[bigshot]

With me all signal processing is to enhance my speakers. I don't need processing specific to my blu-ray player, DAP or media server computer because they are all clean and flat.

 

[ironmine]

it's going to be a long thread if you misread all my posts.

Your posts could have been much more intelligible and easier to read if you could begin each new sentence with a capital letter. Even moderators have to show some respect, right?

You asked for advice how to make one headphone sound closer to the other headphone ("help set up some favorite target (or whatever else). like maybe some imbalance, or having one headphone closer to that other one headphone we like") and I gave to you the advice how to do it with TB Morphit. What are you not satisfied with?

 

[WoodyLuvr]

This is directed to no one specific but to all including myself.

Why can't we keep this thread and particularly the Sound Science forum "light & friendly"? Why be so serious, dogmatic, argumentative, overtly arrogant, cleverly passive aggressive, and overly-sensitive? Why are we constantly picking on each other? It is becoming very tiring and taking away from the awesome amount of knowledge and experience that can be shared.

With respects.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

I for one am a predominant mobile user and therefore am posting/replying on the fly so very prone to some grammar errors.

I sincerely hope that we aren't going to take grammar, spelling, and punctuation that seriously and just keep it within reason

 

[castleofargh]

Your posts could have been much more intelligible and easier to read if you could begin each new sentence with a capital letter. Even moderators have to show some respect, right?

You asked for advice how to make one headphone sound closer to the other headphone ("help set up some favorite target (or whatever else). like maybe some imbalance, or having one headphone closer to that other one headphone we like") and I gave to you the advice how to do it with TB Morphit. What are you not satisfied with?

I don't identify as a capital letter person and feel offended that you're trying to force your capitalist views onto me. ^_^, kidding, I just have the bad habit(of too many years) of thinking a software will do it for me. and it's just too much of a PITA to go edit each sentence by hand once I'm done with a post so I don't do it. if you know of a firefox plugin that does it correctly and is compatible with the latest versions, I'm willing to try right away.

now about our non conversation on this topic. look, a buddy said he was getting a microphone soon, I replied to him as a joke that he would probably not stop at measuring speakers with it, being curious and all. you intervened on that, somehow thinking I was looking for a way to EQ my headphone. I wasn't, but it's fine, honest attempt to help, no issue. I replied to explain what I really meant. you decided to misread even my explanation and, well, this non conversation with no purpose and no destination is not something I see a point in pursuing.
legit misunderstanding, nobody died, we move on. if it makes you feel good to blame me for it all and global warming, that's ok too.

 

[Niouke]

The problem with this incorporating room correction into individual sources is that it only affects that source. You’d have to mirror the correction settings in all your sources. It makes more sense to build DSPs into amps and receivers so it can be the last step in the chain and work with everything

the miniDSP can treat signals in digital or analogic anywhere in your chain, so it can work with all your sources just like an embedded correction in the receiver. The basic version only corrects the eq, but the DiracLive version can also correct the impulse response and handle 8 speakers for your surround needs.

In speaker specialized groups the miniDSP offering is often considered as a must...

 

[Strangelove424]

This is directed to no one specific but to all including myself.

Why can't we keep this thread and particularly the Sound Science forum "light & friendly"? Why be so serious, dogmatic, argumentative, overtly arrogant, cleverly passive aggressive, and overly-sensitive? Why are we constantly picking on each other? It is becoming very tiring and taking away from the awesome amount of knowledge and experience that can be shared.

With respects.

Indeed. The typical Sound Science squabbling and ceaseless escalations, over the smallest of points, is really getting old.

 

[Strangelove424]

the miniDSP can treat signals in digital or analogic anywhere in your chain, so it can work with all your sources just like an embedded correction in the receiver. The basic version only corrects the eq, but the DiracLive version can also correct the impulse response and handle 8 speakers for your surround needs.

In speaker specialized groups the miniDSP offering is often considered as a must...

Reviews and measurements such as this article I found seem to indicate Dirac is a good room correction system. I have added it, as well as the Behringer Ultracurve Pro DEQ2496 to the Room Correction section.

Toneboosters Morphit was added to the EQ section.

 

[ironmine]

the miniDSP can treat signals in digital or analogic anywhere in your chain, so it can work with all your sources just like an embedded correction in the receiver. The basic version only corrects the eq, but the DiracLive version can also correct the impulse response and handle 8 speakers for your surround needs.

miniDSP is a completely useless device (Internal operating sample rate: 96 kHz, Output sample rate: 96 kHz ??? - ahaha). Only ignorant people can waste money on it. $799 for what? You gotta be kidding. You can do a much better DRC in your computer for free, using REW + Foobar Convolver plugin, or using MathAudio Room EQ (as vst-plugin or Foobar component). And you can do it with a sample rate higher than 96 kHz and you won't be limited by 96 kHz output sample rate.

Ask yourself: which source you are going to use with the miniDSP (which has only digital inputs)? If your source is digital, just do it in your PC, for free.

If your source is analog - let's say, a turntable, you are going to digitize the analog signal from it every time you play it in order to feed it to the miniDSP for DRC? If yes, then, first of all, your signal won't really be analog anymore, and, secondly, if you are ok with that, why don't you just simply digitize your LP once and keep its image in your PC in FLAC format, and every time you play it, you apply a DRC in your PC, for free?

 

[old tech]

miniDSP is a completely useless device (Internal operating sample rate: 96 kHz, Output sample rate: 96 kHz ??? - ahaha). Only ignorant people can waste money on it. $799 for what? You gotta be kidding. You can do a much better DRC in your computer for free, using REW + Foobar Convolver plugin, or using MathAudio Room EQ (as vst-plugin or Foobar component). And you can do it with a sample rate higher than 96 kHz and you won't be limited by 96 kHz output sample rate.

Ask yourself: which source you are going to use with the miniDSP (which has only digital inputs)? If your source is digital, just do it in your PC, for free.

If your source is analog - let's say, a turntable, you are going to digitize the analog signal from it every time you play it in order to feed it to the miniDSP for DRC? If yes, then, first of all, your signal won't really be analog anymore, and, secondly, if you are ok with that, why don't you just simply digitize your LP once and keep its image in your PC in FLAC format, and every time you play it, you apply a DRC in your PC, for free?

I think you are being a bit over the top. The main attraction of a miniDSP is that it simply plugs into the playback chain, like the equalisers of old, hence why I asked the question in the first place. As you can tell I am a novice when it comes to DSP so I can't get my head around how using Foobar or any PC based application is going to provide room correction and conveniently and aesthetically work in a listening room that has no PC in the playback chain.

As far as being limited to digital inputs and outputs, that was the model I linked as it seems logical for the application I had in mind, ie between the streamer digital out to the active speakers digital in (the DAC is built in). The other miniDSP models are analog only or analog and digital. The other limitation you claim is the 96 sample rate. Well I know some claim they can hear a difference between 44.1 and 96 even though there is no credible evidence supporting it, what difference do you think is it going to make with a sample rate higher than 96? Can you hear the difference between a frequency range of up to 48khz and 96khz? In fact, a product that doesn't require audiophoolery in its marketing is something we should all support.

 

[bigshot]

I actually am seriously considering one of these EQ boxes. I have an AVR that has five band parametric EQ on each of the five channels, but five bands is just enough to slug in the broad strokes. I still could use more bands to do fine adjustments. Since my sound system doubles with my theater, I would have to run video in and out of my computer to do a full system wide calibration if I chose to override the AVR. That wouldn't be practical. A black box EQ that patches in and out with HDMI at the last step in the chain would solve a lot of my little niggling problems.

 

[sonitus mirus]

This thread has been great. I really like the virtual audio cable links. In 2 minutes I set things up to use my music visualizer (SoundSpectrum G-Force) to work while streaming music with an output to my DAC via the optical connection. Normally when I use USB or optical, the visualizer software does not "hear" any sound, since I am bypassing the sound card and windows default audio drivers.

My new UMIK-1 calibrated mic was delivered tonight. I downloaded the mic calibration files, REW, and Equalizer APO and have been reading through the REW manual. I don't expect to be able make any drastic changes, as I really can't make too many changes in the room with speaker position and treatment, but it will be interesting to see how the room measures and to see what I can do with a system-wide EQ. Hoping I can run all the measurements on my more powerful desktop PC (nearly silent) and use the saved EQ profiles on my dedicated music laptop.

 

[Strangelove424]

I think you are being a bit over the top. The main attraction of a miniDSP is that it simply plugs into the playback chain, like the equalisers of old, hence why I asked the question in the first place. As you can tell I am a novice when it comes to DSP so I can't get my head around how using Foobar or any PC based application is going to provide room correction and conveniently and aesthetically work in a listening room that has no PC in the playback chain.

As far as being limited to digital inputs and outputs, that was the model I linked as it seems logical for the application I had in mind, ie between the streamer digital out to the active speakers digital in (the DAC is built in). The other miniDSP models are analog only or analog and digital. The other limitation you claim is the 96 sample rate. Well I know some claim they can hear a difference between 44.1 and 96 even though there is no credible evidence supporting it, what difference do you think is it going to make with a sample rate higher than 96? Can you hear the difference between a frequency range of up to 48khz and 96khz? In fact, a product that doesn't require audiophoolery in its marketing is something we should all support.

I agree. I was leery initially but if the performance is decent, there is value in having something easy to use and hardware based, like a traditional EQ box. After seeing positive reviews for Dirac, I realized it’s a viable option for some people. In addition to the stereo only Behringer.

This thread has been great. I really like the virtual audio cable links. In 2 minutes I set things up to use my music visualizer (SoundSpectrum G-Force) to work while streaming music with an output to my DAC via the optical connection. Normally when I use USB or optical, the visualizer software does not "hear" any sound, since I am bypassing the sound card and windows default audio drivers.

My new UMIK-1 calibrated mic was delivered tonight. I downloaded the mic calibration files, REW, and Equalizer APO and have been reading through the REW manual. I don't expect to be able make any drastic changes, as I really can't make too many changes in the room with speaker position and treatment, but it will be interesting to see how the room measures and to see what I can do with a system-wide EQ. Hoping I can run all the measurements on my more powerful desktop PC (nearly silent) and use the saved EQ profiles on my dedicated music laptop.

That makes me happy to hear. Glad you found something helpful already. All the new VST hosts/virtual cables everyone mentioned will be added to the op soon. Slowly but surely.

 

[ironmine]

My new UMIK-1 calibrated mic was delivered tonight. I downloaded the mic calibration files, REW, and Equalizer APO and have been reading through the REW manual. I don't expect to be able make any drastic changes, as I really can't make too many changes in the room with speaker position and treatment, but it will be interesting to see how the room measures and to see what I can do with a system-wide EQ. Hoping I can run all the measurements on my more powerful desktop PC (nearly silent) and use the saved EQ profiles on my dedicated music laptop.

REW is more complicated (well, for new users, at least), but the results are still the same as MathAudio Room EQ.

If you generate a correction impulse in REW, export it and load into a convolver and start listening to music and realize that you compensated for the bass resonances a bit too much or, vice versa, not enough, you will have to go back to REW again, change the filter settings, export again the impulse, load into the convolver, etc.

But if you use MathAudio Room EQ, you just move its slider up and down, without interrupting music.

This is how my settings look in MathAudio Room EQ:

These are the settings I dialed in after listening to the music albums of different genres and fine tuning the position of the slider. I only correct the room resonances existing in the lowest frequency range, I do not touch the middle or the highs.

As for the equalizer, it's normally turned off (in the bypass mode), but it's handy to have it a chain of vst-plugins. If I feel, in rare cases, the bass is lacking, I just turn this EQ on and it broadly equalizes the bass and simultaneously reduces the output volume, so that the increased bass frequencies do not result in digital clipping.

You should not de-couple your audio system completely from the room, it will sound unnatural.

 

[Niouke]

miniDSP is a completely useless device (Internal operating sample rate: 96 kHz, Output sample rate: 96 kHz ??? - ahaha). Only ignorant people can waste money on it. $799 for what? You gotta be kidding. You can do a much better DRC in your computer for free, using REW + Foobar Convolver plugin, or using MathAudio Room EQ (as vst-plugin or Foobar component). And you can do it with a sample rate higher than 96 kHz and you won't be limited by 96 kHz output sample rate.

Ask yourself: which source you are going to use with the miniDSP (which has only digital inputs)? If your source is digital, just do it in your PC, for free.

If your source is analog - let's say, a turntable, you are going to digitize the analog signal from it every time you play it in order to feed it to the miniDSP for DRC? If yes, then, first of all, your signal won't really be analog anymore, and, secondly, if you are ok with that, why don't you just simply digitize your LP once and keep its image in your PC in FLAC format, and every time you play it, you apply a DRC in your PC, for free?

while a bit extreme this comment confirmed what I thought, you can achieve similar results with a computer than with miniDSP. It save me a few hundred euros