Audio chain — Home Theater Bible

Denon AVR-X3800H — core settings

Setting	Value	Reason
HDMI Format (per used input)	Enhanced / 8K — VRROOM→Denon input: 8K Enhanced specifically (required for PS5 Pro 4K/120Hz; "Enhanced" alone is insufficient)	Unlocks 4K/120 + VRR + ALLM + full HDR; Standard caps at 10.2 Gbps.
HDMI Control	Off	Prevents CEC phantom switching with VRROOM upstream
Standby Sync	Off (or Normal — not Auto)	Stops cascade standby
Source Assign (VRROOM input)	Label "VRROOM"	Operational clarity

Speaker configuration

Setting	Value	Reason
Subwoofers	1 spkr	Single KC62; enables proper XT32 single-sub correction
Sub EQ HT	Inactive / off	Requires two+ subs; non-functional with one
L/C/R speakers	Small	LS50 Meta is −3 dB at 79 Hz; carries below-80 hurts headroom
Crossover (L/C/R)	80 Hz	THX/Audyssey standard; matches LS50 Meta capability
Audyssey target curve	Flat	NYC apartment, no perforated screen, hard surfaces. Reference is for cinema with screen perf loss.
Center Spread	Off	Real center channel exists; don't redistribute it
Dynamic EQ	Off for critical / On for late-night	Preserves dynamics at reference; protects bass+dialog at low volume. Note: Bass/Treble tone controls only unlock when Dynamic EQ = Off.
Dynamic Volume	See per-session table below	Compresses range; use only when late-night swings are aggressive
Audyssey LFC	On (NYC apartment, shared walls). Containment Amount: start at 3–4.	Dynamically removes low frequencies through walls/ceilings while preserving perceived bass in-room. Requires MultEQ XT32 = On.

Pure Direct vs. Direct — identical DSP lockouts: Both modes lock MultEQ XT32, Dynamic EQ, Dynamic Volume, LFC, Tone, Restorer, Dialog Enhancer, Dirac Live, and Graphic EQ. The only difference is Pure Direct also kills the front display circuit (~5 sec after engage). Per Denon manual: "In Direct and Pure Direct sound modes, the following items cannot be adjusted: Dialog Enhancer, Tone, Restorer, MultEQ XT32, Dynamic EQ, Dynamic Volume, Dirac Live Filter, Graphic EQ."

Audyssey settings are stored per input source. MultEQ XT32, Dynamic EQ, Reference Level Offset, Surround Level Compensation, Dynamic Volume, and LFC are all stored independently per input. You can set Kaleidescape to RLO 0 dB and Apple TV to RLO −10 dB — each is retained on input switch. (Source: Denon AVR-X3800H online manual)

Speaker Preset 1 / 2 stores the full MultEQ XT32 dataset — not just crossover and distance, but the entire room correction filter set. Switching presets reloads the full Audyssey calibration. Use Preset 1 for movies (Audyssey-calibrated) and Preset 2 for music (same base with Flat target curve via MultEQ Editor app).

MultEQ Editor app — required to set Flat target curve (AVR OSD cannot do this).

The AVR OSD shows only On / Off for MultEQ XT32. Setting the target curve to Flat requires the Audyssey MultEQ Editor app (iOS or Android, paid — see audioholics.com/editorials/denon-marantz-audyssey-multeq-editor-app) installed on a phone on the same Wi-Fi as the AVR. Connect in-app to the AVR by IP, navigate to Target Curve, select Flat. The setting persists on the AVR. Flat is correct for this room (hard surfaces, no perforated screen); Reference curve assumes commercial dubbing-stage perf loss.

Dynamic Volume — per-session table

Session	Dynamic Volume	Why
Kaleidescape at full reference volume	Off	Preserve film dynamics; no compression at reference level
Evening — Apple TV / PS5 at moderate volume	Light	Mild compression for non-reference listening levels
Apple TV or PS5 (any volume)	Light	Streaming/game audio already loudness-leveled; Light prevents swings
Late-night (any source)	Medium	Apartment-safe compression; pairs with LFC On for bass containment

Quick Select Plus — setup and assignments

To register a Quick Select: configure desired input, volume, sound mode, Audyssey settings, and Speaker Preset → press and hold the Quick Select button (Q1–Q4) for 3+ seconds → front display confirms save.

Button	Source	Sound Mode	Dyn EQ	RLO	HDMI Format	Preset
Q1 — Kal	Kaleidescape	Dolby Surround	On	0 dB	8K Enhanced	Preset 1
Q2 — ATV	Apple TV	Auto / Dolby Surround	On	10 dB	8K Enhanced	Preset 1
Q3 — PS5	PS5 Pro	Auto	Off	0 dB	8K Enhanced	Preset 1
Q4 — Music	AirPlay / HEOS	Stereo	Off	—	—	Preset 1 or 2

Items stored per Quick Select: Input Source, Master Volume, Sound Mode, Channel Level trims, Audyssey params (MultEQ XT32, Dynamic EQ, Dynamic Volume, LFC), Restorer, Dialog Enhancer, HDMI Video Output, Speaker Preset. Source: manuals.denon.com/AVRX3800H/NA/EN/DRDZSYczlpvyec.php

VRROOM AUDIO CAPS — must match physical cabling path.

VRROOM Audio Out HDMI (not the eARC port) feeds Denon. In VRROOM web UI → CEC/eARC tab → AUDIO CAPS: set to 7.1 or AUDIO OUT — do not leave on eARC OUT. Mismatch causes audio format negotiation failure (silent or wrong audio format on Denon).

DSP submenus

Setting	Value	When to use
Audio Restorer	Off	Off for premium sources; Mode 2-3 only for HEOS at compressed bitrates
Cinema EQ	On for theatrical mixes only	High-freq rolloff intended for film sound mixes; off for TV/music/games
Loudness Management	On for streaming/PS5; Off for Kal at reference	Matches per-source mastering
Source Level (per input)	Kal = 0 dB baseline; trim PS5 −3 to −6 if hot	Match perceived loudness across inputs
Front Display	Dimmer / Dark / Off for cinema	Eliminates visual distraction during film

Reference Level Offset — per content

Setup → Audyssey → Reference Level Offset. Not just a volume adjustment; scales how Dynamic EQ applies bass/treble corrections.

Content	RLO	Why
Kaleidescape movies (cinema mastered)	0 dB	Mastered at cinema reference (−27 LUFS)
Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+, streaming	−10 dB	Already loudness-leveled at source
PS5 Pro gaming	−10 dB	Game audio is loudness-mastered
Music / AirPlay	−5 dB	Wide-DR music — light correction preserves dynamics
Late-night anything	−15 dB	Heavy duck of bass/treble extremes

KEF LS50 Meta L/C/R

Setting	Value	Reason
Toe-in	Symmetric, 15-20° each side	Couch A is head-on primary; listening axis crosses at or just behind your seat
Stand height	Tweeter at seated ear height on Couch A (~18-22")	NOT KEF's 24" reference — that targets upright chair listening, not couch
Distance from rear wall	15-30 cm minimum	LS50 Meta is rear-ported; closer than 15 cm needs KEF supplied port plugs
Center channel	Horizontal on credenza, slight upward tilt OK if below ear level	Uni-Q's coaxial driver tolerates horizontal better than conventional centers

KEF KC62 sub

Setting	Value	Reason
Placement	Mid-wall on front wall near R speaker	NOT corner — corner loading adds room modes
Isolation	IsoAcoustics GAIA III or ISO-Puck Mini on hardwood	Decouples from floor; reduces structural resonance into apartment below
Wall EQ switch (rear panel)	"Wall"	Per the rear-panel slider: Room/Wall/Corner/Cabinet/Apartment
Mode switch	LFE	Disables internal low-pass; AVR's 80 Hz crossover does the work
Phase	0°	Default; Audyssey sets timing via distance

HDFury VRROOM 8K New hardware

The architectural addition. Splits each source's HDMI signal — video continues to Sync Box → S95F, audio goes direct to Denon HDMI input. Adds DV-to-HDR10 dynamic-metadata mapping for DV-mastered Kaleidescape content.

Setting	Value	Reason
HDMI inputs (4)	Strato V, Apple TV, PS5 Pro, Switch 2	Matrix all sources at one switching point
TX0 (primary video out)	→ Sync Box HDMI input	Hue sync preserved on every source
HDMI audio out	→ Denon HDMI input 2 (labeled "VRROOM")	Lossless audio to Denon, bypasses S95F audio damage
CEC auto-switch	TMDS/ON SENSE mode reliable for Apple TV and Xbox. PS5 CEC can cause spurious switches — disable HDMI Device Link on PS5 OR disable CEC on that VRROOM input port.	Source-active wake auto-switches input — Siri Remote works, Switch 2 docking works
DV to HDR10 mapping	On — but only converts LLDV (Profile 10) signals. Full DV (Profile 5 from Strato V default) requires the VRROOM EDID to be configured to advertise LLDV-only so Strato V negotiates LLDV output instead of full DV.	S95F doesn't accept native DV; VRROOM LLDV→HDR10 conversion uses DV-derived dynamic per-scene metadata rather than the static ST 2086 mastering data that plain HDR10 carries — delivering more accurate HDR10 to S95F than a native HDR10 signal would
EDID management	Bank 10 "SONY A1 LLDV BT2020" for Strato V (see callout below); Auto / Default for all other inputs	Override only if a source has handshake issues; Strato V requires a specific LLDV-only EDID to elicit LLDV output

VRROOM EDID — required LLDV config for Strato V

To elicit LLDV (Profile 10) output from the Strato V, the VRROOM EDID on that input must be set as follows:

Setting	Value
EDID Bank	Bank 10 — "SONY A1 LLDV BT2020" (LLDV-only advertisement; Strato V falls back to LLDV instead of full DV Profile 5)
HDR tab trigger	Use custom HDR when input is LLDV
Max luminance	1,000 nits — do NOT leave at default 10,000 nits
Min luminance	0.001 nits (PQ 20) — avoids related black crush
Color primaries	BT.2020

The 1,000-nit max luminance cap mitigates the CMv2.9 brightness-boost bug, which affects Strato V, Oppo, Sony, Zidoo, and Dune players — without the cap, 400-nit shots are remapped to ~2,500 nits and LLDV looks bland/wrong. Apple TV, Shield, and Fire TV use CMv4.0 and are not affected; they can use higher EDID nits safely.

One-time setup after VRROOM install: re-pair the Siri Remote to the AVR. Apple TV → Settings → Remotes and Devices → Volume Control → set explicitly to HDMI (not Auto) for multi-hop CEC chain reliability. Without this, volume control via Siri Remote will appear broken.

Hue HDMI Sync Box 8K

Setting	Value	Reason
Firmware	≥ 2.5.4 (Sept 2025)	Current stable
Power Save	Never	Stops auto-off mid-playback
Active input (post-VRROOM)	The single VRROOM-fed input — leave it	Sync Box no longer switches sources; VRROOM does that upstream
Entertainment Area	Gradient Lightstrip + Play bars + floor lamps only	Exclude ceiling fixtures (too high, wastes a slot)
Minimum Brightness floor	10-15% — set at: Hue app → Sync Box device page → Settings (gear icon) → Entertainment area → Minimum brightness. Default is 0%.	Without it, lights fully extinguish on dark frames; jump from zero back to color on bright cut is jarring
Enhanced HDMI Compatibility	On — Sync Box app → Settings → HDMI. Resolves DV handshake failures with Apple TV + DV chain. (Source: Apple Discussions 2024)	Required for Apple TV 4K + DV chain stability through Sync Box
DV/HDR10+ sync analysis	Supported as of 2020 firmware (FlatpanelsHD). Sync Box DOES analyze both DV and HDR10+ signals — contrary to earlier notes. All formats sync-analyzed in current firmware including 2.5.x.	No action needed; confirmed working

Sources

denon_x3800h.md apple_tv_per_app_denon_dsp.md audyssey_couch_b_workflow.md sync_box_avr_bugs.md kef_ls50_meta_kc62.md kef_speakers_placement.md hdfury_arcana_2_verify.md vrroom_cec_verify.md option_b_avr_switcher_verify.md hue_sync_box_8k.md hue_sync_scene_config.md strato_v_lldv_verify.md

KEF LS50 Meta + KC62 — Speaker Setup & Placement

Existing KEF LS50 Meta L/C/R and KC62 sections above cover core AVR settings (crossover 80 Hz, Small, Sub EQ HT inactive). This section covers physical placement, asymmetric toe-in for Couch B, and the Audyssey integration context not covered above.

LS50 Meta placement — Couch B off-axis right primary seat

Tom's primary seat (Couch B, B2) is off-axis right relative to the L/C/R cluster. KEF explicitly endorses independent per-channel toe-in for asymmetric rooms:

L speaker: 25–30° toe-in toward Couch B. Justified by the significant off-axis displacement. The Uni-Q is rated within roughly 2 dB at ±30° across mid and high frequencies.
R speaker: 10–15° toe-in. Standard starting point. Avoid over-rotating toward the far-left seat.
Center channel (horizontal LS50 Meta): Uni-Q coaxial driver eliminates the vertical lobing artifact that makes horizontal center placement problematic on conventional two-ways. Slight upward tilt acceptable if below ear level — avoid extreme tilt angles.

Stand height for couch listening: KEF's 25–30 inch stand spec targets upright chair ear height (~36–40 inches). Tom's couch seated ear height is approximately 18–20 inches. Use stands or shelf placement at 18–21 inches — placing tweeters at 24+ inches puts them 4–6 inches above ear, introducing a downward off-axis angle. Lower placement also increases floor-boundary reinforcement, slightly improving perceived bass.

LS50 Meta rear wall distance

Minimum: 15 cm (6 inches) from cabinet rear face to wall. Preferred in small hard-surfaced rooms: 20–30 cm (8–12 inches).
If forced closer than 15 cm: use the supplied port plugs. This raises effective roll-off above 80 Hz — with KC62 crossed at 80 Hz, the sub covers everything affected.

KC62 placement — credenza context

Setting	Value	Reason
Position	Front wall (credenza), mid-wall near R speaker — not corner	Corner loading adds 3–6 dB bass boost and excites corner room modes most aggressively; Audyssey may only partially correct the resulting peaks.
Wall EQ switch	Wall (single rear wall contact)	KC62's physical 5-position EQ slider: Room / Wall / Corner / Cabinet / Apartment. Wall compensates for single-wall boundary loading.
Mode switch	LFE	Disables KC62 internal low-pass; AVR 80 Hz crossover handles cut. Two cascaded low-pass filters (KC62 + AVR) produce an overly steep roll that makes sub sound detached.
Phase	0°	Default; Audyssey sets timing via distance measurement. Switch to 180° only if bass sounds thin after calibration.
Isolation	IsoAcoustics GAIA III or ISO-Puck Mini on hardwood	Decouples cabinet vibration from floor; reduces structural resonance transmission into apartment below. KC62 ships with rubber feet only — additional isolation warranted on hardwood.
Power amp	Built-in 1,000W RMS (2 × 500W Class D)	KC62 is self-powered. No external amp needed or applicable.

Crossover: 80 Hz at AVR (Denon handles it)

80 Hz is the THX/Audyssey standard. LS50 Meta's −3 dB point is 79 Hz per KEF spec — 80 Hz crossover matches the speaker's capability. Audyssey MultEQ XT32 auto-sets crossover after measurement; accept the assigned value if Audyssey sets it higher. If bass sounds thin or disconnected post-calibration, try 100 Hz.

KC62 low-pass knob: set to maximum / Bypass. LFE mode disengages the internal filter. Do not run two cascaded filters.

Single sub — Sub EQ HT inactive

With one KC62, Sub EQ HT does not activate — it requires two or more subs. Standard Audyssey XT32 single-sub correction runs instead, applying correction filters at approximately 3 Hz resolution. This is correct and expected. See also the Speaker configuration table above.

Audyssey Couch B mic-position context

Because Tom's primary seat is off-axis right, the LS50 Meta L speaker must work harder and at a wider angle to reach the primary seat. Physical toe-in (above) handles imaging; Audyssey handles tonal correction. Audyssey Position 1 must be Couch B center (B2) — if P1 is Couch A, all speaker distance/level/crossover calculations are wrong. See calibration.html for the full 8-position mic pattern.

Common mistake to avoid: setting any LS50 Meta to "Large" in the AVR. The LS50 Meta's −3 dB rolloff is at 79 Hz — Large sends full-range signal to a speaker that cannot cleanly reproduce deep bass, increasing distortion at high levels and routing no signal to the sub for music (sub only receives LFE channel when all speakers are set to Large).