How do my old ARC measurements look?

[ripmixburn]

I set both of my subs to 50% and used the calibrated mic that came with my (now ancient) Anthem MRX 300 and ran ARC on an old PC laptop. My attic has a low vaulted ceiling and there is a 100-200hz null in the sweet spot. Anything else noteworthy? I'm far from an expert but not sure room correction and treatments can help such a bad room.

 

[Curvature]

Take REW measurements.

The green line is just a guess so it's hard to say what your actual system response is like.

 

[ripmixburn]

Take REW measurements.

The green line is just a guess so it's hard to say what your actual system response is like.

I have tried REW using this mic, although REW is prone to operator error (when this operator is using it) so my measurements are not to be trusted 100%.

1. I'm using a Mac, so I never know what input level to set the microphone at in Sound Preferences. I just pick halfway.
2. I can hear the sub running even though I've set it to run only left or right speaker.
3. I calibrated it to 75db using an analog SPL, but did I really?
4. I smoothed the response to 1/6 which appears to match ARC results.
5. Did I turn off the previous ARC calibration when I did this? I think so…

 

[Curvature]

I have tried REW using this mic, although REW is prone to operator error (when this operator is using it) so my measurements are not to be trusted 100%.

1. I'm using a Mac, so I never know what input level to set the microphone at in Sound Preferences. I just pick halfway.
2. I can hear the sub running even though I've set it to run only left or right speaker.
3. I calibrated it to 75db using an analog SPL, but did I really?
4. I smoothed the response to 1/6 which appears to match ARC results.
5. Did I turn off the previous ARC calibration when I did this? I think so

1, 3 and 4 are fine and you can ignore.

5 should be ok.

2 is the way your AVR is setup. Quite a nice dip at the crossover frequency around 85Hz.

I would ignore everything above 5kHz as likely to be a signature of the mic and question some of what's happening in the bass as part of that. I assume it did not come with a calibration file so that it could be used with third party software.

Can you post the ETC graph?

Bottom line: are you happy with your sound? If not, time to invest in an UMIK-1 and new AVR, and possibly new speakers.

If you are unsure, try to borrow the best speakers you can and try them in your room. They are the main determining factor, not the room.

 

[ripmixburn]

It sounds good but a little lean and hard to get a great image from only 8 feet away from speakers. Probably due to the low sloped ceiling, the bass sounds like you are standing in the corner whenever you move around. The difference when seated is dramatic. I posted some photos and even a 3D rendering of the room (which has since gotten more treatment) https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...aulted-ceiling-room.26990/page-5#post-1046481

 

[Curvature]

I think if you had a way to do manual PEQ you'd be a lot more happy.

 

[ripmixburn]

1, 3 and 4 are fine and you can ignore.

5 should be ok.

2 is the way your AVR is setup. Quite a nice dip at the crossover frequency around 85Hz.

Thank you!

I would ignore everything above 5kHz as likely to be a signature of the mic and question some of what's happening in the bass as part of that. I assume it did not come with a calibration file so that it could be used with third party software.

I definitely confirmed that the two Anthem mics I have are similar below 5khz and wildly different above it. The older Anthem receiver I have does not

Can you post the ETC graph?

Sorry for the delay, just opened REW again. Like this? I did not not change defaults.

Left, Right, LFE, Center, Back (side) left, Back (side) right) respectively

Bottom line: are you happy with your sound? If not, time to invest in an UMIK-1 and new AVR, and possibly new speakers.

If you are unsure, try to borrow the best speakers you can and try them in your room. They are the main determining factor, not the room.

I find the sound a bit lean, and am worried I'll discover this room is just cursed (my seating position cannot really be changed).

I also do live in the city and have attached neighbours. I don't want to turn the building into a bass radiator because my subwoofers are cranked to compensate for a null in my seating location.

 

[Curvature]

You won't get the full experience of your current speakers if you don't have a way to measure and EQ reliably.

The ETC results within 100ms are the most important. It's hard to interpret without being able to zoom in.

Get some proper LF absorbers for the slanted walls to reduce the SBIR. You can see you're getting some high level reflections in mains/surrounds coming soon after the direct sound.

 

[ripmixburn]

You won't get the full experience of your current speakers if you don't have a way to measure and EQ reliably.

The ETC results within 100ms are the most important. It's hard to interpret without being able to zoom in.

Get some proper LF absorbers for the slanted walls to reduce the SBIR. You can see you're getting some high level reflections in mains/surrounds coming soon after the direct sound.

Attached is my data. The first six measurements are most usable. There is one where I put the mic close to the ceiling as I noticed more bass. Would love any and all thoughts! Mainly I want to know if my room is worth further investment. I have no diffusion but 48 sqft of 2 and 3 inch thick panels and several pieces of furniture and foam.

 

[ripmixburn]

Hmmm… well I'm not sure if an admin approves, or this forum dicards zipped attachments by default, but I don't see the attachment. This makes sense as you can't just let people upload any file type, just surprised it appeared to upload without error. Message me and I suppose I can email it?

 

[Curvature]

I think you can zip the file and it will be ok to attach then.

If your panels are porous (foam, fibreglass) they will be useless at the frequencies of interest below 200Hz.

Right now you are operating with partial knowledge. IMO it's important to change that. Getting a reliable microphone and gear that supports EQ will allow you to test how good your system can get. Perhaps that will mean nothing will improve given that SBIR dominates, although I would bet there's a good chance you can change some things for the better, particularly sub placement and integration. Even if not you can at least educate yourself and answer the question. That's worth money to me.

What gear to get? I don't know. Maybe an AVR with DIRAC. Personally I like professional systems like Genelec's with auto and manual controls for EQ. I run two channel and I've never had the space at home for a multichannel setup.

 

[Curvature]

If your panels are porous (foam, fibreglass) they will be useless at the frequencies of interest below 200Hz.

I list some worthwhile products here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/quest-for-real-bass-traps.37170/

And describe my approach here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...for-real-bass-traps.37170/page-2#post-1309122

 

[ripmixburn]

I think you can zip the file and it will be ok to attach then.

15MB is too big apparently. This link should work, based on the now-defunct Firefox Send website. https://send.vis.ee/download/963e0950f0c86cb1/#J6fgqHgXLdWr3jtj1e8MIA