I've always considered myself an early adopter, perhaps even an avant-gardist, when it comes to hi-fi technology. Over the course of the hi-fi journey, there have been paradigm shifts – the transition to CDs, later embracing streaming, and the shift from bulky floor-standing speakers to sleek active monitors, just to name a few.
In my experience, I've found success in keeping my signal paths straightforward. I've been hesitant to transform my regular home listening environment into an acoustic laboratory with heavy computer usage or reliance on proprietary DSP products. Call me old-fashioned, but I value the simplicity of my setup.
Are there others out there who, like me, choose to forgo room correction, measurement microphones, and other sophisticated tools in favor of a more straightforward audio experience? I'd love to hear about your approaches, experiences, and the reasoning behind your decision.
Is simplicity still a virtue in the ever-evolving landscape of audio technology?
I also enjoy simplicity. I’m not even a lover of software driven music playback, although I do stream on my network player I favour physical media. Much more straightforward in my opinion.
The reasons for this are I have no patience or tolerance for the occasions when software updates introduce either worse features or bugs. This has lead me to be hesitant to go down the route of implementing room measuring hardware and software and DSP.
I have seen on other audio groups various users of DIRAC complaining it doesn’t work with their pre amps subwoofer outputs, so only their main speakers are being EQed which seems like a major flaw to me. Perhaps some issues are a combination of various hardware and software combinations, but as I said I have no patience for such quirks.
I’ve read mixed opinions from people using room correction. For some there generally hasn’t really been an improved listening experience. However I do also know plenty have had good experiences with such implementation, but I just don’t feel inclined to mess about to find out what it does or doesn’t do.
Maybe I’m a luddite, but I just find the move to everything being computerised today a pain in the ass. To implement DSP I need a microphone to measure and a laptop with the software. My computer is a desktop based iMac upstairs there‘s no way of using it to measure and use the required software with my main system which is downstairs unless an iPad can be used to perform such measurements of the room I’m just not equipped.
Then I need to rig up some kind of DSP device with my system either though tape monitor loop or the pre out/main in of my integrated amplifier which requires yet another mains socket to be utilised, more shelf space and more cabling. It just doesn’t appeal.
I have taken care with set up in my living room which is where my main system resides. Careful speaker placement away from corners, a well integrated active subwoofer to take care of a null caused by the alcove where the door is.
My only ‘room treatments’ are heavy curtains, a blanket over the rear of the leather sofa at the listening position to reduce comb filtering, various canvases on the walls including the wall behind me, scattering of objects on the coffee table to reduce reflections, a rug on the hard floor, a packed IKEA Kalax full of CDs and LPs and that’s about it. It’s a living space not a recording studio, I think it can be too tempting to take things too far as an audiophile. I’m sure my speakers in room response could measure better than it does, but it’s not bad enough to subjectively sound unpleasant. Using headphones takes the room out of the equation and I use that as a reference for bass accuracy. I think I’ve got the speakers pretty well dialled in.
I will also add that I’ve used my system in a few houses over the years as I was renting for a long while before finally buying a place with my wife and I’m very well aware of how different rooms sound. The acoustic effects are massive, but I’ve currently got my audio system the best it‘s ever been and I’m the most satisfied I’ve ever been with it.