Need advice on floor speakers, budget around 1,500 $

[kaffe]

Heh heh, are you going to throw yourself down the EQ rabbit hole?

If you're good at data, why not Rapsberry Pie 4 with:

RPi4 + CamillaDSP Tutorial

Intent of this thread is to provide a tutorial for setting up CamillaDSP on a RPi4. There is a lot of good information scattered through ASR, DIYAudio and the CamillaDSP GitHub but there also appears to be a lot of apprehension. My goal is to give concrete examples of how to use CamillaDSP with...

audiosciencereview.com

Tip:

EQ Software for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS/iPadOS and Android.

Any suggestions are welcome. Post suggestions here. I will gather the details and add them. Thanks. :D This will be organized as results come in. @sweetchaos made a guide for PEQ filter data input and operation. For crossover software go here. Windows: AutoEQ four easy steps to make your...

audiosciencereview.com

Measuring microphone and REW (free software) are good to have. You must have a measuring microphone if it is to be good.
Having said that, I only have rudimentary knowledge of what I mentioned. Better to ask others more knowledgeable. Also, if I were you, I would check it out after purchasing the amp and speakers. But okay it might be good to check if potential speakers are EQ friendly. EQ itself may require a little extra power. Or rather, it might be good to have a little more power headroom then.

Maybe, maybe, depending on the hassle involved.
Is it a simple proces with a mic and the REW software?

Funny isn't it, when I first took an interest in hi-fi in the early 90s, I thought big amps and receivers with VU meters and large wood veneered speakers looked so dated and the trend was for sleeker, more minimalist designs. Now, ~30 years later, they've come back into fashion and I really like them. A few manufacturers now offer retro styled, modern components and I think they look great:

View attachment 337054

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The NAD looks awesome. Reminds me a bit of a JBL I saw recently.
Technics makes some pretty fine looking ones too, I think.

 

[Count Arthur]

Is it a simple proces with a mic and the REW software?

Taking the measurements is fairly straight forward and there are plenty of tutorials:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rew+measurement+guide

https://focusfidelity.com/REWInstructions.pdf

Once you've taken your measurements, how you implement the PEQ settings will vary, depending on your set-up.

I use JRiver, which allows you to add PEQ filters: https://www.jriver.com/ and there are Windows aps: https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/, but I'm not as clued up about Raspberry Pi, Linux, or Apple.

 

[ZolaIII]

Maybe, maybe, depending on the hassle involved.
Is it a simple proces with a mic and the REW software?


The NAD looks awesome. Reminds me a bit of a JBL I saw recently.
Technics makes some pretty fine looking ones too, I think.

Seting up REW and using the microphone that it supports is rather easy. Having a better understanding of it takes some time (understanding most if not all measurements). It calculates and export in friendly manner it's PEQ or FIR filters to what it suports or you simply do it on your own but it's more like riding a bike. Soon you discover you need to take control, do the room modes first (PEQ only them), then to start from bottom end and sub by sub and chenel by chenel and of course after you get either brave or bored you start playing around with different targets and such until you settle down for a long time. It still is most worthy upgrade you can do and interesting on long run.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

I started with REW and a umik1. Once I learnt about what I measured and became confident in measuring I became aware that I definitely had to do something about it. I bought a miniDSP 2x4 HD and started doing exports of EQ.
The sound vastly improved. Dirac Live then caught my interest and I bought that. It worked miracles. I can now never go back to a non-corrected system and Dirac Live is the most ground breaking investment I have done in HiFi. It focuses the sound, tightens the bass. Hard to describe, but it does something I could never do with REW and PEQ alone.

 

[ZolaIII]

I started with REW and a umik1. Once I learnt about what I measured and became confident in measuring I became aware that I definitely had to do something about it. I bought a miniDSP 2x4 HD and started doing exports of EQ.
The sound vastly improved. Dirac Live then caught my interest and I bought that. It worked miracles. I can now never go back to a non-corrected system and Dirac Live is the most ground breaking investment I have done in HiFi. It focuses the sound, tightens the bass. Hard to describe, but it does something I could never do with REW and PEQ alone.

You ain't done with REW, just took a temporary shortcut with Dirac. In my experience nothing gets it better then your own thinking and enough detication and no automated system will be able to corelate or think out of the box.

 

[Count Arthur]

I started with REW and a umik1. Once I learnt about what I measured and became confident in measuring I became aware that I definitely had to do something about it. I bought a miniDSP 2x4 HD and started doing exports of EQ.
The sound vastly improved. Dirac Live then caught my interest and I bought that. It worked miracles. I can now never go back to a non-corrected system and Dirac Live is the most ground breaking investment I have done in HiFi. It focuses the sound, tightens the bass. Hard to describe, but it does something I could never do with REW and PEQ alone.

I think it's worth pointing out that, how much of an improvement you get will depend on how good your speakers are, and how problematic your room acoustics are.

I changed speakers recently, and the new ones require fewer filters than the old ones. In addition, my room is fairly dead and I listen near-field, so while there is an improvement with EQ, it's not a disaster without it and, to me anyway, it still sounds pretty good.

 

[MKR]

REW + Roon + Qobuz + WiiM … Mach made in heaven for my use case

Note I use MacBook for the core, WiiM as endpoint, iPad as remote control (of the core)

 

[ZolaIII]

I think it's worth pointing out that, how much of an improvement you get will depend on how good your speakers are, and how problematic your room acoustics are.

I changed speakers recently, and the new ones require fewer filters than the old ones. In addition, my room is fairly dead and I listen near-field, so while there is an improvement with EQ, it's not a disaster without it and, to me anyway, it still sounds pretty good.

I am in small regular shaped room with fair bit of problems on it's own (mood at 43 Hz and ringing), listening on little more then 3 m and I achieved 36~37 dB in low bass RT60 decay times and pretty good clarity. Other than that same as you I am on JRiver using both EBU R128 on what I can and loudness. More tempting the space but still nothing crazy or without hope it gets more interesting. Crazy is many zones and hopeless would be equivalent when owner doesn't want to minimaly adjust environment.

 

[JustJones]

REW + Roon + Qobuz + WiiM … Mach made in heaven for my use case

Note I use MacBook for the core, WiiM as endpoint, iPad as remote control (of the core)

I see you decided to give Roon a try.

 

[Timcognito]

Adrendal 1961 Tower Speakers, $1200, Yamaha 301B Receiver, $350, SVS SB 1000 Pro Subwoofer, $600 = $2150 DONE. The SVS sub has power and DSP with phone app. DSP pays off most in the low frequencies where room modes create havoc.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

I think it's worth pointing out that, how much of an improvement you get will depend on how good your speakers are, and how problematic your room acoustics are.

I changed speakers recently, and the new ones require fewer filters than the old ones. In addition, my room is fairly dead and I listen near-field, so while there is an improvement with EQ, it's not a disaster without it and, to me anyway, it still sounds pretty good.

I will rephrase that to that it depends on; taste (some like reflections), room and speaker in-room response. That's not the same as how good the speakers or the room are.

 

[Count Arthur]

I will rephrase that to that it depends on; taste (some like reflections), room and speaker in-room response. That's not the same as how good the speakers or the room are.

What I meant was: in my case, it's a refinement rather than a transformation. It's the icing on the cake, rather than a different cake.

 

[DanielT]

Why EQ? Well a sensible FR is the most important thing for good sound. Most people are probably convinced of that.

Just to illustrate. I'll take Linton's. Enrin's measurements give this response:

Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary Speaker Review

Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

It looks good. BUT then I did a quick search here on ASR: "In room measurements". I took one of the many threads that exist about it. What does it look like in this person's listening room, which is 18 m2? I don't know what speakers he has but you don't see anyone else in that thread asking about it. It is people who have experience of measuring and fixing EQ who answer in the thread. They don't even bother to ask which speakers OP has, because that's not the problem:

Do untreated rooms look like this?

Hi, I am currently planning my studio, my room is 18 m2 and the setup is on the shorter wall. The room is reasonably symmetrical except for the windows, but there are none at the first reflection points or backwall. I made the first measurements in different positions and distances of the...

audiosciencereview.com

Then you might ask Kaffe, if it might not give more value for money to invest in fixing the FR in my listening room, with the stuff I have? The answer to that. Yes... maybe. Your Dali Blue 6006 may require a lot of EQ. For bass you might be able to do it but higher up in frequency, well my guess is that they are not EQ friendly there, but that's just my guess based on their design.So my maybe remains a maybe.
(i'd bought those Lintons and a used amp, but that's me )

His in room measurement above is not yours room but your room has its challenges, whatever they may be, but they are there.

Edit:

Order the miniDSP UMIK-1 Measurement Microphone

Buy the UMIK-1 online at SoundImports ✓ Same day shipping ✓ Low shipping rates

www.soundimports.eu

 

[MKR]

I see you decided to give Roon a try.

I did! Really liking it so far

 

[Deleted member 48726]

You ain't done with REW, just took a temporary shortcut with Dirac. In my experience nothing gets it better then your own thinking and enough detication and no automated system will be able to corelate or think out of the box.

Nah. Dirac does something to the sound I can't fully explain. Trust me. -I've laid down some serious hours in REW and rePhase. I can't match what Dirac does.

 

[StefanSweden]

@kaffe in april of 2023 I got my first hifi again in 20 years. Little later I bought my first subwoofer. Leading up to that buy I spent weeks, days and nights trying to figure out which one to buy. I even started a thread about it. With help from this forum I finaly bit the bullet.

It was such a relief as decision faituge was setting in hard.. almost to a point were I lost the interest for sound altogether.

Im Happy with it and plan to buy Umik to messure it when time and finance allow.

What I wanted to say is that if you have the means, buy with your heart. Its a lot of money spent but also knowledge gained. Now you have your new baseline.

 

[kaffe]

Thanks for all the advice, thoughts and inputs everyone. Much appreciated.
Going to look into the whole EQ business one I get a setup up and running.

As mentioned, I am pretty sure to go for the Lintons. If they turn out to be too much for my living room I can always return them.

While I have had some more time to digest I sort of went back to considering my starting point: it would be great to have hdmi arc to connect to the tv.
I think I have found a product which balances quality, power and connectivity quite well, the Leak Stereo 230. Apparently it has a SINAD rating sitting at 90. This I can get on sale for § 1,200. Looks like a pretty good value proposition to me.

 

[DanielT]

Thanks for all the advice, thoughts and inputs everyone. Much appreciated.
Going to look into the whole EQ business one I get a setup up and running.

As mentioned, I am pretty sure to go for the Lintons. If they turn out to be too much for my living room I can always return them.

While I have had some more time to digest I sort of went back to considering my starting point: it would be great to have hdmi arc to connect to the tv.
I think I have found a product which balances quality, power and connectivity quite well, the Leak Stereo 230. Apparently it has a SINAD rating sitting at 90. This I can get on sale for § 1,200. Looks like a pretty good value proposition to me.

It's a nice retro vintage combo.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Thanks for all the advice, thoughts and inputs everyone. Much appreciated.
Going to look into the whole EQ business one I get a setup up and running.

As mentioned, I am pretty sure to go for the Lintons. If they turn out to be too much for my living room I can always return them.

While I have had some more time to digest I sort of went back to considering my starting point: it would be great to have hdmi arc to connect to the tv.
I think I have found a product which balances quality, power and connectivity quite well, the Leak Stereo 230. Apparently it has a SINAD rating sitting at 90. This I can get on sale for § 1,200. Looks like a pretty good value proposition to me.

It's no Yamaha quality as it looks (inside).

For that kind of money I would have bought an AVR with room correction and have gotten much improved sound. I think 1200 usd for that Leak seems much too high.
But it looks nice on the outside..

 

[kaffe]

It's no Yamaha quality as it looks (inside).

For that kind of money I would have bought an AVR with room correction and have gotten much improved sound. I think 1200 usd for that Leak seems much too high.
But it looks nice on the outside..

I haven’t bought it yet.
Do you have any particular AVR in mind?