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DSPeaker Dual Core 2.0: Tips and Tweaks Wanted

I have longstanding problems in my listening room (read: NYC apartment) with room modes that reliably produce horrendous booming bass at some frequencies.  I have worked with speaker positioning to the extent that I can, but because it is a NYC apartment, space is at a premium and I can't solve the problem this way.  I've added bass traps and tried to treat the room in other ways, but still: boominess. This happens whether I am using the tiniest of monitors or large floorstanders, front-ported, floor-ported, rear-ported or sealed.  It is aggravating and actually starting to drive me a bit crazy.

I finally gave up and acquired the DSPeaker Dual Core 2.0 about a year ago, a nifty little unit that has removed the boominess and left me with tighter, firmer and more controlled bass.  But I have a nagging feeling that the unit is also robbing my music of some "air" and "life"; that is, while the bass is much cleaned up, the entire rest of the spectrum sounds duller and a bit more recessed.  And I don't think this is just me "missing" the boomy bass I had before.  It has bothered me to the extent that I keep trying to remove the unit from my system, but then I am left with uncontrolled bass that simply won't do.  I understand that this is a trade-off, but I want to learn how to maximize the results I can get with this unit in my signal chain.

I'm interested in hearing from others who have this unit as to how they have achieved optimum results in the context of their own systems.  Do you run it in between the pre- and power amps?  Between the DAC and the pre?  Do you use the typical calibration or have you found better results by limiting (or extending) the frequency range the unit modifies?  And also, I'm curious what level people set the volume of the unit at.  I have the DSPeaker running between my DAC and the preamp and I'm not sure what level I should be feeding the preamp. 

Any other thoughts, suggestions, comments or complaints about your own experience with this unit are welcome.  I am looking to commiserate with those similarly situated.  I need to solve this problem!!  Thanks!
zm
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,828 posts
 
If you pass the entire source signal through the AntiMode, you are then hearing that source (including analog such as LP and tape) fully digitized, full range. The best way to use it is for bass only, either with subwoofers or bi-amped speakers. Used thusly, only the bass is digitized, and it is argued bass is less damaged than highs and mids by digitization.
unsound
7,329 posts
 
I have been curious about this product, just wish it had more inputs. Though I have no personal experience with it, some have suggested upgrading the power supply to be beneficial.
zm OP
121 posts
 
Thanks for the replies.

bdp24, I appreciate the suggestion, but bi-amping and/or using subwoofers aren't really options for me right now.

unsound, I did upgrade the power supply and definitely noticed an improvement over the wall wart.  It is a pretty nifty unit overall, but I suspect there one must make a pretty invested effort at dialing it in to achieve optimal performance.  I am playing around with the parametric EQ right now and adding my own filters in to get the sound I like.  Other more serious-minded folks would probably be aghast at some of the filters I am creating, because I am not just correcting to get a flat response from the speakers; I am actually introducing peaks at certain frequencies because I like the way it sounds.  That is the nice thing about this unit, it is so flexible that you can do just about anything you can imagine (and then switch to bypass mode for easy A/B comparisons).
rodge827's avatar
rodge827
620 posts
 

zm

I use a Dual Core as a dac, preamp and room correction device in a 2.2speaker system.. I had experienced the loss in air with corrections above 225hz, but with the correction set to 110hz, the air and dynamics improved. Try backing off a little on the correction and this might help. Also go into  Settings and open Audio Settings, set Compensation to 5, and Headroom to Manual. You can adjust the digital headroom, the lower the number the more detail and depth in sound and subsequently the higher the number the more muffled the sound. As always YMMV.


zm OP
121 posts
 
Thanks rodge827, that's a useful suggestion.  I had been considering dialing back the frequencies I was allowing the Dual Core to modify.  I will give it a try.

The Dual Core usually sets my compensation to 6.0 when I let it run a typical calibration.  I've been finding myself actually increasing this number in an attempt to regain the warmth in the midrange that I feel like the unit is taking away.  I'll try dialing it back and see how that goes.  I feel that when I have the compensation set quite low that the midrange is entirely hollowed out, although that might just be my impression upon moving from "too much" bass to "flat" bass.

I've also already lowered the headroom to 0.... it does help.

I think one of the main issues here is that the dual core is clearly having an effect on the entire frequency spectrum, even when you ask it to only calibrate up to 150hz.  Putting the unit in the signal chain at all clearly has a very tangible effect, even in bypass mode.  I don't know if this has to do with the second A/D/A conversion the signal undergoes.  
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