Thanks! Appreciate the clarity :) ok so I'm starting to understand things now.

The only challenge now is setting the optimal settings on the Onkyo amp. I have Audyssey calibration on (used the mic that came with Onkyo), as without it the BL5's didn't sound that great (which confuses me). I just worry that the Amp is over-processing/unnecessarily processing the audio signal, as I want the amps in the B&O speakers to process the signal themselves the way B&O intended.

Which is why I'm confused why it sounds so bad when Audyssey and Dynamic is turned off, to when they are turned on.

Also, I'm not sure what levels each speaker should be set at. Should they be exactly equal using the test tone of the AV Receiver? I set them to equal, then set distances of the speakers on the AV Receiver (in m), and now after doing that and then using the test tone again, they don't sound exactly equal, with the center being the loudest in the setup. Does that mean distances are incorrect? I did use a tape measure..

This also confuses me though - had I  had a non B&O "amp" connected, there would be no need to set speaker distances, not? 

Are there any resources/people who I can chat to in order to run my setup/some Q's past them? Or should I just post pop them here? 

Thanks again for the help guys!

An old-school for balancing two volume controls in series, as you are doing.  Turn on the BeoLab 5's at a very low volume (just audible), choose a clean source for the Onkyo, run the volume up on the Onkyo until you can hear it clipping/distorting, back off until it's clear.  

Now run the volume up on the BL-5's until they drive you out of the room 😎, back down just a bit and store the volume at that setting on the BL-5's.  From then forward use the Onky'os volume only.  I think that you'll find you're at 75-80% on the 5''s, which will leave enough dynamic head-room for transients, and should eliminate the hissing as well.

Thanks a lot Russ :) I think I got the hissing thin sorted now! Now I just need to figure or how to properly set up the speaker levels/distances.

Should I set distances first (in meters) on the Onkyo, then check with the test tone to make sure all speakers are emitting the test tone at the exact same volume by adjusting the dB gain +- on each speaker from within the speaker settings of the Onkyo. 

Just need to clarify this right now!

thanks :)

At this point I think I would run the bass calibration on the BeoLab 5's, then make adjustments using the Onkyo.

Thanks. It's the "adjustment" on the Onkyo I'm not sure of.

e.g. Should each speaker sound exactly the same volume when using the test tone of the Onkyo?

Think I need a SPL meter?

That seems like a question for the Onkyo forum!  😕

When setting up for multi-channel, you want to adjust the delay for each speaker relative to the distance from the speaker to the listening position, and you want the perceived SPL at the listening position to be the same, as it measures the test signal.

You can use an SPL app for iPhone or Android to measure, they're precise enough for the job. I take it your Onkyo generates pink noise for the set-up?

RussR wrote:

That seems like a question for the Onkyo forum!  😕

Shouldn't discourage anyone from connecting anything non-B&O to Lab 5's, you could ruin their life!

Thanks for the advice. I've checked out the SPL apps for iPhone, any one in particular you can recommend for iPhone 5? 

Just a Q - the listening position obviously is different for different places of the room - do I set the average distance away from listening positions on the Onkyo because in one position I could be 3m away from the front right speaker, in another spot, 4.5m. So how do I go about this?

If by pink noise you mean the noise that sounds like an untuned TV channel, then yes :)

many thanks

Yes, that's pink noise - you should do your speaker distance set-up relative to your preferred watching/listening position. Some processors let you choose different positions, but if you can only pick one, then use your preferred.

I use something called Analyzer from DSP Mobile, but most of the SPL-meters will give you a good indication, just be sure that it allows you to choose "slow" when measuring, so that the numbers don't jump too much. They have an app called dB-Volume which should do the job.

I've also used SPL-Meter from Andrew Smith.

You don't need a separate microphone, just use the one in the iPhone and use the readings to get an indication of whether any of your speakers are seriously off. Leave the iPhone in place throughout, without moving it.