# Does my PC have a line in? Equipment needed to use REW? How much adjustability with RX-Z7? PICS



## B Feelgood (Jan 19, 2011)

My current setup is as follows:

JVC DLA-RS1
Da-Lite high power 133" screen
Yamaha RX-Z7
Polk RTi8's
Polk CSi5
Polk FXi3
Two MFW-15 subwoofers

ROOM DIMENSIONS: 21L x 12w x8h



I just bought the Yamaha RX-Z7 to replace a Onkyo TX-SR876 that had that E2PROM error. As I understand it, the RX-Z7 has a parametric EQ and the Onkyo has a 7 band graphic EQ. I always use to just use the automatic Audyssey calibration and be done with it but want to try and fine tune everything a little more. Will the parametric EQ in the Yamaha allow me to really tweak the sound and fine tune everything? Should I still run the automatic Yamaha YPAO then fine tune the results with REW or start from scratch and not run YPAO at all?

I have posted pictures of the back of my PC. It has a a bunch of different colored jacks but I am not sure if any are a "line in." Can someone confirm if I need to buy an external sound card or does it look like I already have a line in jack?

Lastly, I already have a digital radio shack SPL meter but from what I ready they aren't extremely accurate when using REW. If I bought the ECM8000 mic, what else would I have to buy to make it work? Just a mic cable or would I need a power supply for it to? Can someone please link to me to the appropriate products on Amazon?





















http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/feelgood/f8f0f54d.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/feelgood/IMG_0636.jpg


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## B Feelgood (Jan 19, 2011)

I did some searching on Google and it appears that the blue jack is the "line in" and the green is the "line out." If I wanted to use the ECM8000 mic do I just need one cable going from the mic to the line in jack on the PC?


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## B Feelgood (Jan 19, 2011)

I should also say that I am interested in both subwoofer and full range equalization.


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## laser188139 (Sep 19, 2009)

I know that the Audyssey system provided with Onkyo, Denon, et.al., does a lot finer correction than does the graphic equalizer the receiver offers as a manual alternative. I expect the same is true of the Yamaha YPAO system. 

Yes, your desktop system appears to have the same Line In connections as my Dell desktop, so this should work fine. With a calibrated mic like the ECM8000 or EMM-6, the mic needs a phantom power source, which is not provided by the computer. The recommended solution is the Xenyx 502 mic preamp. The Xenyx 802 used to be recommended until phantom power was added to the 502; if you buy a 502 used, be sure it has phantom power before purchasing it. Cabling suggestions and pictures can be found at the bottom of the Cabling and Connections page. 

Full-range equalization external to the receiver requires pre-outs from the receiver, external amplifiers for each channel (very few receivers these days allow a processor to be inserted between the preamp and the internal amp stages), and a suitable low noise parametric equalizer. 

Bill


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## B Feelgood (Jan 19, 2011)

Thanks for the fast reply! So it sounds like the automatic YPAO will do a better job of setting the EQ then if I were to try and tune it myself with REW, ECM8000, and the internal parametric EQ? 

Doesn't the Yamaha RX-Z7 have a parametric equalizer built in? Could I obtain good results just using that and tuning it with REW?


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## B Feelgood (Jan 19, 2011)

So here is what I have ordered so far...

Behringer XENYX502 5-Channel Mixer 
Behringer ECM8000 Condenser Microphone Omni 
XLR male to XLR female Microphone Cable
Hosa GPR101 RCA To 1/4 TS Adaptor 2 Pack 


What other cables do I need and where exactly do they go? My receiver is approximately 15' - 20' away from my pc. I will be using the line in/out on my desktop sound card.


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## laser188139 (Sep 19, 2009)

If you are getting an ECM8000 microphone, are you buying it through Herb at Cross-Spectrum? He sells the mic with an individualized calibration file, either just horizontal (Basic) or horizontal and vertical (Basic+), or with even more measurement information. 

He sometimes offers group purchase deals here on the Home Theater Forum.

Bill


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## B Feelgood (Jan 19, 2011)

I ordered everything through Amazon.com and the mic was $55 shipped I am completely new to this, what is the benefit of buying it with a "individualized calibration file?" I thought I could download a calibration file from the forums here for free? Also, can you tell me what other cables I need besides the ones I already ordered?


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## laser188139 (Sep 19, 2009)

If you scan down the mic calibration file page, you will see in the graphs with all the red lines the typical variation Herb has measured between different microphones of the same model for the ECM8000 and EMM-6. So with a calibration file matching your particular microphone, you would have a little more accuracy at the low and high ends. But it may not matter to you, and you can always have Herb or someone else measure your microphone later if you decide you need an individual calibration file. 

The Cabling and Connections page shows pretty much all the cables and splitters you need to hook up a Xenyx preamp to the computer, as well as suggestions for how to setup up the knobs on the preamp to get started. 

Regards,
Bill


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## TreyS (Dec 22, 2010)

The file on this site is generic to all ECM8000 mics, the one your get from Cross is specific to the mic you buy from them. It's a perfect as you can get for $100.

This diagram will show you what cables you need:


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