Kelvin Lee
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2016
- Posts
- 8
- Likes
- 10
What I did to create a 9.1.6ch PRIR with just two stereo speakers (as of today with current firmware 1.75):
This will be a VERY long post.....
I copied the 'multiply speakers' approach of my A8 to create virtual side and rear speakers (by looking backwards). For doing this with the A16, I had to swap the rear and side R+L channels in the PRIR sound room of the A16.
In detail:
The speaker label assignments have to be done in Settings -> PRIR Sound Rooms -> PRIR room 1 (or 2) speaker setup. I used PRIR sound room 2 for this measurement and kept PRIR sound room 1 as a reference. I swapped channels 5<->6 and 7<->8 compared to PRIR sound room 1, so my PRIR sound room 2 looks like this:
After creating PRIR sound room 2:
- channel 1: Spk = L, Size = L
- channel 2: Spk = R, Size = L
- channel 3: Spk = C, Size = L
- channel 4: Spk = SW, Size = L
- channel 5: Spk = Rss, Size = L
- channel 6: Spk = Lss, Size = L
- channel 7: Spk = Rb, Size = L
- channel 8: Spk = Lb, Size = L
- channel 9: Spk = Lw, Size = L
- channel 10: Spk = Rw, Size = L
- channel 11: Spk = Ltf, Size = L
- channel 12: Spk = Rtf, Size = L
- channel 13: Spk = Ltm, Size = L
- channel 14: Spk = Rtm, Size = L
- channel 15: Spk = Ltr, Size = L
- channel 16: Spk = Rtr, Size = L
After level calibration has been done:
- connect the 16-ch Line Output connector 1-2 with a 3.5mm to RCA cable to your stereo system (Poweramp/Preamp/active speakers - make sure to power off your amp before connecting) - Red connector goes to the right speaker and white connector goes to the left speaker. Power on your amp.
- Go to Apps and
-> "Subject" and select your user
-> "Room" and select the PRIR sound room 2
-> "Phones" and select your headphone- Connect the blue grounding wrist-strap to the A16 and ground yourself
- put the microphones in your ears, connect the mics to the A16 and sit in your listening position
- Go to Apps -> Calibrate speakers (CAL) -> Speaker select and switch channel 1 (L) and 2 (R) on (green), all the other speakers to off (white)
- press BACK, go to CAL PRIR Gains and press ENTER, press CAL and then speaker level calibration begins (see manual if the bars are never green or are sometimes red to correct the speaker level)
Now we are ready to begin with the PRIR measurement:
- press BACK and go to PRIR measurements (SPK) in the Apps menu
- go to Speaker select to check if channels 1 and 2 are still selected and all the others are off, press BACK
- go to Config look angles and configure the required angles (see manual for configuration options, for me Look azi (+/-30 deg x 1) was ok), rest is switched off, Look angles is fixed, press BACK
(the procedure below is valid if you measure +/-30 degrees as well, otherwise you will have to adapt)- Mode is set to All, Sweep type is set to 12sec overlap
- go to SPK and press SPK button -> follow the announcements (eg: 'look center' -> look center (0 degrees) and keep still -> 'look left' -> look left 30 degrees (typically face your left front speaker) and keep still -> 'look right' -> look right 30 degrees (typically face your right front speaker) and keep still
- After the 1st measurement (channels 1+2 = L+R) has been done, press BACK
- go to Speaker select, deselect channel 1+2 and switch on channel 3 and 4 (center and subwoofer), press BACK
- Power off your amp, connect the 3.5mm plug to the 16-ch Line Output connector 3-4 and switch your amp on again
- go to SPK and press SPK button -> follow the announcements, but this time at 'look center' -> look 30 degrees to the left (face your left speaker - this will become your virtual center speaker) and keep still -> 'look left' -> look left 60 degrees and keep still -> 'look right' -> look center 0 degrees (straight ahead) and keep still
(by doing this, you just created a virtual center speaker which will sounds exactly as your left front speaker, but in front of you; your right front speaker will become the virtual subwoofer).- After the 2nd measurement has been done, press BACK
- go to Speaker select, deselect channel 3+4 and switch on channel 5 and 6 (Rss and Lss), press BACK
- Power off your amp, connect the 3.5mm plug to the 16-ch Line Output connector 5-6 and switch your amp on again
- Take a chair and sit between your front speakers, facing backwards (180 degrees, looking away from your screen/TV)
- go to SPK and press SPK button -> follow the announcements, this time at 'look center' -> look 180 degrees backwards and keep still -> 'look left' -> look left 30 degrees (approx. where a right rear speaker would be) and keep still -> 'look right' -> look right 30 degrees (approx. where a left rear speaker would be) and keep still
(by doing this, you just created virtual side speakers which will sounds exactly as your front speakers, but on the side of you. Your left front speaker will become the virtual right side speaker and the right front speaker will become the virtual left side speaker)- After the 3rd measurement has been done, press BACK
- go to Speaker select, deselect channel 5+6 and switch on channel 7 and 8 (Rb and Lb), press BACK
- Power off your amp, connect the 3.5mm plug to the 16-ch Line Output connector 7-8 and switch your amp on again
- sit on your primary seating postion, but facing backwards (180 degrees, looking away from your screen/TV; I have a couch and was just kneeling on it looking backwards)
- go to SPK and press SPK button -> follow the announcements, at 'look center' -> look 180 degrees backwards and keep still -> 'look left' -> look left 30 degrees (approx. where a right rear speaker would be) and keep still -> 'look right' -> look right 30 degrees (approx. where a left rear speaker would be) and keep still
(by doing this, you just created virtual rear speakers which will sounds exactly as your front speakers, but on the rear position. Your left front speaker will become the virtual right rear speaker and the right front speaker will become the virtual left rear speaker)- After the 4th measurement has been done, press BACK
- go to Speaker select, deselect channel 7+8 and switch on channel 9 and 10 (Lw and Rw), press BACK
- Power off your amp, connect the 3.5mm plug to the 16-ch Line Output connector 9-10 and switch your amp on again
- Starting from your primary listening position, move somewhat closer to the screen/TV, so that your front speakers will be at approx. +/- 60 degrees from you (and will become wide speakers - take a chair again)
- go to SPK and press SPK button -> follow the announcements, at 'look center' -> look center (0 degrees) and keep still -> 'look left' -> look left 30 degrees and keep still -> 'look right' -> look right 30 degrees and keep still
(by doing this, you just created virtual wide speakers which will sounds exactly as your front speakers, but on the wide position. Your left front speaker will become the virtual left wide speaker and the right front speaker will become the virtual right wide speaker)- After the 5th measurement has been done, press BACK
- go to Speaker select, deselect channel 9+10 and switch on channel 11 and 12 (Ltf and Rtf), press BACK
- Power off your amp, connect the 3.5mm plug to the 16-ch Line Output connector 11-12 and switch your amp on again
- Sit on your primary listening position and lower your head (tilt it downwards looking towards the floor) so that your front speakers will be at approx. 45 degrees "above" your head (and will become top front speakers)
- go to SPK and press SPK button -> follow the announcements, at 'look center' -> look center (still looking downwards to the floor, 0 degrees) and keep still -> 'look left' -> look left 30 degrees (still towards the floor) and keep still -> 'look right' -> look right 30 degrees (still towards the floor) and keep still
(by doing this, you just created virtual top front speakers which will sounds exactly as your front speakers, but on the top front position approx. 45 degrees upwards. Your left front speaker will become the virtual left top front speaker and the right front speaker will become the virtual right top front speaker)- After the 6th measurement has been done, press BACK
- go to Speaker select, deselect channel 11+12 and switch on channel 13 and 14 (Ltm and Rtm), press BACK
- Power off your amp, connect the 3.5mm plug to the 16-ch Line Output connector 13-14 and switch your amp on again
- Sit on your primary listening position and lower your head even more (tilt it downwards 90 degrees, looking to the floor) so that your front speakers will be at approx. 90 degrees "above" you (and will become top middle speakers)
- go to SPK and press SPK button -> follow the announcements, at 'look center' -> look center (but still down to the floor, 0 degrees) and keep still -> 'look left' -> look left 30 degrees (still to the floor) and keep still -> 'look right' -> look right 30 degrees (still to the floor) and keep still
(by doing this, you just created virtual top middle speakers which will sounds exactly as your front speakers, but on the top middle position approx. 90 degrees above you. Your left front speaker will become the virtual left top middle speaker and the right front speaker will become the virtual right top middle speaker)- After the 7th measurement has been done, press BACK
- go to Speaker select, deselect channel 13+14 and switch on channel 15 and 16 (Ltr and Rtr), press BACK
- Power off your amp, connect the 3.5mm plug to the 16-ch Line Output connector 15-16 and switch your amp on again
- Sit on your primary listening position and lower your head even more (tilt it further downwards, looking to the floor below and behind of you) so that your front speakers will be at approx. 45 degrees "above and behind" of you and will become top rear speakers (I have to say this is a quite uncomfortable position - lucky nobody else sees you when you are doing this....)
- go to SPK and press SPK button -> follow the announcements, at 'look center' -> look center (but still down to the floor behind of you, 0 degrees) and keep still -> 'look left' -> look left 30 degrees (still to the floor) and keep still -> 'look right' -> look right 30 degrees (still to the floor) and keep still
(by doing this, you just created virtual top rear speakers which will sounds exactly as your front speakers, but on the top rear position approx. 45 degrees behind and above you. Your left front speaker will become the virtual left top rear speaker and the right front speaker will become the virtual right top rear speaker)- After the 8th measurement has been done, press ENTER to save your 9.1.6ch PRIR !
With this procedure, your head movement will be always the same - looking center and then 30 degrees to the left and 30 degrees to the right (30 degrees being relative to the position you where looking at the 'look center' position - be it backwards or towards the floor).
- With the microphones still in the ear canal, do a proper HPEQ (autoEQ)
- Do not forget to copy the PRIR and HPEQ files from the circular recycle buffers to the permanent storage and/or SD card
- Remove the microphones and - if you can - do a HPEQ (manSPK) and compare the L+R speakers with the virtual L+R speakers
Enjoy !!!!!!!!
You can improve accuracy of the head tracking when switching on head tracking during measurements and watch the actual angle of your head position. On the A16 display in the right top corner there are small head tracking angles updated whenever you move your head. To be able to watch those tiny HT numbers at the same time you move your head, a "remote display" of the A16 display will come in handy. For doing so I tested the following: point the camera of an iPad towards the A16 display and use FaceTime (video call) to call an iPhone. Use the iPhone as remote display of the A16 display. This works - but with all those cables, head tracker on your head, lowering your head looking center, left and right and watching your iPhone at the same time you will look like a complete freak to others..... But what the heck - the final result will rock you !
One additional remark: The A8 has a 'multiply speakers' routine for creating a virtual speaker system (eg: 7.0) with a pair of stereo speakers. The A8 creates a virtual center channel by combining the R and L measured front speakers (as if you would listen to a mono source over your stereo speakers). This A8 virtual center speaker sounded well. After creating my first A16 PRIR and (just out of curiosity) using my left front speaker and measure it as a real center speaker as I described above, I have to say that this virtual speaker sounds better compared to the virtual center speaker the A8 created virtually.
Final remark:
Thank you to Smyth Research for allowing me to create a virtual system in my headphone I could never ever built in real live !! It sounds fantastic !!
Just watched some movies and it's brilliant - never heard a T-Rex like this.
I Guys I try this mehtod end up with 8 PRIR file, but when I play movie totaly no sound, in the diagram can see a16 receive atmos signal . BTW after the measurement the progress bar full and complete need to press back to exit right?