Problems with center channel strenght, subwoofer level, lip sync and more. (Beolab 14 5.1 + B&W Atmos)

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pandaym Posted: Sun, Jan 15 2017 9:04 PM

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Hello Beoworld,

I would like to ask you guys, if someone can help me with some guidance as to how to improve the sound of my current setup. In general, my setup sounds really good, and I have no problems with evident timbre differences of the 5.1 system and my Atmos speakers.

But, basically I have three seperate "issues", that may or not be related:

#1 - My center speaker sounds weak/unclear - especially in intense scenes on content with loud effects etc. coming from all other channels. It kind of sounds like the center has become "too small"? It is very evident when playing the Dolby Atmos Demonstration discs, where a narrator is speaking over the intense scenes(like space ships flying over your head).

Any tips on what to do about this center channel? Can it be fixed with settings, or do I need a new center channel speaker? In case you recommend a new center channel speaker - I know it is too straightforward to replace the center - when the 5.1 system is the Beolab 14.

#2 - I cannot get my subwoofer in the dB range when running Audyssey. Since there is no level know on the Beolab 14 subwoofer - I cannot lower the volume of the subwoofer - to satisfy the Audysseys requested 75 dB - the subwoofer is outputting 85dB, which I cannot change. There is only the "Corner-wall-free" knob on the subwoofer, which is, like said in the setup section below, set to corner as per my setup. I had to ignore this while running Audyssey setup and continue the setup regardless, resulting in the subwoofer being set to -12 dB. It seems like the subwoofer at times can struggle a little bit to stay in control.

Is this of any concern to the sound quality, or is it just limitations to the systems I have to live with?

#3 - At times, my in-ceiling Atmos speakers can make some nasty sounds. I believe these speakers might be outputting too low frequencies at times, that they cannot handle. This is again evident in the Atmos demonstration videos, when a spaceship passes by with extremely deep sound. I am not sure if this actually the speakers having problems keeping up with the content, or it could be because of the "bag" of vapour barrier that the speaker is sitting inside of - as per the setup below.

Any tips on whether I can fix this in my settings? Or could it be down to my installation?

#4 - I am having problems with lip sync. I am watching content through three different devices connected to my AVR: PS4, NVIDIA Shield and a Samsung UHD Bluray player. My NVIDIA Shield runs SPMC(KODI) and is running all it's content over the network from my Synology NAS. This is everything from my Live TV - from a DVB-C tuner in the NAS pushing it via DVB-Link, to Movies, Series, Music etc. that I have ripped from my old physical media. I play new movies on the UHD Player from discs. It does not seem like the lip sync issues are consistent through the different inputs, and content they are playing.

Is this a problem I must address "per content" in my players? Or is it down to the lip sync feature on the AVR needing to be tuned? Can you recommend any tools/discs or anything to help me solve this?

Setup:
AVR: Denon AVR-X3300W
AVR Settings(Generated by Audyssey setup mostly):
Speakers/Amp Assign: Assign Mode: Top Middle
Speakers/Speaker Config: Front: Large, Center: Large, Subwoofer: 1 spkr, Surround: Large, Top Middle: Large.
Speakers/Distances: Unit: Meters, Step: 0.1 m, Front L: 5.40 m, Front R: 5.37 m, Center: 4.83 m, Subwoofer 1: 7.92 m, Surround L: 2.76 m, Surround R: 3.15 m, Top Middle L: 2.19 m, Top Middle R: 1.92 m.
Speakers/Test Tone: Front L: -3.5 dB, Center: -2.0 dB, Front R: -3.0 dB, Surround R: -3.5 dB, Surround L: -7.0 dB, Top Middle R: -4.0 dB, Top Middle L: -3.0 dB, Subwoofer 1: -12 dB.
Speakers/Crossovers: Speaker Selection: Individual - All at Full Band.
Speakers/Bass: Subwoofer Mode: LFE, LPF for LFE: 120 Hz
Audio/Audyssey: MultiEQ XT32: Reference, Dynamic EQ: On, -Reference Level Offset: 0dB, Dynamic Volume: Off.
Audio/Restorer: Mode: Off

5.1 speakers: B&O Beolab 14 5.1 system. Subwoofer is positioned in corner, beside the tv, close to the left speaker. The satellites are mounted on the wall in, close to, their ideal positions - in ear height.
The subwoofer is set to; Position: Corner, Mode: Line, LFE: 0dB - as per the manual. 

.2 Atmos speakers: B&W CCM665 speakers. The speakers are mounted directly in my ceiling. I had to break the vapour barrier in my ceiling when mounting these. So I temporarily removed the Rockwool isolation, created a "bag" of new vapour barrier material, that I taped around the speakers to create a "pocket" for the speaker, and put the isolation back on top of it. The speakers are placed as per the Dolby Atmos official guidelines.

Connection: The Beolab 14 system is connected to the AVR through pre-out channels with RJ45>Phono cables, that are made for B&O systems. The B&W CCM665 speakers are connected with speaker wires to the amplifier section of the AVR.