Embracing Simplicity in Audio: Anyone Else Skipping Room Correction, Measurement Microphones, and the Like?

[Rednaxela]

OP is just getting old and cultivating his laziness.

Don’t fall for it people.

 

[SIY]

They are not transparent

They're not supposed to be.

the sound will be clearer without using them

Nonsense.

The Dirac system is massively the biggest improvement I've made to my system in decades. You'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead fingers.

 

[D2013]

It's so ironic that artists and sound engineers other try so hard to capture the the frequency robbing and enhancing aspects and reverberations of the room in a recording session and the enthusiasts try hard to mitigate theirs.

That makes no sense.....

The point of calibrating a room or speakers for that matter, it to try and make it sound like the artists intended it to sound!

 

[Tangband]

They're not supposed to be.

Nonsense.

The Dirac system is massively the biggest improvement I've made to my system in decades. You'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead fingers.

Please be happy with your gear

 

[suttondesign]

Implementing one or two eq filters will allow you to enjoy full-range sound in your room without ‘boom’ that’s pretty simple and probably the single biggest improvement in terms of EQ you can make.
Keith

yup. if you listen to a lot of different recordings, you will notice that some trigger reinforcing room modes. then start with a reasonable cut with a high Q around that and see how it goes. another way to do it is listen to test tracks starting with 20hz, in 10hz increments. it’s easy to hear modes that way. my experience suggests that a fairly sharp cut in that region does wonders. after cutting the biggest one, though, you need to look for the secondary ones too.

a simple spl meter is better, but if all you want to do is knock down the worst offenders, your ears can guide you there.

for me, above 200hz is a matter of taste. distortion and resonances in the vocal region are unbearable, though, so toss the speakers.

i built two new subs recently, and while I have a mic and REW, so far I have only tuned by ear because I’ve been preoccupied with other things. i do have a room mode at about 50hz, and it is obvious and needs to be tamped down.

 

[theREALdotnet]

In all things, I follow the maxim, "Make everything as simple as possible ... but no simpler."

I’ll drink to that!

 

[DonR]

Parametric and paragraphic equalizers have been around since the 70s. An easy and fully analog way to boost dips and squash peaks if you wish. Personally, I think room correction is the single biggest advancement in audio this last 20 years, maybe on par with widespread streaming services.

 

[Tangband]

That makes no sense.....

The point of calibrating a room or speakers for that matter, it to try and make it sound like the artists intended it to sound!

Oh, you mean like in the studio with damping material everywhere ? Do you really want to live in such a room .

 

[Joe Smith]

I've never felt the need for it. I'm doing most of my focused stereo music listening these days in a nearfield setting in a room that is pretty audio-friendly. I don't use subwoofers, that would be the thing that would tip me into the DSP camp. My other rooms are set up for more casual/background listening as my wife and I do other things. I once tried the Peace interface to use Equalizer APO and I didn't like the result - I felt it reduced the sound quality I was hearing.

The one commercial preset I tend to leave on is the "Acoustic" filter setting in Spotify which is pleasant to my ear, at least with the KEF Q 15.2 speakers I am currently using in nearfield. The other filters - meh. The Acoustic preset slightly elevates bass and midrange.

My main amplification in my workroom is a restored Marantz 2216, and I use the tone controls or loudness button occasionally when listening at very low levels to CD, turntable or cassette sources.

 

[Timcognito]

That makes no sense.....

The point of calibrating a room or speakers for that matter, it to try and make it sound like the artists intended it to sound!

My point was that on one end sound altering room effects are often viewed as an enhancements.

 

[RayDunzl]

Embracing Simplicity in Audio: Anyone Else Skipping Room Correction, Measurement Microphones, and the Like?

Yes, in the garage, where the old multiband radio plays softly 24/7.

 

[theREALdotnet]

The topic came to my mind spontaneously, and I didn't hesitate to open the thread. Just now, something else occurred to me. The esteemed designer Dieter Rams had the following maxim: 'Less but better'. (Weniger, aber besser) I have tried to internalize this philosophy.

NB, “less but better”, not “less is better”.

 

[Timcognito]

Yes, in the garage, where the old multiband radio plays softly 24/7.

Do you have mice problems?

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Well, just look at the cheapest mini dsp and some of the dirac devices , all measured already by Amirm with less resolution result than CD quality. They are not transparent, and the sound will be clearer without using them. Many use those to correct their systems In the belief they are good. Much greater results can be gained by correct installation of the stereo speakers In the room, using tunemethod.

And you can hear that deviation from CD?

I’d say nonesense. But happy to be proven wrong. But facts pls.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Most roomcorrection programs change the music quality for the worse - ie are not transparent also If you do no corrections at all. WiiM pro is one brilliant exception - both cheap and transparent at the same time so one can use the PEQ function without loosing audible transparency.

Doing measurement corrections with the help of a microphone takes a long time to learn how to do it correctly , most room correction programes give unfortunately wrong instructions . The ear/brain is very different working than a microphone. The brains selects sound, the microphone take up all the sound.

The ear is much better to judge the playback quality and the intentions of the musicians than any measurement microphone . As John Atkinsson at stereophile says : ” all measurements tell lies ” .

Its easy to waste lifetime in measuring the wrong things , theres also nothing called perfect sound with 2 channel playback…..

It is an even bigger waste of time, endlessly chasing your tale, by pretty much randomly introducing all kinds of changes to your system and judging the difference with your ears. It pretty much ensures, that except by chance, you will never achieve an objective improvement of approximating more the original signal as recorded. And even if you do you will not recognize it for certain. That’s the approach many audiophiles pursue.

Sure you can argue, it is a hobby and it serves the purpose to take one’s mind off and bring enjoyment. That is a very very fair and valid, but different objective.

 

[D2013]

Oh, you mean like in the studio with damping material everywhere ? Do you really want to live in such a room .

Can you be any more dramatic?

Room eq/calibration isn't voodoo magic, it's not going to make any room sound like a proper recording studio, let alone a anechoic chamber.
As was mentioned in the video I posted above, eq/room calibration is best thought of as a compliment to acoustic treatments.


not to mention what makes it to your ears is almost never what what recorded in the studio.

 

[JeffS7444]

Specific products by the likes of MiniDSP, Sonos, Dirac and Audyssey are proprietary. But what they do, not so much: They may perform quasi-anechoic measurements using unique "chirp" tones, but I expect that the actual corrections they apply are based on standard parametric filters which have three useful parameters: Center frequency, Q, and Gain. If you know what those parameters are, you can apply them to software or hardware equalizers of your choosing. Room EQ Wizard software is free, and it can determine what filter parameters to use, whereas some of the aforementioned solutions are more automated, and do not reveal their inner workings so readily.

 

[Whoareyou]

It's so ironic that artists and sound engineers often try so hard to capture the the frequency robbing and enhancing aspects and reverberations of the room in a recording session and the enthusiasts try hard to mitigate theirs.

If you are not in a studio, that could be true. In a proper studio, couldn't be further from the truth.
Proper DSP attempts to recreate the conditions of that "proper" studio where the sound engineer made the recording.
And there are scientific standards that are followed in creating such room.
There is nothing ironic about proper DSP

 

[Timcognito]

There is another side to the dilemma:

If you are not in a studio, that could be true. In a proper studio, couldn't be further from the truth.
Proper DSP attempts to recreate the conditions of that "proper" studio where the sound engineer made the recording.
And there are scientific standards that are followed in creating such room.
There is nothing ironic about proper DSP

Agreed but its ironic that sound altering room effects are often coveted on the recording side and I would argue on the playback side by some too. Look at these AVR modes.
Post Decoding Formats:

• Dolby Surround: expands 2-channel or 5.1 audio to play over systems with more speakers e.g. 7.1 or 5.1.2
• DTS Neural:X: expands 2-channel or 5.1 audio to play over systems with more speakers e.g. 7.1 or 5.1.2
• DTS Neo:6 Music: uses the DTS Neo:6 or DTS-ES Matrix decoder to expand 2-channel music to the surround/surround back speakers
• DTS Neo:6 Cinema: uses the DTS Neo:6 or DTS-ES Matrix decoder to expand 2-channel movie audio to the surround/surround back speakers

Stereo Sound Programs:

• 2ch Stereo: for mixing down multichannel sources to stereo.
• 9ch Stereo: for sending sound to all speakers. Ideal for background music.

Movie Sound Programs:

• Standard: emphasizes the surround sound without disturbing the original positioning
• Spectacle: delivers a wide dynamic range and expansive soundscape
• Sci-Fi: for Sci-Fi and SFX movies. Clear separation between voice, effects and music.
• Adventure: for action and adventure movies. Less reverberation and an expanded sound field left and right.
• Drama: for drama, musicals and comedies. Provides a gentle echo for a wide stereophonic sound.
• Mono Movie: creates a surround sound experience for old mono movies.
• Enhanced: creates a sound field that emphasizes 3D object-audio.

Entertainment Sound Programs:

• Sports: for sports and light entertainment TV. Centers the voice and highlights the atmosphere.
• Action Game: for action gaming audio. Emphasizes effects to make the player feel right at the center of the action.
• Roleplaying Game: for roleplaying and adventure games. Adds depth to the sound field to emphasize background music and special effects.
• Music Video: for pop, rock and jazz concerts. Reproduces the feel of a hall and emphasizes the rhythm.
• Recital/Opera: reproduces the feel of a concert hall with emphasis on the depth and clarity of the human voice.

Music Sound Programs:

• Hall in Munich: reproduces a Munich concert hall with 2,500 seats and a wooden interior.
• Hall in Vienna: creates a Vienna concert hall with 1,700 seats and a shoebox shape.
• Hall in Amsterdam: simulates a large Amsterdam concert hall with 2,200 seats and a shoe box shape.
• Church in Freiburg: reproduces a stone church with a long and narrow shape.
• Church in Royaumont: simulates the dining hall of a Gothic monastery.
• Chamber: reproduces a wide space with a high ceiling.
• Village Vanguard: simulates a small jazz club in New York.
• Warehouse Loft: simulates a concrete warehouse.
• Cellar Club: reproduces an intimate concert venue with a low ceiling.
• The Roxy Theater: creates a 460-seat rock music venue.
• The Bottom Line: simulates a 300-seat jazz venue in New York.

 

[Geert]

Specific products by the likes of MiniDSP, Sonos, Dirac and Audyssey are proprietary. But what they do, not so much: They may perform quasi-anechoic measurements using unique "chirp" tones, but I expect that the actual corrections they apply are based on standard parametric filters

Dirac is more advanced than you believe. They use their own type of digital filters, not available anywhere else, and their algorithm also implements phase corrections. There are interviews online with more details. I'm on the road so currently I can't provide any references.