Tools to measure in room response

Sleepysurf

Thanks for the insights about what to expect.

Pryso- That will, indeed, give you a very rough estimate unless you sample and average several locations in/near the main listening position. The reason is that the FR, especially in the bass, can vary substantially over a span of several inches (similar to the distance between your ears) and no one sample is entirely representative of the sound at the main seat.

Kal

Has anyone tried this item?

>Phonic PAA3 Handheld Audio Analyzer w/USB Interface

I had a dealer use this in conjunction with his laptop to take measurements.

Wondering how this compares to the XTZ analyzer?

Kal, thanks for your comments. I attempted to be as "rigorous" as possible with this somewhat crude method.

First I placed the SPL meter at the location where my head would be with normal listening. Obviously this required moving the listening chair to position the tri pod. Also I measured my ear hight from the floor when seated and set the meter at that same elevation. BTW, my RS instructions say to position the analog meter at 90 degrees from the sound source. A friend with the same model meter (but probably newer by several years) has instructions to point the meter at the source!?!

Then as I moved my speakers in 2" increments I found one distance where the aggregate deviation from the 1K reference was the lowest. So I then moved the speakers forward and backward by 1" from that point, measuring each. This was like focusing a telephoto lens and allowed me to position my speakers within an inch for smoothest response. I found this more satisfactory than I had been able to position by ear previously (although admittedly I had not tired so many positions).

Given your point on the small distance variations, I don't see how any other process could provide a better approximation.

K, you have received good advice so far.
I would like to add that the most musical in-room response is not a straight line in the treble range. Most listeners perceive a flat treble in-room response as bright-sounding.
A gradual roll-off starting around 12 KHz is correct for off-axis, far field listening in a room with standard furniture / carpets / curtains.
By off-axis I mean slight toe-in, as recommended by most manufacturers.
Adjust speaker tilt and toe-in to achieve a gradual slope, with no major peaks or valleys.
I hope this helps