Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Dual EP800 vs SVS Ultra 16

Minidsp You can create different filters for your sub. Highpass for ultra low bass to protect the driver from over extension. Parametric equalization of individual sub frequencies. You can get a umik 1 microphone calibrated by cross spectrum labs and use it with REW which is a free to use program for analyzing your room in any frequency band. After you measure the room you can see which frequencies are over boosted or have a suck out and you can use the minidsp along with room treatments and sub location to even out your bass. It can also be used for time alignment of your subs to your mains if the subs are away from your mains such as to the side or rear .

Now that I have an 800 and have put it through its paces, I really do feel like kick-ass room equalization is the last piece of the puzzle Axiom needs to add to the DSP-based subs.

My XT32 does a fine job from what I can hear but I would really like to be able to access the resulting curve and tweak it to satisfy myself that it really is optimized. I'd also like to have some pre-defined and user-defined modes. For some material or moods for example, I would want a gut punch mode while on other material I'd like the 'nad tickling.

Maybe I'll get my wish...

I'll have to send you an email with the next project Richard. It wont be for a bit though.

Be careful you don't get stuck tweaking.

Remember to enjoy the content

Click on the links in thread the minidsp is highly regarded,{affiliated with DIRAC EQ.} they've also got units you can add between the subs and output to do Eq. as well. Seems like a tedious process the R.E.W. but once you understand it's probably easy to understand the graphs.

The UMIK was my rational on upgrading to an Anthem unit. As It comes with a calibrated Mike and skips most of the hassle.

Brendo,

I too am using the latest from Anthem, the AVM 60 with all of its ARC2 horsepower; however I don't use it any longer. I found that it did a very nice job of tuning my room for when I was using some lesser speakers which seemed to have some internal crossover issues. But when I bought my Bryston Model T's, I tested several runs of the ARC2 with the Anthem and the Bryston's and no matter what I did with different test runs, I found the speakers sounded so much better without the room correction; it was night and day. The 'filtering' from the ARC just muddied up things in my opinion.

BUT, I am very interested to see what varied DSP programs would do with the subs as its a much more narrow range of frequencies being 'tuned'.

Then you'd have a much easier time using the ARC software to sort out your subs for smoothest placement response as well as speakers placement. Since you have similar software already, then play with phase,crossover etc. and save it to one of your config. settings.

From what I've come to understand the ARC, DIRAK and REW with UMIK are all similar in the way you can use the graphs to get best out come then use that tech. For R.C..

Being you already bypass the ARC setting getting into the REW maybe a waste of time except for having more precise readings of a particular bandwidth.

brendo:

"Be careful you don't get stuck tweaking. Remember to enjoy the content."

Very wise comment.

I spent very little time tweaking with Audyssey then turned it off as it added more high freq response to the mix that I didn't think was necessary nor as pleasing as Axioms 'au naturel' in my room. I then used my RS Sound Meter to set even sound levels at my MLP.

I haven't touched them since - I just enjoy.

We watched 'Polar Express' last night - that steam locomotive really shook our house to its foundation, ha!

TAM

The only tweaking I have done is with the subs; moving them to different locations, setting crossover frequency based on music content or type of input and that's about it. No ARC here, but I love to play with the lower frequencies as it varies so much.

A couple of thoughts. Using a measurement program to place your speakers for smoothest response is a bad idea. Same with subs. You should place them where they sound best and create a seamless soundfield.... Not how they measure best. A measurent microphone cannot discern direction or dimension. Use the measurement program after to record a baseline and correlate measurements with subjective impressions. Much more useful for further tuning.

ARC, Dirac, Audyssey, whatever, do nothing to change your room's acoustics or environment. Using these on good speakers or in a good room is often detrimental. They may "fix" something, but usually cause an audible issue in the process. Unless you are in a situation like Mojo and your room is just unfavourable without something to deal with modal issues -where parametric EQ is very useful.

Setting up a room right with a focus on its physical properties FIRST will do much more good for sound than any automated EQ filter. Promise.

I am with you Trevor... just work with placement of the speakers, and as I like to do, play with the crossover and phase controls on the subs. Once I dial it in, its hard to tell where the sub is in the room. You feel it, but you just cannot point to where it is. It's all seamless, dynamic and very even