To audyssey or not to audyssey, that is the ...?

My own view is that the use of Audyssey or similar is absolutely imperative for room related issues in the bass region. The cost/benefit analysis higher up in frequency, however, seems to be much more variable depending on the individual listener making the decision. So...

The Audyssey/SVS unit is designed to work with subwoofers while allowing a more "traditional" (unequalized) audiophile style main signal path. I use the Velodyne SMS-1 with subs in this fashion. The only interruption in my main path is a (benign sounding - to my ear) NHT active x-over unit. If you're willing to use a subwoofer based system, this may be a "have you cake and eat it, too" solution.

As always, YMMV.

Marty

Dave,

To be clear:

When I said Audyssey or similar, I was referring to effective "room" EQ (specifically for issues below 100hz to 150hz). Even though the specific operating principle differs in many ways from the Audyssey, I'd think that effective room EQ would be possible with your Neptune in a lot of rooms so, in the most important sense, the Neptune qualifies as "similar" for the purposes of my post.

Since I have no experience with the Neptune, I couldn't really comment on its effectiveness in any given environment. OTOH, I use the Velo SMS-1 in my 2 channel set-up and Audyssey in my HT room and my family room. In all cases, the improvement in bass response is obvious to me so I won't hesitate to recommend digital, RTA based EQ (subject to the caveat I identified in my earlier post) to anyone who asks, like the OP.

Regards,

Marty

I've set up two different room correction systems for my 2.2 channel (music only) system over the last 5 years; first a "sub-only" Velodyne set-up, and most recently the full-range Audyssey Pro 32XT in an Onkyo pre-pro. My process might be a bit more anal than some other folks', as I always run many, many set-up sweeps with each combination of gear. Since I own a sh*tload of stuff (accumulated over the years), those combos have varied quite a bit: several different subs (Velodyne, Rythmik), speakers (Maggie, Ohm, Verity, Merlin, etc), electronics (ARC, Joule, Cary, etc).

As a result, I've run many hundreds (possibly more than a thousand) sweeps over that period, and listened to the results. Obviously, some were better than others (sometimes, pretty dramatically so), but ...

Off the top of my head, I cannot think of a single instance in which the "pre-EQ" result was better than the "post-EQ" result. My room is inherently somewhat difficult, but I have made it reasonably workable with passive treatments - including various absorbtive panels and bassbuster style Hemholtz devices. It sounds borderline okay without room correction. However, for me, the improvement below 100hz has always swamped any offsetting compromise introduced by the room correction system.

Just my humble O from my experience.

Marty