So I bought the audyssey multieq app

[newlash09]

And it is probably the best 20 pounds I've ever spent, besides the Chromecast audio.

My HT system always sounded a bit soulless and flat for music. I've just added the qacoustics concept centre speaker to my setup, and was still under whelmed with dynamics in music.

As a last ditch effort before plinking for a new AVR, I decided I would try the audyssey app.

My Lenovo tab's firmware didn't support the app, so downloaded onto my blackberry priv . It initially failed to recognise my marantz sr6011 on the network, had to enter the avr's ip address manually. Once done it kept dropping the connection from time to time. This certainly needs a higher degree of resolve than pockets to get it right. Once I got the connection working, I was asked to carry out the calibration again. I was under the impression that I could import the last calibration file into the app and tweak it there. However there was no option to import the last file so I went around calibrating again. And irritatingly it dropped connection a couple of times in the middle of the calibration too. After almost 4 attempts I completed the calibration, and then could see the individual speaker measurements before and after room correction.

Though there was the option to adjust the eq curve for each speaker individually, I couldn't figure out what to do there. And trying to tweak a curve by touch alone with my thick fingers on a small 5.5 inch screen was asking for too much. But I noticed that there were several humps in my speaker measurements upto 200 Hz. So I went into each speaker settings, and set audyssey correction only upto 250hz on all speakers. Then I exported the file to the marantz and sit back to listen. And I can only say wow. The missing life and dynamics in the music is back in full. I spent a full day yesterday watching music vids on YouTube, and I could swear I could be listening to a complete new system , and not just a different AVR. I usually listen in DTS neural x mode, and not once did I feel the urge to shift to my 2 channel rig.

Iam sure folks with knowledge of eq curves and room correction could extract more mileage from the app. But iam very happy with where iam. I would rank it as the 20 pounds that made me fall in love with my system again.

Will I try taking measurements again and tweaking for better results, hell no. The dropping connection is a royal PITA, I almost gave up a couple of times, but it was worth it in the end

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Is a Windoze version or Amazon Fire (Android) version available? In trying to get my Fire tablets (three of them in total) tasked to home automation and multi device remote duties, one for the media room, one for the den and a third "floater".

 

[Feral]

Am I right in thinking that your you had run the audyessy calibration in the Marantz but weren't happy with the result? The reason for asking is that munch of the room EQ functionality is the same in both brands and my Denon is also compatible with the app so wondering if worth the punt to get better sound or are you just referring to music played through your AVR rather than atmos for example?

 

[newlash09]

I think the audyssey app only works with the latest Android version. I tried searching for it on my Lenovo tab and it didn't show up in the Google play store. And same turned up when accessing from the blackberry priv, so my guess is that if the fire tablets are using the compatible Android versions , then should be possible to install the app there. I havent found a windows version so far. But would have been ideal and far more easier to use than a tablet or a phone.

 

[newlash09]

Am I right in thinking that your you had run the audyessy calibration in the Marantz but weren't happy with the result?  The reason for asking is that munch of the room EQ  functionality is the same in both brands and my Denon is also compatible with the app so wondering if worth the punt to get better sound or are you just referring to music played through your AVR rather than atmos for example?

I can understand where your coming from. But from my experience, when the audyssey app is connected to the marantz sr6011, and when we start speaker calibration, the entire measurements for each speaker and listening position is being sent by the AVR ( as measured by the microphone ) to the audyssey app. Which is then doing the room correction as per it's preset algorithms. After completion of correction, it gives the before and after corrections for each speakers . We can change the target curve of each speaker here. And shape the sound.

This app also has all the other settings we find in the audyssey setup inside the AVR. So once we finalize the speaker curves and decide upto what frequency the audyssey should intervene, then we export these files to the connected AVR via the app. So the marantz now uses these DSP eq and target curves.

In my case, I could not figure out whether to start tampering with the target curve or not. So I basically limited audyssey correction from 20hz to 250hz for all speakers. And let the speakers retain character above the 250hz. And I found this to have made a great change in my system. I have a small and acoustically challenging room. So previously audyssey killed the magic in the sound to tame my speakers, and it was correcting full range from 20 to 20000 Hz. But now it's only upto 20 to 250hz. So if you room is not as challenging as mine, you might find the benefits to be small.

 

[Feral]

a nice 7.1 projector setup with artcousitcs speakers and and anthem receiver which comes with similar software so he's offered to let me borrow the mic and software so to see how far the auto calibration looks so if it's off then i might go for the app. probably won't be for a week of so but i'll let you know how it pans out.

 

[Andrewjvt]

I have £20
I have a marantz sr7011

What else do I need to conduct this app?

I take it a mic of some sort?

 

[Q5]

I have £20 I have a marantz sr7011

What else do I need to conduct this app?

I take it a mic of some sort?

Just the same items you used to set it up without the App.

The receiver and the mic it came with. The app takes control of the receiver and you run through the setup again.

Then you can use the App to tweak the available settings and upload to the receiver.

 

[newlash09]

We don't need any additional Mike for the audyssey app. We plug the supplied Mike into the sr7011 and connect to the marantz via the app. Once the app is connected, it shows the exact calibration screen and settings we natively get in the SR7011. Once we carry out the speaker measurements, the app will show the correction it's applying . The native settings in the SR7011 don't show these. It just does the correction and we don't really know what it has done. Where as the app shows the original speaker measurements curve, and next to it it's corrected curve. We can tweak the corrected curve on the touch screen to a result we prefer. We can also the set the frequency band for each speaker within which the audyssey correction is applied. Once the above two are done, we are prompted with a 'export to SR7011' tab. So once exported the SR7011 will over write its previous calibration with these new eq curves and audyssey settings.

And the best part is that once the original set of speaker measurements is done, we don't have to measure again. The app stores these measurements in its memory. And we can keep tweaking these curves and settings and keep exporting to the SR7011 till it sounds just right.

The speaker measurements curves can also be saved on the phone and exported as graphs . So we can post these on forums and also seek help .

Please do give it a try, iam not confident or knowledgeable enough to tweak these curves, but limiting audyssey intervention to below 250hz itself , has changed the sound so much. It's like a complete system upgrade, new amp+ speakers kind of level to my ears .

And as side note, with the new concept centre speaker in play, when I listen to music in DTS neural x mode, with all 9.1 channels playing, it blows away my 2 channel system on EDM tracks. Iam really and honestly wondering why I spent more on just 2 speakers. I have always been a qacoustics fan boy. But the way the present all qacoustics sorround system sounds is really breath taking. Even when the parasound halo was driving the concept 40's in stereo mode, it was never even close to the sound I have now with the marantz sr6011 + 5 qacoustics speakers + 4 Yamaha in ceiling speakers + sub. And all playing music in DTS neural x mode

 

[newlash09]

a nice 7.1 projector setup with artcousitcs speakers and and anthem receiver which comes with similar software so he's offered to let me borrow the mic and software so to see how far the auto calibration looks so if it's off then i might go for the app.  probably won't be for a week of so but i'll let you know how it pans out.

Please do share your experiences with the anthem room correction. It is supposed to be superior to audyssey as per many folks. And may be you can just copy the anthem speaker curves after correction as pics. And then tune your speaker curves via the audyssey app to the exact same ones, that is incase you find the anthem superior. But will be very interesting to know how you get along.

 

[newlash09]

Please note that all vocals are output from the centre channel alone. Only the chorus and background singers come playing through all the other speakers. With so many speakers + sub in play , it can drown the vocals a bit. So please feel free to go into audyssey settings on the marantz and enable centre channel / dialogue boost. This gives vocals the prominence they need.

And before you discard the DTS neural x mode as being a party trick, please go to YouTube music and select singer khaled's ce Este le vi or something like that track. The track starts with a click in a auditorium, and which the click playing through all 9 channels, I felt I was in the auditorium for the first time.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Please note that all vocals are output from the centre channel alone. Only the chorus and background singers come playing through all the other speakers. With so many speakers + sub in play , it can drown the vocals a bit. So please feel free to go into audyssey settings on the marantz and enable centre channel / dialogue boost. This gives vocals the prominence they need.

And before you discard the DTS neural x mode as being a party trick, please go to YouTube music and select singer khaled's ce Este le vi or something like that track. The track starts with a click in a auditorium, and which the click playing through all 9 channels, I felt I was in the auditorium for the first time.

When you play music through your home theatre amp, what is your source? And how is it connected?

 

[newlash09]

Please note that all vocals are output from the centre channel alone. Only the chorus and background singers come playing through all the other speakers. With so many speakers + sub in play , it can drown the vocals a bit. So please feel free to go into audyssey settings on the marantz and enable centre channel / dialogue boost. This gives vocals the prominence they need.

And before you discard the DTS neural x mode as being a party trick, please go to YouTube music and select singer khaled's ce Este le vi or something like that track. The track starts with a click in a auditorium, and which the click playing through all 9 channels, I felt I was in the auditorium for the first time.

When you play music through your home theatre amp, what is your source? And how is it connected?

I have Roku UHD player connected to the marantz SR6011 via HDMI. This Roku is hardwired to my main D-Link router , where my Nas is also connected. I use a Roku app called 'my music'. This is a really great app. This shows up my Nas as it is . It has album, artist, genre view as well as folder view. So I just browse to my folder of choice and play from there. And the Roku has played every single music format I've tried so far. Alternatively I also play a lot of YouTube music vids from roku's YouTube channel. The Roku app is not available in India, but it is available in the UK. You can stream from any phone or tablet having the Roku app via the Roku connect mode , very very similar to google Chromecast

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Me? I just fancy tinkering....

 

[cheeseboy]

and the Roku has played every single music format I've tried so far.

what nas do you have? Sounds like the nas might be transcoding the music (ie, changing it all on the fly to a format that the roku can play)

 

[newlash09]

and the Roku has played every single music format I've tried so far. 

what nas do you have?  Sounds like the nas might be transcoding the music (ie, changing it all on the fly to a format that the roku can play)

I have a 4tb western digital my cloud hard drive which is presently plugged into my D-Link router, and is acting as my Nas.

 

[Feral]

Has a chat with my neighbour and i'll need to have a play with the Denon, I understand i can generate test tones individually from each speaker but not sure if these are the calibration test tones. Otherwise i'm going to have to look for test tones online that i can allocate to a single speaker at a time.

 

[Samd]

See here from Home Theatre Review

Anthem Room Correction
Also tied for first place? Anthem's proprietary room correction system. ARC is, of course, limited to use with Anthem preamps and receivers, as well as wireless music systems and soundbars from Paradigm and MartinLogan. As noted above, ARC doesn't work in the time domain, but it does, in my opinion, deal with standing waves better than any other room correction system--even Dirac.

 

[Feral]

The Anthem room correction is tied via the app and controls the test signals and applies those settings to the avr. we were going to check if we could run a single channel test signal and just use the mic and app to see what the curve looked like and if there was much of an issue with the room. long shot but might work.

 

[Samd]

Apologies

 

[Feral]

Apologies

for what?

 

[newlash09]

There should be a option in denon under speakers or audio , called 'level adjust'. I never tried it, but it should generate test tones for adjusting levels of speakers with a spl Meter. But not sure what tone it generates

 

[Feral]

the tones seemed to be like a white noise and not the sine wave sound the AVR produces during calibration. Some more tinkering required i think

 

[Q5]

the tones seemed to be like a white noise and not the sine wave sound the AVR produces during calibration. Some more tinkering required i think

It is those tones you use to set the speaker levels with a SPL meter. The setup tones you hear are totally seperate to this and are used for phase, distance and reverb etc.

Setup the mic in your MLP and turn up the volume to max, depending on what reading you are using, mine is zero because i use the minus to zero setting.

when you are in the menu choose each speaker in turn and adjust the setting up or down until the meter reads 75 dB, Repeat for each speaker.

I would not try to adjust the sub though with this method. Don't forget to turn the volume down when finished.

Set the SPL to slow and C weighting.