Holy Room Correction Batman!!!

[Alberto]

Grasshopper, if you are all digital you should definitely try room correction/equalization. But make sure you give it a looooong good listen. It's easy to be impressed at first and then get tired of the sound.

Some people tried digital EQ/correction and kept it. Other people (me included) have tried it and moved on. A lot depends on your ears, your room and your system. In my case, treating the room with strategically placed acoustic panels did the trick wonderfully for mid to high frequencies ... but does squat for bass problems.

I am interested in your opinion after your trial. Best of luck, we are all rooting for you to find a solution and move a step closer to your own audio nirvana.

Alberto

[Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by Alberto

Grasshopper, if you are all digital you should definitely try room correction/equalization. But make sure you give it a looooong good listen. It's easy to be impressed at first and then get tired of the sound.

Some people tried digital EQ/correction and kept it. Other people (me included) have tried it and moved on. A lot depends on your ears, your room and your system. In my case, treating the room with strategically placed acoustic panels did the trick wonderfully for mid to high frequencies ... but does squat for bass problems.

I am interested in your opinion after your trial. Best of luck, we are all rooting for you to find a solution and move a step closer to your own audio nirvana.

Alberto

Thanks Alberto. I think I will give this a try and will be happy to report back what I discover!

My room is a bass killer (I used to compensate with a 15" sub, but with the MEN220, I didn't need a sub...not by a long-shot).

I'm really hoping to find a cheaper room correction unit (like the Dspeaker) since I don't need all the crossover settings the MEN220 offers.

[amati]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

Do you have the MEN220 and the Dspeaker anti-mode dual core (or have you heard both in your system)? If so, I'm eager to hear your detailed comparison.

No i don't have the MEN220. I do have a Tact xp2.2 which is much better than the Dspeaker in the analog section. Right now i use it the digital domain whick works perfect.
When the MEN220 is to expensive i would search for a (used) Tact or Lyngdorf.

[Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by amati

No i don't have the MEN220. I do have a Tact xp2.2 which is much better than the Dspeaker in the analog section. Right now i use it the digital domain whick works perfect.
When the MEN220 is to expensive i would search for a (used) Tact or Lyngdorf.

I can't use the Lyngdorf as I have a quad balanced amp (mcintosh has since retrofitted the MEN220 to work with quad balanced amps, lyngdorf won't admit there is an issue).

I've pulled the trigger and purchased a Dspeaker anti-mode 2.0 dual core. We shall see if it does the trick. It should arrive Saturday.

I'll report what I discover.

[Cincy2]

I hope this doesn't appear to be a thread hijacking but I have a few questions about the MEN220. I recently moved to a new home with a dedicated music room. I've treated it with corner traps, first reflection point panels, front & rear mid-high freq disipating panels and after all that....the sound does not even come close to what I was experiencing before in my rented house. Larger room before but the same treatments basically.

So now I' contemplating a MEN220. It just pains me to think of active equalization especially downstream of the best DAC (dCS Vivaldi) I've ever experienced. I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger because I don't know what else to do. I'm not hearing the soundstage depth, crystal clear reproduction of even the smallest sounds/instrument that I grew used to. All the gear is operating properly.

I think I'm just looking for emotional support here. Do any of you MEN220 users feel like analogue equalization improved the sound of your very pricey systems/components?

Cincy

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by Cincy2

I hope this doesn't appear to be a thread hijacking but I have a few questions about the MEN220. I recently moved to a new home with a dedicated music room. I've treated it with corner traps, first reflection point panels, front & rear mid-high freq disipating panels and after all that....the sound does not even come close to what I was experiencing before in my rented house. Larger room before but the same treatments basically.

So now I' contemplating a MEN220. It just pains me to think of active equalization especially downstream of the best DAC (dCS Vivaldi) I've ever experienced. I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger because I don't know what else to do. I'm not hearing the soundstage depth, crystal clear reproduction of even the smallest sounds/instrument that I grew used to. All the gear is operating properly.

I think I'm just looking for emotional support here. Do any of you MEN220 users feel like analogue equalization improved the sound of your very pricey systems/components?

Cincy

Cincy, I had (and have) the same qualms you have about taking the digital magic (including upsampling or whatever) that a megabuck DAC performs and then chopping it up and rebuilding it again --- even if it's in the digital domain.

Did you experience the sonic nirvana you mentioned in your current room with current speakers? If not it may be best to try some acoustic treatment or speaker repositioning before going the MEN220 route.

I was blown away by how a 2" change in speaker position along with some minor room correction (basically high-freq absorption at first reflection points) brought up detail and soundstage that was missing.

Alberto

[Cincy2]

Originally Posted by Alberto

Did you experience the sonic nirvana you mentioned in your current room with current speakers? If not it may be best to try some acoustic treatment or speaker repositioning before going the MEN220 route.

Never felt good about the sound in the new room. I've been tweaking the treatments and equipment position since Feb. Nothing works. Can't add any more treatments. The room is on the slippery edge of dead. I'm thinking because its smaller, the walls are causing some time domaine issue with reflections which active EQ would address.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by Cincy2

Never felt good about the sound in the new room. I've been tweaking the treatments and equipment position since Feb. Nothing works. Can't add any more treatments. The room is on the slippery edge of dead. I'm thinking because its smaller, the walls are causing some time domaine issue with reflections which active EQ would address.

Wow, that's rough. You have an awesome AWESOME system ... it sucks that one of your components (the room) does not play nicely with it.

At this point you should try an active EQ to see if it addresses those problems. If it doesn't you can eliminate that variable, if it does ... well then it might be tough to accept the fact that your amazing DAC system has to go through a lesser DAC ...

But it's an experiment that you should do! Keep us posted.

Alberto

[Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by Cincy2

I hope this doesn't appear to be a thread hijacking but I have a few questions about the MEN220. I recently moved to a new home with a dedicated music room. I've treated it with corner traps, first reflection point panels, front & rear mid-high freq disipating panels and after all that....the sound does not even come close to what I was experiencing before in my rented house. Larger room before but the same treatments basically.

So now I' contemplating a MEN220. It just pains me to think of active equalization especially downstream of the best DAC (dCS Vivaldi) I've ever experienced. I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger because I don't know what else to do. I'm not hearing the soundstage depth, crystal clear reproduction of even the smallest sounds/instrument that I grew used to. All the gear is operating properly.

I think I'm just looking for emotional support here. Do any of you MEN220 users feel like analogue equalization improved the sound of your very pricey systems/components?

Cincy

Cincy,

Read jdandy's opinion. He felt as though the MEN220 was a bottleneck due to inferior dacs after he upgraded his digital front end.

For me, I'd use room correction knowing its at the expense of the nth degree of detail, but shining in soundstage and other areas.

You really need to home demo to be sure. My guess is with a stellar front end, you'll see loss of resolution. Whether the final product is what you want...you'll have to see. Men220 worked miracles for my room, even if I lost some resolution.

[Cincy2]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

You really need to home demo to be sure.

There is a Mc dealer in Tampa. Working him for a demo. That is for sure the only way to tell. Plan B is a used unit off of Audiogon.

Cincy