What to expect from KAVCA1SE.??

museumsteve

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Hopefully (courier depending) I should have an upgraded AVCA1 tomorrow..:)
Is there anything specific I'd need to look out for when setting up (that may be different from standard model) and what immediate benefits did those that have it already notice.
Just curious really..:) I can feel a half day coming on tomorrow..;)
 
Hi

Setup is basically the same but you can now adjust the delay times down to 0.1cm instead of 10cm steps. There´s also additions to the THX Audio setup, Boundary Gain Compensation, if you select the option that your sub goes down to 20hz you lose the Sub Peak Limiter option (waste of time anyway IMO!). You now have to select how far your Surround Back speakers are from each other 0-0.3 meters etc. This is done in the THX Audio setup section as well.

Theres also Auto Surround Mode which remembers every setting you were last on, not just for digital sources but analogue as well, quite handy, saves faffing about.

The rest of the stuff is the new formats and their different settings, you can adjust PL2 - Music, centre width, dimension, panorama. DTS Neo - Music now has a centre width adjustment too.

The Auto Flag Detect Mode has now gone from the main setup menu and is now accessed via the individual surround modes, turn it off for Dolby or PL2 and it has a knock on effect for DTS etc.

We´re still stuck with Dolby Digital/DTS/PL2 etc grouped as one when you adjust the individual channel levels, do one, they all change:( Thats about the only gripe.

THX can be engaged on every mode now - PL2, DTS Neo, Dolby etc Soundwise, the amp has improved for everything from music to movies. PL2 is superb.

Just one thing, you won´t be able to select THX Ultra 2 modes if you only have one Surround Back speaker.

Enjoy:)
 
thanks mate..I'm sitting here looking at the box thinking about the wiring behind my front unit..
Guess I;m off for the night now then..wonder if I can get it all done in time to watch a movie..(or two) tonight..;)
 
Friday night is pub night, so that leaves the weekend to play about with setup.:D Could always mix boozing and setup, makes for interesting effects, dialogue coming out the surround left etc:p :D
 
well I;m still struggling getting this to sound right, I;m sure it doesn;t sound as good as my old amp or maybe I;m expecting too much... Help me please..:( What is the best way to set-up.? Is there a specific disc I could use, I have video essentials but it seems to focus more on picture than sound.. Any help would be appreciated.
Also on the set-up issue, does it really matter where the sub is. Mine is to the right of the rom (near wall) as I don;t have the space at the front of the room.
 
Hi

I use AVIA to set my amp up but to be honest the internal test tones were pretty bang on (except for surround backs which are always too loud).

Sub placement is fairly critical if you want decent sound especially the Rel Q150/200, I spent ages tweaking my old Q200 to get the best out of it. Best thing to do is place the sub at your listening position, play some music with decent bass and then walk around the room to find the spot where the bass sounds best to you. When you find it, plonk the sub there. I ended up with my sub on spikes, with six marble slabs stuck on top of it to tighten the bass up. Might also be worth sticking a slab under the sub, that can work well.

Once your main channel levels and delay times are set its worth playing about with settings for PL2 Music etc. I tend to use Tone Defeat on all modes and also have the Video switched OFF (depends if you route stuff through the amp or not).

Not a lot else I can suggest really. To balance the surround back channels I use THX Optimiser, just set the volume to 00db, (which equates to 75db, 85db for AVIA) and then use THX optimiser´s test tones and see what readings you get for all channels. You´ll probably find that the Surround Backs are around 3db louder than all the other channels. Just go back to the main setup menu of the amp and lower them (the Surround Back channels, not the others!):)

Hope this helps:)
 
thanks mate..really appreciate your time and help. I'll have a bash tonight..and let you know how I get on..
 

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