What exactly does RDES do?

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kaxixi

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What exactly does RDES do?
« on: 30 Apr 2005, 07:24 pm »
Is RDES just a processor that sits between my source and my amps, or do I need a dedicated output to my sub?  I understand from the photos of the back panel posted here -- http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=16624&start=10 -- that it does not act as an active crossover for your sub.  Thank you,

erez

BradJudy

What exactly does RDES do?
« Reply #1 on: 1 May 2005, 07:48 pm »
RDES is a digital parametric EQ for subwoofers.  It goes between the pre-amp/receiver and the sub amp and is used to correct for low frequency response problems due to the room.  This is similar to what is included with the Velodyne Digital Drive subwoofers, although it connects to a computer for configuration instead of a television.  Some people use a Berhinger Feedback Destroyer or other pro-audio EQs for this purpose.

Sean Parque

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What exactly does RDES do?
« Reply #2 on: 5 May 2005, 04:30 pm »
Here is the description we just posted to the site.  Still need to add some stuff in here but this will give you the basic idea.

R-DES is a product that nearly EVERY subwoofer system on the planet needs. That is a bold statement and it's not just marketing fluff. You may not even realize you need it but once you hear the difference it makes, you can't go back.

R-DES is a device that sits in front of your subwoofer that allows you to compensate for the degrading effects that the room has on your subwoofer’s response. Ideally, you want your sub to produce a flat frequency response so that all bass sounds are heard evenly and at the same volume. This is the most natural and accurate way that bass is reproduced. RDES can help achieve this “ideal” situation.

Your room contributes a large amount to the sound you hear from your system. In fact, MOST of the sound you hear is actually sound that has bounced around your room quite a bit. This is especially the case in the bass region because rooms don't absorb low frequencies very well. With this increase in system volume from all the sound bouncing around comes some problems. Specifically, your room starts to resonate at certain frequencies. ONIX Graph Paper along with the provided test tones can help you find these resonances in your room. ONIX R-DES gives you the ability to reduce the level of those resonances to give you a more balanced bass response.

To really understand how to use R-DES to its fullest potential you really need to understand the concept of Frequency Response. Music does not sound like a lot of individual tones, but that is in fact what music is made up of. All music can be seen as a combination of tones of specific frequencies that occur at specific times. For instance an acoustic bass note may have a fundamental pitch of 100Hz, or 100 cycles per second (it also has additional harmonics that are multiples of that fundamental pitch). When a piano hits a middle C note on top of that, that music contains all of its tones as well. These simply add up to create music.

Now, when music is played back over speakers in a room, the speakers and the room can’t play every frequency, or tone, at exactly the same level. This can be seen in its Frequency Response. It is a measure of how a system plays back different tones at slightly different levels.

A non-uniform Frequency Response is a flaw in the playback system. Some notes will sound louder than others. Some will resonate more than others. None of this was in the original music, it is created by your speakers and your room. Now, most speakers do a pretty good job of playing things at similar levels. +/- 3dB is a very common target for speakers because this change in level is not very noticeable. But rooms can cause enormous aberrations in the Frequency Response. These variations can be up to 20dB! This is very noticeable and is commonly referred to as one note, flabby, or weak bass. That is because certain tones can be so much louder than everything else. By compensating for those extra loud tones, you can bring your system’s Frequency Response back to nearly uniform, which will significantly increase your listening pleasure.

With R-DES, it's easy to correct for these aberrations. All you need is a SPL meter and your PC! With the included Graph Paper program and test tones, you can easily plot your in-room Frequency Response quickly. Graph Paper will even compensate for the C-weighting of the Radio Shack SPL meter so you don't need to go out and buy an expensive measuring device. Once you have your in-room response graphed out, you can make corrections in R-DES and upload them in real time! This means you can hear the changes you are making as you go.

R-DES also allows you to store multiple curves in the hardware. This means you can build a Frequency Response curve for general movies, action movies, music or whatever. If you want to crank up the bass a little for a certain kind of film or album, it's easy with R-DES. When you want to switch curves, just touch a button on the front panel of the R-DES hardware and it's done.

R-DES represents a huge shift towards high quality, accurate bass in the home. With our 30-day in-home audition period, you simply must try out R-DES for yourself and hear what it can do for your system.

See here for screens of the interface:

http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=processors&product=31.1

Sean

kaxixi

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so....
« Reply #3 on: 5 May 2005, 05:33 pm »
...

So you need a dedicated subwoofer output on your preamp/receiver?  Thank you.