New sub from Ik Multimedia

[RobL]

Sheesh! That sounds cr*p. I'm not sure where you are but here in the UK internet purchases are subject to distance selling regulations which gives you an automatic 14 day right of return.

Presumably a return isn't your priority tho' - you just want it to WORK!

Sorry, “All sales are final” wasn’t on the website, it was on my emailed receipt. If I had seen that before ordering I probably would have passed on this thing. Oh well, definitely something to think on for anyone else considering buying directly from their website!

 

[EAXAE]

I’m going to try and scare up a MAC and try to reset it with the ios software version, apparently some had success doing that.

Any luck with that? I've seen similar happy(ish) stories with people trying different setups updating bricked iLouds in DFU mode.

 

[RobL]

Any luck with that? I've seen similar happy(ish) stories with people trying different setups updating bricked iLouds in DFU mode.

I haven’t been able to borrow one yet but IK Customer Support emailed me this afternoon and are reviewing the support logs from my PC to try and figure out what’s going on. Here’s hoping

 

[slashvanyoung]

Fingers crossed here… I did it on a Mac to begin with, maybe that’s why I got lucky. For a company that got its start through software products they are surprisingly bad at software (and documentation). TONEX users know what I mean…

Apparently this thing supports auto standby, which is very welcome because I don’t want to crawl under my desk every time to turn it off. But other than one single mention of this function in the manual, I wouldn’t know when it’s engaged etc. I GUESS the blinking LED signals standby mode, but I wouldn’t know. Seeing a pulsing LED all the time is also a bit irritating…

But I remain extremely pleased with the audible results, so for me, this thing definitely stays. (And I’m glad I bought it through a retailer, after hearing that story.)

 

[caught gesture]

Sorry, “All sales are final” wasn’t on the website, it was on my emailed receipt. If I had seen that before ordering I probably would have passed on this thing. Oh well, definitely something to think on for anyone else considering buying directly from their website!
View attachment 501540

Despite the strict language, an “all sales are final” policy does not nullify fundamental consumer protection laws that exist in most jurisdictions. These laws establish a baseline level of quality and safety that all commercial goods must meet, regardless of the retailer’s stated return policy. A seller cannot use this policy to shield themselves from legal liability for inherently flawed goods.

The policy is overridden if the product is found to be defective or unsafe in a way that renders it unfit for its ordinary purpose. The product must still conform to the basic expectation of merchantability, which is a legally implied standard.

 

[RobL]

Got it working with IK CS’s help, everything’s working great. I read some unflattering things online but I can’t fault them at all. They contacted me on the weekend and we solved it today. It seems that after a failed firmware update, the sub still requires a power cycle with the crossover button held at least 10 seconds even if the sub shows it’s in DFU mode (blue logo).
Anyway, sounds very good even uncalibrated. I’m a little shocked how loud it will play given its tiny size. I had a 3000 Micro and I think this has more output. I sold the Micro so unfortunately I can’t directly compare them. I’ll play with everything for bit and measure with REW to see how accurate ARC X’s predicted “corrected” curve is.
Anyway, much happier camper now, haha

 

[RobL]

I'm looking at one of these for my PC - where I currently have iLoud Monitors. They are just for quality PC sound and some gaming, I'd like to add better bass.

What I am not clear on is where the calibration (once done) 'lives'? Unlike my Genelecs, it does not seem that the calibration is stored in the sub itself, but resides in an audio plug-in that sits somewhere in your monitoring pipeline. I'm unclear how durable/robust this will be - and if will be straightforward with Windows.

The Genelec 'way' seems much better/simpler, but maybe I'm not understanding properly.

I too want a white one though!

Something to consider if you’re buying one of these subs…calibration requires a usb audio interface with phantom power. ARC X no longer uses the X Monitor method of calibration through the audio input on the device, the mic is connected to the input on the audio interface now. Just an fyi.

 

[Jimshoe]

Something to consider if you’re buying one of these subs…calibration requires a usb audio interface with phantom power. ARC X no longer uses the X Monitor method of calibration through the audio input on the device, the mic is connected to the input on the audio interface now. Just an fyi.

That's interesting - I have an interface somewhere. Great you got it working at last

 

[ed3lva]

Something to consider if you’re buying one of these subs…calibration requires a usb audio interface with phantom power. ARC X no longer uses the X Monitor method of calibration through the audio input on the device, the mic is connected to the input on the audio interface now. Just an fyi.

I was wondering if this would work for my desktop setup.
Currently have the Adam Audio D3V going thru a SMSL C200 DAC via USB to a windows 11 PC.

 

[RobL]

I was wondering if this would work for my desktop setup.
Currently have the Adam Audio D3V going thru a SMSL C200 DAC via USB to a windows 11 PC.

I’m using it with a pair of iLoud micro pro’s and I love it. You will still need an interface to do the initial calibration though. Once calibrated the sub stores the filters etc. and you don’t need the interface or to have ARC X running to use it.

 

[ed3lva]

I’m using it with a pair of iLoud micro pro’s and I love it. You will still need an interface to do the initial calibration though. Once calibrated the sub stores the filters etc. and you don’t need the interface or to have ARC X running to use it.

Thank you Rob for the reply. One more thing, can you recommend a USB interface to accomplish the calibration?
Thanks.

 

[RobL]

Thank you Rob for the reply. One more thing, can you recommend a USB interface to accomplish the calibration?
Thanks.

I think any usb interface would be fine. I have an ART USBii that worked fine for calibration. You could also probably rent one from your local shop if you didn’t want to have to purchase one. Once calibrated, they should be good unless you change something’s position. After you calibrate you can play with the curve to get the sound that appeals to you. There’s a high and low shelf you can change and some filters you can manipulate if you need to. You can even alter the crossover if you like. I have a Umik mic as well so was able able to check the predicted curve with REW vs what I actually achieved and I played with ARC X to optimize the result. I ended up with this curve at the mlp (mmm from REW, both channels) which I am quite pleased with. In comparison to my old Genelec 8361A’s + GLM, this setup sounds shockingly similar. The imaging is scary good.

 

[ed3lva]

Great. Thank you @RobL for the info. Very helpful.

 

[90sNintendoKid]

May I please ask if anyone knows if a custom target curve can be used? I’m thinking of buying this if I can import my target curve as a file.

 

[RobL]

May I please ask if anyone knows if a custom target curve can be used? I’m thinking of buying this if I can import my target curve as a file.

There’s no way to import a target curve that I’m aware of. There are 8 factory curves installed in ARC X, and all are customizable so you also have 8 “custom” curves available if you wish I guess.

 

[slashvanyoung]

Some additional thoughts after running the sub for a few weeks now:

• It has raised my noise floor considerably and introduced some high frequency interference, even with using all balanced connections (XLR). As I was running my Adams on full blast (a habit dating back to having an interface with weak line outputs), this had become quite annoying. My remedy: I turned the monitors back down to 0 dB and subtracted that amount of gain from the sub... now I'm back to "normal" amounts of close up Tweeter hiss (and still have enough volume headroom thanks to the adjustable output level of my Babyface).
• So there is only one thing left, that annoys the shit out of me: The constantly blinking LEDs in the back and front, when this thing is on standby. How would anybody ever think that this is a good idea? It's a sub... it lives under my desk... no, I don't want to constantly crawl on the floor to turn this thing on and off (especially since there is no signal pass through when it's turned off). So I'm thinking about putting tape over these lights.. this shit triggers me.

BUT... having a perfectly integrated sub in an all around calibrated environment is still so absolutely worth having to deal with these annoyances.

 

[waofner]

black sticky tape-

 

[Bucking]

What would be the cheapest (good) USB Interface for the microphone, since it does require one right?

 

[slashvanyoung]

What would be the cheapest (good) USB Interface for the microphone, since it does require one right?

Just for the measurements? About anything with phantom power will be sufficient... the Behringer UMC line starts around 30 bucks and will do the trick. The most popular cheap interface is probably the Focusrite Scarlett. The current versions are also completely fine.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

That won't fly within the EU unless it's something above and beyond the statutory warranty.

I was just about to write what you wrote.

Truly odd warranty conditions. Why not add that it only applies if the customer has a permanent address on Enceladus, otherwise good luck and have a nice day.