Many of you ask others to advise you, but the answer to so many questions is system dependent. Why don’t you post your system on your profile prior to requesting help?
I had posted my audio system components from the last year...Headphone based system and Active box speakers system...
I posted ONLY generic image of my components...
I will not post for example the 6 modifications at NO COST and homemade i did to transform a good pair of low cost speakers on a new level : their OPTIMAL possibilities... The stunning M-Audio AV 40... It beat all headphone i ever tried save the mythical AKG K340 optimized but beware i owned them for 12 years and i never liked them right out of the box at all , i decided to opmize them in the last 2 months because i had no other choice of speakers anyway and they are small as i need ....
My main audiophile system is headphone based ... My speakers are for casual listening but they are near audiophile level now... For exemple i had 50 hertz from them instead of their 85 hertz measured specs ... I dont need a sub at all... If i want to listen Tuba or organ i go headphone...😁
Results of my homemade optimization :
Improve bass extension a lot...
Improve imaging...
Improve timbre...
Decrease vibrations...
Decrease crosstalk mechanically...
Increase high frequencies direction and focus....
Isolate and shield from EMI ...
To do that i bought no tweaks and do it all myself with average materials...I used my valready designed "golden plates", my own creation , : ( shungite+copper tape+ quartz )
Why did i will not post that ?
Because i was abused in the past by many idiots here, publicly and in private mail and a seller of costly tweak and cables here even did it repeatedly ...😁
I will not repeat this experience...Sorry... My optimization are not convenient for everyone and not esthetical anyway ... But they work magic, only sound matter for me and cost... 😊
I dont fear ridicule as my past here proved it , but i am not masochistic dude either...😊
Dont wait for photos of my speakers with their 6 modifications in their acoustic corner...
Anyway most people believe price tag and dont know anything about acoustic nor about mechanical and simple electrical solutions ... They dont need "a tin foil hat " like me to educate them... 😁😉😊
Yeah, it just mystifies me why people would want to spend money based on advice from strangers on the internet while providing the least amount of info possible. I guess there is an entertainment factor though.
"It is hilarious that you were able to do all of this and even add those diagrams and some people still haven’t figured out how to take a pic and upload their system."
Maybe they just don't want to. Have you considered that?
Yeah, obviously you started with a blueprint and checked off each milestone until you finished. I don’t see how people spend more money on upgrades before getting the room measured properly and dialing in the FR. It is hilarious that you were able to do all of this and even add those diagrams and some people still haven’t figured out how to take a pic and upload their system.
I was able to cut corners (and budget) by going the traditional active speaker route and using the DSP built into my processor. I like passive speakers and fiddling with amps and all, but active + room treatments+ DSP is a lot quicker and cheaper to get that type of FR.
If I were advising someone to try this path I would advise them to get a MiniDSP UMIK-1 or 2 which is a simple but high quality USB microphone. Using a phantom powered mic can be more accurate but it is trickier to set up in Room EQ Wizard. Whereas there is a profile built in REW for this mic and the instructions are very clear how to set up and make accurate measurements quickly in the REW literature. I used a loop back timing reference before REW had the ability to use the high end of a main speaker as the timing reference. Once the sweeps are made with each speaker at the listening positions and named appropriately you can go to Multi Sun Optimizer and just follow their instructions on creating a project and use your data rather than the data included in the project and you’ll see how it all works and get a nice result quickly. After you understand how the filters work you can start to tweak them to get the best result.
I am of the mind buy it once buy it right so I waited to get what I wanted and bought a lot of things used. It took a lot of patience but I think it paid off and wouldn’t change that either. I like having two pairs of matched subs that support the system at different ranges. I think the affect is more dynamic and having four subs is critical to countering the room issues. I started with the Mini DSP platform and they make a good overall product. I prefer IIR rather than FIR filters due to the lower processing requirements of the IIR filters. If I were to make FIR filters with 12 coefficients the processing power needed would overwhelm the processor and would require less coefficients and be less effective overall.
It is scary to plug your amps directly into the speakers. Labeling is key and it is so important to start playing anything at -40dB so nothing gets damaged if wires are crossed. The power gain and immediacy of the amps plugged in directly is pretty awesome. They don’t have to push any power through passive components all of it is used just where it is called for. The dynamic range is increased and noise floor lowered when the only D/A conversion happens at the output to the amps. The main disadvantage to making an active set up in my opinion is that you need all components for it to work (amps for each channel/speakers with by-passable passive crossovers/DSP/computer). It’s hard to start with a few simple components and upgrade to more/better/all in one designs vs. separates etc. In spite of that you can start out with the basic set up and upgrade the mains, subs, and amps as money and opportunity presents themselves. I think the benefits to an active set up with room correction can far outweigh spending more on one pair of good speakers if compromises have to be made.
I just uploaded my HT system on my system page. My HiFi rig has been posted for a while now. I update my HiFi system as I make changes. I know some leave their older system pics posted so others can see the progression over the years. I tend to just move on.
Thank you for the compliment, it has taken a long time to get this where it is. I really wouldn’t change a thing except one day to get a pair of Clarisys Auditorium speakers. I heard the Minuets at AXPONA and was blown away. I do have a crossover on the main speakers on the highs/lows each has its own channel with the amps vertically bi-amping them. It is unusual that I don’t have a hard crossover on the subs but they attenuate themselves due to their limited range. Yes I wouldn’t change a thing really. I learned a lot in these forums and to piece meal information together to actually execute the idea of an active system was not easy. Hopefully my documentation can help others who want to try. It’s certainly a process and the results are incredible. There are some amazing people who make this all possible namely John Mulcahy who created Room EQ Wizard and Multi Sub Optimizer and keeps them updated and responds to people personally on AV Nirvana. He is a champion of our passion and should be lauded for his dedication to promote and encourage people in the audio world.
That’s what I call a "budget worthy" component, when it can transform everything. Also interesting that you are running everything full range instead of using a crossover on the mains. Earl Geddes recommends that in addition to multiple subs. You get a result like this and you simply lose all desire to change anything. You know changing gear will be different, but why bother. I think having a dynamite FR in your room should be mandatory in this hobby.
Yes I wish I could describe how amazing the sound is. I’ve never seen DSP results like this before. I didn’t come close in my old room. It helped using the processing power of my computer I built. I let it run for 30 min at a time working on creating the filters. I played a lot with the settings in Multi Sub Optimizer to get this result. The secret to getting the system to fix these issues is using four subs + the main speakers when measuring and then the mains are running full range and the DSP is applied to the subs which are strategically placed (they are running full range as well). The only way to fix the room nodes is with multiple sub woofers, traps can help but only so much. The other key here is that the dspNexus is running at 192K which allows for a lot more flexibility than processing at 96K. The system has hair raising realism at this time. I haven’t heard better anywhere. The process is a pain but once complete you don’t have to mess with it until you move. I’m looking forward to having some friends over to listen. My dad is visiting now, he’s a trained concert pianist, and he can’t believe how perfect the system sounds. We’ve had a lot of fun pumping out classical, rock, alternative, dubstep, you name it and we have played it, everything is jaw dropping. I will say that this system is very unforgiving on poor recordings but even older recordings that are mastered well sound great.
Does it sound as good as this graph indicates? I have seen DSP be able to cut the highs, but not lift the dips like this, remarkable. The original signal looks pretty raggedy:
I finally got my system all updated and set up with the dspNexus. All I can say is wow, the experience is transcendental. It blows my MiniDSP out of the water. The Danville Signal Team worked with me personally a number of times to work through a few issues I had building and implementing the system in Audio Weaver. Profile is updated with pics and descriptions.
@nonoise his message was constructive in the quote you refer to, he’s speaking to the fact that I bought most of my stuff used and that going through the process correcting the room is smart before making any large purchases. It’s a “budget worthy” strategy.
Oh, look...an ally of kota1 tagged my posts as being offensive, when I was merely pointing how offensive he was being in his posts after he came back from that short suspension for being offensive (see his last post above with his remark about "budget worthy" only possible for those that post their systems).
Right you are. In any endeavor or hobby, there are many valid approaches, and any mature adult should know that. To think that there is only one way to the finish line is myopic.
Dumb question: how do you post your system in your profile? I can view my profile, but there are no hyperlinked fields that permit anything like listing one's system.
You know, there was a recent time where I would find you an irrelevant, amusing distraction and would respond in kind to your post, although in a much more clever way than you are capable. As @nonoisehas already shown, you have neither the wit, nor the skill to be up to the challenge. You are not worth wasting my time and energy on. Why I choose to not post pictures of my system is neither yours nor anyone’s business. But by all means, keep obsessing about it. It’s apparently what people at your level of maturity do.
You get it, you have to intertwine the subjective with the objective to make "budget worthy" decisions. It is so straight forward, not difficult, and much less expensive than new equipment upgrades without getting the room calibrated properly. IMO. Please let me know your thoughts on the system and graphs I have posted in my profile. Look forward to hearing about the dspNexus upgrade, thanks,
@kota1 Thanks! I really love this stuff. The results were awesome with the Mini DSP. The new dspNexus will be even better with much higher quality DACs dedicated to each channel and the newest SHARC audio processor; all measurements and processing done at 192K. I will post the results by the end of the day Monday with pics of the system built in Audio Weaver. I can’t wait to hear the difference.
First place in this thread! Wow, what a great job both on your system, the room, the equipment, the photos. I have never seen the type of blueprint drawings before in a thread, excellent. I also appreciated the before and after graph of your room, did you do that with the mini dsp? Just great!
I spent a great deal of time on here before posting my system learning and planning what I wanted to buy. I literally had nothing but a Sansui receiver and some old Dynaco speakers. It sounded ok but I wanted to learn. I will say I checked the virtual system of almost anyone who posted advice to see where they leaned on the audio spectrum and to see if they practiced what they preached. It took many years of patience and planning to get where I’m at now.
I do think it is our responsibility to further this hobby by sharing all that we can once that valuable experience has been gained. There are many ways to set up systems and enjoy them. I’ve listened to many that sound great which are very different from mine. I also encourage everyone to develop and update their virtual systems so that others can see what decisions we make and that there is a path to what they are looking for. I welcome anyone to PM me and ask what my process is, that is what this site is about. I don’t want this hobby to disappear in the throws of self righteousness because people are arguing that there is only one path to audio nirvana. . . Everyone’s senses interpret the world differently. Sound is one of the few things that enters our brains with no filters or “cannons” that we compare. It is pure emotive joy which is similar to the emotional power of color field paintings. This is what makes this hobby so interesting in my opinion. So take a few minutes and show what you’ve got and let us know what you’d like to do. . .
I am very excited about my new dspNexus crossover. I just finished building my system in Audio Weaver, and am about to do surgery on all my cords to cut them to length and re-solder my balanced connectors back on. I can rid myself of the mini DSP terminal block. I’ll be re-measuring my room at 192K and will have twice the fidelity with measurable real time processing. It’s going to be a big weekend! I wish you all the best on your own journeys.
Go to email preferences. When you're in there, hit your username again and then you should see virtual systems. Hit that and a choice in a yellow bar at top ought to say 'create system'.
@doyle3433 oh man greatly appreciate the compliment. I remember repeatedly checking out your systems with the Volti Razz and Heresy’s- that’s right up my alley. Ditto on all accounts (dog for cat).
@kota1 thanks a bunch. I always thought cj’s gold champagne color was classy - same with Shindo’s color scheme with their green exterior and gold knobs.
Click on your username in the upper right hand corner, go down to 'my virtual systems', click on that and at the top you'll see 'create system'. Follow instructions.
That's all I've got as I've never been compelled to post mine although this may change here shortly.
I have not posted my system pictures as I see no place to post them. I also do not see anywhere to view other peoples system photos. I suspect that would be the main reason why people do not post them. Can anyone tell me where they are?
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