Integrating subwoofers with planar speakers

[dlaloum]

After years of messing around with subs, including all the fancy measurement and DSP tools, I have come to the opposite conclusion. Main / subs are inherently flawed in that you are making the customer be a speaker designer without the training, tools, known driver spacing, or known driver parameters, and most importantly hopeless time domain measurements due to the limits of LF measurements in a small room. Sure subs will usually sound better than no subs, but I find full range speakers, despite having a more uneven LF measured response, with some light handed DSP, to be preferred.

Dirac ART is bringing something new to the table...

I agree with your preference for full range speakers - but with ART and subs, the integration becomes easier, and previously impossible results become viable...

I plan on trying it myself soon.

I found that Dirac Live, with my full range speakers and a sub, has improved my midrange clarity and imaging, and based on feedback I expect that ART will improve things further.
Unlike with my "stats" I found that the sub integrated quite easily with my mains - but it is a Gallo sub with Gallo speakers - so perhaps already inherently matched?

 

[levimax]

Dirac ART is bringing something new to the table...

I agree with your preference for full range speakers - but with ART and subs, the integration becomes easier, and previously impossible results become viable...

I plan on trying it myself soon.

I found that Dirac Live, with my full range speakers and a sub, has improved my midrange clarity and imaging, and based on feedback I expect that ART will improve things further.
Unlike with my "stats" I found that the sub integrated quite easily with my mains - but it is a Gallo sub with Gallo speakers - so perhaps already inherently matched?

I have DIRAC DLBC and it has been hit or miss for me. I think part of the problem is I have some heavily DSP's subs and some very large DIY non DSP subs and the latency and radically different time domain responses could not be handled by DLBC so I went back to 2 co-located subs with light handed DIY DSP and am happy with the sound. As soon as ART is offered for PC's I will give it a try.

 

[dlaloum]

I have DIRAC DLBC and it has been hit or miss for me. I think part of the problem is I have some heavily DSP's subs and some very large DIY non DSP subs and the latency and radically different time domain responses could not be handled by DLBC so I went back to 2 co-located subs with light handed DIY DSP and am happy with the sound. As soon as ART is offered for PC's I will give it a try.

I would have loved to do a PC based setup and retire my AVR.... but after due research, I ended up deciding that the PC based setup, requiring 12 to 16 channels of DAC, as well as Atmos and DTS decoding software, rapidly became far more expensive that an AVR with all the software licensing and DSP built in. (was only truly viable by using professional audio workstation software and pro dac outputs to match)

So I have stuck with the AVR... and AVR based decoder/dsp.