Thatās interesting. Which microphone do you use and what analysis device or software do you use it with? Iāve tried using my phone, but have not found it helpful
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Room EQ wizard is good free tool. Umik-1 and 2 works well with it.
As @Joni_Salminen rightly says above, though I use different analysis methods than REWās (open source DRC and wrapper, see edit: sourceforge), I still use REW to take measurements and look at graphs with a UMIK 1 USB microphone and a laptop.
So the cost is on the order 0f USD 100-200 unless you choose to get fancy. The amount of reading and understanding and rethinking involved is not trivial, itās definitely a serious hobbyist not a consumer thing unless you want to pay big money for automation software designed for your equipment. But a microphone and some open source software and a forum to ask questions works fine with a little effort.
As we agree, ears and brains are unreliable when it comes to matters of sound quality, and also display variable quality from person to person and even in one person as their ears age. Then thereās the placebo effect where we tend to believe what some people say, or what we tell ourselves, whether or not it is true.
So having an objective standard is a way to evaluate audio equipment with as much certainty as we can reasonably muster. For some people itās worth the effort. I mentioned it partly because it affects how I see my audio system (more objectively, without affecting enjoyment) and also because the new Volumio has a way to implement parametric EQ and FIR filters. That makes the process of objectively assessing and correcting a number of audio defects rather easier.
Just a suggestion, though. The main thing is to enjoy yourself, in some cases it might be a total waste of money.
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Great perspective.
Can you tell me a little more, maybe give an example of what type of issue you can identify using your measurement equipment that you can then solve with EQ and FIR?
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has details. the general subject is DRC, digital room correction. Others will explain it in detail better than I can. Youtube has some introductory tutorial vids.
Big subject. The main use is to establish, for any given system, its performance compared with an āideallyā transparent audio reproduction system. We can compare any audio equipment with what we expect to hear through an accurate microphone, and then alter it so that itās closer to that ideal by filtering the sound at some appropriate point in the signal chain, similar to an EQ, but far more capable since matters of signal timing, as well as frequency and amplitude (pitch and loudness at a particular frequency) are controlled.
To stand any chance of using it you need to go exploring for yourself. Itās not plug and play, sadly, without spending what I consider stupid money.
I ought to add that the main reason I use it is because I tend to build my own audio bits (eg amp, DSP preamp/crossover) out of modules wired together, so DRC acts as a corrective to my tendency to mess up without being able to judge the results objectively. I tend to think if Iāve built something it sounds fantastic, Iām like the Donald Trump of DIY audio.
If you have a good system already it may (should) not be worth the effort, but Volumio 3 will potentially make it easier and cheaper to implement with its integrated filters. I havenāt proved that to myself yet, my DSP preamp does the filtering work at the moment.
Canāt resist this one. Doe this mean you grab your Amp by itās knobsā¦ 
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Fake News!!
Haha it has a lot of knobs
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Theyāre the best knobs, the greatest knobs anyone had ever seen, people tell me, I have the best knobsā¦
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Strangely enough my power amp doesnāt even have any knobs, just an on/off switch, a suspend switch and a couple of leds.
As Elon Musk said, the best component is no component, the best process is no process. By the same logic the best knob is no knob.
Waitā¦
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The best CEO is no CEO.
Also got only 1 knob (on the amp i mean), and itās getting blueish when I touch it.
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I use most of those tweaks. And also your Shield CPU plug-in.
Did you or anyone else try the CRAAP config on Volumio 3?
Still stable? If so I wanna try them on RPI 3b+ based streamer.
arm_freq=800
sdram_freq=400
core_freq=400
gpu_freq=300
over_voltage=-4
over_voltage_sdram=-4
gpu_mem=16
I have not tried it.
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I have. It works with no issues, but Iām not hearing a difference. But I donāt have a very resolving system.
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yeah, snake oil all overā¦