Need some suggestions on tweaking New Headunit

[JeffM 10+ year member]

I Installed my new Pioneer 780 and now Im trying to adjust the settings. This is my first headunit that has a 16 band equalizer, so I have no idea how it works. Anyone have any suggestions?

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[SRim23 5,000+ posts]

one mans settings are entirely different than others settings. basically start it flat with everything at 0 and adjust from there to your liking.

you could also mess maybe with a preset you like and adjust from that.

 

[JeffM 10+ year member]

So how about the other settings such as "Loud" and "Comp/BMX"? Anyone here use these?

Also, I noticed that my mid bass has improved a great deal over my old headunit. I have my HPF set at 100hz, and the HP slope is set to "Pass". The mids are moving a great deal more than what they used to. Im kinda afraid to turn it up in fear of blowing a mid. Is there anything else on the headunit to protect the mids?

 

[msimon 10+ year member]

If you have the high pass filter set to "pass", you actually aren't using that filter and the speaker is seeing the entire audio frequency range. You have to set a slope to actually use the filter.

 

[JeffM 10+ year member]

I have the HPF set at 100hz, but there is another setting after that with a shope and 3 settings which Include "Pass, -6db, a -18 db" What do those settings do?

 

[msimon 10+ year member]

Unfortunately I just sent my 780 in for repair so I am just going off of memory and the manual on this one.

I think I will start by briefly summarizing the crossover capabilities of this unit.

The 780 offers high pass filters for both the front and rear speaker outputs. A high pass filter does exactly what it sounds like, it allows higher frequency to "pass" and decreases the output level of lower frequencies. However, this filter is not an instaneous filter, but rather there is some "rolloff" or "slope" that determines the output level at each frequency below the "crossover point". The crossover point is the point at which the output of the filter is 3 decibels lower than full output. The 780 has HPF slopes of -12 db/oct, -6 db/oct, and 0 db/oct (pass), the larger the slope, the steeper the rolloff. Basically, the high pass filter protects your smaller speakers from bottoming out by not sending lower frequencies that cause over excursion.

The 780 also offers a low pass fitler for the subwoofer output. Again, a low pass filter does exactly what it sounds like, it allows lower frequencies to pass and decreases the output level of higher frequencies. Again this filter is not an instanteous filter and the output of the signal is determined by the crossover slope and point. The 780 has LPF slopes of -18 db/oct, -12 db/oct, and -6 db/oct. Basically the high pass filter allows your subwoofer to play the lower frequencies it was designed to play, without distorting on higher frequencies.

To specifically change the HPF settings go into the "audio" menu. Go to the "Font HPF" screen for your front speakers or the "Rear HPF" screen for your rear speakers. Push the multi-control left or right to adjust the HPF slope. To adjust the crossover point and over all output level, turn the multi-control to "HPF FREQ" screen. Select the frequency my pushing the multi-control left or right. Select the overall output level of the speaker output by pushing the multi-control up or down.

If you are still a bit unsure of the 780's capabilities, I suggest that you read through the "audio adjustment" portion of the manual.

Also if you want to learn more about crossovers in general go to http://www.bcae1.com and read the pages regarding crossovers.

I hope this helps.

 

[JeffM 10+ year member]

So if I want to protect my mids from low frequencies, should I set the slope at -6db or -12db instead of "Pass"

 

[msimon 10+ year member]

Yes. With crossover settings it is really best just to play around and find out what sounds best to you for your install. Typically a steep slope will allow you to chose a lower crossover point and a shallow slope will force you to chose a high crossover point. In most installs you want your mids to play as low as possible without distorting.

 

[JeffM 10+ year member]

So how about the "Loud" setting? I turned it on and my speakers seemed more alive. Anyone here use it?

 

[msimon 10+ year member]

http://sl.wus0.com/quclk.go?rd=http://www.bcae1.com/loudness.htm&res=19&crid=4cbfbaae6e2ef51d&pos=1&mr=25&qu=loudness

It's supposed to boost certain frequency to make your music come alive at lower listening levels. I don't use it but if it sounds good to you by all means go for it. Tuning is a rather personal thing, what works well in one install may not work well in another. Whether or not something sounds good to YOU should be your basis for tuning.