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All room corrections are detrimental to sound clarity for me

czt

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Audio chain: foobar2000, Lexicon Alpha, ESI aktiv 10s subwoofer, M-Audio BX5 D3 monitors. Small, average bed(room), no treatments. Tried everything I can for months with hundreds of measurements: MathAudio Room EQ, IK ARC 3, Sonarworks, REW (with convolver foobar component).

I ended up with REW RTA optimization.
The BX5 D3 monitors "acoustic space" switch set to -4 dB (no, they are not in a corner or near wall, they are just most "flat" this way).
The lowest crossover frequency (50 Hz) is enough, this allows higher subwoofer level setting (for <100 Hz) without overboosting the crossover zone. The 100 Hz high pass filter engaged, for cleaner crossover zone and lower monitor woofer distortion. Subwoofer and full range peaks leveled out, and continuous phase set to where the crossover zone is most balanced according to RTA.
 
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czt

czt

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Most likely a problem with the measurement. How do you measure?
Exactly as the room correction products guided, with REW sweeps and MMM too (UMIK-1 with correct calibration files).
 

Beershaun

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Can you post your rew measurements? That will give folks something to look at so they help you.
 

DVDdoug

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The best approach is good speakers, measurement, acoustic treatment, then EQ for any remaining issues. And, you may never get "perfect sound" in a "small" room.

And/or just EQ (or don't EQ) by-ear for whatever sounds best to you!
 
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czt

czt

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Can you post your rew measurements? That will give folks something to look at so they help you.
No need for help, it was just a summary, that all those EQ's sound not for my ears/brain.
 

RickSanchez

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Are you attempting to correct above Schröder?

Schroeder_piano.jpg


/joking
 
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czt

czt

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Are you attempting to correct above Schröder?
No, of course only below, if the actual method made it possible.

A little more: For a year (without the subwoofer) of course they helped a lot on the compromised "low end". But even then, when I switched off the eq after an extensive period with eq I heard the difference in clarity. Transients became tighter and separation cleared up.

Since the subwoofer, the low end is ok (for me) and this clarity problem in itself far more bothering than any effectively inaudible frequency response discrepancies (after my RTA "optimization").
 
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Honken

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Then I do not know what the reason for your experience could be. You are not giving us a lot to go on here.

Personally, I find room EQ to be very helpful.
 

DSJR

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I mean no insult at all, but those speakers are very cheap, relatively speaking. I don't know their native behaviour 'in the raw,', but you may well find that 'sorting out' one band of frequencies may well bring out problems in another and especially around the crossover point and tweeter refinement now exposed by a better balanced bass...

As I said, just a gut reaction and I mean no detriment I assure you :)
 
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czt

czt

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Then I do not know what the reason for your experience could be. You are not giving us a lot to go on here.

Personally, I find room EQ to be very helpful.
They were very helpful for me too in the days without the subwoofer (beside the artifacts). Since then not so anymore.
 
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czt

czt

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I mean no insult at all, but those speakers are very cheap, relatively speaking. I don't know their native behaviour 'in the raw,', but you may well find that 'sorting out' one band of frequencies may well bring out problems in another and especially around the crossover point and tweeter refinement now exposed by a better balanced bass...

As I said, just a gut reaction and I mean no detriment I assure you :)
Not taken. Yes, they are very cheap, not without a reason (environment and usage).
 

DSJR

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Not taken. Yes, they are very cheap, not without a reason (environment and usage).
That's absolutely fine then I hope (I hang on to my once higher end vintage system as if and when I sell it, it won't be replaced like for like and by then, I may not need to anyway ;) ).

It'd be interesting though, to maybe try a pair of baby Genelecs or more probably, the baby Neumanns, tame the bass on those to suit and then see if you have the same issue?
 
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czt

czt

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That's absolutely fine then I hope (I hang on to my once higher end vintage system as if and when I sell it, it won't be replaced like for like and by then, I may not need to anyway ;) ).

It'd be interesting though, to maybe try a pair of baby Genelecs or more probably, the baby Neumanns, tame the bass on those to suit and then see if you have the same issue?
You are a clairvoyant. :) I hesitated on the 8020 (8010) + 7040 way, but discarded the "idea" because of the "room".
The currently achieved sound is fine for me, I only got issues how side effects of eq impacted it.
 
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