MartinLogan Xstat Summit X - Manual (Page 9)

Controls and Connection 9
drum or a pipe organ). When adjusting the 25Hz and
50Hz levels we recommend doing so with two or three
people—one located at the listening position and one or
two people at the controls.
1 Start with the 25Hz and 50Hz level knobs set to 0dB.
The person at the listening position needs to become
familiar with the sound at this setting. Remember, only
the person in the listening position should judge the
bass integration. Nodes and nulls change dramatically
throughout every location in a room. A person adjust-
ing the controls on the speaker will experience an
entirely different bass performance than a person sit-
ting in the listening position.
2 Adjust the 25Hz level knob by +10dB. In most cases
the bass will sound boomy and unnatural. Return
the setting to 0dB and listen to the speaker again for
a moment. Next, adjust the 25Hz knob by –10dB. In
most cases the bass will sound thin. Return the setting
to 0dB and listen again for a moment.
Now you have an idea of the control you have over
the 25Hz output. If you feel the bass is too boomy
at 0dB, adjust towards the negative settings. If it is
to thin at 0dB, adjust toward the positive settings.
Repeat this procedure using increasingly smaller
amounts (8dB, 6dB, 4dB, etc.) until you find a setting
where the low bass sounds balanced—remember
to return the knob to 0dB and listen for a moment
between each adjustment. Once you’ve found the best
sounding setting for your room, make a note of the set-
ting.
3 Repeat step 2 to adjust the 50Hz level knob
4 Setting one level may effect enough change that the
other is no longer ideal. Once you have determined
and noted the settings for both knobs repeat this pro-
cedure with finer adjustments around the points
you’ve already chosen.
Remember—due to the unpredictabililty of every lis-
tening room, experimentation is essential when setting
up a loudspeaker. It may take several attempts to find a
combination of control settings, speaker positions, and
listening position that is ideal for you and your listening
preferences. If you still hear anomalies, you may need to
experiment with speaker placement or the location of the
listening position—sometimes even the subtlest adjust-
ments will make huge changes!