RX-V2500 System Setup and YPAO Room EQ
System Setup: Manual
For tweakers and seasoned home theater enthusiasts, no one can calibrate your system better than you - right? Well, let's start with a manual setup of the receiver, then. The new GUI allows you to set up Sound, basic System Configuration, and Receiver Options.
I started with the Basic System Configuration options and set my system to the following using an SPL meter and tape measure. I utilized the Yamaha's internal test tones which had to be enabled via the GUI:
|
Speaker |
Size |
Level |
Distance |
|
Front L |
Small |
-0.5 |
10.0 |
|
Front R |
+0.5 |
10.0 |
|
|
Center |
Small |
0.0 |
10.0 |
|
Surround L |
Small |
0.0 |
8.0 |
|
Surround R |
+1.0 |
8.0 |
|
|
Presence L |
Yes |
+2.5 |
13.0 |
|
Presence R |
+2.5 |
13.0 |
|
|
Subwoofer |
- - |
-2.0 |
11.5 |
Surround Back:
None
Crossover frequency:
60Hz
Bass out:
SWFR
Subwoofer Phase:
Normal
Now that my loudspeakers and subwoofer were configured I moved on to setting up and verifying my inputs and routing video via the GUI. I configured the Yamaha to handle component video from the Denon DVD-3910 and Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000HD DVR. I also set all of my digital and multi-channel audio inputs including the coax S/PDIF feed from my HTPC, which stores my entire CD library.
Manual setup couldn't be any easier, save for adding voice commands, and the whole system was configured in less than 10 minutes. That even included renaming several of the inputs and adjusting their volume trims to blend the levels of my various sources.
System Setup: Automatic
If you think Manual Setup is easy, try plugging in the microphone , pressing one button and waiting approximately 3 minutes - now that's easy! Yamaha's Auto Setup feature is accessible directly from the GUI and is very literally a one-step process. It can also be configured to limit setup to all or some of the following parameters:
- Wiring
- Distance
- Size
- Equalizing
- Level
Of these options only wiring (potentially) and equalizing cannot be done with visual inspection, test tones and an SLP meter. What's really convenient and impressive is that you really can trust the Yamaha to do an accurate job of setting the basic parameters. The EQ settings generated by the YPAO system we'll discuss a bit further on. Here is the comparison of the results I achieved manually compared to the Auto Setup system:
|
Manual Setup
Surround Back:
None
|
Auto Setup
Surround Back:
None
|
Notably, the Auto Setup was with 0.5dB of my manually configured settings. This difference is possibly attributed to my physical presence during measurements as opposed to an unobstructed microphone, or it could simply be a difference between the calibrations of the Yamaha microphone and the RadioShack SPL meter.
Note: The Yamaha Auto Setup incorrectly stated that my main speakers were both wired out of phase. This was not entirely incorrect. In fact, the RBH 1266-LSE 12" drivers are wired out of phase for correct acoustical summing at the crossover point of the 12" aluminum woofer and midrange/tweeter combo.
YPAO Parametric Room EQ Settings
YPAO allows you to set equalizing to the
following parameters intended to aid in correcting the system for both room anomalies and differences
in loudspeaker frequency response. One thing I found odd was the wording of the EQ modes. Wording in
the manual almost suggests that Yamaha's YPAO is focused on taming the anomalies associated with
mismatched and non-flat speakers, rather than compensating for room deficiencies. This is largely
semantics as 50% of what reaches the microphone is coming from the room. However in our desire to
educate consumers, it's always nice to maintain the perspective that EQ is attempting to compensate for
the room, not loudspeaker deficiencies. The available modes are:
-
Check: Natural
This mode averages out the frequency response of all speakers so that higher frequencies are less emphasized. This setting is only recommended if the Flat setting (or EQ off) seems too subjectively bright for your tastes.
Evaluation Summary: This mode seemed to roll off a bit of the high end as indicated and for me did so in a way that was unnecessary, resulting in my above recommendation to only use this if you are trying to tame a bright room or if you prefer an artificially warmer sound.
-
Check: Flat
If your home theater system is comprised of similar quality speakers, ten this setting will average the frequency response of all speakers. While it sounds like the system is bringing all the speakers into alignment, the gist here is that YPAO is attempting to resolve to a flat frequency response each speaker in the room.
Evaluation Summary: Unlike other room EQ systems I've recently tested, the YPAO system using this mode gave a pleasing result, as opposed to a Phil Spectre wall of sound. The sound stage was preserved, while my Wharfedale Diamond 7.1 presence channel speakers were EQ'd to more closely blend in with the system. One of the positive results was that I was able to utilize the Dialogue Lift function of the RX-V2500 without a noticeable and distracting change in timbre.
-
Check: Front
If your main speakers are of significantly better quality than the rest of the system this setting will attempt to adjust the frequency response of the other speakers to more closely blend in with the front channels.
Evaluation Summary: I alternated between this mode and the Flat setting and felt that these settings would be most beneficial for those looking for a room EQ solution that was the least intrusive to the best possible sound of the system.
Editorial Note
It's important to note that the YPAO system does not perform any corrections to frequencies below 62.5Hz, meaning that it really cannot correct for the lowest 1 ½ octave subwoofer peaks or room modes. In addition, Yamaha's EQ system is 1/3 octave bandwidth with fixed frequencies for each of the 7 EQ bands.
Now let's take a look at how the YPAO system measures in Reference System from the listening position:
Editor's Note: Reference System 3 shows a 7dB dip at 280Hz, however the room's remaining frequency response is +/- 3dB across the rest of the listening range. The 280Hz dip was from my presence in the room 4 feet behind the measurement microphone position. This demonstates how well the YPAO is actually working, though no mention regarding leaving the room during the measurement procedure was found in the instruction manual.
Measurements were taken using the supplied Yamaha YPAO microphone situated on a boom mount at the listening position. This represents an off-axis frequency response measurement since the tested loudspeaker was the right front channel. Notably, the high frequencies indicate this off-axis response with a gradual roll off starting at around 5k. The first thing you may note is that the flattest overall frequency response occurs with the Manual setup. This represents a bypass of the YPAO system. The "Front" mode is almost an exact match to the Manual settings, which is expected since that mode leaves the main channels alone.
What you can see happening with the Flat mode is the YPAO system attempting to do some correction at the high frequencies as well as bump up the 350-400Hz range. As I mentioned, the result was pleasing and I noticed no significant decrease in soundstage or imaging.
The Natural mode, as indicated here, rolls off a bit more of the high frequency information starting from 2kHz, though gently, in order to perhaps compensate for brighter systems (or rooms). While I don't personally find this mode useful in my listening room, it would probably be much better than using a tone control to tame a bright listening room.
It's hard to tell the whole story with a single microphone at the listening position, but this should give a fairly accurate picture of what YPAO is doing in terms of its effects on your main speakers. The measurements required to tell you how it affects the entire system would be nearly insurmountable and better left to subjective listening evaluations.
