Dirac Live cost vs RAW approach – advice needed

[Keith_W]

If you are not sure, try it and take verification measurements. There is no harm caused, you only spend time. If you make a mistake, you will either hear it or measure it. I have made dozens of mistakes, some of my results have been absolutely shocking. I don't see it as a waste of time, I still have those measurements and I can learn from them.

 

[BetweenThePeaks]

If you are not sure, try it and take verification measurements. There is no harm caused, you only spend time. If you make a mistake, you will either hear it or measure it. I have made dozens of mistakes, some of my results have been absolutely shocking. I don't see it as a waste of time, I still have those measurements and I can learn from them.

When I first turned the system on with the Arendal master volume set to its baseline 0.0 dB and the input gain set to 0 dB, the subwoofer output was almost completely inaudible. To even hear baseline bass extension matching the mains, I had to change the Arendal's Input Gain dropdown to +6 dB AND max out the master volume wheel to +13.5 dB.

Given that the WiiM Ultra outputs 2 Vrms, why is the signal hitting the Arendal input stage so incredibly weak?

Even though the WiiM Ultra is set to an 80 Hz crossover and "Main Speakers Output Bass" is turned OFF, I am still hearing heavy, full-range low-end bass coming out of the AsciLab C6B mains. The high-pass filter does not appear to be actively attenuating the low frequencies going to the Audiophonics power amp.

Can you please give me step-by-step guidance to implement the subwoofer into my system correctly?

P.S. I also discovered an annoying layout issue where the Arendal app menu was completely unresponsive at the bottom of the screen when the classic Android navigation command buttons were enabled. Switching the phone to gesture navigation fixed that interface issue.

 

[BetweenThePeaks]

These are the screenshots:

 

[thcdru2k]

An 80 Hz crossover is gradual, so the C6Bs will still produce plenty of bass. Sweep mains only, sub only, and combined measurements.

 

[BetweenThePeaks]

An 80 Hz crossover is gradual, so the C6Bs will still produce plenty of bass. Sweep mains only, sub only, and combined measurements.

But the Arendal subfoower's output signal is so low that seems like it is dead. All the bass comes from AsciLab c6b speakers!

 

[Keith_W]

When I first turned the system on with the Arendal master volume set to its baseline 0.0 dB and the input gain set to 0 dB, the subwoofer output was almost completely inaudible. To even hear baseline bass extension matching the mains, I had to change the Arendal's Input Gain dropdown to +6 dB AND max out the master volume wheel to +13.5 dB.

Given that the WiiM Ultra outputs 2 Vrms, why is the signal hitting the Arendal input stage so incredibly weak?

I don't know. There will be a mistake in your setup somewhere, you need to find it. Maybe try swapping the outputs for your Ascilab and Arendal and see if it fixes it. Yes I know there will be no XO involved, but it will tell you whether it's a problem with the sub or the Wiim.

Can you please give me step-by-step guidance to implement the subwoofer into my system correctly?

See my replies in this thread and follow the link to that eBook I am currently writing. It has detailed instructions for Acourate, so not everything applies to the DSP you are using. But the underlying principles and order of operations is the same.

 

[davidc]

How much time do you have to put into this? I was in a similar position.

My solution: I bought a receiver with a Dirac license. Problem solved. I doubt that you can do better (or as well) as Dirac, unless you are planning on dedicating vast amounts of time, energy, and would derive enjoyment from tinkering, probably endlessly.

Or, buy a Denon or Marantz that came with Audyssey MultiXT32

 

[BetweenThePeaks]

Or, buy a Denon or Marantz that came with Audyssey MultiXT32

Dear friend, I'm not buying anything else. I’ve already spent a lot, so that's it for me. I have plenty of other hobbies like hiking in the mountains, road cycling, and photography. I just invested 4,000 euros in this hi-fi setup, so I'm done.

 

[BetweenThePeaks]

See my replies in this thread and follow the link to that eBook I am currently writing.

Well...that link was a journey to YouTube

 

[Keith_W]

Well...that link was a journey to YouTube

I am so sorry, I should check the links before I copy-paste them. The correct link is here.

I hope you enjoyed that Radu Lupu performance of Schubert's D959. I was having a discussion about D959 with some friends at the time, and I mentioned that this one was my favourite.

 

[BetweenThePeaks]

Or, buy a Denon or Marantz that came with Audyssey MultiXT32

I found a like-new miniDSP DDRC-24 with the UMIK-1 microphone for €350 from a trusted seller.But I'm not buying it..

Why? Because the DDRC-24 downsamples everything to 48kHz internally. I just switched to Qobuz for 24-bit/192kHz. Paying for high-res only to feed it into a 48kHz bottleneck feels wrong.

I know Dirac Live would fix my subwoofer integration. I know the 48kHz limit is likely inaudible. I know this is a great deal.

But I can't get past the principle of it. I'd always know my signal path is capped at 48kHz.

Am I being irrational? Should I just buy it and stop caring about the spec sheet?

 

[Keith_W]

Am I being irrational?

Yes you are. The correct response is to save some money by subscribing to a lower tier that gives you uncompressed 44.1kHz as a minimum.

 

[BJL]

I found a like-new miniDSP DDRC-24 with the UMIK-1 microphone for €350 from a trusted seller.But I'm not buying it..

Why? Because the DDRC-24 downsamples everything to 48kHz internally. I just switched to Qobuz for 24-bit/192kHz. Paying for high-res only to feed it into a 48kHz bottleneck feels wrong.

I know Dirac Live would fix my subwoofer integration. I know the 48kHz limit is likely inaudible. I know this is a great deal.

But I can't get past the principle of it. I'd always know my signal path is capped at 48kHz.

Am I being irrational? Should I just buy it and stop caring about the spec sheet?

The improvement provided by integrating Dirac will far exceed any highly theoretical advantage to a higher sample rate. You will immediately enjoy a better overall system sound quality by integrating DSP (such as Dirac) for speaker eq/room correction.

 

[john61ct]

I found a like-new miniDSP DDRC-24 with the UMIK-1 microphone for €350 from a trusted seller

To me that's pricey. But I already invested in a UMIK-2 so maybe selling the UMIK-1 would make it good value.

> I can't get past the principle of it. I'd always know my signal path is capped at 48kHz.

> Am I being irrational? Should I just buy it and stop caring about the spec sheet?

Yes, 1000x yes, that is a useless even harmful "principle" for just recreational music reproduction.

Unless for use in mixing / mastering, music production.

 

[BetweenThePeaks]

Dear friend, I'm not buying anything else. I’ve already spent a lot, so that's it for me. I have plenty of other hobbies like hiking in the mountains, road cycling, and photography. I just invested 4,000 euros in this hi-fi setup, so I'm done.

I bought miniDSP UMIK-1...

 

[Oddball]

I bought miniDSP UMIK-1...

Probably the best investment in audio you ever made. Will help you understand what is really going on.

 

[BetweenThePeaks]

Will help you understand what is really going on.

I really hope so. Once it arrives, I'm counting on you all !

 

[Oddball]

I really hope so. Once it arrives, I'm counting on you all !

In the meantime, you can start reading upon the REW manual and very useful guide that @Keith_W authored - link in his signature. A bit of learning to do but it will be well worth it. As they say - no free lunch. In this case requires some investment of time.

 

[BetweenThePeaks]

I just wanted to let you know that my UMIK-1 has arrived, and I am ready to start the room measurements for my 2.1 system!
To make sure I don't get lost or mess up the configuration, I would really appreciate it if you could reply with a rough overview of the steps we are going to follow for this 2.1 calibration.
Once you give me the roadmap, we can elaborate on each step one by one. I will perform a step, take screenshots of my settings/graphs in REW or the software, send them to you for verification, and only move forward once you give me the green light.
Looking forward to your guidance and to finally getting this system properly dialed in!

 

[john61ct]

you, who?