Audyssey Frustrations?
- Unnecessarily confusing?
- Unnatural and harsh sound?
- Boomy bass or shrill highs?
- Disappearing bass?
- Loud surrounds?
The Challenge
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Tweaking parameters, with REW, or even Audyssey One only puts bandaids on the issues.
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A THX-class Home Theatre requires a wholistic approach.
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Just like you, I invested in my dream speakers, dream subs, AVR and amps, and after spending 10s of $1000s, my theatre space still didn’t sound great, until I did the work!
The Solution
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It took years of learning about audio and Audyssey to understand how to extract the very best out of it.
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I left nothing out of Secrets of Audyssey, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes.
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Thousands of people just like you have fixed their Audyssey setup with it, and so can you.
The Ultimate Setup Guide to Your Denon and Marantz AVR
Calibrate Audyssey and get remarkable results!
Transform Your Home Cinema into a THX-calibrated Theatre.
In this comprehensive manual, Roland, owner and editor of Simple Home Cinema shares his tips and tricks for getting exceptional Audyssey results.
Contents
What’s In the Book?
- How to set up your speakers and your room for optimum results
- The 5 Pillars of Reference Playback – an overview map with detailed diagrams for each 5 major areas to serve as a map for the guide.
- The 5 mic patterns that work best with Audyssey:
- 1 tight, 1 medium and 2 wide patterns
- 1 restricted pattern
- 3D colour coded diagrams and YouTube videos
- Configuration changes that will make Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume work without custom curves
- Troubleshooting Audyssey – how to troubleshoot harshness with Audyssey – step by step
- A full MultEQ-X Guide incorporated since 5th Edition
- A section on Volume and Amplification helping you decide whether external amplification is needed for your speakers
- Audyssey Curve Editor Excel Tool now available – linked from Appendix B. (requires Microsoft Excel and Audyssey phone app):
- Edit the default Reference curve by editing the Audyssey App file directly.
- De-emphasise the mid-range region to troubleshoot harshness
- Move midrange compensation and create 2-3 dips for 3 and 4-way speakers respectively.
- Change the shape of midrange compensation
- See the changes as you go with graphs.
- Apply custom curves of your choosing – create your own using precision editing
- 120+ pages of dense but easy to understand material based on 100s of hours of research and testing
- Lots of diagrams explaining the concepts in a visual manner
- Lots of easy to understand explanations to guide you through each step of the process.
Secrets of Audyssey Benefits
- Improved sound quality and speech intelligibility
- Maximised subwoofer performance with smoother and tighter bass!
- The walls literally disappear and the sound comes from beyond the walls!
- Gorgeous natural reverberations like in a purpose-built multiplex!
View Customer Reviews on Amazon
Submit your review | |
I had have watched dozens of hours of videos related to home theater instillation and still found this book interesting and useful. Instructions were clear and I was able to get a calibration I was happy with in a challenging room. I originally purchased this book from the authors website a few years ago and in that time the book has been updated multiple times. It has been great to see this long term support that I expect would continue through Amazon.
Avec ce livre, vous aurez la possibilité d'apprendre plus sur les configs internes de l'amplificateur, qui peuvent changer le tout pour le tout lors d'un écoute d'un film, problème de voix, problème de bass , trop bruyant, et bien ces suject sont tous expliqué dans ce livre.
Je le recommande 🙂
Merci
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With this book, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the internal configurations of the amplifier, which can change everything for everything when listening to a movie, voice problem, bass problem, too noisy, and well these subjects are all explained in this book.
I recommend it 🙂
Thanks
[Amazon Germany Translation]
This guide is just as well written as DIRAC. Fundamental knowledge about how it works and how to set it up is well explained. Since the current amplifiers are now Audyssey and Dirac capable, you are spoilt for choice here.
Ultimately, the decision between **Secrets of Audyssey and Dirac depends on your individual needs. Both systems offer top-notch sound optimization, and with Audyssey, you get a tool that offers a great balance of ease of use and performance. If you're looking for an effective way to maximize your audio quality, Secrets of Audyssey is an option that's definitely worth it.
[Amazon Germany Translation]
The “Secrets on Audyssey” guide is very informative and helpful. I bought it directly from the manufacturer's website after I had studied Audyssey in more detail for my Denon AVR Receiver X3800H and had a lot of questions of understanding that the manual did not answer. After reading this guide, I have a much better understanding of how Audyssey and room correction in general work.
In the book, you will find all the Audyssey secrets to get the best possible sound for your home theater.
The Most Comprehensive Audyssey Manual
- 100+ pages of on point calibration guidance to improve your calibration results in ways you can hear!
- The most comprehensive Audyssey manual on the Internet – now in its 3rd year and 5th major iteration.
5 New Mic Patterns
- 5 brand new mic patterns to create a more focused sound-stage for pin-sharp imaging or a wider soundstage for a smooth balanced sound.
- Why stop there? Design your own patterns with our help!
5 Pillars of Reference Playback
- Extract every bit of performance out of Audyssey by following the 5 pillars of reference playback.
- Go all in or go at your own pace! Each area builds on each other to deliver amazing imaging and clarity.
Full MultEQ-X Guide
Discover how to extract the best performance out of Audyssey by using MultEQ-X – finally with High-Frequency Smoothing to get rid of high-frequency over-compensation!
Expert Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume Guide
20 pages of deep-dive into Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume so that your home cinema can sound like a proper movie theatre! You turned these features off in the past? Not ever again after following this guide.
Guaranteed Results – Or Your Money Back!
We are so certain of the benefits our guides bring that we offer a full money back guarantee. Please contact us within 30 days of purchase to start the refund process. No questions asked.
Not Ready to Purchase?
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How To Get Support With Your Purchase?
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Please use the contact form on our contact page to get in touch. Our response times are below for your reference:
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I found your Audyssey guide a great read and very informative. I did not know that you could use different microphone patterns, until now I have always followed the on screen guide on my Marantz and Denon AVR. which showed microphone positions 1,2,3 in the middle, 4,5,6 in front, 7, 8 in back. I did not know you should vary height a little as it told you otherwise, nor did I know you could change the order and put 5,6 in back and 6,7,8 in front. One question I did have is should put sound dampening material on the wall opposite my front main speakers where their built in powered subs are facing?
They are about 2.5 feet from the side walls. My front main speakers are a pair of Defintive technology BP-2000s. They bipolar speakers with front and rear firing mid-range and tweeter arrays and 15″ side firing 300 watt rms powered subwoofers. they are the original ver. not the TL ver. with 500watt ported subs. I have always like how they sound for music and movies even before I put in dedicated subs (which I just upgraded to dual 15v2 1000 watt monolith ported subs. I liked them enough to get BP-2002TLs some years later for my TV room setup.
I should have mentioned the wall opposite the side-firing built in subwoofer is concrete.
Hi Michael,
The short answer is no.
The long answer is that you wouldn’t really be able to affect bass frequencies with just smaller room treatments. You would need to put large bass traps on the walls or corners.
Also, bass isn’t like mid or high frequencies. It behaves less directional so you can’t really affect it by treating only what looks like the first reflections (there is no first reflection as such for waves that large.). You need to treat the areas of build-up instead.
For example, in my room, the back left corner was the one where bass built up the most so I put a large bass trap there which helped it not transfer that energy into the walls and resonating things. Furniture and my other large panels help also. But ultimately, I treat the rest of the bass response using EQ because it’s very effective and I can’t put even larger panels up right now.
If you are interested in this topic, I’d get The Room Treatment Guide as it goes into room treatment a lot more.
But ultimately, you either take a whole room approach with bass or there’s very little dent you can make in it, I’m afraid. 🙂
And I’m glad you’re enjoying the guide. Let us know how much of an improvement you’re able to get. 🙂
I was wondering if updates to the guide are included with purchase, or if the guide must be re-purchased to get them ? Thank you.
Hi Guillaume,
You have lifetime updates with your purchase. It can at times go into spam so let us know if you didn’t receive an update and we’ll re-send it from the backend.
V4.0 is out in February. 🙂
I’m considering purchasing this guide, but I’m not sure if it will be effective with my system. I am running a Denon AVR-4311CI, and I’m not interested in upgrading due to inputs – I have multiple legacy game consoles that are using S-video inputs, which are not included on newer models. I was intending to purchase this guide and Audyssey Multi-EX, but discovered that Multi-EX doesn’t work with my AVR. Will this guide be useful in trying to improve my system performance on an older model like mine?
Hi Alec, Yes, I do think so. The Original Secrets of Audyssey was developed on a 4311CI so a lot of the content is applicable. However, you won’t be able to use advanced techniques that require the MultEQ App or MultEQ-X. I wouldn’t let that discourage you, though. I felt that my 4311CI’s sound was much improved by the other techniques.
Hi, I own an Audyssey Sound Equalizer and wonder how to use it as a simple 2CH EQ, (without using any microphone).
Hi Johan,
I don’t think that’s possible as the old Audyssey kits didn’t support custom curves as far as I remember and they aren’t compatible with the new software.
Cheers,
Roland
En español? Version
Only English – and French soon, but not Spanish I’m afraid.
There’s a larger book that’s coming out later this year and incorporates Secrets of Audyssey which will be translated into more languages over time…
Hi Roland!
Thanks for your guide, I’ve tried following it as best as I can understand it and make the corrections you suggest. Two things I’m a little confused on, and may need to set up a meeting with you (although I’m in PST, so the time difference is a pain). Problem 1 – My center channel still sounds muted or low in volume. Problem 2 – should I be using one of the built in sound stages that come with Denon receivers (e.g., movie mode options [atmos, 5 channel stereo, etc.]), direct, or pure direct? I know direct and pure direct turn off processing, so I’m guessing leaving it in Atmos Movie sound stage mode.
Thanks!!
Hi Chris,
The centre channel is the most difficult but also the most important to get right. I would
1. Check the wiring and amping
2. Go through positioning again including making sure it’s angled at your ears, not into the coffee table or sofa.
3. If the room is symmetrical, make sure the centre channel isn’t bang on in the centre. Move it a few inches and angle it back to the centre of the room.
4. Go through the troubleshooting chapter on Troubleshooting Harshness. While it’s not the same thing, kind of the opposite, the same steps apply to this also.
5. If nothing else works, increase the centre channel volume by 1.5dB for now, then book some time with me so I can have a look at your setup specifically, see what’s going on!
With regards to your second question, Denon’s sound stage modes aren’t the best – it isn’t a Yamaha in that regard. Surround Decode or Dolby Surround is the right choice though, so yes, it will say Atmos or Dolby Surround dependent on the content.
Szia Roland!
I have a Marantz AV8805A 13.2 and I have the Audyssey Pro Installer Kit too. I have not bought the installation fee yet but I truly wonder if I could get similar result using your manual as the official pro kit +app would provide me.
Br. Otto
Szia Otto!
Well, we could also reframe the question… if you buy such an expensive processor and pro kit, why not get a $12 guide to maximise it?
Both will give you benefit but from a different angle.
You could start with the guide if you wanted but it sounds like you will go all the way ultimately! 😉
I was very happy with the improvements I personally made using my research, MultEQ-X was just the icing on the cake, not as much a revelation as other people experienced. But I think filter smoothing in the new version is the first must-have, at least for me.
Roland
Is your guide in hard copy (book) only, or can I also get it as an electronic version or pdf?
Yes, just click on Buy Now or order it on Kindle or Apple Books, which are also electronic. Amazon just defaults to the physical copy.
Is the paper back available on Amazon UK the latest and up to date edition, the same as the PDF available on this site?
Thanks.
Yes, they are both the same. There’s max a week or two delay in releases.