# my results with audyssey



## ToBeFrank (Feb 27, 2010)

I got REW up and running. The instructions were excellent. I'm using a SoundBlaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 USB sound card and a Radio Shack 33-2050. I know my results aren't great, but I have a low budget system that I'm upgrading in pieces. I just upgraded the receiver to an Onkyo TX-SR707. The fronts/surrounds are currently Polk RM2300 satellites, center is a Polk RM2600, and the sub is a Polk PSW350. I just ordered a SVS PC-12 Plus to upgrade the sub that I'll test when I get it. The next upgrade will be the fronts and center. I'm curious what you guys think about my graphs. The sub graphs were done with my front channels which is why you don't see it drop off. The front crossover is set at 150hz.

1) Sub - no audyssey







2) Sub - with audyssey







3) Full - no audyssey - 1/6 smoothing







4) Full - with audyssey - 1/6 smoothing


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## laser188139 (Sep 19, 2009)

The advice is commonly offered here that the RS meter is not to be trusted above 3kHz. So I pass this on to you. This would appear consistent with the behavior you see around 6kHz. Where there appears to be a peak, and yet the curve with Audyssey is even higher. That suggests to me that your meter is reading high in that range, and the reality is much flatter. When you hear the REW sweeps during testing, do they sound smooth at these frequencies?

At the low end, I don't yet have a good reason why Audyssey would attack the peak at 30Hz but not the one at 40Hz. Unless the two are so close that it can only really create a filter to attack one. 

Bill


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## ToBeFrank (Feb 27, 2010)

Thanks. I'll do all future testing at <= 3khz. The frequency sweeps sound smooth to me, but I'm no audiophile. I ordered a 25ft sub cable so I can test different locations for the sub. It will be interesting to see what changes I can get from location. Unfortunately, I really only have 2 different spots that I can place it. The Polk sub sounds a bit boomy to me. Is it the sub or is the peak at 40 hz the cause?


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## laser188139 (Sep 19, 2009)

If it sounds boomy, then you are probably hearing the 40Hz peak that you are still seeing in the graph. As to whether it is the speaker itself or the placement in the room, that will be the interesting question. The Polk site indicates that the lower -3dB limit of the PSW350 speaker itself (presumably outside) is 38Hz. As you are seeing response below that to about 32Hz, my guess is you are seeing room gain from corner placement. If you can move the sub a little away from there, the remaining peak may be easier for Audyssey to fix. 

I thought of a reason why Audyssey might be fixing the 32Hz peak but not the 40Hz peak: Perhaps the 40Hz peak is unique to your listening position. If, as it measures around the bubble, it does not find the 40Hz peak there, it could be that it does not equalize it. You could try taking measurements around your listening position, particularly left/right and forward/backward to see how the response changes. Moving the sub could change this, too. 

Bill


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## ToBeFrank (Feb 27, 2010)

laser188139 said:


> If it sounds boomy, then you are probably hearing the 40Hz peak that you are still seeing in the graph. As to whether it is the speaker itself or the placement in the room, that will be the interesting question. The Polk site indicates that the lower -3dB limit of the PSW350 speaker itself (presumably outside) is 38Hz. As you are seeing response below that to about 32Hz, my guess is you are seeing room gain from corner placement. If you can move the sub a little away from there, the remaining peak may be easier for Audyssey to fix.


That's kind of what I thought. I've got a 25 ft cable coming in the mail this week so I can experiment with placement. Unfortunately I'm very limited in where I can put the sub. I really only have two places to put it.



> I thought of a reason why Audyssey might be fixing the 32Hz peak but not the 40Hz peak: Perhaps the 40Hz peak is unique to your listening position. If, as it measures around the bubble, it does not find the 40Hz peak there, it could be that it does not equalize it. You could try taking measurements around your listening position, particularly left/right and forward/backward to see how the response changes. Moving the sub could change this, too.


Sounds like a good idea. I'll give it a shot. I wonder if it could be that I have a wall right behind my main listening position?


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## laser188139 (Sep 19, 2009)

ToBeFrank said:


> ... I wonder if it could be that I have a wall right behind my main listening position?


Sitting right in front of a wall, especially if the sub is placed up against the opposite wall, will likely create boominess at one frequency. But these are the peaks that any EQ system is intended to attack. 

If you are interested in what Audyssey is doing, you can connect the sub lineout from your receiver to your soundcard, in lieu of your microphone, and measure the output directly. When doing so, you have to remove your mic calibration file temporarily as you are not using a mic. This is what I saw on mine, with red being Audyssey On and green Audyssey Off, with the crossover at 80Hz. 









You can see in my case Audyssey attacked a peak around 32Hz. More importantly for your case, you can see that the filters at the low end are very broad. Which makes me think that perhaps in your case it is attacking the 32Hz peak and leaving the residual of that filter to reduce only slightly the 40Hz peak. 

So there are several of possibilities:
(1) The 40Hz peak is local to one position and Audyssey is focusing its efforts on a peak common to all positions. By moving the chair or the sub, you may be able to avoid or reduce this local peak. 
(2) Audyssey is having trouble attacking two distinct peaks close together at the low end. So whatever you can do by moving the chair or the sub to reduce one of these peaks or to move them far enough apart or closer together, will give it a more tractable problem. 
(3) Audyssey has already done the best it can, and with the 150Hz crossover you are currently using, it is more important to equalize the higher peaks and the one remaining at 40Hz is the least important of the problems it solved. 

Much as I like what it does, Audyssey isn't perfect and there is only so much it can do with the DSP capacity in the receiver. So whatever you do to improve the situation before running Audyssey helps. Fortunately, REW is great at giving you a tool to see the effects when you try different ideas. 

Bill


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