# Average House Curve



## Jerm357 (May 23, 2006)

I was wondering if those of you with House Curves could post your curve. Basically I want to see if we can figure out what the average House Curve is that people like. If you could just post your House curve file numbers like this......

30hz +10db
80hz 0db

This curve is 10db higher at 30hz than it is at 80hz. I just think it would be nice to have a list of curves that people like so others could try them out.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

80hz 0
20hz +25db

no, that is not a typo


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> 20hz +25db


I guess you understand the negative effects of that much gain?

brucek


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## clubfoot (Apr 12, 2007)

Hakka said:


> 80hz 0
> 20hz +25db
> 
> no, that is not a typo


Holly smoke, I think I would crack my foundation!


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

C’mon, people. All he’s saying is that his output at 20 Hz is 25 dB greater than at 80 Hz. That doesn’t mean he EQ’d 20 Hz up that high.

That said – it’s a grossly severe house curve differential! I don’t think even a car would need one that steep...

Regards,
Wayne


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> That doesn’t mean he EQ’d 20 Hz up that high.


How did he get meet the target then?

brucek


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

No boost is used on that curve, just cuts. I know its not reccommended but it sounds good to me. I have tried dialing it back a bit but I feel like something is missing.

I didn't use the housecurve feature in REW, I just shaped my curve manually.

Hakka.


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## clubfoot (Apr 12, 2007)

Hakka said:


> No boost is used on that curve, just cuts. I know its not reccommended but it sounds good to me. I have tried dialing it back a bit but I feel like something is missing.
> 
> I didn't use the housecurve feature in REW, I just shaped my curve manually.
> 
> Hakka.


Do you set your spl ref level before or after inputing the house curve?


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

brucek said:


> How did he get meet the target then?


Hmm, let me count the ways! If the room is small enough, a lot of it could come “free” via cabin gain. Corner placement will typically get more low-end boost vs. say, middle-of-a-wall placement. And doubling subs like Hakka has done of course gets more of everything than a single one.

Of course, there is the electronic means, boosting with an EQ, or as Hakka mentioned, cutting upper frequencies to accomplish the same thing. The sub amp and drivers “see” either method the same way as far as the demands placed on them.

We have to keep in mind that it’s all relative to the capabilities of the subwoofer system in question. For instance, if someone has four 18” subs with 4000 watts of power divided between them, all located in a 1200 cu. ft. room, even an _electronic_ 25 dB boost would be nothing more than a hiccup. An extreme example, sure, but you get the idea. 

All of which is why I don’t necessarily break a sweat when I see someone saying they’ve “boosted” 20 Hz by 25 dB. If their system weren’t capable of handling it, they would have known in the first two seconds! :laugh:

Regards,
Wayne


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## clubfoot (Apr 12, 2007)

I see, 20Hz was not touched, just all the other frequencies were lowered by 25db. So the main frequency load on the sub amp is 20Hz. The main thing is that you like what you listen to.


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## Hakka (Sep 10, 2006)

My room is very small, the raw curve with no eq applied still has the same basic shape, 20hz is higher than the rest, the BFD is just taking care of some humps above 50hz and cutting 60-100hz a bit. I don't have any +/- 25db filters, I think a 12db cut is the biggest. I don't have my graphs here at the moment.

I used REW to balance the SPL of the subs vs mains. I did a sweep of my mains and a sweep of the subs and set the levels so that 90 -100hz from the subs is equal SPL to the average level of the mains.

Hakka.


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## Jerm357 (May 23, 2006)

Does any one else have a HouseCurve to list?


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## Otto (May 18, 2006)

Hi Jerm,

IIRC, I'm about 6 dB hot at 20 Hz and 0 at 60.

20 +6
60 0

For 2 channel listening, I crush the signal at 40 Hz, and am a little hot at 20.

So something like:

20 +3
40 -60

And then I integrated the mains and sub with that curve until things looked and sounded decent.

I'm sure someone will post that I'm all screwed up, but that's the way it is at the moment.


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## daxie (Nov 29, 2006)

Hakka said:


> 80hz 0
> 20hz +25db
> 
> no, that is not a typo


16Hz + 18dB

****, I though mine was severe...

But planning on tempering it, in my small room it's just too boomy


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## Chrisbee (Apr 20, 2006)

The human ear's sensitivity varies at different frequencies depends on listening levels. (not to mention age/history related hearing loss at the frequency extremes) 

So one really ought to have a range of house curves depending on one's average listening levels at any particular moment. No two subwoofers or rooms offer similar response curves or extension without modification. 

Check out Equal Loudness curves, Fletcher Munson etc. What sounds right at 70dB may not sound right at a steady 90dB. If the bass sounds right to you at both levels then that's all that matters. It's your system and your ears.


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## neal (Jan 19, 2007)

After allot of playing around I found that 
80 +0
20 +12
Sounds good for movies with my SVS sub.

The thing that I find funny is my wife actually likes a bit more on the low end.


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## JimP (May 18, 2006)

Wayne,

In your writeup about house curve, you mentioned raising the spl of 32 hz so that to your ear (in your specific room) its perceived as loud as 80hz (or 100hz). Then creating a curve around that.

Is there a convenient way of running a wave file of rapidly alternating 32 and 80hz signals so that one can make this comparison?


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

Use the signal generator in REW.......

You could also make a CD with two tones of 32Hz and 100Hz switching back and forth on alternate tracks and play the CD....

brucek


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## Blaser (Aug 28, 2006)

Jerm357 said:


> I was wondering if those of you with House Curves could post your curve.


Hi Jerm. Using 
80:0
30:10
Here is the FR at LP


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## Ayreonaut (Apr 26, 2006)

20 Hz, +10 dB
63 Hz, +0 dB










http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/bfd-rew-forum/2462-house-curve-options.html


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## norpus (Oct 11, 2006)

My house curves more than normal...
depends how loud I play the subs as to the size of the curves in the walls and floors hahaha
Someone once said it was like surfing at my place - the waves on the floor that is 

In less jest, the freq response (sub only) after using filters in the the behringer fbq2496 was fairly flat - as seen below
We couldn't adjust anything below 20, and the crossover to the mains is 60Hz

I now have 2 infloor IB subs - the 100% coupling to the structure creates quite a tactile effect


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

Norpus, 

Generally, to mathematically comply with the logarithmic nature that is representative of human hearing, we use octaves to measure and graph subs. You've done such a great job of creating a very flat response, so it likely won't make much difference in your case. 

On our downloads page, we have some predone excel graphs that result in a logarithmic graph by plotting octave scales. You might take a look at those and see if they would work for you, depending on the meter you're using. 

You might also take a look at the free software REW that increases the accuracy of your measurements. It makes setting up the BFD a lot easier. It just takes a PC, meter, and some cables. We know you have a PC and meter already. 

brucek


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## terry j (Jul 31, 2006)

it never ceases to amaze me how patient you are Bruce k, NEVER GET UPSET BUT ALWAYs the gentle push towards the help files or whatever...well done.

I've had the pleasure of 'surfing the waving floor' at Norpus' place, and recommend an experience like that to all who can avail themselves of it!!! What I will say here tho, Norps may not be fully up with REW but all around him are many who are, and have used the fabulous resource that is REW (and the HTS) to fine tune the listening experience that is on offer at 'chez norps'.

Having said that, not sure why he didn't post his response in REW format, maybe because that is on other peoples computers??


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> Having said that, not sure why he didn't post his response in REW format, maybe because that is on other peoples computers??


Thanks terry. Yeah, norpus could certainly use REW to simply graph the response he measured by hand (no cables required). He would only need to create a simple notebook text (.txt) file consisting of his measurements and results and Import that measurement into REW. It will then plot the results that he can overlay with various targets etc...

brucek


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## terry j (Jul 31, 2006)

ahh, cool. Bit like creating a house curve, type in a few figures and bob's your uncle.

As long as you got the validation I (and many others on the shack) was giving to you then that's fine.

In fact, all the moderators here do a fantastic job. 

Must have had a few too many beers tonight, going all girly touchy feely. Must knock it off.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2007)

Why are house curves not listed as:

30 0
100 -8

In other words, why do we show a boost instead of making the high point zero and using cuts from there on up?


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## Ayreonaut (Apr 26, 2006)

StephenP said:


> ...why do we show a boost instead of making the high point zero and using cuts from there on up?


We do use cuts to fix the FR. 

But this notation for house curve references the average level for the rest of the sonic spectrum. For example, if your mains are calibrated to 75 dB and you have a 10 dB house curve, then 20 Hz should be calibrated to 85 dB.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2007)

So then the most cut frequencies (say 100hz or whever you crossover) would be at 0 to blend with the mains? That makes more sense. Thanks


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