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Using REW roomsim with planar/dipole speakers

klettermann

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Joined
Mar 2, 2022
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Rocky Mountains
REW is slowly revealing its secrets to me as I try to get things positioned as best I'm able. I'm a bit stumped, however, on getting the best out of the room simulator. Speakers are Magneplanar MGIIIa's (antiques, but for this purpose consider to be the same as the current 3.7 series). These like to at least 3ft out from the front wall and at least 10in off the side wall. I'm free to go 4 or 5ft from the front and maybe 18" off the side walls. There's a largish equipment shelf between and behind them (please see pic), so this defines my speaker placement sandbox. There's also a large soffit and odd column about 8ft from the front wall (also visible in pic once you look for it). Room is L22ft x W12.2ft x H7ft, double sheetrock etc.

Back to REW. I feel like I'm drowning under too many interacting variables. For example, optimizing speakers for a given MLP becomes immediately deoptimized if MLP is changed. And vice-versa. Introducing subwoofers changes everything again. I've taken the general approach of (1) optimizing MLP and speakers with no subs and then (2) introducing subs one at a time. That is, use one solve the biggest problem, which creates other problems elsewhere. Then use 2nd sub to try and solve the new problem(s).

In principle it seems like REW RoomSim should be perfect for modeling all this. Yet I suspect that it isn't dealing with the dipoles and/or the soffit very well. So what's the best systematic way to do this? To be clear, I'm not asking about the specific room acoustics, rather how to sequence through the [process.... [placement]=>[analyse]=>[move something]=>[analyse again]=>[ad infinitum]. Or maybe the question should be, how do you know when it's as good as it's going to get? It's all fun and interesting but I'm slowly burning out on it. Any comments would be very welcome. Thanks in advance and cheers,

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