[aceinc]

Do any of the HT processor companies offer room setup/calibration systems with multiple microphones?

I know a number auto calibration systems take measurements from multiple locations. But it seems to me there could be some utility to have multiple microphones with discreet A to D converters recording simultaneous input streams.

I could imagine a microphone in the primary listening position, the secondary listening position and one centered in the middle of the screen or TV. These 3 positions might provide a variety of data which when analyzed could provide a more detailed "description" of the room. Especially if the software required the measured distance between all 3 microphones. If nothing else the software could more accurately triangulate the distance from each individual speaker to the two listening positions as well as accurately set the timing of "lip-sync."

Another feature I would like to see is measured vs expected frequency response chart/graph for each speaker after calibration.

Perhaps a "fine tuning" calibration pass to be run using the already calibrated speakers as the source.

These features may already exist in newer auto calibration systems, but in the Audyssey, MCCAC and Dirac I have used they did not exist.

What are your thoughts?

What features would you like to see in auto calibration?

[WGH]

The Anthem Room Correction (ARC) is the only system I'm familiar with, it tests each speaker individually then combines and adjusts frequency and loudness to theoretically achieve perfect harmony. Anthem's newest processors/receivers include a new microphone that measures distances too.

https://www.anthemarc.com/index.php?utm_source=AnthemAV.com&utm_medium=Online&utm_campaign=Anthem%20Room%20Correction&utm_content=Redirect

Trinnov has a different system, they measure with a 3-D microphone so their setup will accurately measure the room too like you desire. Their Altitude processors are the best but way above my budget.



I still have to manually adjust the curves, ARC Genesis enables the user to adjust and fine tune everything.

My room is 14' x 17' with an open floor plan, there are a lot of speakers in a small place so all the surround, height, and Atmos speakers are bipole. The old style Anthem ARC microphone does great with frequency adjustments but has a bit of a volume problem in small spaces. The Atmos speakers can be right above the microphone (X-pattern calibration) and the bipole speakers confuse it. Luckily there is a Cinemark XD theater with state-of-the-art sound in town (Avatar: The Way of Water in 3D from the 7th row was OMG). Comparing what I hear in the theater gives me an excellent point of reference. My first thought when Avatar started was "My sub doesn't do that." After seeing the latest "Dune" in the theater I readjusted the surround, height, Atmos speakers volume to closely match what I heard, I called it my "Dune Mix."

Diving deeper into speaker calibration (I'm still experimenting), I am thinking home theater speaker balancing is a two step process. The Anthem ARC gets close, but the built in pink noise calibration test happens before DSP calibration. After calibration the speakers should be closely matched for volume and tone but I found that is not necessarily the case. I tested each speakers loudness with a meter after calibration.

My system is a combination stereo/home theater so I was easy to download a pink_noise.wav file and play it through a stand alone DAC (HoloAudio May KTE). The DAC analog out was re-routed to the Anthem AVM60 Analog In. Under Analog Input Setup: turn Anthem Room Correction ON and set the format to: All Channel.

My trusty Radio Shack 33-2050 Sound Level Meter showed wildly unbalanced loudness levels. I have four amps so all the speakers can be isolated. All the speakers needed the volume adjusted. The way my room has to be setup the microphone hears sounds differently than I do at the sofa. With the sound levels re-adjusted, pink noise with all amps on is equal throughout the room no matter where I sit.

[aceinc]

It is a lot of work and I am the lazy sort.

My room is 25'x15'x9' with two open arch ways into other parts of the house. I have an 11.3.4 or 11.5.4 system depending on how you count. Just getting the 3 true subs sorted out can be a challenge. I currently have a Marantz AV7704 with Audyssey.

My fronts are Magnepan 2.7 with OB subs run in parallel on the speaker wires which is the ambiguity on the sub count.

It just seems to me that while most calibration systems are good at solving big issues most of the time, they could be better.

[WGH]

Just getting the 3 true subs sorted out can be a challenge. I currently have a Marantz AV7704 with Audyssey'

Just in case you are getting tired of the Marantz:

Anthem AVM 70, AVM 90

Anthem Auto Phase, Distance, and Time Alignment for up to four independent subwoofers.
With the addition of phase, distance, and time alignment, ARC will now precisely integrate subwoofers into your system

[WGH]

Road trip! The latest Trinnov demos should be spectacular.

DIRAC Live with Active Acoustic Technology new for 2023
https://www.audioholics.com/audio-technologies/trinnov-2018active-acoustics2019



Trinnov says that for the best possible low-frequency performance, “optimal design includes individual subwoofer performance, loudspeaker layout, passive acoustics, and digital acoustic optimization.” It goes without saying that any audio product will perform its best when the whole room and all aspects of the system are carefully considered using a holistic approach, and that’s precisely what Trinnov has done with its demonstration system. The three-row, 18-seat theater utilizes three-way, bi-amped speakers for the front stage — Krix’s MX-40 LCR modules — which feature the Australian company’s patented horn design to provide “a uniform, constant directivity pattern, improved frequency response, and extremely low distortion.” The surround and overhead channels will be reproduced by sixteen of Krix’s versatile Hyperphonix 45 speakers. But Trinnov’s new magic will be performed by two enormous subwoofer arrays, each comprising eight Krix Cyclonix 18-inch subwoofers — one array at the front of the room and one at the back. That’s right — this system includes sixteen 18-inch subs!

The Double Bass Array is an approach originally popularized in Germany and covered extensively on the AVS forum here in the states.  It comprises an array of subwoofers placed along the front wall in a precise and symmetric arrangement.  In theory this could be accomplished with as little as two subwoofers, but the distance between the subwoofers and their distance to any boundary defines the upper bandwidth over which they can produce a planar wave.  A planar wave can be thought of as a cylinder-shaped wave instead of a spherical wave.  The key to this is that the edges of the cylinder do not reflect.  If you create a full planar bass wave from 100hz to DC, then there will be no reflections from the floor, ceiling, or side walls.  There is no front wall reflection either since the array is mounted on the wall.  This eliminates the vast majority of SBIR effects and room modes.  What is left is only the length mode.  If you copy this array on the back wall, delay the signal to the length of the room, and flip the phase, then the bass is fully canceled by the back wall.  There is now no longitudinal modes either. Because half of the subwoofers in the room are used solely for cancellation purposes, you get no output gain, and in fact, because there are now no reflections, overall bass output in the room is more akin to outdoor bass levels with no room gain.

[aceinc]

Neat, talking the missus into 16 - 18" subs may be a heavy lift.

I might suggest that if you flip the phase on one of the arrays 180 degrees, find a room mode, you might be able to make a milkshake without a blender.

[aceinc]

BTW, is there any plans for Dirac Live Active Room Treatment in a less pricey package? $20k+ for a processor is a bit of a budget buster.

[WGH]

I might suggest that if you flip the phase on one of the arrays 180 degrees, find a room mode, you might be able to make a milkshake without a blender.

Be more like making a milkshake with the blender lid off.

Trickle down eventually happens, everyone will get a first listen at the January 31 - February 3, 2023 ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) conference in Barcelona. Trinnov’s first demonstration of this new technology will be in the context of a no-holds-barred 13.16.6 home theater system assembled in partnership with Sony, Krix (loudspeakers), and the Italian acoustic interior design firm Officina Acustica.

The new technology will be trickle up and down. The StormAudio ISP MK2 24CH AV Processor will have the new tech, it is $24,000.
https://www.audioholics.com/av-preamp-processor-reviews/storm-audio-isp-mk2-processor

Look for Dirac Live in Spring 2023 with Onkyo RZ-series, Marantz, & Denon.
https://www.audioholics.com/audio-technologies/dirac-live-active-room-treatment-dsp-room-eq-spring-201823

Dirac Roadmap for 2022 Denon & Marantz AV Products and yes only available in new products. Dirac Live Bass Control upgrade sometime in 2024 - TBD.
https://www.audioholics.com/editorials/dirac-road-map-denon-marantz-2022


ISE 2023: Trinnov Audio Highlights Its Active Acoustics System in Home Theater Show Floor Demo Room
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPjZ18Olmho

Trinnov Audio @ ISE 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq-GkvgBKjM

So far I haven't read any Trinnov show reviews, with all those subs probably nobody survived.

[jk@home]

Have you tried the MultiEQ-X program offered by Audyssey?
https://www.audyssey.com/