khaliss
Active Member
Hi all,
Just wanted to share something after being on this forum for a year now... I do appreciate the community, this forum has been helpful (to some degreee) on my journey with this little hobby. I'm in my early 50s, a techie (line of work)... since my teens, I've always been fascinated with stereo systems. I remember my first exposure to HiFi gear in the mid 80s, my uncle (who lived across the street) had a Technics multi-component audio system & I was just in awe!
Anyway, this is my current system (after several iterations) in the "listening room" (this is where I hide if my wife doesn't want my annoying presence in the main living room LOL). I began with a very simple setup over a year ago, and it has kinda grown over time:
This is a "hybrid" 2-in-1 setup (half of it is Stereo 2.2, the other part is a 6.3.4 Atmos for HomeTheater)... this post will just focus on the 2.2 stereo side of it =) The point of this post is to share what I have, in case there are others (particularly somewhere between a beginner & intermediate "level" to HiFi) who might find some useful info to help them with the hobby as well.
Signal Chain setup
I ended up with this somewhat budget-oriented build:
1. The Baseline (Red Line): Running the ESLs without subwoofers showed the characteristic dip in the lower octaves and several room-induced peaks between 40Hz and 200Hz. While the "magic" of the panels was there, the weight was missing
2. The 7-Band Phase (Blue Line): Integrating the dual Klipsch subs and using the DoukAudio T8pro 7-band EQ provided an immediate lift in the low end. However, as the graphs show, this was a blunt instrument. It filled the "holes" but left significant "ringing" and unevenness in the transition zone
3. The Final PEQ Optimization (Green Line):This is where I think the utility of a PC shines (with REW). By utilizing Parametric EQ (PEQ) via REW & EQ-APO utility, and also plugging the ports on both the ESLs & subwoofers to change the roll-off characteristics, I was able to obtain a much tighter, more linear response.
A.I.'s take:
* Low-End range: The sub/low bass range is much more stable compared to the raw response
* The Transition Zone: The "mud" around the 200Hz crossover point was cleaned up, allowing the ESLs to breathe without being overshadowed by the subs
* High-Frequency: Note the roll-off correction at the very top end (10kHz+), which helps tame any potential "shimmer" into a more natural, fatigue-free presentation
** it's a small listening room, like the size of your typical master bedroom (320+ sqft)
*** the room is not acoustically treated (with laminate flooring), it just has a lot of "stuff" in there (exercise bike, SIM racing setup, etc) LOL
============================================
1.) Sony 4K UHD bluray player (no longer the Samsung BD player on the diagram)
2.) also have an AppleTV 4K streamer (connected via 1 Gbps ethernet)
The Musmys C2860+ preamp acts mainly as an audio source switcher (between the AVR & the T8pro) & precise channel balancer (left vs right signal level). Because of the way my listening room is laid out (& how cluttered it is), my right channel is actually almost 1db louder than my left channel from my sweet spot, at least that's what REW's SPL meter says. Also the C2860's volume is set at around 30% permanently, which serves as the "unity" volume for both the AVR & T8pro. When I calibrate the volume level for the front left & right channels (from the AVR), it's set at 0db... so this effectively means when I'm increasing or decreasing the volume on my AVR (because who doesn't love to use the remote control for everything? lol) & the Marantz display says it's at 60db, then it's actually at 60db... hope that makes sense.
This also relates to the T8pro's gain level (which sets a "hard" limit) for the PC. My Topping E70 is set to "pure DAC", which means it's at 0dB Fixed/Line Out mode... letting it send the strongest/cleanest signal possible. When I'm watching a Tiny Desk concert on youtube or listening to Tidal (or any 2-channel stereo content), I use my PC audio chain... it just has a warmer & holographic sound, with some "analog" flavor to it (maybe due to the T8pro's tubes?) compared to when playing from the AVR in "pure direct" mode. I use my wireless Logitech keyboard/trackpad for full control of the PC (like a remote lol), it has dedicated buttons to control volume, etc. I adjust the T8pro gain knob so that I'm within 90-100% volume from my PC when listening at normal levels, if I want to raise the "cap" of the PC's volume, I do that from the T8pro. =)
Just wanted to share something after being on this forum for a year now... I do appreciate the community, this forum has been helpful (to some degreee) on my journey with this little hobby. I'm in my early 50s, a techie (line of work)... since my teens, I've always been fascinated with stereo systems. I remember my first exposure to HiFi gear in the mid 80s, my uncle (who lived across the street) had a Technics multi-component audio system & I was just in awe!
Anyway, this is my current system (after several iterations) in the "listening room" (this is where I hide if my wife doesn't want my annoying presence in the main living room LOL). I began with a very simple setup over a year ago, and it has kinda grown over time:
This is a "hybrid" 2-in-1 setup (half of it is Stereo 2.2, the other part is a 6.3.4 Atmos for HomeTheater)... this post will just focus on the 2.2 stereo side of it =) The point of this post is to share what I have, in case there are others (particularly somewhere between a beginner & intermediate "level" to HiFi) who might find some useful info to help them with the hobby as well.
Signal Chain setup
I ended up with this somewhat budget-oriented build:
- Source: PC (it really is a versatile streamer/audio player with REW+PEQ PnP utility)
- DAC: Topping E70 Velvet
- EQ+tube pre: Douk Audio T8 Pro EQ
- Preamp (& Source switcher): Musmys C2860+
- Amplifier: Musmys E-406 (class A/B: 320/180 watts)
- Transducers: Martin Logan ESLs paired with dual Klipsch R-12SW subwoofers
In-room response graphs: (screenshots below)
Measurements for the Left and Right channels tell a story (I had AI run an analysis of the graphs):1. The Baseline (Red Line): Running the ESLs without subwoofers showed the characteristic dip in the lower octaves and several room-induced peaks between 40Hz and 200Hz. While the "magic" of the panels was there, the weight was missing
2. The 7-Band Phase (Blue Line): Integrating the dual Klipsch subs and using the DoukAudio T8pro 7-band EQ provided an immediate lift in the low end. However, as the graphs show, this was a blunt instrument. It filled the "holes" but left significant "ringing" and unevenness in the transition zone
3. The Final PEQ Optimization (Green Line):This is where I think the utility of a PC shines (with REW). By utilizing Parametric EQ (PEQ) via REW & EQ-APO utility, and also plugging the ports on both the ESLs & subwoofers to change the roll-off characteristics, I was able to obtain a much tighter, more linear response.
A.I.'s take:
* Low-End range: The sub/low bass range is much more stable compared to the raw response
* The Transition Zone: The "mud" around the 200Hz crossover point was cleaned up, allowing the ESLs to breathe without being overshadowed by the subs
* High-Frequency: Note the roll-off correction at the very top end (10kHz+), which helps tame any potential "shimmer" into a more natural, fatigue-free presentation
NOTES:
* I just use old clothing to "plug" the ports on my speakers & subs** it's a small listening room, like the size of your typical master bedroom (320+ sqft)
*** the room is not acoustically treated (with laminate flooring), it just has a lot of "stuff" in there (exercise bike, SIM racing setup, etc) LOL
============================================
HomeTheater 6.3.4 Atmos:
I should also include information about the other half of this setup, so it paints the whole picture on why I built the Stereo 2.2 side in an "unconventional" way. Again, this is a "hybrid" setup... I use this side when watching movies & shows, any content that has Dolby/DTS surround sound or Atmos mix, my sources are:1.) Sony 4K UHD bluray player (no longer the Samsung BD player on the diagram)
2.) also have an AppleTV 4K streamer (connected via 1 Gbps ethernet)
The Musmys C2860+ preamp acts mainly as an audio source switcher (between the AVR & the T8pro) & precise channel balancer (left vs right signal level). Because of the way my listening room is laid out (& how cluttered it is), my right channel is actually almost 1db louder than my left channel from my sweet spot, at least that's what REW's SPL meter says. Also the C2860's volume is set at around 30% permanently, which serves as the "unity" volume for both the AVR & T8pro. When I calibrate the volume level for the front left & right channels (from the AVR), it's set at 0db... so this effectively means when I'm increasing or decreasing the volume on my AVR (because who doesn't love to use the remote control for everything? lol) & the Marantz display says it's at 60db, then it's actually at 60db... hope that makes sense.
This also relates to the T8pro's gain level (which sets a "hard" limit) for the PC. My Topping E70 is set to "pure DAC", which means it's at 0dB Fixed/Line Out mode... letting it send the strongest/cleanest signal possible. When I'm watching a Tiny Desk concert on youtube or listening to Tidal (or any 2-channel stereo content), I use my PC audio chain... it just has a warmer & holographic sound, with some "analog" flavor to it (maybe due to the T8pro's tubes?) compared to when playing from the AVR in "pure direct" mode. I use my wireless Logitech keyboard/trackpad for full control of the PC (like a remote lol), it has dedicated buttons to control volume, etc. I adjust the T8pro gain knob so that I'm within 90-100% volume from my PC when listening at normal levels, if I want to raise the "cap" of the PC's volume, I do that from the T8pro. =)
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