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McIntosh MEN220 Room Correction System

Has anyone tried or demoed this piece of equipment and what were your impressions? This is a 2 channel(or main front LR channels) specific inquiry.

I have and I was actually taken aback by the positive effects. Devices like these are not a one size fits all solution however it takes a series of measurements of your room and develops a virtual 3D model of your room. The system then develops a filter that exactly measures the in room frequency response of your room, speakers and speaker placement. This filter is optimized for your seating position or for a broader sweet spot.

I used to be firmly planted in the no tone control camp until, dare I say it, I got tired of changing out cables and constantly tweaking speaker placement along with various room treatments that always seemed to create a new challenge when solving the last. We have all seen a lean system placed closer to room boundaries to reinforce bass and vice versa. If you have not heard this device or others like it, you owe it to yourself to at least demo it, preferably in your own room, to see for yourself. Your room and speakers may interact perfectly and that would be really cool if they did however for the vast majority of the rest of us, this is a really amazing device.

Your thoughts and impressions, pro or con are welcome. There is one nimrod I would prefer remain out of the dialogue, he or she knows who they are although they are likely not open minded enough to venture out of the home theater forum to benefit from the typically excellent dialogue and idea exchange found on this site.
ghasley
mechans
3,048 posts
 
It is almost sacred to keep the circuit as short and error free in "better" audio hear.
I say be sinful and spend your money on what you like. Its your freaking house and your freaking ears and it your fundamental right to pursue happiness. So I say do what makes you happy as long as you don't hurt anyone in the process. You might invite a "true? audiophile to listen and they may feel slighted by lip service but you know his ears will really be dancing!
ghasley OP
2,507 posts
 
Theo, LOL, don't worry, its not you! Kal, thanks for joining in. Your insight is eternally welcome and you have displayed in many of your writings a fearless willingness to call it as you hear it. Much respect. I've owned some incredible equipment over the years and my room(s) always created issues that required treatment, drastically in some of them. The MEN220 and products like it make me wonder if that quest I've been on for the perfect(for me) setup would have turned out differently. I have it inserted presently with a mid priced integrated and the transparency, frequency response and lack of smearing is stunning with the device in versus out. I concur with Kal that the techonology is potentially transparent today.
jimmy3993
141 posts
 
So it’s many years later and I just today had the chance to hear this unit.
it was in context of B&W 802d3 and a McIntosh setup playing tidal as a source.
i had come to get a taste of the 802’s. 
After about 10 min I realized that there was a room correction box in the signal chain and i snootily requested it be turned off.
i immediately asked it to be turned back on as the sound improvement was not subtitle.
the rest of my visit turned into an audition of the men220.
tlong1958
158 posts
 
I have had one of these for a few years now, and I am a believer. I would not want to do without it 
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