Best room treatment

How embarrassing. Duke is audiokinesis. One other thing I was wondering about Is do you need to consider what  type of speakers you have to match up well with the swarm system? 

OP:

Room EQ Wizard is free software. I’m not sure how much it has been extended, but originally it was free _measurement_ software, not EQ changes.

And no, it’s not the same. Regardless of the system, Dirac, Audessey, JL Audio, etc. all make different choices about what the final solution should be. I like some a lot more than I like others.

There is no absolute standard about what automatic room correction should do to any given system.  While there are publicly available algorithms that can measure and feed a DSP, the judgment about the final result is i nthe hands and ears of the programmers. 

Having said all of this, what they do, generally, really well, is set the crossover points, and levels between subs and the rest of the system.

Best,

E

My large listening room, roughly 21x14, with a peak 12' cathedral ceiling, has a full wall of windows on one side, a floor to ceiling brick fireplace wall in the back, and a flimsy wallboard wall opposite the windows (due to pocket doors).  Wood floors, rough cedar ceiling. Floor to ceiling bookshelf on back wall. I knew my acoustics were severely limiting the quality of sound produced by my very expensive system but I wanted immediate gratification improvements.  Fortunately my listening room is off limits for aesthetic comment.  I intended to do a short term experiment on the cheap, and I did.  $200 in one inch acoustic foam squares from Walmart covered both side walls, floor to ceiling.  I hot glued them to windows, stapled them to wallboard so very easily undone.  Black egg crate 2" thick mattress pads cover critical parts of the brick wall.  They are easily shifted for maximum effect by drilling tiny holes in the brick grout and using finishing nails to hang.  Minimal throw rugs, again easily shifted, help final tuning.  I'll even move them depending on the recording quality of what I've got on.  That was a year ago.  Maybe some day I'll go for something more high brow, but this low buck solution had astounding results.  For bass I have twin raised REL G1 subs to pressurize and dig deeper than my YG Sonjas will go.  Thanks to friend Dick Diamond from YG, who happened to be in town.  He used his amazing ears to help me set the RELs for the most pleasing crossover points and volume - big benefit of the REL remote controls!  I could never have done that without sound measuring equipment.  With the money saved, I invested more in component suspension which is a bit harder to do on the super cheap but is super critical with my gear and suspended wood floor.  No better advice than to experiment and trust your ears!

Ronboco, no need for embarrassment!  We are all learners trying to help each other enjoy the music.  Eric's comments above with respect to REW are correct.  REW can be used to develop equalization files, but I are not advocating that use.  I'm advocating its use as a sophisticated measurement tool that allows you to understand what your speakers are doing in your room.   It allows you to make highly informed choices about the tradeoffs that result from positioning decisions, absorption and diffusion decisions, and other system changes including placement of subwoofers, phasing of those subwoofers, etc.   

I have nothing against digital room correction.  I use a Lyngdorf 2170 in my living room, where I don't want a bunch of subs and I don't want to install conventional absorption and diffusion panels.  I do not, and probably will not, use DRC in my dedicated listening room.  

If you plan on using a receiver that offers DRC, then there is no harm in trying it and seeing what it does.   The key word there is "see."  Seeing requires measuring.  Measuring requires REW.  As I said, every decision you make involves  tradeoffs.   

Hi, with this sort of thing, look to youtube, it shows how to make them and there are a shed full, of idea's , and will save you a packet,