound Equalizer performs equalization for up to eight audio channels. These eight channels can be assigned to zones. Multiple Subwoofers The Sound Equalizer supports multiple subwoofers. In fact, all eight channels can be used for subwoofer correction if so desired. Use of multiple subwoofers operating from various positions in the room can smooth the bass response. There are two ways to connect multiple subwoofers.
Select a Zone Note: The Select a Zone screen only appears if you have assigned more than one zone to the Sound Equalizer at the Zone Configuration screen, page 21. The numbers in the Channel column correspond to the channel numbering for the Sound Equalizer. This may be different than the numbering on the back of the pre/pro. The information in the Speakers column corresponds to the type of speaker assigned to each Sound Equalizer channel on the Zone Configuration screen.
Equipment Info Enter information about the customer’s audio equipment. Note: Enter this information for each zone. The information entered at this screen is stored on the Audyssey Installer Website account (see page 6) and will not affect filters created or saved to the Sound Equalizer. Equipment Info High-quality loudspeakers are spectrally matched at the factory, meaning they have very close to the same frequency response.
Before Measurements: The microphone should be positioned as far out from the stand as possible to minimize the effect of stand reflections. The microphone has been calibrated at grazing incidence and should point to the ceiling. Measurement Incorrect Correct Before Measurements Review the following guidelines: The room measurement process plays a series of full-bandwidth test signals through each channel to measure the room’s response.
The room measurement process plays a series of full-bandwidth test signals through each channel to measure the room’s response. Audyssey has designed the test signals so that several thousand measurement samples are collected. Position 1 Measurement For the Position 1 Measurement, place the microphone at the primary (or most center) listening location. The microphone should be positioned at ear height of a sitting listener.
Audyssey has a crossoverfinding method that is based on the measurement of each satellite and subwoofer in the system at multiple seats in the room. The frequency that best optimizes the blend between the satellite and subwoofer is selected based on complex addition (amplitude and phase). The crossover calculation takes into account the capabilities of the speaker to make sure it isn’t overdriven. This frequency can be different for each channel if each speaker is driving the room from a different location.
Detection Results This screen displays the speaker Distance and Trim results derived from the Position 1 measurement, and the recommended crossover derived from all measurements. MultEQ Pro lists individual, suggested speaker crossovers in decreasing order of performance. Note: You must manually enter the information on this screen into the preamplifier/processor’s settings. Speaker Type indicates whether the detected loudspeaker is a satellite or subwoofer.
Target Sound Options To cover a wide range of room types, MultEQ Pro currently provides a selection of four target curves. Target Sound Options Choose which Audyssey target curve you want to use by selecting from the Target Sound Options menu. Flat curve creates equalization filters that correct the response to flat, from the low frequency cutoff point that MultEQ Pro has determined, to the upper frequency limit of the tweeters.
Target Curve Designer & Target Curve Editor Channels Edits Grips Cursor Location The Target Curve Designer is launched by pressing the Design button of the Target Sound Options screen (page 28). Be sure to click the radio button of the target curve selection you want to edit, as that is the target curve you will see when editing. Edits applied to one or more channels affect all target sound options shown on the Target Sound Options screen.
Using the Target Curve Editor A new window is launched called the Target Curve Editor that shows the selected target curve from the Target Sound Options screen. In this image, the High Frequency Roll Off 1 target curve is shown without Midrange Compensation selected (see Target Sound Options, page 28). The blue line represents your current edits. The red line shows how the target curve is affected by the current edits.
Once a grip has been placed, it can be moved by left clicking and holding the mouse button while dragging with your cursor. The grip may be moved in any direction. This edit immediately affects the blue and red lines. Grips cannot be moves outside of the valid range shown on page 40, and cannot be placed too close to another grip. Spend some time working on placing grips and moving them to get a sense of how to best build your edit.
Saving Your Work If you have accepted the edits by previously pressing the OK button, you may now assign them to one or more channels using the radio buttons to the right of the edit you created (radio buttons 1-8). Each channel here corresponds to the channels you selected at the Zone Configuration screen. Be sure to be aware which edits you assign to which channels. The Save button becomes available after accepting edits. Click the Save button (alongside the latest accepted Edit) to save this edit as a .
Save Results Once the room measurements are completed, MultEQ Pro calculates an equalization filter for each loudspeaker channel, including the subwoofer. These filters achieve a particular frequency response within the entire listening area for each loudspeaker. This target frequency response is determined based on several acoustical and program material considerations and is called a target or calibration curve.
MultEQ XT On/Off Demo If a customer is present during the MultEQ On/Off demo, have them sit within the room area measured earlier. If they are not positioned inside this area, it is less likely that they will hear the full effect of the MultEQ XT filters. Audyssey recommends using the demo material detailed on page 36 for MultEQ XT demonstration to customers.
Upload the MultEQ Pro Results After the Sound Equalizer installation is complete, upload the MultEQ Pro calibration results to the Audyssey Installer Website. This allows for: • Storing and printing customer certificates • Storing the installation speaker delays, levels, subwoofer crossovers, and equipment information To register, please visit www.audyssey.
Appendix Audyssey Recommended Demos Open Range Scene 7: “A Storm is Brewin’” Instructions: This demo track often illustrates improved timbre matching of speakers and overall improvement in envelopment. Wait approximately one minute into this scene, until right after the first thunder clap when the rainfall intensifies. Leave MultEQ on for about 5-10 seconds. Then, turn MultEQ off and on a few times, alternating every 5-10 seconds.
Error Messages The error windows in this section may appear while using MultEQ Pro. Please contact Audyssey Technical Support if you request additional troubleshooting assistance (page 40). Device Not Detected This window appears when MultEQ Pro does not detect a connection between the Sound Equalizer and your laptop. Make sure the USB cable is securely connected. Input Signal Too Low This window appears when MultEQ Pro does not detect a strong enough input signal to record a measurement.
Disconnect Microphone This window will appear if you try to exit the MultEQ Pro before disconnecting the microphone from the Sound Equalizer. Leaving the microphone connected will cause feedback at levels that could damage the speakers.
Warranties Audyssey Installer Kit Audyssey Laboratories warrants that all the accessories in each Audyssey Installer Kit are free from defects in workmanship and materials and will perform in accordance with their published specifications for a period of one year from the date of purchase. Any necessary adjustments or repairs will be provided at no cost to the purchaser. The warranty covers parts, labor, shipping cost from the service center to the purchaser, and if necessary, packing materials.
Technical Support Audyssey Laboratories, Inc Audyssey provides free technical support to Audyssey Installers. Technical support by phone is available from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (Pacific Standard Time). Audyssey Installer Technical Support Tel: (213) 625-4300 Fax: (213) 625-4383 E-mail: techsupport@audyssey.com Manufacturers Representatives Your Audyssey Installer-Ready product manufacturer’s representative also provides technical support.
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Notes User Guide v3.
