Streamer / all in one with Room Correction

[fatphones]

Hi,
I'm looking for an integrated streamer / dac which will give me room correction. My home is a very awkward space and I think I'd greatly benefit from having a system which offers room correction.

The speakers are likely to be either Elac Navis ARB-51, Kef Meta or B&W 706 S2. Budget is 2.5k. The Lyngdorf would have been just the ticket but is out of my price range. I was set on the Elacs with Node, but obviously theres no room correction.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Deleted member 116933]

NAD m10 basically the Node with room correction, don't know about the price think its a little under.

Have no idea what it sounds like, some say it's good others not so much, but id put it on the list

 

[Al ears]

Is your budget for streaming dac / amp and the speakers, or just the amp?
Also , 2.5k what?
Which Lyngdorf were you looking at?

 

[fatphones]

Is your budget for streaming dac / amp and the speakers, or just the amp?
Also , 2.5k what?
Which Lyngdorf were you looking at?

apologies. 2.5k GBP and thats the budget for the whole system.

I like the idea of pairing a streamer with Room correction with the Elac Navis?

 

[Al ears]

apologies. 2.5k GBP and thats the budget for the whole system.

I like the idea of pairing a streamer with Room correction with the Elac Navis?

I know nothing about those Elac speakers except they are active so you don't need the amp bit, but be aware room correction is simply a tweek, it will not make a silk purse out of a sows ear. If your room setup is really that bad it will not give you a decent hifi sound.

 

[Tinman1952]

but be aware room correction is simply a tweek

With respect it’s more than just a ‘tweak’….
It can correct for the deleterious effects of the room response. If you have room modes at say 30Hz, 60Hz and 90Hz then bass response at those frequencies can be excessive by 12 dB or more. Correcting this can even out bass response and avoid ‘muddying‘ the midrange. The excess brightness at high frequencies can also be corrected for.
The difference has to be heard to be appreciated…

 

[Gray]

My home is a very awkward space and I think I'd greatly benefit from having a system which offers room correction.

Depends on the nature of any adverse effect from the room fatphones.
My room for example, had a very noticeable flutter echo - heard with a sharp hand clap.
No chance of any electronic room correction curing that. Physical absorption was essential (and preferable whatever your issue).

 

[Deliriumbassist]

With respect it’s more than just a ‘tweak’….
It can correct for the deleterious effects of the room response. If you have room modes at say 30Hz, 60Hz and 90Hz then bass response at those frequencies can be excessive by 12 dB or more. Correcting this can even out bass response and avoid ‘muddying‘ the midrange. The excess brightness at high frequencies can also be corrected for.
The difference has to be heard to be appreciated…

I would agree it's not a tweak, but at the same time it is not a panacea. It should be treated as a complimentary fine tune at best. It's something to do after you do as much as you can physically, especially if you have multiple listening positions. It is an EQ after all, so if you tame it at one position, you'll be affecting another position in the same way, but with a different end result.

Also, at the node positions of a room mode (constructive interference), you also get antinodes - where you lose output at a given frequency due to destructive interference. These should not be treated in room correction, because you'll be working the amplifier and speaker harder - after all, the issue isn't with the equipment, it's the room interaction, which the equipment is 'dumb' to. If you want a boost at a given frequency - and these antinodes can be extremely considerable drops - then you could very well push the driver to the limits of excursion.

 

[Tinman1952]

I would agree it's not a tweak, but at the same time it is not a panacea. It should be treated as a complimentary fine tune at best. It's something to do after you do as much as you can physically, especially if you have multiple listening positions. It is an EQ after all, so if you tame it at one position, you'll be affecting another position in the same way, but with a different end result.

Also, at the node positions of a room mode (constructive interference), you also get antinodes - where you lose output at a given frequency due to destructive interference. These should not be treated in room correction, because you'll be working the amplifier and speaker harder - after all, the issue isn't with the equipment, it's the room interaction, which the equipment is 'dumb' to. If you want a boost at a given frequency - and these antinodes can be extremely considerable drops - then you could very well push the driver to the limits of excursion.

Agreed. No point trying to correct for ‘cancellations’ in response…you are just pushing more energy into the ‘black hole’….

 

[Al ears]

let's face it if the room is that difficult then room correction isn't going to be a cure all.
Try a different room?

 

[fatphones]

let's face it if the room is that difficult then room correction isn't going to be a cure all.
Try a different room?

Funny you should say that. I'm looking at potentially moving the gear into the dining room. Tiled floor 4x5m with a large opening to the side and glazing on the back 4m. The whole thing is becoming a pain because I'm after room correction. I'd be gutted if I got the speakers back home and it became immediately apparent I needed RC.

I've gone round and round. Tried the LS50 WII yesterday and was impressed, I'm just nervous I'll regret not getting room correction now and will be unable to implement it on the WII. The original plan of getting the Meta , sub and powernode has grown arms and legs! Now its the Lyngdorf and Metas, but sourcing is difficult.

The Elac arb-51 and Node is still in the back of my mind, like Darkos description of it sounding 'lovely'

Either way, I have to order tonight or not order at all.

 

[Gray]

Tiled floor 4x5m with a large opening to the side and glazing on the back 4m.

Are you saying that's a better room than the current one?

 

[fatphones]

Yes! the second room is larger and has 2 large 3m openings across 2 sides, with a wall of glass / pvc glazing on another. The 4th wall consists of an awkward fireplace and a window in each of the alcoves. The floor is tiled, a rug, sofa, chairs and tv cabinet are whats there.

We could move into the smaller room, which would become more of a cosy listening / movie room with the projector firing at one of the short walls.

None is ideal, I'm sure, but i will just have to make the best of it.......

 

[Tinman1952]

Tiled floor 4x5m with a large opening to the side and glazing on the back 4m.

Sounds a bit ‘lively’ … That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Some prefer it to a ‘dead’ space…but all those reflections off hard surfaces would worry me. Personally I would only use room correction up to 200Hz as it’s the bass that causes the problems in most rooms.

 

[Niallivm]

Headphones?

 

[fatphones]

The ideal would have been to place the speakers on a sideboard with the streamer / amp in the middle, but I'm guessing that may be problematic and not far enough apart?

I'm really limited to the location of the speakers. The £400 for the stands is also crazy. They could go either side of the fireplace, but that would leave a considerable sized space for them to fill (the original room). I don't have the music on daft loud, but I really do want to 'hear' my investment!

Basically a nightmare, so whatever I go for needs to give me the best chance of good audio, hence my desire to include room correction, preferably RoomPerfect?

 

[fatphones]

Headphones?

 

[fatphones]

Sounds a bit ‘lively’ … That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Some prefer it to a ‘dead’ space…but all those reflections off hard surfaces would worry me. Personally I would only use room correction up to 200Hz as it’s the bass that causes the problems in most rooms.

If you were in my position, would the room, as I've described it, force you toward a system which includes room correction?

 

[Tinman1952]

The ideal would have been to place the speakers on a sideboard with the streamer / amp in the middle, but I'm guessing that may be problematic and not far enough apart?

I'm really limited to the location of the speakers. The £400 for the stands is also crazy. They could go either side of the fireplace, but that would leave a considerable sized space for them to fill (the original room). I don't have the music on daft loud, but I really do want to 'hear' my investment!

Basically a nightmare, so whatever I go for needs to give me the best chance of good audio, hence my desire to include room correction, preferably RoomPerfect?

I agree £400 for stands is a ‘rip off’. You can get excellent stands for a third of that price….

 

[fatphones]

I agree £400 for stands is a ‘rip off’. You can get excellent stands for a third of that price….

Any reccomendations?

 

[Tinman1952]

If you were in my position, would the room, as I've described it, force you toward a system which includes room correction?

Not necessarily. The dining room may well be the best option. The open side may minimise bass problems. I would live with it for a while…. I doubt you will bring the kit home and think immediately that you need room correction. The powernode/passive speakers selection does give you more options to change/upgrade later….. 🙂

 

[Tinman1952]

Any reccomendations?

Probably Atacama Nexus or Moseco. You can also fill them if you wish for more weight. As for price, even my Wharfedale Linton speaker stands only cost £279 and they are superb!

 

[fatphones]

at this rate I'll be back to my original plan....Metas, powernode and KC62.

 

[Gray]

...all those reflections off hard surfaces would worry me.

...and me.

 

[Al ears]

Although potentially better than the first room he was looking to set It up in by the sound of it......