[fsimms]

I didn’t want to hijack a thread so I started another one.

Hi Bob,
your system combination sounds like what im planning to go with.
So please dont mind me ask, what preamps and room correction device are you currently using?
For my self, i plan on going with the decware csp2 and emotiva umc200. The eml processor has great adjustbility for bass integrationand toning. The only problem is that emo seems have not perfected the software.

I use a TACT 2.2x room correcting preamp.  Apparently TACT Audio is no longer there.  I guess Lyngdorf would be the equivalent product now.  The UMC 200 seems interesting.  I do like that my TACT works with my laptop. 

I used the TACT happily with my Salk HT1 for several years.  When I got my SoundScapes, the TACT didn’t seem to help much.  So, I didn’t use the TACT’s room correction abilities and considered it as a fancy quality DAQ.  I ran room corrections this week and was shocked at how much improvement it gave me.  The bass was clearer, as I expected.  The midrange also improved, which I didn’t expect.  The midrange was clearer and had a much better image.  It even helped the sound at lower listening levels.  Some TV shows and some music have more of an open window, you are there effect.  The improvement was similar to what I heard when I first had my speakers further out from the wall.  I am sure that I ran my first room correction tests when I had the speakers much further out from the wall. 

I use a Calypso tube preamp.  My SoundScapes are very neutral.  Before I got the Calypso, old 60’s pop tunes sometimes sounded very different from what I remembered them as sounding.  The Calypso restored the songs to a similar sound to what I remember.  My phono cartridge is a Denon DL-S1.  It is also very neutral so I use warm NOS Mullard tubes in the Calypso and Amperex Orange Globes in my phono preamp.  The Orange Globes made most male vocals sound incredible.  The Mullards made my ELO records sound fuller and the the ELO voices have a more rounded and realistic tone when I replaced my warm McCormack 225 amp with very neutral NCore NC400s.

I am very happy with the sound of my system. 

Bob

[ricardojoa]

Hey Bob,
thanks for sharing your system. I cant imagine anyone would complaint such great system and components you have!

I will check the stuff out and the mullards "bulbs"
Interesting your prefered the ncore amp over the mccormack. I think the tube preamp had made the right balance to complimet those SS. 

[yetis]

I use a Meridian 861 processor for room correction and also use the Hypex Ncore 400 amps.  I will admit that I had such a painful experience getting my Ncore's to work (had to be sent back to factory), that once they worked, I sort of lost interest and needed to take some time off of "audiophiling".  The 861 is in the shop right now, getting a power supply upgrade and a hardwired (id40) connection to Sooloos.  Once that is all done, I will get serious and really work on the room correction, etc.   

BTW, do I REALLY need to get my Berringer mic calibrated??? Seems like it never ends...

[fsimms]

I use a Calypso tube preamp.  My SoundScapes are very neutral.  Before I got the Calypso, old 60’s pop tunes sometimes sounded very different from what I remembered them as sounding.  The Calypso restored the songs to a similar sound to what I remember.  My phono cartridge is a Denon DL-S1.  It is also very neutral so I use warm NOS Mullard tubes in the Calypso and Amperex Orange Globes in my phono preamp.  The Orange Globes made most male vocals sound incredible.  The Mullards made my ELO records sound fuller and the the ELO voices have a more rounded and realistic tone when I replaced my warm McCormack 225 amp with very neutral NCore NC400s.

Sorry, I am taking so long in clarifying the above comments.  I broke my hand which caused me to delay further testing.  My hand is healed now and I bypassed my Calypso preamp.  I ran my tubed phono preamp into the Tact preamp and the Tact directly to the NCores.  When I played the ELO LP the voices were rounded.  Above, I implied that maybe the NCores made the voices flat. It was the tubes, that I had in the Calypso, which were making the voices flat. 

The treble, with the NCores, was strong but usually very smooth.  I would leave the NCores on all the time.

I returned my friend's NCores and plan to buy my own pair.

Bob

[yetis]

Hi,

So I am still figuring things out.  I have had a devil of a time configuring my mic.  I should note that I had my mic calibrated and the calibration was MATERIALLY off from what the stock calibration was for the specific brand of mic.   With that, I would like some opinions on my efforts thus far.  As I mentioned above, I use my Meridian, which has its own version of RC in it.  Within the functionality, I can add in filters to smooth things out that are perhaps, not perfect for a room.  Anyway, I think there is something wrong with my right speaker, amp or processor. I just don't know what could cause such a variation in readings for the left and right speaker.  Below are four waterfall charts.  Two each for the  left and right of my SS8"s.  The "bypassed" ones are with no Meridian filtration and the second one is with Meridian filters added.  Please however note that right speaker at around the 150 hz.  Is that a driver?  Could an issue in the amp be causing that? I will note that the left speaker is NOT in an optimal location, essentially in corner. So that is what is causing some of the volatility in the readings. But that doesn't seem to account for what is happening on the right.  Any insight would be great.  I should note that the System is Meridian 861 to Ncore 400's to SS8's. 

Thank you

I know the print is small, so the order below is 1) Front Right - filter bypassed, 2) Front Right - filters on, 3) Front left - filter bypassed, 4) Front left - filters on,








 

[JonnyFive]

Looks like a big null for the FR at 150hz, not much to be done about this in terms of room correction as it's likely a room mode.  You'd have to look at moving the speaker or passive trapping solutions to help the problem.  The room correction does appear to be helping a bit on the low end, but that's some serious low-end ringing if that scale is out to 1.5 seconds. 

Front left graphs look very similar in the before/after, still with lots of ringing on the low end frequencies.  Overall, I'm not too impressed with the results of that room correction software (unless I'm missing something, or perhaps there are some settings that need to be tweaked). 

Do you have any friends that have an Audyssey XT or XT32 capable receiver?  It'd be interesting to have a comparison on the same setup, and I bet the edge would go to Audyssey.  It had a pretty dramatic affect on my system, including improving a black-hole-of-a-null at 42 hz by about 10 db.

[jimdgoulding]

Luv to see a picture or two of your set-up, Bob.  Oh, nevermind, duh.  Can see it in your Gallery.  Ouu, like those diffusors behind your speaks. Where did they come from?  Thank you.

[fsimms]

Those are Real Trap Diffusers.  They have absorption built into them too.

Bob

[jimdgoulding]

Nice.  Thanks.

[Vulcan00]

In every comment I have read one Tact room correction equipment has been favorable. I wonder what happen to TACT?