46

47

English

RSX-1560 Surround Sound Receiver

46

47

English

RSX-1560 Surround Sound Receiver

Test Tone

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This menu uses filtered pink noise test tones to set equal volume levels 
for all speakers (left front, center, right front, right surround, center 
back, left surround, and subwoofer) to ensure proper surround sound 
reproduction. Setting the output levels using the test procedure provides 
the most accurate adjustment so that digital surround sound material will 
be reproduced as it was intended and is a critical step in calibrating the 
system.

Note:

 If you have configured your system to use two center back 

speakers, there will be an additional line in the menu, giving 

you the ability to independently adjust the CENTER BACK 1 and 

CENTER BACK 2 speakers.

To access this menu and perform the test tone calibration, you can be 
in any surround mode except BYPASS with any input except the MULTI 
INPUT. Enter the OSD menu system and select TEST TONE from the 
MAIN MENU to reach this screen.

When you enter the TEST TONE menu, you will hear a test tone coming 
from the highlighted speaker. Highlight different speakers by moving the 
cursor to the desired line using the UP/DOWN buttons. The test tone will 
shift accordingly to the selected speaker.

Seated in the normal listening location, shift the test tone to the various 
speakers. Using the one speaker as a reference, listen for any speakers 
that are noticeably louder or quieter. If so, adjust that speaker’s levels up 
or down (in 1dB increments) using the +/– buttons. Continue switching 
among the speakers and adjusting until all are the same volume.

To return to the MAIN menu, press the ENTER button. Press the MENU/
OSD button on the remote to cancel the menu display and return to 
normal operation.

Calibration with an SPL meter:

Calibrating the system with an SPL (Sound Pressure Level) meter, rather 
than by ear, provides more precise results and improves the system’s 
performance significantly. Inexpensive SPL meters are widely available 
and the procedure is quick and easy.

Both Dolby and DTS specify a standard calibration level for all theaters 
to ensure that soundtracks can be played at the volume level intended by 
the director of the film. This reference level should result in spoken dialog 
played at a realistic level for normal speech with the loudest peaks in any 
single channel at about 105dB. The receiver’s test tones are generated 
at a precise level (-30dBFs) relative to the loudest possible digitally 
recorded sound. At the Dolby or DTS reference level, these test tones 
should produce a 75dB reading on an SPL meter.

Set the meter to its 70dB dial setting with SLOW response and C-
weighting, held away from your body at your listening position 
(mounting the SPL meter on a camera tripod makes this easier). You can 
point the SPL meter at each speaker as it is being measured; however, 
positioning the meter in a fixed position pointing at the ceiling is easier 
and probably produces more consistent results.

Increase the master volume control on the receiver until the meter reads 
75dB (+5dB on the meter scale) when playing the test tone through one 
of the front speakers. Then, use the individual channel adjustments on the 
TEST TONE menu to adjust each of the individual speakers, including the 
subwoofer, to the same 75dB on the SPL meter.

Note:

 Due to meter weighting curves and room effects, the actual 

level of the subwoofer may be slightly higher than you measure. 

To compensate, Dolby suggests setting the subwoofer several dB 

lower when calibrating with an SPL meter (i.e. set the subwoofer 

to read 72dB on the meter instead of 75dB). Ultimately, the 

proper subwoofer level must be determined by personal taste and 

some listeners prefer to set it above 75dB for film soundtracks. 

Exaggerated bass effects come at the expense of proper blending 

with the main speakers and place stress on the subwoofer and 

its amplifier. If you can localize bass from the subwoofer, the 

subwoofer level may be too high. Music can be useful for fine-

tuning the subwoofer level as excessive bass is readily apparent. 

The proper setting will generally work well for music and movie 

soundtracks. 

Remember the setting of the master volume control used during this 
calibration. To play a Dolby Digital or DTS soundtrack at the reference 
volume level, simply return to that volume setting. Note that most home 
theater listeners find this setting to be excessively loud. Let your own ears 
be the judge for deciding how loud to playback movie soundtracks and 
adjust the master volume control accordingly. Regardless of your listening 
levels, using an SPL meter to calibrate equal levels for all speakers in the 
system is recommended.

Delay Setup

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The DELAY SETUP menu, which is reached from the MAIN menu, allows 
you to set the delay for individual speakers. This ensures that the sound 
from each speaker arrives simultaneously at the listening position, even 
when the speakers are not all placed at equal distances from the listener. 
Increase the delay to speakers located closer to the seating area and 
decrease the delay to speakers located farther from the seating area.

This Rotel receiver makes setting the delay time for each speaker very 
easy. Simply measure the distance (in feet or meters) from your seating 
position to each speaker in your system. Set the measured distance in 
the line for each speaker. The menu provides a line for each speaker 
configured in your system and gives a range of settings up to 99 feet (30 

RSX-1560 English v2.indd   47

29/9/08   15:16:17