Digital correction: Why is there resistance?

[Brucemck2]

I would like to add that currently I face the same kind of opposition when I tell my audiophile friends that I apply Isone or Redline HRTF algorithms (as VST plugins) to the sound which I listed to in headphones.

Ironmine, what playback software do you use? Do these programs work with J River?

 

[Rodney Gold]

Ironmine, what playback software do you use? Do these programs work with J River?

VST plugins should work with Jriver - AFAIK Jriver will use the 32 bit version of the VST plugin

 

[ironmine]

Ironmine, what playback software do you use? Do these programs work with J River?

This is how I use it for room correction:

 

[Alrainbow]

I have a new office rig and desired an active crossover. In my office I mostly used headphones. Stax sennheiser hifiman. The point is I like the way headphones sound and use EQ to make them as I want to hear them. The point in this is the people who want it all to remain untouched is there opinion . But I want the music to be heard as I want it. No one hear knows how it supposed to sound. It's just humorous when I read what people say regarding it. None of us were there when the recording was made or as it went the many conversions during it's mixing. And this goes for the analog guys too.
Second our speakers or headphones only produce an illusion as to how it all sounds anyway. Do you think a piano playing on any of your systems sound like a real piano if it was playing in your room. Now I know some will say mine does. Well it does not, maybe some get close but not one of you can say . If you close your eyes the piano is there the overtones are just not there . So why not make the sound as we want it. Of course this should be done after the room has ample treatments and we use the least amount of DSP .

 

[Al M.]

I have a new office rig and desired an active crossover. In my office I mostly used headphones. Stax sennheiser hifiman. The point is I like the way headphones sound and use EQ to make them as I want to hear them. The point in this is the people who want it all to remain untouched is there opinion . But I want the music to be heard as I want it. No one hear knows how it supposed to sound. It's just humorous when I read what people say regarding it. None of us were there when the recording was made or as it went the many conversions during it's mixing. And this goes for the analog guys too.
Second our speakers or headphones only produce an illusion as to how it all sounds anyway. Do you think a piano playing on any of your systems sound like a real piano if it was playing in your room. Now I know some will say mine does. Well it does not, maybe some get close but not one of you can say . If you close your eyes the piano is there the overtones are just not there . So why not make the sound as we want it. Of course this should be done after the room has ample treatments and we use the least amount of DSP .

Oh heresy, I am constantly using EQ as well, bass EQ that is. I vary my subwoofer setting all the time between recordings (not between tracks though). The output of deep bass between various recordings is simply way too different, often ludicrously so, as to go with one setting (that is also why I like the flexibility of my minimonitor/subwoofer set-up, where the sub is responsible for more of the bass range). To have one fixed bass setting all the time is something I could impossibly live with.

And that is not because my deep bass would be problematic in any way. It always had been excellent and trouble-free even before installment of the tube traps. In fact, in my room the acoustic treatment affected the midrange and highs far more than the bass.

 

[Gadgety]

Maybe Hyundai can put DIRAC into the Equus. I'm in the market for a new car and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a Lexus with all options except the Mark Levinson system. I don't normally care about car audio but I bet DIRAC would sound pretty awesome in the Bentley system. Maybe I could afford the Bentley if I took up manufacturing audiophile power cables or something.

If you are willing to consider an alternative to the VW product that the Bentley is, or the Toyota that the Lexus is, BMW has had Dirac in their "BMW Individual" top of the line audio systems since 2007. I have to say though, few pieces of music generate the pleasure of wringing a straight six.

 

[Gadgety]

Pretty much the same experience I had. The idea of Room Correction appealed to me. Someone asked my opinion about another correction method, and while researching it (Sigtech I think) ran across Tact which was a more affordable solution at the time. Acquired an RCS 2 (their second gen and more affordable). It was like a revelation. Nothing had ever helped as much as that short of speaker changes. Took it over to a friend's house and he had the same reaction. Neither of us have been without some room correction since. If you ever doubt it, you can bypass it and hear you don't want to go back. You are right though using the Tact was a bear. Tried to get that across to Boz on the phone. Something I don't think he ever came to grips with.

I gather you are using something other than Tact today? What would that be?

 

[Aoyama]

I Listened a system usind Dirac on and off, and prefer off, why?

Cause looks more refined, more full bodied, more details and more layers on soudstage. With Dirac on looks to digital, less harmonic on chords and less layers on soundstage, but with Dirac on get more focus and with a wide soundstage.

[]s

 

[ironmine]

Can someone please recommend me a good and not very expensive USB microphone suitable for making room measurements? I am going to correct only the bass region up to 250 Hz.

Is this microphone ok?
Special version of miniDSP's UMIK-1:
http://shop.dirac.se/products/116-umik-1-usb-measurement-microphone.aspx

Thank you!

 

[DonH50]

The AVS Forum has an REW thread in the audio theory section that discusses various mic options.

I am not sure why you would get the Dirac version unless you are using Dirac? I would get one with a cal file regardless.

The Dayton UMM6 is popular: http://cross-spectrum.com/measurement/calibrated_umm6.html This is accurately calibrated indivdually and hand-checked vs. some of the others that run through a quick machine cal and are sometimes well off the actual response curve.

The UMIK-1 is another popular option, but you should be able to get a calibrated version to use with your measurement software.

Just make sure whatever you get is calibrated. A lot of sellers (including Amazon and Part Express) do not make it clear and typically you are getting an uncalibrated mic.

 

[Rodney Gold]

Umik1 from Minidsp is calibrated , you go to their site and put in your serial no and get the cal file , the Umik1 mic works with most software - $70 is chicken feed...
miniDSP make some really good and quite potent DSP/"RC" modules , often a DSP parametric is all you need.
I'm playing with a openDRC Di - FIR (via AcourateDRC) and IIR parametric EQ filtering , its exceptional value for money. $299... initial results are very encouraging..not too difficult to use..

 

[amirm]

FYI while it is good to get a mic with calibration, for acoustic optimization it does not matter. You will be working with relative levels. And for high frequencies, you would be using your ear, not what the meter says.

 

[DonH50]

The (my) reason for suggestion calibration is because few mics are flat, or anywhere close, from 10 or 20 Hz to 20 kHz. A lot of them have LF roll-off that can mess up the measurements. Levels can be relative, in terms of absolute SPL, but I prefer to have the frequency response as flat as possible. I have not calibrated my mic for absolute level (I agree with Amir that it doesn't really matter for the vast majority of us who are not doing OSHA work) but it is very flat over frequency, and that is my main concern.

 

[ironmine]

The Dayton UMM6 is popular: http://cross-spectrum.com/measurement/calibrated_umm6.html This is accurately calibrated indivdually and hand-checked vs. some of the others that run through a quick machine cal and are sometimes well off the actual response curve.

The website says the following:

Calibrated UMM-6 microphones are no longer available to non-US customers. If you order a microphone using a foreign shipping address, your order will be canceled and your payment refunded.

I am not sure why you would get the Dirac version unless you are using Dirac? I would get one with a cal file regardless.

The UMIK-1 is another popular option, but you should be able to get a calibrated version to use with your measurement software.

Firstly, If I order this Dirac version, it's cheaper for me (75 euro with free worldwide delivery is cheaper than $75 + $40 delivery from here http://www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/umik-1 ).

Secondly. Dirac version is supplied with 3 m USB cable, but the one from MiniDSP.com is supplied with only 1.5 m USB cable.

The Dirac version is also provided with a calibration file:
http://www.dirac.se/umik-calibration-file-download.aspx

I don't think that the Diract version won't be able to work with REW, as I saw the following a MiniDSP.com website:

MiniDSP worked along with John Mulcahy to develop even greater compatibility for the UMIK-1 inside REW! With the latest beta release of REW (v5.01 and up), the UMIK-1 is automatically recognized by the software and prompted for use when REW is started with the microphone plugged in.

 

[ironmine]

I bought the Dirac version and recently got it. It was recognized by the REW software, I also downloaded and use the calibration file. Everything is alright!

 

[ironmine]

Firstly, If I order this Dirac version, it's cheaper for me (75 euro with free worldwide delivery is cheaper than $75 + $40 delivery from here http://www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/umik-1 ).

Secondly. Dirac version is supplied with 3 m USB cable, but the one from MiniDSP.com is supplied with only 1.5 m USB cable.

The Dirac version is also provided with a calibration file:
http://www.dirac.se/umik-calibration-file-download.aspx

Update: A friend of mine asked me to buy the same microphone. But I can see that Dirac.se website no longer sells these mics for 75 euro with free worldwide delivery. They changed the price to 75 dollars and redirect buyers to MiniDSP.com website where the delivery is $40.

NOTE to Admin: I noticed that when I try to log in to this What's Best Forum from another IP, I get banned.

I have to explain: Currently in Russia our government blocks too many websites and I have to use anonymizing plugins like Anonymox or Frigate otherwise I'll be doomed to read pro-Putin's pro-war fascist propaganda only.