GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Another time aligned 5-way horn project

Post Subject: Too subtle on DSP & some suggestions for preliminary LF testingPosted by scooter on: 8/13/2015

Hi Murat,

1. Please take a look around this site for some intelligence on how detrimental digital room correction is and why. Romy and Paul are being excessively polite today regarding DSP, perhaps because the weather is nice. I'll be more direct - If you are taking the time to design and build a good system, why risk killing it with some half-baked DSP "solution"? Why not just design the system properly out of the box?

DSP can be super useful for testing and system integration. Just put it back on workbench with your hammer and your chainsaw after you are "done."

2. How many systems have you heard that properly integrate LF? Think carefully about why that is.

There are only a handful of key elements, but you need to get them all right. Secondary elements are important, but secondary. LF is a different and extremely problematic beast because the room matters so much. Think carefully about why electronic DSP "solutions" could struggle with LF room nodes. Comments littered through this site can be a great guide.

3. Also, I would like to address your "thunder" comment. A properly integrated system should be integrated. Seamless (well, as seamless as possible). Thus, if you notice "true thunder," your LF solution is not properly integrated (unless you are listening to recorded thunder). If that concept seems idiotic or trite or simplistic or childish, in your mind's eye, imagine how good music is realized in a good hall.

4. Before moving forward, I think it would be a fun and useful exercise to spend a few weeks trying to get your current LF solution properly integrated. That is like taking one step back and three steps forward. I strongly believe the results will influence your new project.

5. I would like to concentrate on one element, emphasizing that by separating the LF physically, you will have an excellent "manual DSP" solution, just put the LF boxes on sliders and shuffle them around the room to find "optimal" placement. Once you find the "best" placement, you can easily adjust gain. I think that is a good "brute first step" for proper integration. Some people may not need to do this type of testing, but do you honestly think you have the ability to model your room's LF response without physical experimentation with absolute certainty? I certainly don't have that ability. And what if your wife redecorates the room, remodels the room, or moves you to another house? Regardless, the option to move LF around for "free" is quite a valuable "option" in the experimental phase.

Anyways, good luck!

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