The HiFi Myth and Professional System Design

Rob Sinden

On the Forums in the hifi section I've generally seen very little interest in room treatment, design or correction. There are clealry some people who are very expert in acoustics etc. but I haven't seen the expertise they have to give hasn't being presented in a way that is accessable or of interest to most people.

If this was a hot topic then I would simply be talking about the products that I have that are relevant. As there simply seems to be little interest in this critical area my initial interest was in raising the awareness of the problems that rooms create.

If this is seen as underhand or a shabby sales techniques then clearly I've screwed up, however I stand by what I've said about the lack of interest and expertise in acoustics that is generally present in hifi retail. I cannot see how you can say good sound can be achieved without considering the affect of the room. As such I think it's reasonable to expect that anyone selling hi end audio equipment should be conversant with this subject and at present this simply isnt the case.

Rob Sinden

With regard to the type of test signal used all I can provide today is the following. Lyngdorf use Multiple Pure Tones - resolution depending on frequency – down to approx. 1 Hz @ 20 Hz.

Rob Sinden

Are there any free or cheap software downloads that you’d recommend?

Are there any that allow you to measure throughout a room rather than just at a single point?

Steve413

I have used Room correction for two years now with outstanding results.

It has even enabled me to wall mount my speaker something that they were never designed for.

I agree with Rob regarding the fact and it is a fact that System 'Price point' does not equate to system performance I have reduced my systems price by half and gained far better performance.

ryart

I will defend any fellow member of these forums who is getting slagged off in such an offensive an unreasonable way. I do not have to have posted every day for umpteen years to have the right to do so. If Rob has done anything wrong it is for the mods to deal with. Given that a mod has merged two threads I assume this thread has been viewed and as it is still here it is acceptable.

I get the impression in this and past threads that some people come here for an argument. If anyone comes into that category, why not start your own thread to complain and leave the rest of us to get on with discussing (exchange of views, giving enough slack to understand and learn from others views etc etc) the interesting subject of room correction and the different ways to achieve it. Surely one of the points of a forum is to be able to get access to different approaches and ideas from ones own and consider if there is a better way of doing things.

Some of you have made your point; we all now know that Rob is a dealer with something to sell, as are many other contributors to AVF. This thread is about room correction and is being "spoiled" by all this vindictive nonsense.

alexs2

OK...I've cleared up a lot of the arguing and name-calling on this thread.

Rob hasn't broken any of the rules for Assured Advertisers,and would be made aware very quickly if he had.

The thread is about room correction,and I would prefer it stayed on THAT topic.

On that point,my own feeling is that room correction in the digital domain can make an immense contribution to how good a system can sound,especially in acoustically unfriendly rooms,and I can only use my own experiences to base that on.

Prior to buying a TAG AV32R/DP,my systems had no true correction other than bass filtering in my Linn Keltiks beforehand,but this was in no way adequate in managing the resonances promoted by a 250 yr old timber framed house.

I wouldn't neccessarily say it's cured it,but it has gone a very long way towards taming the worst excesses,and making the system enjoyable and fully usable.

craigd

Phil T,

I think this is the closest I can give you to a graph of the reference tone (given my level of knowledge of the REW software). This is what is recorded when the soundcard is plugged back in to its own microphone input jack and the same 20 -20,000Hz log sweep is performed.

Craig

craigd

I will get the information together this evening (my lunch hour is about to end).

I have attached another diagram that should help here. I am not really sure how to receive the comment:

Please can you expand on why you don't like the graphs as I am not sure how to take the comment? I personally am not happy with the in-room response but it is my lounge so there is very limited scope for repositioning equipment and listening position. Also, I do not want visually intrusive room treatments.

Craig

phil t

Thankyou Craig.  So a 20 to 20Khz swept tone @75 db.

phil t

The only question raised (from what was written in your post) you answered later in your very own post.

Please at least be honest about your motivation.

On the evidence I've seen, your system(s) fair little better up to 300 Hz, and in all fairness I'd expect a treated room to produce better results across the frequency range.  You could provide us with more before and after graphs to help us further in our research?