What's more important in a difficult room, room correction or higher, clean, power?


My listening space is a 13 x 10 former spare bedroom that is used as my hobby space and office and is a really difficult space because of the contents in the room. My speakers are parallel to the long wall.

My current rig includes a Peachtree Nova 150 integrated, Elac Debut B6.2 speakers, U-Turn Orbit turntable with Ortofon red cartridge running through the Peachtree's phono input, Music Hall C-DAC 15.3 and a Furman Elite 15 power conditioner.

I have an Elac subwoofer on order that I purchased during what must have been an unadvertised flash sale on their website at a great price and it includes room correction. I purchased this particular sub because of the room correction feature in the hopes that it will result in a better, smoother, fuller, sound.

The sub got me thinking that perhaps an amp that also supports room correction might be helpful in my space and one that I'm considering in the Elac EA101EQ-G integrated amp. However, the specs on this amp aren't as good as my Peachtree and, frankly, I like the Peachtree but I'm thinking that there could be something better out there.

I'd be interested to hear from those of you that have take the room correction plunge and what you think. Also, given the choice between more power/better specs or room correction with less power, is there a preferred path?
rfross

Showing 3 responses by mike_in_nc

What's important (as others have said more verbosely) is to fix the acoustics. It cannot be done with more power.

IMO it is best done by First, positioning listener, main speakers, and subs for smoothest response; Second, adding bass trapping and 1st-reflection treatment if necessary; and Third, using DSP if you want to smooth really low frequencies, say below 80 Hz, further.

In doing all of that, measurement capability (e.g., REW and a calibrated mic) helps a lot.
So, @mijostyn, what unit are you using that does all of that?  I would have guessed a TacT, except those compute at 24 kHz.