[*Scotty*]

if after measuring and moving things around and still having issues, I would have employed a computer based system and highly recommend the same to anyone. 

That goes back to my "chasing your own tail" remark earlier. Sometimes you just have to use a bigger hammer.
Scotty

[medium jim]

That goes back to my "chasing your own tail" remark earlier. Sometimes you just have to use a bigger hammer.
Scotty

Truer words have never been said!

Jim

[medium jim]

Scotty:

With the JL Audio RTA, you need to set the mic filter to none to get the most accurate readings. Still not sure if it will read pingers or such.  They do have an upgrade program for purchase that might.  Now if I could learn how to take screen shots with it or RTA lite.

Jim

[*Scotty*]

If your iPhone is running the latest OS you can get a screen shot of anything you see on the screen by holding down the on button
and momentarily depressing the power off button at the top of the iPhone next to the headphone jack.
Scotty

[medium jim]

Scotty:

Thanks...I'm at the Dodger game and will take a screen shot or two in a couple of days.

Jim

[JRace]

No, I want to skip right over "rat shack meter" phase. There's no point in wasting money on one of those when I'm getting a measurement system.

 I am going to use room treatments, etc, I'm going full bore on this system, was the whole point from the beginning, not reaching a half way point and calling it good. I expect to lean on you quite a bit for advice.

Don't discount the usefullness of the RS meter.
For one you will need it to calibrate your measurment software's spl level.
Get it now, take some simple measurements, and learn the basics.
It will help you understand the process and methodology of measuring rooms.

[Rclark]

 I already have an spl meter, it's on my windows phone, and I've actually used it quite a bit. However, the XTC Pro II (and the Omnimic) don't require any calibration, so I don't need to spend any money on a stand alone meter.

 It looks like my Ncores will be ready sooner than later, about a month or so, so the additional subs, DCX, and measuring rig have been put to the side, for about a month or so.

 In themeanwhile I've been steadily learning as much about the DCX as I can and have been studying the manual, posts, etc. There might be an impedance mismatch between my LDR and the DCX, I'll find out soon, and if so I get to enjoy building a gainstage to compensate, which will be fun if so.

 Anyway, as John R pointed out previously, you don't know anything unless you're doing full sweeps with a measurement suite and taking large amounts of data, not just spl at listening position with various tones.
 

[medium jim]

Thanks gentlemen.  Confirmation is a wonderful thing, but the opposite - like you stated - not so much.  As Floyd Toole states: acclaimation to our system/room comes very quickly and easily.

Scotty, I agree - igorance is blissful.  Yet it amazes me on the money wasted on equipment in the horrible rooms I've heard.

I've only used a RS spl with stereophile test CD2.  Feel free to slap me because I have a Behringer DEQ2496 in the system with the matching mike and have never tested the room (finally found a link that might explain how in language I can understand).   

You basically did it the same way I did.  Maybe old school, but it does seem to work.  Those who have heard my system also think it sounds right and darn good.

I would rather spend my money on more music or on things such as a music server to store my library.

Caveat, if after taking measurements with a spl meter and calibrated test cd and it was out of balance (after some trial & error), it would be imperative to go the full nine yards and take comprehensive measurements and or the use of digital room correction.

Jim

[*Scotty*]

There are considerable problems with using iPhones for acoustical measurements. Starting with OS 4.2 a 24dB/oct. roll-off beginning at 250Hz was introduced via the software. In most later models there is also a limiter which makes SPL measurements as well impulse response measurements much more difficult to do accurately.
 The upshot is, starting with the iPhone4 the software coupled with the microphone renders even simple SPL measurements questionable at best. Compared to the ubiquitous RadioShack SPL meter all SPL apps are much less accurate due to iPhone OS limitations placed on the the internal mic. RTA apps running on OS 4.2 and later OS are just as problematic if they rely on the internal mic. You might be able to tell that you have a bad problem with high peaks and deep nulls in the bass, but you can't do an accurate enough measurement to allow to you figure out what to do about it.
For more information Studio Six audio measurement apps for the iPhone see these links.
http://studiosixdigital.com/iphone_hardware/iphone_3gs_microphone.html
http://studiosixdigital.com/iphone_hardware/compatibility.html
http://studiosixdigital.com/
 Conversely when the RS SPL meter is used with a comprehensive set of bass test tones consisting of 10Hz intervals, a fairly accurate graphic representation of the frequency response curve can be drawn by using just a pencil and a piece of graph paper. This would be enough information to allow equalization to be applied to flatten the bass response at one location in the listening room.
While this approach is quite simple it not crude.
Scotty

[7x57]

VMPS RM-1 driven by a Conrad-Johnson MF-2250 through a C-J PV-14L. I am flat at 40Hz, -3db at 31Hz and -6dB at 25Hz and falls on its face at 20Hz. Above that, you have room interactions that I have very little interest in addressing. You don't equalize an acoustic musical instrument that is played in an imperfect normal room, so you don't equalize your rather flat system either if you want to reproduce that instrument that was recorded rather flat. You would equalize for any anomalies in the recording itself, and you can do that by listening through a high quality headphone then play it back through your loudspeaker system.

How do you equalize for a cabinet buzz that happens on a loud extended note at 80Hz? You don't. You open the cabinet door if it bothers you too much. If my Rottweiler mutt lays on the floor in front of me, it makes several dB of difference at certain frequencies on my sound level meter. I suppose there are people out there geeky enough to try to equalize for that.

[medium jim]

If my Rottweiler mutt lays on the floor in front of me, it makes several dB of difference at certain frequencies on my sound level meter. I suppose there are people out there geeky enough to try to equalize for that.

You raise a critical point.  You can measure in a perfect situation, and if by yourself do critical listening.  With a room full of bodies it has to change the room characteristics. For this reason, I have my main system dialed in for critical listening and a very good one for conversational listening that sounds good no matter where you are in the room.  Funny thing, it only has one sub and conventional box speakers.

Jim