DSP? Does it really do that much???

@emergingsoul  DSP computations are complex and extensive. Still, the automated corrections are overall much simpler and quicker to perform than a manual approach, as well as more accurate (assuming you’ve done it right).

Sounds to me like you’re approaching it wrong by expecting DSP to produce an overall sonic experience that sounds best TO YOUR EAR on its own. But you are not alone. Almost everyone initially makes the same mistake of expecting DSP to automatically transform his/her system into "The Oracle of High Fidelity."

I suggest you just let the DSP circuitry do its thing, and then make whatever additional manual adjustments put the biggest smile on YOUR face downstream of those corrections.

Agree best approach is let the DSP at hand do its thing first and then "tweak" the sound from there to one’s preference.

You can do that in Roon DSP for example by defining mutliple filters that all work together, one to correct the room, others to apply as many individual tweaks as needed from there using for example the various totally customizable parametric equalization operations provided . How to customize to personal preferences correctly? That’s the trick. It takes some learning and trial and error to master, but 1000% worth it.

I've never heard a signal processor that I liked. They add artifacts to the music that are more egregious than the problems they were meant to sort out.

Tech dive...

Under the covers, DSP converts the digital music signal from time to frequency domain. Now in frequency domain there is a data point for as many frequencies as needed (more needed the higher the resolution) and the signal processing algorithms can now manipulate or transform each frequency as needed.

A simple case would be a volume control. The amplitude of the signal at all frequencies is either increased or decreased by the same amount at all frequencies. Simple addition and subtraction.

Then it gets more complicated from there. A digital equalization operation might focus a boost of a certain magnitude at a certain frequency and control the range of frequencies around that impacted (Q).

Towards the more complex end, you have a room correction algorithm that automatically determines what to adjust at each frequency based on measurements of the room acoustics taken by a microphone.

So you can see how powerful DSP is. Vendors might apply it under the covers in their gear to help better achieve a desired reference sound or perhaps more unique "house" sound or users can optionally do their own tweaking as needed. Dynamite stuff!

Another cool application I can cite is DSP built into active monitors. I have a pair of tiny Vanatoo active speakers that has DSP built in. Why? it allows the sound of the tiny speakers to be tweaked right out of the box to provide results that are beyond what would otherwise be possible with such tiny speakers. I came across Vanatoo at a high end show a few years back where the audiophiles were huddled in mass and aghast at the sound coming out of a pair of tiny $600 speakers. Obviously, I was also quite impressed and bought a pair. One of the best sounds possible these days for a mere $600, and it will probably only get even better over time as the application of DSP technology continues to evolve!

The problem is working with these DSP interfaces when you want to tweak it. If it’s part of an AV processor god help you.

On roon, which I have, I see all the complicated and convoluted changes you can make and quite frankly I’m not sure it’s worth all that. And then it’s being filtered which clearly is not a good thing to do.

Seems dsp may be a value for a lower cost system that is trying to reach toward improved quality but to a higher quality fairly revealing system if you put a DSP filter on it it won't sound very good and it's very similar to throwing a blanket over your speakers.