What are pro and cons about the EQ method showed in this video?

[Marcus Aseth]

Hello people, low level monkey here! - I'm trying and failing to listen to music properly since forever.
But I have a specific question today - I'm clearly not smart enough to understand almost everything happening in the video below, so I need to ask you guys that can understand it, what are the tradeoffs of EQing like in the video below, Pros and Cons:

So my impressions on it:
I would be inclined to follow along that video because "Obsessive Compulsive Audiophile" sounds extremely knowledgeable, on the other hand if that workflow was the holy grail of EQing, I don't understand why the video has only 300 likes and why REW wouldn't have a simple button that does all or most of that without 50 minutes of manual tinkering required.
Not to mention is so many steps, I suspect a noob like me is prone to mess up a very tiny detail somewhere during the process ending up with mediocre results and not even realizing it.

Bonus Question:
My setup is a PC, connected to it an interface Behringer UMC22 to control volume, connected to it SVS SB1000 PRO and connected to it a pair of Kali LP6 v2. Also I have a miniDSP mic.
Given this, there is any recommended tool/hardware for me to automatically calibrate/equalize this setup, or my best bet is still loading a curve into REW, have it make some filters and load them on Equalizer APO as I've been doing up to now?
I'm asking because I'm never truly satisfied with how it sounds, even though I don't understand enough to even begin to understand my problem...

 

[Apesbrain]

Yes, there are automated tools such as you'll find built into many AVRs and miniDSP/Dirac. You can accomplish pretty much the same result manually using REW. My advice is to limit your EQ range to below 200 Hz; that's where the most objectionable room modes lie.

Help with EQ in REW

Hi folks, I have a pair of Focal Alpha 65 Studio monitors that I recently purchased and am trying to set up a flatter response with Equalizer APO. I took a couple of measurements with my Behringer ECM8000 measuring microphone and am surprised at the extremely un-flat response and have a couple...

www.avnirvana.com

 

[Marcus Aseth]

Yes, there are automated tools such as you'll find built into many AVRs and miniDSP/Dirac. You can accomplish pretty much the same result manually using REW. My advice is to limit your EQ range to below 200 Hz; that's where the most objectionable room modes lie.

Help with EQ in REW

Hi folks, I have a pair of Focal Alpha 65 Studio monitors that I recently purchased and am trying to set up a flatter response with Equalizer APO. I took a couple of measurements with my Behringer ECM8000 measuring microphone and am surprised at the extremely un-flat response and have a couple...

www.avnirvana.com

Thanks for the tip!
On the topic of my current EQ, EQ below 200Hz happens to be what I currently had setup, this is how it looks (blue line is without EQ, brown is EQ'd) 1/48 smoothing:

Zoomed on the lower region:

Applied filters:

Distortion before EQ:

RT60 before EQ:

I don't know exactly why I'm never happy with it though. Do you guys see problems in those graphs?
my doubts:
1) is the distortion the problem? To rule it out, I've ordered today the "SVS SoundPath Subwoofer Isolation System" (those massive feets for the SVS subwoofers) hoping it will make it better.
2) see those dips at 650Hz and 6k ? Am I supposed to use two gain filters there, like +6dB or something? Or should I leave them be?
3) should I instead buy stand to move the speaker behind my desk (currently are on top of it) and hope somehow it will make their response flatter?
4) could it be I'm equalizing to the wrong house curve? The thing is, I've tried the Harman curve before and I don't like it, the bass there feel too strong, like a punch in the face. But this flat curve feels too weak on the bass...

Hope you don't mind the fact I went a bit off-topic compared to the original title of this topic, but the end goal for me is also eventually to be satisfied at how my system sounds.

 

[bluefuzz]

I don't understand why the video has only 300 likes and why REW wouldn't have a simple button that does all or most of that without 50 minutes of manual tinkering required.

Why don't you ask him yourself? @OCA is a member here ...

 

[kemmler3D]

Hello people, low level monkey here! - I'm trying and failing to listen to music properly since forever.
But I have a specific question today - I'm clearly not smart enough to understand almost everything happening in the video below, so I need to ask you guys that can understand it, what are the tradeoffs of EQing like in the video below, Pros and Cons:

So my impressions on it:
I would be inclined to follow along that video because "Obsessive Compulsive Audiophile" sounds extremely knowledgeable, on the other hand if that workflow was the holy grail of EQing, I don't understand why the video has only 300 likes and why REW wouldn't have a simple button that does all or most of that without 50 minutes of manual tinkering required.
Not to mention is so many steps, I suspect a noob like me is prone to mess up a very tiny detail somewhere during the process ending up with mediocre results and not even realizing it.

Bonus Question:
My setup is a PC, connected to it an interface Behringer UMC22 to control volume, connected to it SVS SB1000 PRO and connected to it a pair of Kali LP6 v2. Also I have a miniDSP mic.
Given this, there is any recommended tool/hardware for me to automatically calibrate/equalize this setup, or my best bet is still loading a curve into REW, have it make some filters and load them on Equalizer APO as I've been doing up to now?
I'm asking because I'm never truly satisfied with how it sounds, even though I don't understand enough to even begin to understand my problem...

I didn't go through the entire video but I think it looks conceptually sound at a glance. However, I think the 80/20 rule applies, in that you probably get 80% of the benefit just from doing standard EQ with REW / EQAPO. I could be wrong, though. The virtual bass array thing is interesting... I thought you needed at least 4 subs to even begin doing that?

 

[Chromatischism]

So my impressions on it:
I would be inclined to follow along that video because "Obsessive Compulsive Audiophile" sounds extremely knowledgeable, on the other hand if that workflow was the holy grail of EQing, I don't understand why the video has only 300 likes and why REW wouldn't have a simple button that does all or most of that without 50 minutes of manual tinkering required.

Ask and you shall receive:

 

[Marcus Aseth]

Ask and you shall receive:

yes, that's exactly what I would like to be able to do, unfortunately I don't think I can apply that to my current setup - must have got lost in all the replies, but this is what I'm working with:
PC ---> interface Behringer UMC22 ---> SVS SB1000 pro ---> Kali lp6 v2 (I also have a miniDSP mic)

 

[dasdoing]

@OCA

 

[OCA]

yes, that's exactly what I would like to be able to do, unfortunately I don't think I can apply that to my current setup - must have got lost in all the replies, but this is what I'm working with:
PC ---> interface Behringer UMC22 ---> SVS SB1000 pro ---> Kali lp6 v2 (I also have a miniDSP mic)

Install Equalizer APO and use this method to create your filters:

You may want to slow it down as it was hard to fit it in under 60 seconds (YT rule for shorts).

 

[Marcus Aseth]

Install Equalizer APO and use this method to create your filters:

You may want to slow it down as it was hard to fit it in under 60 seconds (YT rule for shorts).

Thank you, I can try =)
What would be the end result of doing this though? A flat response?
I suspect I don't like a flat response much, after recent experiments ^_^'

Edit: I was about to begin but I can't actually follow through, the video says to begin by measuring the left & right speaker, but I also have a subwoofer in the mix so I don't presume to know how to properly do this without messing something up, since the video doesn't cover that and I have no idea what I'm doing

 

[Marcus Aseth]

If someone can provide a step by step explanation of how to make that video above work with the inclusion of a subwoofer in this (step-by-step at the level my grandma could follow it I mean, since I don't understand most of this and there is too much room for my to screw up :\ ) I'm still up for trying, after all I'm receiving the "SVS SoundPath Subwoofer Isolation System" in few days so I'll need to re-EQ anyway =)

Although I'll be honest with you guys, I know this is a nice community and people is ready to help each other, so the fact noone pointed out how to implement the sub in that EQ'ing workflow after my last reply kind of reinforces the suspicions I had on the first question on this topic ( which by the way went unanswered! ) which was that the workflow might be too new/complex and poorly understood by people to comment on it. This coupled with the fact I've observed in other fields that rarely there is a perfect WIN solution and it (almost) always turn out to be a serie of tradeoffs. A simple example with PC monitors panels would be that if you want that nice contrast 4000:1 and competitive gaming response times, you buy a VA panel and if you want accurate colors and color coverage you buy an IPS with a laughable contrast of 1000:1 (black appear gray), the one used by professional artists not even reaching above 60Hz so not even suited to game properly on them, and then appear OLED with awesome colors and infinite contrast which one would think it's just the win-win solution, except they are very expensive compare to the other two type and have the "burn-in" problem, so a terrible investment.

It's always a serie of tradeoffs, so I'm really curious to know what the tradeoffs of this method are compared to regular EQ =)

 

[Chromatischism]

Although I'll be honest with you guys, I know this is a nice community and people is ready to help each other, so the fact noone pointed out how to implement the sub in that EQ'ing workflow after my last reply kind of reinforces the suspicions I had on the first question on this topic ( which by the way went unanswered! ) which was that the workflow might be too new/complex and poorly understood by people to comment on it.

It might be because your setup is unconventional. How are you connecting your sub with this? https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UMC22--behringer-u-phoria-umc22-usb-audio-interface

 

[Marcus Aseth]

It might be because your setup is unconventional. How are you connecting your sub with this? https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UMC22--behringer-u-phoria-umc22-usb-audio-interface

Hadn't considered that, I thought my setup was pretty standard so far (in fact is the only setup I can put together), but never seen what others use, so...

Back image for reference.
The USB gets the audio from the PC, the two outputs Left and Right go to the Subwoofer L/R Inputs using "TRS to RCA balanced cables", and then the L/R subwoofer outputs go to the 2 speakers using "RCA to TRS balanced cables" again.
The subwoofer has a Low Pass Filter (set through the SVS app) at 60Hz 24db slope (crossover recommended from SVS for use with my speakers)

 

[Chromatischism]

If the sub's amp is filtering the signal and your speakers are receiving a filtered signal, the sub and speakers are acting as one. Ensure the sub is as close to the center point between the speakers as you can get it and do your measurements as-is, including the sub. You won't have a separate sub measurement.

 

[Marcus Aseth]

If the sub's amp is filtering the signal and your speakers are receiving a filtered signal, the sub and speakers are acting as one. Ensure the sub is as close to the center point between the speakers as you can get it and do your measurements as-is, including the sub. You won't have a separate sub measurement.

I was afraid that by doing that, the filter would be compensating for the sub twice since I measure the sub once together with the Left speaker and once together with the Right speaker... wouldn't that be the case?
I ask to be double sure, but probably you have considered that already and is not the case, so hope me asking that won't come off as rude ^_^'

 

[LIΟN]

don't know if the SVS sb-1000pro model has bi-directional crossover support, I'll have to check the manual. (Lowpass for Sub, Highpass for Speaker)
Once you get that out of the way, the subwoofer and speakers are one and the same, so you can apply inversion in APO as a whole, as the thread says.
Even if you use an external DSP (2x4hd,flex), the EQs required for each delay and crossover band are processed and then played back to tie them together.

But I'm curious about your listening distance and current placement before EQ.
The kali's Lp6v2 is OnAxis/OffAxis compliant and your Inroom Messurement shows that there is a lot going on.
Is there a TV, monitor, or object in front of the speakers?

This should be obvious if you've seen Impulse and Decay or RT60.

 

[Marcus Aseth]

But I'm curious about your listening distance and current placement before EQ.
The kali's Lp6v2 is OnAxis/OffAxis compliant and your Inroom Messurement shows that there is a lot going on.
Is there a TV, monitor, or object in front of the speakers?

I'll answer only to the portion I do understand ^_^' (what I mean is I can't speak for the part about Impulse for example because I don't even understand the impulse graph or what impulse is ^_^'' )



Yeah, placement is far from optimal from what I can tell... the room has an alcove so you could say is L shaped, I'm near the center of the room, speakers are on the desk some 80cm apart from each other and 67cm from my ears so a very wide triangle... but at least they are 95cm from side wall and 160cm from front wall.
all of this is temporary anyway, I'll be moving to a bigger house towards the end of this year and in there I'll have more space to put them on stands and to move ～38% into the room

 

[Chromatischism]

I was afraid that by doing that, the filter would be compensating for the sub twice since I measure the sub once together with the Left speaker and once together with the Right speaker... wouldn't that be the case?

If your crossover is implemented by the sub and you aren't doubling anything (like speakers getting a full-range signal) you can think of your system as two full-range speakers without a sub.

That is what @LIΟN is getting at. I had a quick look in the manual but didn't spent a lot of time reading through it.

Nice setup you have there.

 

[DWPress]

The very first thing I'd do is figure out a better situation with the speakers, get them a bit further back and elevate them if you can even if that means turning them upside down so the tweeter is still at ear level. This would help eliminate the floor (desk) bounce part of the response.

Use the MMM method for measuring placement instead of a single point measurement for speed and accuracy during placement. You could even try creating filters from the L/R MMM results in REW quickly to test results. Combine this information with a single point measurement at LP for the timing info. Then go into some of OCA's videos some more maybe. I watched them sometime in the last couple months, disregard the early ones but the recent ones have some interesting things to play with.

 

[Marcus Aseth]

Use the MMM method for measuring placement instead of a single point measurement for speed and accuracy during placement.

mh... interesting method, although I can't see how it would be used to help me place the speakers accurately...