Speaker calibration

[Classic]

speaker calibration.

 

 

Edited August 27, 2021 by MOOV

[Tweaky]

There is also this way of doing it, which is very similar, but also uses the dimensions of YOUR room to work out where you should place the grid in the first place, rather than a LP jacket's dimensions as a starting point.

Using the L.O.T.S. method helps reduce emphasizing any room modes, which are caused by the dimensions of your room.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Tweaky

[JPete9]

@Tweaky I reckon this is one of the best guides on this topic ever. It will work for the majority of cases. I have the same result but from a much longer and more painful process based on measurement. 

 

TIP: watch it in 1.5x mode to save time

Edited August 21, 2021 by JPete9

[robmid]

Got the equilateral triangle dilemma too?

 

This is a simpler and repeatable way to setup your speakers without measurements or floor grids. Especially if your listening room is also your lounge room and WAF doesn’t enable furniture shifting.

 

 

It works for me and I have tossed out all my floor markings and don't care if my theory isn't technically correct.

 

Not all listening areas can be configures as an equilateral triangle but that doesn’t really matter because it is just a starting point. I wish I had known that before.

 

I have been trying to maximise the extraordinary capabilities of my NEAT SX3i Momentum speakers using my ears instead of measurements because they are difficult to position correctly.

 

This looks like a lot of work but you can do it permanently, very quickly if you have a cheap laser pointer.

 

1. Position the speakers between 2 and 3 metres apart while keeping them at least 1 metre from side walls and corners.

 

2. Face speakers directly forward NOT at your head.

 

3. Play a track you know well at a decent listening volume, and preferably with a combination of voice and a mix of different instruments.

 

4. LEFT SPEAKER ONLY PLAYING
Listening from your seating position and have someone slowly rotate the left speaker inwards in 10 to 20mm increments while listening for THE focus point when instruments and voice are properly combined, but separated and clear. The speakers may only need to be moved a few degrees for a profound improvement.

 

The challenge will be getting the right speaker at exactly the same angle. I used a cheap laser and a template with 15 and 20 degree markings. Thin angle lines are hidden under the middle of the laser.

 

 

Note the position of your head when you are sitting in your normal listening spot.

 

5. With sound off, align the angle template with the front edge of your LEFT speaker and mark the laser beam point on the back of your listening seat with a piece of masking tape. It should be somewhere near the left of your head. If not, use something else like the back of a chair to show the laser spot.

 

6. Repeat step 5 with the right speaker, but rotate it until the laser points to the right side of your head or the extended background and mark the spot if your chair isn’t wide enough.

 

NOTE: My right speaker is now appears to be facing away from my seating position because I am unable to sit in the exact centre.

 

7. Connect both speakers, sit down and enjoy. There may be some fine tuning necessary if your system resolves a lot of detail, so just rotate the left speaker slightly and remark the laser point and repeat step 6 so that both speakers are reaching your ears from exactly the same angles.

 

Once your right and left speakers are aligned perfectly, like gears meshing, you should be able to enjoy some serious 3D music. The strong stereo imaging happens in ALL parts of the room, not just the sweet spot when you get it right.

 

 

All I am trying to do is blend each side of the stereo image so that the off axis sound outside the central areas of the speaker cone re join and blend both halves of the signal so they combine in the original ratio.

 

Of course, this assumes that that all stereo recordings use the same microphone positioning so it isn’t perfect but it is very close.

 

Cheers, Rob