I am very disappointed with the Wiim Ultra RC, and also cast my vote for adding DIRAC compatibility. Initially, I used the Wiim's RC because I thought it would improve the sound, but after reading the manual I realized that it was significantly altering the sound so I turned it off. After disabling the RC, the soundstage opened up phenomenally and the sound was so much clearer and more detailed that it was like a major system upgrade.
Disappointed with the Wiim Ultra RC
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slartibartfast
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After RC is completed there should be a new "Auto" set of filters in the PEQ filters list and this should be enabled automatically. You probably need to select "Complete correction" after the final evaluation stage or something like that.
Vignus
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This is not exactly true. DSPeaker does exactly that: you position the provided mic in your listening spot, you plug it into the DSPeaker device and from there on the process is completely guided, you just follow the instructions on the screen - select if you have a subwoofer or not, adjust the output volume level by following the leds on the screen, click OK and then leave it alone. It will send swipes at different frequency for a few minutes and then it will ask you to unplug the mic. Done. Excellent results every time.
You cannot provide a RC system that's more complicated then that: I bought the (excellent for other reasons) Ultra to enjoy music, not to endlessly fiddle with PEQ's and curves, trying several different phones, tablets and microphones, turning into an unwilling beta tester and never reaching a decent results.
Cambridge Audio is even worse: no test sounds, no mics to use, just a picture of two different rooms (one with windows and one with books and wooden floor) and a slider. The end result (IMO) is better then Wiim RC, but still far for beeing good.
I think the competition between different streamers is getting stronger every day, and everybody jumps on the RC bandwagon to get some competitive advantage, never really offering something that's slightly above a beta testing level. If you offer a plus (and RC could be a big one), in my book the plus has to work, even for someone who doesn't know what PEQ is.
Enough ranting! Sorry about that, but I think RC is a very serious business because very few people have a room dedicated to listening and a good RC makes a good selling point, providing it's plug and play, not plug and pray as it is now.
I’m not so sure RC can ever be truly plug and play, due to unknown variables in each person’s listening space. And because I treat WiiM RC as essentially a freebie, that really has come along way since its inception, I think a modicum of user input to get the best from it is not an unreasonable ask. If it became a paid entity for extra bells and whistles - then yes I might change my perspective slightly.
EddNog
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Massive fan of DSPeaker Anti-Mode here as well. It just works, sounds great, and takes minimum effort.
-Ed
slartibartfast
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Do you need to choose a target curve?
EddNog
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Default is what I call, "room flat," so a very very slight upward slant towards bass, something akin to a B&K curve.
The Anti-Mode X2D has adjustable tone controls. By adjustable what I mean is that the frequency range affects by each of the tone controls is variable, so you can adjust the highest frequency that Bass control adjusts, the Q factor of the mid control, and the lowest frequency of the Treble control. It is extremely simply to simulate a Harman curve by leaving the default Bass control range (which is sub bass up to about 100Hz) and raising Bass.
Note that the tone controls are designed to absolutely avoid clipping distortion, so by, "raising bass," what it really does is that it lowers the rest of the frequency band. When using tone controls, the maximum volume setting of the Anti-Mode (which is also a preamp) is reduced. The higher you set bass, the lower the maximum volume setting. I find that Bass +5 or so gives basically a Harman curve and at that setting, volume is limited to like a -6 or -7 setting.
As far as my own usage, what I've done is I've set the crossover between my speakers and sub (the Anti-Mode X2D handles bass management as well) at 110Hz and raised the (centrally, equidistantly spaced between the speakers) subwoofer's volume level so as to achieve what I deem a, "natural Harman curve," without relying on tone controls at all.
-Ed
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Let me repeat this one more time (even if @badunn already mentioned it before): "bit perfect" is overrated and marketing speach in the first place.
More importantly, no room correction system is or could ever be "bit perfect". To correct for unwanted effects of the room the (otherwise) bit perfect signal must be manipulated. There's no way of changing the output signal without ... well ... changing it.
What counts is the digital precision at which the calculations are done. But no matter what, the output signal can never be bit perfect after RC correction.
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slartibartfast
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What worked well? Your earlier posts have been moved here.
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