Room Set-Up

I just changed from the active CD comp curve to a passive set-up and of course had to reset all driver levels and redo the EQ. How do you do it?? You have a set routine?? Do you have a "house curve" you shot for???

This is what I do. I set all EQ's flat and set driver level with the active crossovers. I may move the crossovers slightly for best/flatest response at my primary listenning position. I then crop the peaks with the EQ. I try to get as flat as I can from say about 300 up to about 8 Khz. I have my own room problems I try do deal with as little EQ as I can do. The high end is slightly rolled off above 10Khz. The low end is up in the 25-30-40 with about +5db at 25 going as close to midrange ref. level as the room permits. I find myself comming back to this curve with a little tweek hear of there. Then its set and forget. I also look at the other listenning positions as a reference. I don't monkey with tone controls at all once I am happy with the room.

What do you guys do?? Any pointers?? Similar or different approach??

Rob:)

Hey, Rob...

This is way un-scientific, but I'm pleased with the result.

Start with everything "flat" - EQ, active crossover equal LF and HF (not variable on the 5234A), and power amps too (biamped) - I then run a number of RTA profiles throughout the room, and store the patterns. I then review the response curves at the EQ, and notch where needed (room-related standing waves). Limited portions of the curve may need some modest boost, where the room is eating certain frequencies. I then change source material, and repeat. And again.

Then I look at both Pink and White noise, and am dismayed with the curve. Ignore.

Then, over the next few days, and everyday, I seem to only tweak the gain of power amps (biamped), balancing the HF and LF outputs. But that's it. It is a great sound. But I am admittedly quite pedestrian about this, but my ears are well trained! ;)

The incoming Rane DEQ60 (Rane DEQ60) gives some added flexibility enabling tweaks to the LF, MF or HF overall at the EQ, which may prove very clever to EQ around mix vagaries - I'll let you know.

I use an analyzer and noise the room. However, the RTA only gets me part of the way there! After I have my house curve, fine tuning must be done by ear. And sometimes you hear something a day later, that you missed the day before.

This is considering you already have optimised speaker placement as best you can in your particular room!

I use a pink noise track from a Stereophile Test CD and RTA. Then I tweak the system listening to various pieces of music. I'll listen to female vocals, large orchestral, rock... and over the course of several days make tiny adjustments until it sounds "right".

For the RTA bit I place the mic directly on axis with the speaker and adjust one channel at a time. I try to get the system as flat as possible. An RTA isn't terribly helpful in the deep bass since in real rooms there are so many room modes you get all kinds of measurements depending on mic placement. I will check the bass response with the mic at my listening position, but I do the final bass adjustments by ear.

Do any of you find that you actually like and keep your system flat, or do you tend to bias it away from flat in order to enjoy it more? If you adjust it away from flat, what frequency changes do you like most?

Thanks,

Tom

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"Do any of you find that you actually like and keep your system flat, or do you tend to bias it"

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Certainly the noises give you a start, but after that, like both Scott and Widget have posted, it's all ear, man.

And for our room (hardwood floors, no drapes, lots of empty walls, merge into the kitchen), I find that readings off axis, and collected from various positions throughout the LIVE room, are in many ways more critical. These are where listeners/guests will be sitting/standing, and I want it balanced overall. So, I don't have a "sweet spot" or "special chair" with this configuration. However, much of that is credit to the 2405's and their wide dispersion for the listening distances our room allows.

The curve remains fairly flat, depending upon the source material, hey?

I was just reading Tom's post (following... ;) ) and would add that I too, bias the extremes very slightly, but no more that about +3dB relative to the nearest "un biased" frequency.

Hello Tom

I bias the extremes a bit. The bottom end because I like the impact with no bloat if you can get away with some boost in the 25-30 Hz region and keep the 40 and up fairly flat. Midrange flat and the extereme high-end rooled off because it does anyway and its too hard sounding going flat all the way to say 17khz. I have tried a couple of curves on the high end. Even set-up though still tweek by ear. Can take me a couple of weeks to get it all dialed back in. So for the most part they are flat. With good source material it can sound great! With bad:biting: But if thats the way it was recorded you just have to grin and bear it and not let it get in the way.

Rob:)

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Originally posted by Tom Loizeaux
Do any of you find that you actually like and keep your system flat, or do you tend to bias it away from flat in order to enjoy it more? If you adjust it away from flat, what frequency changes do you like most?

Thanks,

Tom

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From years of subjective analysis (read that playing around with many systems) I definitely prefer flat. I like a very extended bass region, but absolutely dislike a pronounced bass bump. For some music I may want to pronounce the midrange a bit, but as I listen I find myself bringing it back down again.