Surprisingly good roomcorrection implementation in the WiiM ultra

[Musician]

I have now tried using the automatic room correction program in Ultra and can state that if you use a really good measuring microphone, in my case a Line audio OM1 together with an Audient id14 interface together with apple's usb - lightning adapter for an ipad, the result is very good , in level with Linn space optimization 2 and in my opinion as good as Dirac.

First, we see that Wiim uses an adjustable frequency correction between 40-4000 Hz as default. If you lower the upper frequency to schroeder, e.g. 40-200 Hz or slightly higher, 40-400 Hz it will give a better sound result. If you have speakers with good directivity, and youre always sitting in the sweet spot, 40-200 Hz is a good start.

WiiM uses B/K sound target as default, which in my opinion gives a better sound result than Harman's curve (also optional).

Using an iPhone mic to do the measurements generate good results, but below 100 Hz you can go in and adjust the peq result manually, boosting a couple of dB makes the results better.

 

[Musician]

All of you that wonders if your Dayton imm6 is good enough - it is. At least my imm6.
I decided to compare with the two microphones at exactly same spot , +- 0,4 cm from 70 cm distance of the speaker.

Facts:
This is a measurement done 70 cm on axis from one of my diy surround ” eggs” , only one speaker, the speaker on a thick rug on a stand in the middle of the room, placed about 1.4 meter high , 1/6 smoothing , correction 200-10000 Hz .

Line audio om1 ( documented flat within 20-20000 Hz +-1 dB ) and Audientid14 was used together with an Apple Lightning usb adaptor , iPhone 14.

Dayton imm6 was used with Apple AD/DA to Lightning into iPhone 14

Loudspeaker is Markaudio chn50.

 

[Musician]

Line audio om1 correction result:



Dayton imm6 correction result :



Conclusion : imm6 is good, the biggest differences are above 3 kHz . Probably depending on the nearby iphone and the shape of the mik.

Edit : measurements done without calibration file of imm6.

 

[Musician]

Here is another measurement of another diy, box shaped speaker with chn50 - this is the real frequency response of this speaker with gating, not the correction, and measured 1 meter from chn50, mic apparently a UMIK 1 .

Though its hard to compare different measurements from different speakers with the same drivers put in different boxes, we can see a pattern .

 

[slartibartfast]

All of you that wonders if your Dayton imm6 is good enough - it is. At least my imm6.
I decided to compare with the two microphones at exactly same spot , +- 0,4 cm from 70 cm distance of the speaker.

Facts:
This is a measurement done 70 cm on axis from one of my diy surround ” eggs” , only one speaker, the speaker on a thick rug on a stand in the middle of the room, placed about 1.4 meter high , 1/6 smoothing , correction 200-10000 Hz .

Line audio om1 ( documented flat within 20-20000 Hz +-1 dB ) and Audientid14 was used together with an Apple Lightning usb adaptor , iPhone 14.

Dayton imm6 was used with Apple AD/DA to Lightning into iPhone 14

Loudspeaker is Markaudio chn50.

View attachment 20400
View attachment 20401

How does it perform below 200Hz? That is where most room correction takes place.

 

[Musician]

How does it perform below 200Hz? That is where most room correction takes place.

Didnt check that, but I may do a room correction 30-500 Hz measurement from listening position with my main speaker where I also can use the imm6 , but not today unfortunately… Im going to a demo with Trinnov room correction at my local store

 

[rccarguy]

I wouldn't correct below the speakers frequency response/in room response, certainly not boost below F3..

 

[harkpabst]

I wouldn't correct below the speakers frequency response/in room response, certainly not boost below F3..

You'd need to measure the speakers' in room FR first, then.

 

[rccarguy]

You'd need to measure the speakers' in room FR first, then.

yes, most room corrections systems will, run a full range sweep and then either manually set the range of corrections.

Depends on the speaker, with small speakers typical response will be similar to rated, but with floorstanders to room gain, you could get far more bass output that F3

 

[DrEric]

I just tried the RC with a Umik1 and its calibration file on an Ipad. Results are indeed different than with the ipad microphone, but not in a good way: the sound is thin, I lost most of the bass. At 22hz the umik1 gives me a -5.6db reading, the ipad +2.5 db
At 47 hz +3.9 db vs +9.7db.
Needless to say I prefere the sound obtained with the ipad microphone.
Anyone had the same experience ?

 

[slartibartfast]

I just tried the RC with a Umik1 and its calibration file on an Ipad. Results are indeed different than with the ipad microphone, but not in a good way: the sound is thin, I lost most of the bass. At 22hz the umik1 gives me a -5.6db reading, the ipad +2.5 db
At 47 hz +3.9 db vs +9.7db.
Needless to say I prefere the sound obtained with the ipad microphone.
Anyone had the same experience ?

It's probably better to show screenshots showing the issue. Are the figures you quoted before or after RC and how did you measure them?

 

[DrEric]

It's probably better to show screenshots showing the issue. Are the figures you quoted before or after RC and how did you measure them?

These are the values generated by the RC software to reach the target curve.

 

[slartibartfast]

These are the values generated by the RC software to reach the target curve.

In that case it probably means your iPad mic is under-reading at low frequencies so the RC boosts the bass more than it does with the UMIK-1. You don't say which target curve you were using but try Harman if you weren't before.

 

[DrEric]

I think I used the BK target curve

 

[slartibartfast]

I think I used the BK target curve

Harman will give you more bass.

 

[EddNog]

Personally, at my normal listening (volume) level (65-75dB average at my sweet spot), I find that Harman reveals more information than B&K. For example, on the live recording of Eric Clapton playing Layla, when using Harman curve, I can just feel the foot stomping to the beat, whereas I can’t with B&K. On Dizzy Gillespie’s rendition of No More Blues recorded live from the French Riviera, the very opening portion on the beach, with Harman curve I can sense the rolling of the waves onto the beach, whereas I can’t with B&K curve. This is consistent with two different subwoofers, tested in multiple locations throughout the room. Same result for foot stomping in Dancing with the Lion by Andreas Vollenweider. The big drum in The Eagle’s live performance of Hotel California Live on MTV has far more presence and a much better sense of wave spread with Harman than with B&K.

It also goes without saying that Harman curve works better for late night/lower listening volume (under 65dB average). I guess B&K might be better for people who like listening loudly (80+ dB at the sweet spot).

-Ed

 

[DrEric]

I will definitively try the HARMAN curve.
What about the smoothing setting?

 

[dominikz]

Note that using the "Individual Channel Room Correction" instead of "Stereo Room Correction" will also yield about +3dB higher bass level (using the same target for both). If you're interested about the effect, I've wrote about it in this post (and subsequent posts of the same thread).

If that is still not enough, I second the suggestion to try the Harman target - that one has significantly more bass.

Regarding the other RC settings, I've recently gave some basic initial setup proposals in this post.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[rccarguy]

Here are mine

REW

And Wiim measurements and corrections. Zeroed all boosts.

Not sure how I can output REW sweeps through the Wiim Ultra to check actual response after wiim corrections are

 

[slartibartfast]

Here are mine

REW

And Wiim measurements and corrections. Zeroed all boosts.

Not sure how I can output REW sweeps through the Wiim Ultra to check actual response after wiim corrections are

I have REW sweep files in my LMS music library in a folder that isn't scanned but is available from "Music Folder". Then just make an REW measurement from an external file.