Active Room Treatment (ART) by Dirac

[fzst]

I think your current ART settings are fine.
For that specific movie, you could simply raise the subwoofer level using the channel level adjustment.

It looks like you are right, the bass level is the "problem" not the extension. I wonder why though..? Is the LFE with DLBC too hot or with ART too low?

fzst, rather than trying to fight infrabass with ART, let’s focus on the range where ART actually works.
Please try the “kawauso Happy Trigger” setting for the LFE channel.

Haha yeah, I should give it a try In your settings, you are just raising the shelve in the LFE-channel +12dB?

I was listening to 2-channel music and adjusted the loudness and bass controls to get proper low-end bass for a certain music track. Later I checked with REW, and it looked like this:


View attachment 494888

Dang that's some serious raise! I already feel like the bass is quite thick with my - in comparison very moderate - low end raise:

But I could definitely use some more subbass so I'll definitely construct another curve that raises the bass <50Hz more...

My most aggressive house curve with DLBC was this one:

This provided a very nice boost in the deep bass without sounding bloated in the upper bass. However, with ART I like it's upper bass punch so can tolerate a bit more boost >50Hz.

 

[Descartes]

Decided not to buy DIRAC ART suite for $630 as I don’t have enough knowledge to ensure that it would perform better than Audyssey.

Hopefully by next year they will have improved their implementation to make it more user friendly!

 

[agentcooper]

Decided not to buy DIRAC ART suite for $630 as I don’t have enough knowledge to ensure that it would perform better than Audyssey.

Hopefully by next year they will have improved their implementation to make it more user friendly!

I'd say the default settings from ART got me...95% of the way there. A simple raising of the bass shelf got me to 98+% probably. All of the little tweaking I've done has had very little impact, really.

If you're still curious you could try it and get a refund if you don't like it, no? You might love it!

 

[AudioJester]

Decided not to buy DIRAC ART suite for $630 as I don’t have enough knowledge to ensure that it would perform better than Audyssey.

Hopefully by next year they will have improved their implementation to make it more user friendly!

Its automated setup - follow the instructions, just like Audyssey. Manual tweaking is very much optional.

I think its leagues ahead of Audyssey

 

[smygolf]

Its automated setup - follow the instructions, just like Audyssey. Manual tweaking is very much optional.

I think its leagues ahead of Audyssey

Second to that !

It is a straight forward procedure and you can if you want dig down to the nitty gritty of it.
Most of us here does it cause we try to understand the limits and how it works.

In all the systems i have measured where the owner are new to Dirac i have said the same thing.

Do not stare you blind on target curves, that is not Diracs main feature - it is how it changes the way music/movies are presented.
Better focus, wider soundstage etc

Some say it transforms the inherent sound of the speaker - no it tries to delete the rooms impact.
In those cases i have recommended to do a target curve that simulates MLP measurement before Dirac.
Live with it for a while then start delete all the dips and peaks - after a month or two their target start to look as everyone else

 

[Oddball]

I second to the fact that ART is really easy to set up and tweaks have limited impact. There is little that they need to improve so not sure if another year is worth the wait. The only real issue is 20hz limitation, which for most is probably not really an issue as not that many have setups with meaningful output below 20hz.

Even the auto run will give you something that you have not experienced before.

On another forum I read first ART impression of a knowledgeable user (even though new to Dirac) with great system and treated room. He nailed it - the room disappeared he said.

 

[goryu]

I will wait for art to be available for desktop installation. Already have live....

 

[TheKoC]

I will wait for art to be available for desktop installation. Already have live....

Any news on that? I believe @Kal Rubinson has been a Beta-Tester for quite some time

 

[anlin]

Same here. I currently run DL(BC) on a dedicated DSP server over Dante and I would love to give ART a try. If anyone from Dirac is following this thread, please make ART available on PC

 

[TimoJ]

Denon and Marantz ART users: can you adjust channel trims when ART is active? I have seen screenshots that shows adjustable trims. But are those available when ART is active? Can you adjust each subwoofer's level separately? Have you measured how (or if) it affects ART frequency response and decay?

 

[TunaBug]

A question before I do my first time Dirac setup. The room I'm stuck with is an large open area, adjoining dining room with adjoining kitchen and I frequently hear the refrigerator compressor or ice dropping from the ice maker. And noise from furnace running on other side of the wall, and air coming through air vents. I assume that I should turn all those noise makers OFF when doing measurements?

 

[smygolf]

Denon and Marantz ART users: can you adjust channel trims when ART is active? I have seen screenshots that shows adjustable trims. But are those available when ART is active? Can you adjust each subwoofer's level separately? Have you measured how (or if) it affects ART frequency response and decay?

Marantz C50 - full control on every ch after calibration.

But...
Changing lvl on a ch that supports the subs will screew up everything.
Found out that the hardway myself.

Had done calibration and i was a happy camper.
Next day it sounded awfull and measurement said the same.
Turned out that the newest hypex amp reverted to -40dB after it had been shutdown - a feature i forgot to change.

If it is only the subs that support them self and you raise everyone with the exact same dB it can be done.
But there is a big chance it will sound strange

 

[smygolf]

A question before I do my first time Dirac setup. The room I'm stuck with is an large open area, adjoining dining room with adjoining kitchen and I frequently hear the refrigerator compressor or ice dropping from the ice maker. And noise from furnace running on other side of the wall, and air coming through air vents. I assume that I should turn all those noise makers OFF when doing measurements?

Do you have REW and a Umik ?
If yes turn on the RTA and let it run to see if it raises the noice floor.

 

[TimoJ]

Marantz C50 - full control on every ch after calibration.

But...
Changing lvl on a ch that supports the subs will screew up everything.
Found out that the hardway myself.

Had done calibration and i was a happy camper.
Next day it sounded awfull and measurement said the same.
Turned out that the newest hypex amp reverted to -40dB after it had been shutdown - a feature i forgot to change.

If it is only the subs that support them self and you raise everyone with the exact same dB it can be done.
But there is a big chance it will sound strange

So you can, for example, adjust just subwoofer2 level and if you then check front L or R with REW, ART response has changed (to worse)?

 

[Oddball]

Denon and Marantz ART users: can you adjust channel trims when ART is active? I have seen screenshots that shows adjustable trims. But are those available when ART is active? Can you adjust each subwoofer's level separately? Have you measured how (or if) it affects ART frequency response and decay?

Well not sure what is the background of the question. It is possible, but it does screw up ART calcs.

I have not measured but above +6dB on subs its starts sounding more like DLBC so obviously decay is much increased. Would not think that FQ response would be way off, but would certainly expect it to be different. With +10dB it pretty much like DLBC, but with 20hz quirk. This was just a quick and dirty experiment when we started discussing how wet can ART get.

I don't think it would work without penalty even if you only do subs EQ. A much better way to get ART really wet is to boost bass +12 and pull the higher end down as much as you feel like. You will lose headroom, but if thinking practically, all the volume above zero is anyway the headroom you would rarely want to use.

 

[TimoJ]

Well not sure what is the background of the question. It is possible, but it does screw up ART calcs.

Dirac doesn't allow output trim adjustments when ART is active. If this is actually happening, Denon/Marantz is operating against Dirac’s rules...

 

[smygolf]

So you can, for example, adjust just subwoofer2 level and if you then check front L or R with REW, ART response has changed (to worse)?

Correct...

 

[smygolf]

Dirac doesn't allow output trim adjustments when ART is active. If this is actually happening, Denon/Marantz is operating against Dirac’s rules...

Dont tell them....

 

[Oddball]

Dirac doesn't allow output trim adjustments when ART is active. If this is actually happening, Denon/Marantz is operating against Dirac’s rules...

Well, I am sure they like the revenue from D&M implementation. Probably will get more in next year or so than they ever had from home audio segment.

Some people claim that Dirac calibration can't get the levels right if checked by SPL meter. This could be correct and I am not against post-level adjustments, and in that respect Dirac should allow that to be loaded as user adjustment and applied in the calibration. After all, once you buy the license you should be able to do as you please - for better or worse.

Then there is a common thing that people don't have the same hearing abilities on both of their ears. Post measurement adjustments would come in handy for such use case, combined with the above solution.

 

[smygolf]

There was a bug a while back there the right ch did not get the correct lvl and sound image was scewed.
For us with lvl adjustment on our amps it was an easy fix, for those who could not change the lvl not so much.

Also, with only using sub group as support och can adjust the lvl without starting up Dirac and adjust it.
Pc version lets you adjust the lvl, why not on receivers.

But with ART having support from LCR you cant really touch any lvl:s