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Does a non-audiophile have to calibrate?

To all
I was at an audiophile store for the first time in my life not too long ago and heard the most amazing and beautiful music I ever heard in my life. I watched bits of few different movies that were just breath taking. The conversations sounded like they were in the room. At one point someone in the movie called a character with the same name and I turned around thinking the sales guy must have called me.

So I bought me a system:
Sonus Faber Cremona (Mains)
Sonus Faber Cremona Center
Sonus Faber Cremona Subwoofer
Sonus Faber Concerto (Surrounds)
NBS Serpent III Speaker cables and interconnects
NBS Omega IV digital cable
Krell Showcase Processor
Krell Showcase 5.1 AMP & NBS Omega II power cord
Marantz DV8400 Universal Player
Marantz VP-12S2 projector
V Inc. Bravo D1 DVD Player
VOOM HDTV receiver
Monster HTS 5100 Power Conditioner
76' Stewart StudioTek 130 ceiling recessed w/masking system

I just hooked it up and it sounds good. Now people are telling me I have to calibrate. Would a non-audiophile appreciate a calibration or only a trained audiophile ear can appreciate the difference. I went to HAA’s site and still do not understand why. The site said my system would lack clarity and was very vague and using audiophile words like tonal balance, checking for voice matching, frequency response, room resonance, ambiance effects, and standing waves.

How does this translate in to English? What am hearing wrong? What is not clear? I am not an audiophile, and it sounds fine. I have no problem hiring a calibrator; I just want to understand why.

Perhaps my room dictates a calibration? My room size is 19'L x 11'2"W x 8'H. It is also a library. It’s all filled with books. There are also artistic cabinets built in to the shelves so there is a lot of exposed wood. I have a bench bay window in front of my room, behind the speakers. Inside the room is a love seat and a recliner and a gas fire place that is 4’H x 2’D x 5’L.

Please help me understand,
Cap
captaincapitalism
djohnson54
396 posts
 
This is the same dealer that sold you the Monster Power Conditioner in the first place?? If he thinks it's not good then I'd question him on why recommended if for a system of this caliber.

The room is always one of the most important variables (if not THE most important) in a music (or HT) system and I think that's the general consensus here. It doesn't take a genius to realize that room resonances are going to affect the frequency balance at the listening position (not that you have any resonances) and you can hear them if you know what to listen for. I'm not convinced you're dealer can do this by ear given his other comments. However, since most resonances tend to be in the bass, some people might actually prefer the added energy in that region for HT ... but it's not accurate. If I was after accuracy, I would have someone balance it with a meter. Given the time and money you obviously have in this system, I think it would be a shame not to get the best out of it. That said, this can be done at any time. In fact, you may better appreciate the differences the adjustments make after you've had time to listen to the sound as it is now.

You might want to check out Rive's Audio's web site for more detailed info. Maybe Rives himself will chime in on this thread.

Just my 2 cents.
Dick
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,216 posts
 
From your description it sounds like you've been royally screwed. Your dealer sucks! Based upon the quality of your equipment and the amount of dollars you've paid, your dealer should handle all aspects of the design and installation of your system. This service should include an inspection of your listening room prior to the actual selection of the equipment. Anything less would seriously bring into question why you would buy a system with such performance potential. It's an unfortunate fact that the better quality the equipment, the more critical the setup/installation required to maximize their in-room performance.

I'm assuming that you've purchased this equipment from authorized equipment dealers.
captaincapitalism OP
52 posts
 
Quote:
You could have saved yourself some time and money and picked up a Bose all in one system. Not being sarcastic just honest.

That is a bit harsh and I'm not an audiophile. Bose was my initial plan until I heard bookshelf speakers from Polk that was less money and sounded much, much better. It was night and day even to my non-audiophile ears. So I thought why stop there. I did a Google search of what is considered a high end speaker. All the audiophile stuff and stores resulted. So I auditioned, and it sounded much better. But I think that is perhaps my limit of appreciation of audiophile speakers. It certainly sounds better than Bose or Polk, but do I have to go as far as deal with standing waves? Will I notice that standing waves got minimized? Will I hear more clarity if I minimized the reflections? Don't get me wrong I love this hobby I subscribe to 4 audiophile magezines and read it from cover to cover. I spend a lot of time in this hobby and I thoroughly enjoy it. I play with my system probably more than I actually watch it. (Well it is still under construction so I have to take it apart every time I do more work.) I just have issues with wasting time. I want to be assured that I am not. HAA's web site asks are you getting the potential out of your system? I just don't understand why I have to. Just plugging in a high-end system not calibrated sounds much better than Bose. It sounds right to me. (Well maybe, my sub is a bit boomy. I’m thinking about getting the Subwoofer Optimization System that was review in Audiophile Guide To Home Theater. It is suppose to automatically calibrate the sub.)
captaincapitalism OP
52 posts
 
This is the same dealer that sold you the Monster Power Conditioner in the first place??
No. He actually recommended against it. I just liked the cool wattage usage display. I had him demo the difference between a NBS black box and the Monster Power Conditioner and I did not hear a difference so why not get it? I like to see when my system peaks, It's like my system is having an orgasm. OZZY and Shwartzigger make it multiples.

From your description it sounds like you've been royally screwed.... This service should include an inspection of your listening room prior to the actual selection of the equipment.
In this forum, I once inquired if these speakers would work in my room. I thought my room might be too small. Every said it would be fine.

If I was after accuracy, I would have someone balance it with a meter.
I am after accuracy, I just question if an untrained audiophile hear can hear more accuracy if it was calibrated. For example, I toed in my speakers and I heard no difference. My theory is that there are few select people in the world who can hear the nuances of a song and can hear the differences that a cable can make. I am certainly not one of them. Perhaps I cannot hear the difference between calibrated system and one that is not. Thus, the title of my thread: “Does a non-audiophile have to calibrate?”

your dealer should handle all aspects of the design and installation of your system.
When I bought everything, I insisted that I install and calibrate. It looks like so much fun. Installation was very intuitive so that was no problem.
Calibration, on the other hand, I realized I couldn’t do. I could not get passed the phase testing. And that was step 2.

It doesn't take a genius to realize that room resonances are going to affect the frequency balance at the listening position (not that you have any resonances) and you can hear them if you know what to listen for.
I thought every thing not bolted down, will resonate.
So tell me, what should I listen for? I love this hobby. I love the toys. I would love to understand. If my frequencies are not balanced will I hear it? The ISF technician showed me the difference. I understood and clearly saw. For audio, maybe only a trained man will hear the difference.
clueless
763 posts
 
>>Does a non-audiophile have to calibrate?

You do if you want to get the best of your system. It has pretty much been said above by Scott Campbell and Swampwalker. Your dealer has let you down IMHO. Standing waves (and the rest) are not BS. Set-up and tweaking is necessary for any high quality system. Without it you are just not going to get what you paid for. It is a like the Collimation process with a decent telescope. No sense paying for resolution you are not going to take the time to acheive. But that, it seems, is where you are at.

The nice thing is that if you dealer leaves you flat (apparently he has), you don't have to do it all at once.
If you are out of time now put it on the back burner and make it next summer's project or find someone else who has spent a couple decades in audio in your neighborhood.

I remain,
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