Big news coming from Sound United in 2023!

[EB1000]

I've been told by an insider that Sound United are going to announce a collaboration with Dirac Live, which will be offered as an optional upgrade/replacement to Audyssey... The announcement is expected by end of this year. Dirac will be supported in 2023 models, including DBC in the higher models (X4700 equivalent and higher). This could be a recent decision following Onkyo/pioneer reboot popularity and/or due to the lack of success with the new MultiEQ-X application...

 

[beren777]

One wonders what licensing quirks they'll sabotage themselves with this time.

 

[peng]

That would be great news, if true.. I was planning on replacing my Denon with the AVM70 in a year, now I have to consider Denon or Marantz again, if they get rid of HDAMs or upgrade it with the one in the SR8015 if if Dirac DLBC will be included.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

I just spent 200USD on their MultiXQ Windows software in the hopes they would bring that to Dirac level with the next releases. Oh well, let’s see ….

 

[peng]

I just spent 200USD on their MultiXQ Windows software in the hopes they would bring that to Dirac level with the next releases. Oh well, let’s see ….

From what I have seen in the video and played with the demo I would say $200 is worth it if the license is transferrable or at least transferrable within a number of years. Whether its performance is at Dirac's level is hard to say as it depends on many factors, one being highly subjective in nature, but the interface is at least as good if not better in some ways.

 

[abdo123]

Is Dirac approaching a monopoly on the room correction market?

 

[bloodshoteyed]

well, if Lyndorf and Anthem (c/w)ould unstick their heads out of their rears and started licensing instead of tying SW to their own HW, it wouldn't hurt the market

 

[Vacceo]

well, if Lyndorf and Anthem (c/w)ould unstick their heads out of their rears and started licensing instead of tying SW to their own HW, it wouldn't hurt the market

Lyngdorf works on the turbo expensive McIntosh Av processor. What I cannot understand is how McIntosh goes Audyssey when they could go lyngdorf for all their range and increase prices for a more tangible reason.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

From what I have seen in the video and played with the demo I would say $200 is worth it if the license is transferrable or at least transferrable within a number of years. Whether its performance is at Dirac's level is hard to say as it depends on many factors, one being highly subjective in nature, but the interface is at least as good if not better in some ways.

Agree. And as I am too new to this forum. I haven’t seen (m)any hard facts and figures where Dirac is provenly better. What would help is to have some REW measurements using both Dirac and Audyssey in a common living room listening environment with everything else unchanged. If that exists, please someone point me to it (I didn’t find any in that long XT32 vs Dirac Thread here - mostly subjective observations).

Yes the Dirac UI is better as the Windows MultiEQ software and Dirac interfaces currently better with REW, but with some, admittedly tedious manual effort I can get REW filter settings into Audyyssey either via Ratbuddyssey or a bit more convenient via the MultiEQ Software. Also the multi sub adjustments might be easier in Dirac, however I have not fully explored the Windows MultiEQ yet.

 

[mhardy6647]

Lyngdorf works on the turbo expensive McIntosh Av processor...

Turbo expensive. I am adding that to my lexicon.

 

[Vacceo]

Turbo expensive. I am adding that to my lexicon.

McIntosh has expensive, turbo expensive and nitro expensive.

 

[Bleib]

To reboot popularity perhaps it's time for this sort of stuff to be part of cheaper amps

 

[jhaider]

That's IMO unfortunate if true (and I have no idea if it is).

It would be better if they helped Audyssey build the technologies and UI it needs to compete with Dirac on equal terms, rather than giving up on the software or binning it to permanent second-tier status. I like and use Dirac, but the best way for us to have better and more stable room correction systems is for them to have healthy competition.

I've used Audyssey and my take on it is - great technology limited by bad editorial choices, some of which can be undone with the iOS app but some of which (such as not insisting bass management be integrated into the correction, which RoomPerfect and ARC have done for 15+ years now) are and always have been indefensible. With the introduction of DLBC any rational observer has to conclude Audyssey is far behind. However, it's not an unbridgeable gap by any means - Audyssey has smart people and has done more than any other company to mainstream room correction. MultEQ-X does seem to be much too little too late, and saddled with poor corporate decisions regarding licensing terms to boot.

A counterpoint might be that Dirac has no answer for DynamicEQ; in my view loudness compensation is important and useful and should be on every audio product, but it's not a core feature of room correction in the way bass management is.

 

[chych7]

Agree. And as I am too new to this forum. I haven’t seen (m)any hard facts and figures where Dirac is provenly better. What would help is to have some REW measurements using both Dirac and Audyssey in a common living room listening environment with everything else unchanged. If that exists, please someone point me to it (I didn’t find any in that long XT32 vs Dirac Thread here - mostly subjective observations).

Yes the Dirac UI is better as the Windows MultiEQ software and Dirac interfaces currently better with REW, but with some, admittedly tedious manual effort I can get REW filter settings into Audyyssey either via Ratbuddyssey or a bit more convenient via the MultiEQ Software. Also the multi sub adjustments might be easier in Dirac, however I have not fully explored the Windows MultiEQ yet.

My own testing of Audyssey and Dirac, for two channel stereo listening, resulted in Audyssey sounding better than Dirac. Dirac Live free trial is available for anyone to test in their own system.

Audyssey's Next Generation of Room Correction (MultEQ-X)

We all understand that incorrect position. There is no miscommunication. Have you tried taking confirmatory measurements properly - same area, random sample points? Incorrect position, aping measure point? He's only talking about an apples to apples comparison in a specific sense. You are...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[multisport4me]

This would be welcome and awesome news. Now if they let me re-assign outputs to accommodate 5 subs like I can on the HTP-1 and support DBLC I'll be running back to D&M. Color me skeptical though.

 

[tjcinnamon]

Hoping Dirac allows adjustment of trims before loading it to the AVR.

Less competition is never a good thing.

 

[ryanosaur]

Competition exists unless the companies with dedicated proprietary RC and other third party options fail to innovate. Dirac has been leading the charge. Why isn't Audyssey keeping up? What about YPAO and ARC Genesis?

 

[mhardy6647]

McIntosh has expensive, turbo expensive and nitro expensive.

Coming soon -- quantum expensive componentry from the folks in Binghamton (who might or might not recognize the irony).

 

[multisport4me]

Competition exists unless the companies with dedicated proprietary RC and other third party options fail to innovate. Dirac has been leading the charge. Why isn't Audyssey keeping up? What about YPAO and ARC Genesis?

Just speculating here but it may be that Chris Kyriakakis' departure a few years ago has not been a good thing for Audyssey. They have one customer at this point and that customer has just been acquired by a medical device company. I'm thinking they don't have much in the tank to innovate all that much (financially or talent wise). Certainly not out-innovate Dirac.

But who knows. I'm totally down with competition and if Audyssey suddenly leapfrogs Dirac, I wouldn't hesitate to spend money again on them. Despite staring at the Audyssey Pro kit that has been useless and sitting in a corner for years now.... but that's a whole 'nother axe to grind.

 

[Sancus]

If Sound United makes a true 16-channel Denon with DLBC it's going to kick the ass of all the competitors I'm certain, because they're always ahead in value for money and in general ease of use, compatibility, and software stability.