Open Letter To REL, SVS, Hsu, etc., et al


Why don’t you include a cd that will actually enable your customers to properly set up their purchase from you? Telling me to choose something with ‘low bass content’ and put it on repeat is pathetic at best. There are very specific and very limited numbers of tones needed to dial in a sub. One of the above companies tells me to use track 4 from ‘Sneakers’, a 29 year old movie, as an aid in dialing in a sub. Maybe in 70 years the track will be in the public domain and they can just rip it for free to whatever medium is current in 2091.
Test tones, as far as I know, aren’t copyrighted, and would cost very little to put on a cd. 50 blank cd’s cost 15.00 retail. Include one with tones and instructions in the box. Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz, etc., etc., would also qualify as a place to put your sub setup tones, along with detailed voice instructions. 
I know many people now use automated setups in their AVR’s, but I’d bet many reading this on Audiogon don’t- most two channel systems are behind the times in this regard.
Or am I missing something?
james_edward
That sneakers track actually sucks too.
But really, you don’t have Tidal or anything? No way to play a YouTube video through it? I agree that they should provide what they think would be the best setup tools, but it’s not like it’s impossible to do on your own.

BTW most people don’t have CD Players anyway, this isn’t 1999.  ;)
I thought about the cd player thing as I was writing- I added the mention of the major streaming services further down in my post figuring that. I bought my first sub circa 2000, and have bought at least one from each of the above companies over the years. Only Hsu ever included an old fashioned cd, but not one with instruction or a good set of test tones- just music with bass.
Google “Focal Audio test tracks” I have 44 of them. I believe the whole set is available for download.