Dirac Live Bass Management?

[soerenssen]

Room correction software won’t change the sonic signature. It will actually restore the sonic signature of your speakers because it reduces room effects by applying filters. You can of course slightly adjust the frequency target response in Dirac but you don’t have to.

I received the anechoic measurements of the KEFs directly from the manufacturer as a starting point. But as soon as the speakers are placed in my room, they will immediately have a different response because of my room acoustics, placement, etc. and this has nothing to do with electronics.

It's very hard to make the decision (to pick the right components of a new setup) without being influenced by subjective opinions, and that is why I am asking:
can Dirac be a "silver bullet" against subjective opinion and marketing terms like "musicality","more detail", etc. (often associated with higher-priced components) and also negative terms like "harshness" and co. (usually when a budget alternative comes up)?
I don't know how these attributes can be measured, but if a DAC filter or opamp can change the sound (and add extra distortion) and it's detectable even in an ABX test, does Dirac or any other DRC have the potential to correct it?

 

[JustJones]

but if a DAC filter or opamp can change the sound (and add extra distortion) and it's detectable even in an ABX test

If a DAC or opamp is that bad/ broken get a different DAC. Dirac can't correct lousy components.

 

[juliangst]

I received the anechoic measurements of the KEFs directly from the manufacturer as a starting point. But as soon as the speakers are placed in my room, they will immediately have a different response because of my room acoustics, placement, etc. and this has nothing to do with electronics.

It's very hard to make the decision (to pick the right components of a new setup) without being influenced by subjective opinions, and that is why I am asking:
can Dirac be a "silver bullet" against subjective opinion and marketing terms like "musicality","more detail", etc. (often associated with higher-priced components) and also negative terms like "harshness" and co. (usually when a budget alternative comes up)?
I don't know how these attributes can be measured, but if a DAC filter or opamp can change the sound (and add extra distortion) and it's detectable even in an ABX test, does Dirac or any other DRC have the potential to correct it?

I would straight up ignore all those subjective buzzwords and just follow the procedure for objectively good sound.

As I said earlier, all those modern components are completely transparent no matter what OP amp or DAC filter you use. (The 'bad' OP amps still have distortion well below the threshold of hearing and most DAC filters won't be much different in the audible range).

With anechoic mesurements you can use PEQ to correct the KEFs but most modern KEFs honestly don't need correction.
So pick any components that fit in your budget and correct up to the transition frequency of your room to mix room resonance effects.

 

[soerenssen]

So pick any components that fit in your budget and correct up to the transition frequency of your room to mix room resonance effects.

Thanks for the advice!
How can I find out what the transition frequency of my room is? Can you please recommend some online reasources where I can learn more about this? Does it also mean that you don't recommend applying Dirac for the full frequency range, only below that curtain?

 

[juliangst]

Thanks for the advice!
How can I find out what the transition frequency of my room is? Can you please recommend some online reasources where I can learn more about this? Does it also mean that you don't recommend applying Dirac for the full frequency range, only below that curtain?

The transition frequency or Schröder-frequency can be calculated with:
f= 2000*sqrt(T/V), where T is the RT60 of your room and V the volume of your room.

If you have a 6 meter by 5 meter room with normal 2.5m ceiling and your RT60 is about 0.7s (could be more of less depending on room treatments) then the transition frequency is 193Hz.
That means that you'll have room mode issues and resonances up to about 193Hz. I would probably go a bit higher and set Dirac room correction to 250Hz or 300Hz and below in that case.

 

[juliangst]

This website calculates all your room modes and where in the room those resonances happen:

amroc - THE Room Mode Calculator

HTML5 room mode calculator. Read and hear the tune of axial, tangential and oblique modes. Scientific sources included.

amcoustics.com

You can play those room modes on that website by moving your mouse over the specific frequency band. If you go to the specific location in your room you definitely hear a loud resonance of that frequency.

Knowing where those room modes lie can be useful for placing treatments. A lot of room modes intersect in the corners that's why we usually have a lot of boomy bass in the corners.

 

[MarkS]

Please note that the Dirac company highly recommends using their correction at all frequencies, not just below the transition. User opinion on this seems to be mixed.

And I completely agree that all modern electronics is utterly transparent with no "sound signature" whatsoever. There is way too much emphasis on SINAD (and ASR is a culprit here). I claim that anything better than 60dB is not audible on music at normal listening volumes.

 

[juliangst]

Please note that the Dirac company highly recommends using their correction at all frequencies, not just below the transition

I wonder why they recommend this.
If a speaker has bad directivity correcting everything could make things even worse. Or do they just assume that customers use objectively good speakers?

I also tried full range correction of my LS50 non Meta and subjectively the treble sounds a bit thin and unnatural compared to correction up to 500Hz .

 

[Davide]

Dirac use mixed phase correction that is more suitable to manage room effects.
Correcting the magnitude and phase between speakers as the frequencies increase is not a bad thing at all, regardless of the directivity of the speaker, which is not the only factor that determines listening quality (certainly no more than the frequency response).

With my system full correction produces a cleaner sound. Then whether it is preferable or not is another matter...

 

[soerenssen]

When Dirac + DLBC is engaged, does it still matter if the sub is ported or sealed? For better low extension it is tempting to choose the ported version of the same sub (regardless of brand), but I read a lot about sealed subs being better for music.

 

[Davide]

When Dirac + DLBC is engaged, does it still matter if the sub is ported or sealed? For better low extension it is tempting to choose the ported version of the same sub (regardless of brand), but I read a lot about sealed subs being better for music.

It depends more than anything on the quality of the project and its implementation.
Dirac will certainly help iron out any audible deviations, regardless of the design. In the sealed case it can also help you extend the frequency response downwards a little, but you need to know the potential of the sub well.
Choose a reputable manufacturer with good customer support and sleep easy.

 

[soerenssen]

It depends more than anything on the quality of the project and its implementation.
Dirac will certainly help iron out any audible deviations, regardless of the design. In the sealed case it can also help you extend the frequency response downwards a little, but you need to know the potential of the sub well.
Choose a reputable manufacturer with good customer support and sleep easy.

I would go with a reputable brand like Arendal or SVS, I was just not sure which type of sub would suit my listening habits better. I listen to music mostly but we watch a movie every now and then too. But if DLBC can bring them easily under the same umbrella, I just have to focus on specs and features (using the sub comparison sheet), which would be very convenient.

 

[Davide]

I would go with a reputable brand like Arendal or SVS, I was just not sure which type of sub would suit my listening habits better. I listen to music mostly but we watch a movie every now and then too. But if DLBC can bring them easily under the same umbrella, I just have to focus on specs and features (using the sub comparison sheet), which would be very convenient.

Dirac should linearize the frequency response and phase/group delay in function of its algorithm and room measurements. It obviously doesn't know the real potential and limits of the sub, so don't think that all subs would reduce to the same result.
Many arguments can be made, but in the end I believe that from a practical point of view the best choice is dictated from your budget and state.
If you can get a Rythmik in my opinion it's a great product.
RSL also seems very competitive and performing.
Arendal also seems like a great value, but it's very new as a company, so I wouldn't risk it.
SVS seems a little commercial to me, at least in terms of value for money, but it certainly does its job...
Being in Europe I finally decided to study and build two subwoofers myself. I essentially wanted balanced input so the choices were limited. If I could have used unbalanced input I would have chosen Bk Electronics (simple and reliable design and low price).

 

[Flak]