Integrating subwoofer, how did I do?

[arichman]

I spent a couple hours integrating my subwoofer (Monolith M12 v2) with my Genelec M040s using my new to me Minidsp Flex. There were 4 obvious peaks before PEQ, which required pretty big cuts, with gains of 5-9 dB, and Q 5-7. Should I allow for these big changes in adjusting my system volume downwards, and by how much? I'd appreciate any feedback on the effectiveness/thoroughness of the changes (I've attached before and after pictures of the system, and each component speaker separately. Finally, in looking at these graphs, my system looks perhaps rather too flat, is it fair to say I may have a bright room?

 

[arichman]

OK, to answer one of my questions myself, since I imposed only cuts (negative gain) in my PEQs I haven't reduced the system headroom with regard to my maximum system volume.

 

[Chrispy]

I spent a couple hours integrating my subwoofer (Monolith M12 v2) with my Genelec M040s using my new to me Minidsp Flex. There were 4 obvious peaks before PEQ, which required pretty big cuts, with gains of 5-9 dB, and Q 5-7. Should I allow for these big changes in adjusting my system volume downwards, and by how much? I'd appreciate any feedback on the effectiveness/thoroughness of the changes (I've attached before and after pictures of the system, and each component speaker separately. Finally, in looking at these graphs, my system looks perhaps rather too flat, is it fair to say I may have a bright room?

Not sure which is which response from the graph legend. Some simply prefer a bit of boost on the low end and a bit of a downward turn for high frequencies. Once you've got a good neutral response, experiment a bit.

 

[arichman]

Not sure which is which response from the graph legend. Some simply prefer a bit of boost on the low end and a bit of a downward turn for high frequencies. Once you've got a good neutral response, experiment a bit.

Yes, the legend is not very helpful, I haven't puzzled out the graphics in REW just yet. The red line is the system response in both the "before" and the "after". The subwoofer response line drops of course after about 80 hz, again in both graphs. The remaining two lines are the left and right speaker response curves.

 

[Chrispy]

Thanks. Does look very good. Now experiment, starting with perhaps a bit more low end and less top end. As to your room, is well furnished with carpeting or hardwood floors with lots of windows or ?

 

[Keith_W]

1. Please read Book 1 of the REW eBook on interpreting the frequency response.
2. Your graph is waaaaay to zoomed out.
3. Post the MDAT (you will need to zip it first) and make sure you properly label your graphs. "L+R Dec 24" isn't helpful. Call it something like "L+R no DSP" or "L+R post DSP".

 

[arichman]

Thanks. Does look very good. Now experiment, starting with perhaps a bit more low end and less top end. As to your room, is well furnished with carpeting or hardwood floors with lots of windows or ?

There is a lot of glass on one side, but there is an insulated honeycomb blind that fills that space. Wall hangings and floor rugs, but probably a pretty reflective room on the whole, and it is a bedroom not a dedicated listening space so I don't envision anything ambitious beyond trying to shape the response curve. Regarding that, I could apply a high shelf at one end and a low shelf at the other. Or I could more simply add some gain to the subwoofer to boost that end. Is there an argument for one approach the other? At the other end, the Genelecs I have were singled out in the review on this site as not showing enough of a slope in response with increasing frequency, so the flat response curve is at least in part a property of the speakers themselves. I think they do sound bright at high volume. Is a shelf filter the right way to handle this?

 

[Chrispy]

I'd just start by simply adding a bit of low end and taking off some of the top end, then varying amounts....it's probably somewhere in there IMO.

 

[arichman]

A little bonus for those of you who have read this far. My more problematic system is in my living room, which is all glass down one side. I have a Flex here too (BMR Towers, another Monolith M12 v2 subwoofer), and I've never been able to get a good result out of REW, due no doubt to its complexity and my inexperience. This time I cribbed the EQ settings provided by a Wiim Pro using its RoomFit software using a calibrated microphone, and manually entered them into MiniDSP Device Console, about 5 minutes work. The before and after plot shows the system performance with and without EQ, I'll let you decide which is which. The second plot shows the individual contributions of each component, subwoofer, left and right speaker by itself, along with the system performance, all after equalization. Ignore the legend, the subwoofer is obviously the hump on the left, the system in yellow, the remaining two are the left and right speakers. Finally, I've attached all the eq settings. I didn't have much in the way of expectations given the painlessness of this process, but I at least am hugely impressed by the result. I have been listening and remain impressed...