(Posted this already to AVS but just in case someone is not following that forum I'll repost here.)
I have been beta testing ART. Starting from the first calibration, I noticed that something amazing is happening with bass notes...
Just before beta testing started, I had moved my system to a larger room, so I had not much experience how well DLBC works there. Subwoofer locations are not (yet...) optimized, they are just besides (closer to center) the main speakers. The room has no extra acoustic treatments.
The difference between DLBC and ART is huge. DLBC always seems to reduce bass and has these "out of phase" bass notes and room modes (if source material has lots of bass energy at that frequency) while with ART I get very exact and quick bass notes with almost pinpoint accuracy (of upper bass notes). Room modes are gone and bass output is not reduced at their frequency. Testing only with 2 channel music. Before this I got similar bass accuracy only with headphones.
In this new room DLBC actually sounded so bad vs. ART that I had to verify it was working correctly with the test software, Dirac verified it was.
I haven't noticed any weird effects or "cone of ART" where sound is noticeable different from the rest of the room. I just get much improved bass (and of course all the regular Dirac benefits). Bass seems to sound almost the same inside the whole speaker area. I'm using just one position for listening, so other locations are no interest for me, but I still have checked this.
My first setup was just 2.2 setup with Klipsch RP-280F mains and SVS SB-2000 subs. Then I tested with 3.2 setup with Klipsch RP-440C center. My current setup is 6.2 with 4x Polk Audio Signature S50e for surrounds and surround backs. HDMI limits channels to eight, so that is the maximum I can use.
I have also tested ART with just 2 channels (in a different room) and even with that it still handles room modes better than regular Dirac.