Product idea? All-in-one with DAC+HP Amp+ADC+Measurement Mic+Auto-Calibration/EQ+HP Stand

[VariousArtists]

This is probably overly simplistic and very hard to do properly, but would anyone be interested in an all-in-one with the following features? I thought it would be cool after seeing the miniDSP EARS and the Marquis (which scares me).

1. DAC
2. HP Amp
3. ADC
4. 2 measurement microphones in a fixture that looks like a head with 2 ears
5. EQ software that is either built-in or installed on a PC
6. A headphone stand that comes naturally because of (4)

Because it's the same device that both controls the input (and hence knows all the input levels/parameters) and can measure the HP outputs, the measurement process could be completely automated, which means that the calibration could also be completely automated.

I would totally understand that HP measurement is very fixture-dependent and could be unreliable for tuning to a target curve, but I am hoping that it could still be used as a starting point, and in the worst case, such a device could still be useful to fix simpler problems like overall channel imbalance with minimal effort, and it would be pretty cool and super convenient to have something like this for home use in a totally non-professional setting.

 

[_thelaughingman]

Feasible but also a moonshot of an idea. All of this would be past kilobuck territory for pricing, aside from the fact that the design would be challenging to accomodate all the separate pieces into a single chassis.

 

[VariousArtists]

Feasible but also a moonshot of an idea. All of this would be past kilobuck territory for pricing, aside from the fact that the design would be challenging to accomodate all the separate pieces into a single chassis.

Agreed that it will be a design challenge, with the software/firmware probably ending up costing more than the hardware considering the effort involved to integrate all the different parts.

As separates though, a set-up that does all 6 is surprisingly affordable (considering the price of some professional equipment):

(1)+(2): Topping DX3 Pro+, $199
(3)+(4)+(6): miniDSP EARS, $240
(5): https://www.roomeqwizard.com/, Equalizer APO + Peace, free for non-commercial use

All for less than $500, and maybe a few days/weeks of coding to glue everything together. Of course the measurements might not be very accurate but I think all the pieces of the puzzle are there.

 

[enricoclaudio]

If you are looking at the miniDSP EARS, then you should read this:

SoundStage! Solo | SoundStageSolo.com - Is the miniDSP EARS the Death of Headphone Measurement? Or its Savior?

Reviews of headphones, earphones, and headphone amplifiers

www.soundstagesolo.com

Basically, it works "OK" with over the ears headphones but not with IN/ON ears.