HT in a small 10x12 room at around Rs 3.5L

Thanks a ton, @liverpool_for_life and @Enkay78 !
Tried running REW for the desktop speakers...
Of course, terrible results :D

But before that, it was an effort to even find levels.

All of which is patiently explained in the links you both gave.
I think theory first-try-outs later... :D

Thanks again
 
Room's coming along!
I like what the electrician has done with the piping...
But I really am left wondering what Monitor Audio means by that labelling! :D

How fragile are their speakers, or what has happened to them in the past in transit?! I don't have enough imagination to fathom. :)
 

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Came across a hilarious poor quality clip (a White House recording circa 1964), which is a treat to listen to anyway for pretty much everyone:

Coming to the point, my experience was this:
1. Heard the above clip on a headphone and didn't miss a word.
2. Played it in the system, and there was so much lost! Not just in terms of audibility, but I swear, some words just disappeared. (Especially the funniest crotch-and-riding-a-wire-fence part.)

Which brings me to a couple of things @Decadent_Spectre and @liverpool_for_life told me at different points.
1. To a specific dialogue-audibility related question I had asked on this thread, Dec-Spec said 200-300 Hz could be the troublemaker.
2. Much later, after I experienced LfL's set up, we were chatting and I brought up dialogue intelligibility and how good it was in his room, he said addressing mid-bass was the solution.

Putting those two inputs together, am roughly putting a ball-park figure for HT users - addressing the 300 Hz-1K Hz range is far, far way more critical to a good experience than just focussing on how low the system goes.

My two cents from experience and acquired knowledge.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Regards
 
2. Much later, after I experienced LfL's set up, we were chatting and I brought up dialogue intelligibility and how good it was in his room, he said addressing mid-bass was the solution.

More specifically, reducing decay times in the 300 Hz and below region. I have lamented previously about dialogue intelligibility issues and possible cause for the same. Well, I finally did something about it with the (now-installed) 5 bass traps. Dialogue intelligibility is now the best it has ever been in my room, although I still find myself asking what was said in some cases. If you heard everything crystal clear, then I have hearing issues. If not, we have different expectations :).

No, seriously. One of the reasons my interest in the Catalysts was piqued was the seemingly seamless combination of apparently limitless ability to retrieve detail and stay clear in terms of dialogue while doing so. It doesn't take much for stuff to be clear when there's little else happening on screen. It's how clear things are when everything's going to hell that can be revealing in terms of speaker quality, room acoustics, calibration and one's hearing.

This is the decay plot for my center channel (t=0 and t=160 ms), with and without the bass traps. As per one guideline, it is good to have the levels be attenuated by 20 dB at least within 160 ms. The test tone levels are not the same for the before and after and the frequency response is different as well (likely from moving the center channel up so the coaxes for LCR are aligned), but you can clearly see that the rate of decay (80 Hz and onwards) is much better with the bass traps installed and reasonably in-line (or better) with respect to the above guideline. And the difference is clearly audible.

center_decay_difference.jpg


Putting those two inputs together, am roughly putting a ball-park figure for HT users - addressing the 300 Hz-1K Hz range is far, far way more critical to a good experience than just focussing on how low the system goes.

It's a lot to do with the time domain, IME. Lower decay times in the mids and HF allow you to play your system louder so you can actually hear what's being said when the dialogue is quieter than normal. Lower decay times in the LF (hard to fix ringing here) and mid-bass (passive room treatments can clearly help here as shown above) allows for clarity.

Or, you can go straight to the comments of a well-regarded (now-retired from touring) calibrator in the US (Jeff Meier) and read his thoughts on the topic of dialogue intelligibility. A well optimized HT setup is no gimme. The best an enthusiast can do is read, learn and apply stuff that makes an audible/visual improvement to one's setup.
 
1. Heard the above clip on a headphone and didn't miss a word.
2. Played it in the system, and there was so much lost!
This was the reason I decided to upgrade from the LG soundbar I had. I was pretty happy in my small world when I used headphone once and was startled by what I was missing with the Soundbar. In fact I also contemplated living with the headphones since clarity and experience was so good. But, that would have allowed only one/two persons to watch at a time.
With the new setup I hope I would get the clarity I experienced during auditions.
 
Dear Good Sirs,
@amrutmhatre90, @liverpool_for_life, @Love4sound, @Enkay78, @aeroash

After weeks of procrastination, the UMIK-1 is finally on the mail and I am ready to REWk'n'roll :D

Would be much grateful for links to any beginner tutorials on how to get started with REW.
(Right now reading the two posted by ASR's Amir)

Regards
Welcome to the world of Peaks & Nulls...
Hope u r not getting nightmare to eliminate the Nulls..:p
 
Housework is seriously more painful than audiophilia :D
But here were are finally wrapping up the (gray) TV wall.
@Naturelover @RajithKumar

Hopefully more updates soon.

I couldn't properly sleep for two days due to pain after getting my ht room painted all black. Painting the ceiling was a real pain in the neck. Literally.
 
Hello all,
Having moved in and chilling with desktops while we unpack, stumbled upon this video, which I think has a lot of things I learned circuitously over several months.
I think this is a great starting point for Indian apartment dwellers, once they have understood the basics...
It's got options ranging from in-wall with AT screens, to on-walls to even big FLs...
And many other things to keep in mind...
Veterans, do share what you think...


Regards

PS:
Room with all furniture moved in sounds fairly acoustically sound. (Couldn't get around to measuring it bare for a baseline as discussed in another thread)

Bass remains boomy in certain deeper freqs while being solid around 80-120 Hz-ish... (purely by the ear with spectroid on android)

Should have stuff up and running in a week or two, before measurement hell week starts :D
 
This was the reason I decided to upgrade from the LG soundbar I had. I was pretty happy in my small world when I used headphone once and was startled by what I was missing with the Soundbar. In fact I also contemplated living with the headphones since clarity and experience was so good. But, that would have allowed only one/two persons to watch at a time.
With the new setup I hope I would get the clarity I experienced during auditions.
Get your point.
Having recently gone back to office, I am hooked on to my headphones all the time.
Clarity is a big reveal. But bass is a big letdown :D

Do drop a line about your new setup.
 
Do drop a line about your new setup.
I have installed the speakers. After running in I calibrated them using audessy and then tweaked few settings.
The placement is not perfect. The SL and SR are placed on speaker stands. The FR and FL are placed on TV cabinet on either side of the TV. They are about 6” from the rear wall. They are also at a lesser angle then the recommend angle from the viewer. When I upgrade to projector that time they would find a place on speaker stands. Could happen earlier if there is an itch:).

The sound quality of B&W is amazing. The sound of these speakers is way beyond their size. The Sub -ASW610 is the most intriguing and amazing surprise to me. As assessed by me, it can beat a fair number of 12” subs hollow. Tight and clean bass of this beast is a treat and is a strong recommendation. Atleast audition one before deciding on other bigger ones.

The clarity and depth of sound is what I was looking for. Dialogue can be heard clearly even at low volumes and the music is music to ears. I am satisfied with the purchase and recommend to anyone looking for a decent HT setup.

Bottom line - At the price point of these speakers, I can’t think of any better setup then this one.

Suggestions - Since I had space constraint in the front, I have gone for 606s as FL n R. If space is not a constraint the 603 would be a great addition.
 
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There's something terrible and wonderful i wanna say.
Must've watched some 7-8 movies in uncorrected setup:
Terrible: overheads are overrated as of Aug 6, 2021.

Wonderful: Side surrounds are a friggin blessing.

With them two tiny puppies, i get some amazing results (am sure partially pyscho-auditory)

PS:
Find a room where fans are not needed.
It's amazing.

PPS: i really need to make a post for apartment dwellers.
It's been a revelation.
 
There's something terrible and wonderful i wanna say.
Must've watched some 7-8 movies in uncorrected setup:
Terrible: overheads are overrated as of Aug 6, 2021.

Wonderful: Side surrounds are a friggin blessing.

With them two tiny puppies, i get some amazing results (am sure partially pyscho-auditory)

PS:
Find a room where fans are not needed.
It's amazing.

PPS: i really need to make a post for apartment dwellers.
It's been a revelation.
Hi K-pad,

By "overheads being overrated", are you referring to the Atmos speakers ?

Rgs,
Nitin
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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