Does using EQ degrade sound quality in Wiim Pro?

[slartibartfast]

Nobody mentioned autogain, at least not that I've seen - the current EQ overload protection implementation looks like soft knee brickwall limiting to me.

I appreciate that some might prefer autogain or manual pregain to this, but note that this kind of implementation has its benefits too.

Either way I hope we can agree it is much better than hard digital clipping (which is what I expected prior to testing).

It sounds very like the "Soft Clipping" of the old NAD 3020.

 

[dominikz]

Why is flat topping below 0dB different from a distortion perspective than hard clipping at 0dB? The waveform must be very similar.

Limiters have a response time (attack/release) at a predefined threshold (probably a bit lower than 0dBFS), and can have a softer knee in the transfer function.
So they can better preserve the waveform shape compared to hard clipping (which is like a limiter with zero attack/response time and a hard knee at 0dBFS so it just cuts the waveform flat).

 

[canard]

drc (in digital stage)
even the gec mode presets "wiim" do not manage the gain

 

[dominikz]

drc (in digital stage)
even the gec mode presets "wiim" do not manage the gain

I don’t really understand if you're agreeing or disagreeing with my analysis.

I agree that it seems WiiM is using some kind of DRC (=dynamic range compression) in the digital domain just after EQ - if that is what you're trying to say? Note that a limiter is a type or DRC.

This is IMHO a lot better than clipping; though I can understand that some people would prefer autogain which would reduce the overall level instead and avoid any DRC. Either approach has merit.

 

[canard]

I don’t really understand if you're agreeing or disagreeing with my analysis.

I agree that it seems WiiM is using some kind of DRC (=dynamic range compression) in the digital domain just after EQ - if that is what you're trying to say? Note that a limiter is a type or DRC.

This is IMHO a lot better than clipping; though I can understand that some people would prefer autogain which would reduce the overall level instead and avoid any DRC. Either approach has merit.

just a form of discrete circumvention of a subject which could be regulated differently, in a classic autogain way, with the famous 32bit volume which Wiim boasts of... be careful there is also a strong variability of engagement of the limiter linked to the correction values, that's annoying....
here i use just +2db.. but can more early if correction is more if a zone of fr with level..

(ps we can always observe the inaccuracy of the graphic curves often pointed out curves in Wiim Home)


....but as I said above...it's not a problem for me who can calculate, very fast, the acceptable gain quickly and apply it manually...
(can also be done in software like rew, the peq part etc as has often been pointed out over the years.... )
so everyone will see the situation like he want...
no more to say for me..
;-)

 

[canard]

(Aside
Just a fun little thing...very, very often...in many cases, test signals can also be listened to... Not just measured...
it's sometimes interesting but most of the time forgotten...
IMD in particular... It was part of their interest....
it was done a lot in the 70s and 80s... ;-)

)