Big news coming from Sound United in 2023!

[bo_knows]

He's not wrong. In fact after I posted measurements proving the Levels menu tones bypass EQ, Gene mentioned such to Jeff from Audyssey in one of their videos, who concurred.

If he's using an SPL meter he must be using pink noise from a source external to the AVR. It's still not perfect, but it's a lot better.

Learn something new every day. Thank you, that makes sense. Now, I need to figure out how to run external white noise through each speaker individually.

 

[Vacceo]

I wonder if Sound United will be able to use the incoming Dirac MIMO software or just DLBC.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Learn something new every day. Thank you, that makes sense. Now, I need to figure out how to run external white noise through each speaker individually.

Laptop with REW on it.

 

[dlaloum]

I wonder if Sound United will be able to use the incoming Dirac MIMO software or just DLBC.

Dirac hinted that they were testing the MIMO (SRC) software on the A1H - we aren't going to hear anything official for a while yet!

 

[bo_knows]

Laptop with REW on it.

I know, the problem is the ASIO driver. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It takes a lot of fiddling and reboots to make it work. For the most part, I just use the default Java driver (for two channels measurements) but I'm not sure if it will support 9.1. It's a hustle.

 

[ryanosaur]

This just posted a little earlier at AH; might answer some lingering questions:

Dirac Roadmap for 2022 Denon & Marantz AV Products

In this editorial we discuss a roadmap of Dirac room correction support for ALL Denon and Marantz AV products that are planning support for 2022 and beyond. What version, will there be fees? All discussed.

www.audioholics.com

 

[Dj7675]

This just posted a little earlier at AH; might answer some lingering questions:

Dirac Roadmap for 2022 Denon & Marantz AV Products

In this editorial we discuss a roadmap of Dirac room correction support for ALL Denon and Marantz AV products that are planning support for 2022 and beyond. What version, will there be fees? All discussed.

www.audioholics.com

Some good info..which is nice to have. No DLBC until 2024. No timeline for Dirac Spatial Correction or guarantee it will come. I am guessing this is a little slower than many were hoping.

 

[Chromatischism]

No DLBC until 2024

That will certainly dampen sales.

 

[GXAlan]

This sort of explains the early leak of Q3 2023 for the AV10.

 

[dlaloum]

That will certainly dampen sales.

I doubt it... these AVR's already have multi-sub tuning available via Audyssey...

And full Dirac with MultiSub DLBC, is a US$800 affair .... so unlikely to be a mainstream option!

It will have a marginal impact on the well heeled audiophiles.

For those who must have DLBC & can afford the $$$ - the JBL, Arcam and other existing options will keep them away from D&M - but D&M won't have been on their radar in any case.... this just opens up a new market segment for SU once they get it all together... (circa June/July?)

The traditional D&M market is Audyssey - and that is well catered for. (with the bonus addition of 4 independent sub tuning in this series)

The real competition will come in from the low end, if Onkyo can get their act together and release DLBC capable AVR's/PrePro's at a competitive price in early 2023.... D&M have set the bar in terms of pricing... and by raising their prices, have left Onkyo with more room to raise their price in turn .

The game is afoot....

 

[jhaider]

Some good info..which is nice to have. No DLBC until 2024. No timeline for Dirac Spatial Correction or guarantee it will come. I am guessing this is a little slower than many were hoping.

The other interesting limitation (contrary to some speculation) is you'll lose loudness compensation with Dirac.

 

[kryptonite]

If the following considerations aren't valuable to me:
- 4 sub outputs (I just have 2 subs)
- Dirac live + DLBC (timelines too long, too expensive, and lack of equivalents of Audyssey Dynamic Eq & Volume, both of which I have use for and value)
- more HDMI 2.1 ports (2 ports are all I need)

What else is on the X3800H would be an upgrade over the X3700H?

Questionable items being:
- DAC quality (new chip)
- how the X3800H measures in general over the X3700H

 

[Sancus]

Considering DLBC is not coming until 2024, i doubt I'll upgrade from my 4500H.

Spatial correction is so hypothetical at this point that you'd have to be dumb to buy any of the current lineup expecting to get it. There's a good chance they just decide to save it as a feature for a future lineup and don't bother upgrading older models at all.

 

[Vacceo]

Dirac hinted that they were testing the MIMO (SRC) software on the A1H - we aren't going to hear anything official for a while yet!

I think I red that by March next year, we may see how Dirac is implemented on Sound United products.

My guess is the current hardware is able to run it but it seems they need some time to make sure it works well. By then, we should know about what version it will run.

 

[JRiggs]

I think I red that by March next year, we may see how Dirac is implemented on Sound United products.

My guess is the current hardware is able to run it but it seems they need some time to make sure it works well. By then, we should know about what version it will run.

Did you read the linked article above from audiohaulics?

At this point, we can only confirm that we will support both Dirac Live room correction technology - limited and full bandwidth versions AFTER the firmware update in March 2023. We also plan to support Bass Control upgrade although the integration efforts has not yet started. We expect we should be able to release a new firmware to support Dirac Live Bass Control upgrade sometime in 2024 - TBD.

MIMO is associated with the new Dirac spatial room correction and there is no timeline nor a confirmation that it will ever be compatible with this new line of Marantz/Denon.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Did you read the linked article above from audiohaulics?

At this point, we can only confirm that we will support both Dirac Live room correction technology - limited and full bandwidth versions AFTER the firmware update in March 2023. We also plan to support Bass Control upgrade although the integration efforts has not yet started. We expect we should be able to release a new firmware to support Dirac Live Bass Control upgrade sometime in 2024 - TBD.

MIMO is associated with the new Dirac spatial room correction and there is no timeline nor a confirmation that it will ever be compatible with this new line of Marantz/Denon.

I agree. And that’s why I would hold back with upgrading until we actually see it happen. So far it is one of their biggest teasers to get sales going because the new one isn’t that much different to the old one including the uncertainty about the DAC performance.

 

[Dj7675]

The other interesting limitation (contrary to some speculation) is you'll lose loudness compensation with Dirac.

Also unfortunate ... it is a shame so few Dirac solutions have any system wide loudness compensation ... I know the Monoprice HTP1 does, but do any other Dirac processors have a good working loudness compensation?

 

[Vacceo]

Did you read the linked article above from audiohaulics?

At this point, we can only confirm that we will support both Dirac Live room correction technology - limited and full bandwidth versions AFTER the firmware update in March 2023. We also plan to support Bass Control upgrade although the integration efforts has not yet started. We expect we should be able to release a new firmware to support Dirac Live Bass Control upgrade sometime in 2024 - TBD.

MIMO is associated with the new Dirac spatial room correction and there is no timeline nor a confirmation that it will ever be compatible with this new line of Marantz/Denon.

I could not remember the source but yes, that's the one! Thanks for referencing It!

 

[CyrusTheGreat_600BC]

Questionable items being:
- DAC quality (new chip)
- how the X3800H measures in general over the X3700H

These are the million dollar questions most of us want answers to

 

[Vacceo]

I agree. And that’s why I would hold back with upgrading until we actually see it happen. So far it is one of their biggest teasers to get sales going because the new one isn’t that much different to the old one including the uncertainty about the DAC performance.

Your advice follows one of my methods as consumer: buy features that are already covered, disregard the promises of future features.