Folks,

I've finally gotten home with my new SMS-1 in hand.

I've just run through the auto-EQ procedure twice - and am now thoroughly confused by the results - or lack thereof.

I followed the quick start instructions on page 8 of the manual.

I'm driving three subs from one output. They are all active - and were level balanced with respect to each other before I introduced the SMS-1 into the equation.

I've hooked the video output up to my monitor.

When I do the 3-2-1 sequence the test tone sweeps come on, and the display shows a perfectly flat trace, for each and every sweep, from the lowest frequency (15HZ) until just beyond 100Hz. None of the sliders move at all. Just a perfectly flat line from bottom to top - with but a little wee tiny "blip" at around 50Hz.

Now I know I've gone to some lengths to position these three subs to give me flat response to start with. But a perfectly flat line? Not possible. The manual says that I should be seeing the EQ adjustments as they happen. There's lots of rumbling going on during the sweeps, and the trace does peter out in a staircase fashion above 100Hz, but below that it's a flat trace - with no slider movement. The very first trace when the auto-EQ comes on ramps up on the first pass, but every one after that looks identically flat.

So what's going wrong?

I have another question as well.

Once the SMS-1 finishes this auto-EQ function, it then returns to the Introductory Screen and shows that I'm on 4. Assuming that the SMS-1 actually did something during the auto-EQ function, how do I then access the result? Is this applied to all of the presets as some form of baseline EQ - from which the presets then change things from there? So which setting ("custom", EQ defaet") accesses just the result of the auto-EQ with nothing else applied?

Sorry for the potentially dumb questions but I'm having a tough time finding anything of use in this regard in the manual.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Preset 4 is the default (it was chosen because it, like preset 5, applies no contour settings); this preset uses the EQ settings without any additional adjustment. The only presets that alter the EQ settings at all by default are 1 and 3 (1 has a 5dB boost at 35Hz and 3 has a 3dB boost at 55Hz - see contour settings on the System Settings screen). Preset 6 bypasses the EQ settings completely and is the same thing as not having the SMS-1 at all.

To see what the Self-EQ did, press "1-2-3-4-5" to access the System Response screen. That'll start the frequency response sweep going (which will also draw your response curve if the mic's connected). It will also show you the current settings of the eight EQ channels. If you want, you can run the "Auto-EQ" (which is subtly different from the "Self-EQ" that you triggered by pressing "3-2-1") by moving the cursor down to "EQ MODE" and changing it from "MANUAL" to "AUTO." This will activate the "Auto-EQ" mode, which uses the EQ output ("Self-EQ" sends a test signal straight to the sub rather than the EQ output) and performs twice as many sweeps to dial in the sub. You may see somewhat different EQ settings after this process.

Thanks Gonk.

This remains weird.

I press 1-2-3-4-5 and I get the same thing both with, and without, the mic connected: a perfectly flat sweep line running across the bottom of the graph - and all sliders sitting at their centered position.

When I selected "AUTO" instead of "MANUAL" nothing happened.

Something's not right here.

To review my very basic connections. I've got power to the unit. I've got a cable running from my 950 to the LFE input jack. I've got another cable running from one of the LFE outputs to my subs. And I've got the mic connected to the front input (I've tried the back as well - just in case). The unit is definitely putting out a sub signal (when I push 3-2-1) and it's definitely passing the sub signal from the 950.

But it does not appear to be doing anything at all to that signal in between.

I remain stumped.

Unless I'm missing something really basic here, the unit's got something wrong with it.

Without the mic, you'll get nothing but a flat line. The SMS-1 needs the mic to tell what the system response actually is. If all the sliders are in their centered positions, the SMS-1 didn't make any adjustments during Self-EQ. I'd suggest that you hook the unit back up, switch the 950 to the SMS-1's input, make sure the input is in stereo mode (no bypass, no surround processing), and try the AUTO mode in the System Response screen with the mic connected and in your listening position.