Learning about my room and my sound..


Ok, so I have a Radio Shak SPL and I see all these posts on here about people's speakers and performance, now maybe I am an idiot or overwhelmed but how and where do you start to test the performance and synergy of your speakers in your room? I know there are tons of threads but can it be explained to me please?
All I know is I have a SPL that I use to calibrate, and I have a test disc but it is of high tones, so I assume I need a low frequency test disc and then what please>?

P.S. please be kind I know alot of you may laugh at my question but I really want to know what to do
thanks Chad
chadnliz
Rives audio sells a test disc which has tracks that are corrected for the Radio Shack meter error. If you use the RS meter, this is the disc to use.
Chadnliz, in response to 'what do I do' with a reading. I assume that you mean that once you have moved your speakers and listening position about and have smoothed out the frequency response as much as possible by doing so, then you should consider how to smooth it out further. Bass is tough to deal with and treatments are frequency dependent so you need to chart the exact frequency you have problems with and then ask for specific advise. Highs typically can be smoothed out by treating reflection points. You can use furnishings or you can get professional treatments, I prefer the former. Keeps it looking like a real room. But, be warned. This is a slow and evolving process. It can take weeks or months of moving and listening before you dial in the optimum set up.

Eldartford, I don't know if you have actually listed to the Rives disc but when I used it in my system I found many of the individual test tones were not steady and because of that were difficult to track. Not so with the Stereophile disc. Is that problem unique to me? What did you experience?
Newbee...Yes I used the Rives disc, but only briefly because I got myself a spectrum analyer that is much easier to use. I don't recall the problem you mention, but I will put the disc on again and look for it. I will also look (with the analyser) at the electrical signal to see if it is stable. What I did notice is that with the higher frequencies quite small movement of the mic causes large SPL variation. You can also hear this when you move your head around.
Thanks again, I will report results and see how to make use of them, and I did find Sean's correction chart....will keep in touch..cheers all!
Eldartford, I think what you described could well be what I experienced. I was hand holding the meter.