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Advise on Audyssey Sound Equalizer installation?

Hi,
I just ordered the Audyssey Sound Equalizer. The EQ is only available through professional installation. However, the installation does not include passive treatments or speaker placement. In a way I can understand Audyssey's philosophy:
"The product corrects for acoustic problems present in your listening area, whether your room has been treated with wall panels and has ideal speaker placement or not"


However, based on my research here, I would be better off treating as many issues as I can before the EQ kicks in.

Any Advice would be greatly appreciated as I am pretty new at this.

My biggest issues:
1) Room Dimensions: 18Lx11'2"Wx8H. The room calculators that I tried actually told me to build a new room! (Although my room is a library. But the book shelves are only on 2 walls.)
2) Bay Window: I will install a (thick) curtain. The EQ has special software for Bay windows.
The bench bay windows problems will be addressed through the EQ by analyzing the "liveliness" & reflective character that the window creates, and creating the appropriate filters, even as it relates to time domain & delay.
3) My Sub:
a) 3 way firing. I am moving it to the back of the room to behind the listening area.
b) Sub has a 65Hz Low Pass Filter that does not optionally shut off. As a result I am forced to do 2 workarounds: 1) x-Over must be 60Hz (My PrePro only does 20 increments. 2)I must use Krell's Enhanced Bass mode. That mode sends the Bass to both the Mains & Sub. So, in a way, the EQ must handle 3 subwoofers. My mains go down to 32Hz. Enhanced Bass is required because of the nature of most x-overs in PrePro's. The x-over does not pass the upper freq of the dedicated .1 channel of the x-over anywhere other then the Sub. (Presumably, the PrePro manufacturers assumes that the sub can handle higher freq then the crossover). The .1 of DD & DTS can upto 120Hz. I looked it up. So If I don't want to completely miss information, I must send the Bass to 3 speakers/subs. Although that's a lot of Bass for such a tiny room. I wonder how the EQ will handle all my Bass. After an explosion, my body rattles for some time.

My listening room is pretty much Sound Proof, in case you are wondering why all this bass is not waking my entire house up. The room used to be a garage and there is thick intallation all around the entire room. I don't hear the door bell or phone ring when I am in there.

Perhaps I can also be helpful for other perspective buyers. Perhaps you want to know how the install went? I expect the EQ to be installed in 4-6 weeks.

Thank you in advance,
Cap
captaincapitalism
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,704 posts
 
The Audyssey won't care what your config is and will do its best to adjust each speaker optimally.

Kal
captaincapitalism OP
52 posts
 
I am very excited!
flrnlamb
508 posts
 
You need help. Otherwise, expect great compromises!
As handy as the Audyssey is, you must properly adress speaker placement, sub placement in relation to seats and rest of the speaker system (not, you're not only placing the sub to integrated with the mains, but also the sides and rears, as well as in relation to different seating possitions! (i.e, you can have the sub in phase for one set of seats, or a seat, and not another, in relation to the speakers!!!...this happens all the time, with serious performance compromises). Also, properly dealing with acoustics is still the way to go, and is a better foundation from which to work from. Also, there's better ways to deal with your bass management, than what you're doing. YOu're going to run into more challenges than you know, "overlapping" the bass from your "single subwoofer" with your mains (again, at the very least in relation to you seats!).
Also, of main concern is placing your seats and speakers where there's a "hole" in the frequency response for the bass! NO EQ or correction device in the world can fix this!!! You must get the setup so there's no major hole here. (especially at the critical crossover) It's all too easy (and common) to place the speakers where there's a nice hole at 80hz reigion, or thereabouts, where it's very critical for bass performance, inpact, flatness, etc. There's of course lots of other acoustical issues to adress., tweaks for the system, set-up considerations...all of which should be adressed before the EQ!
Once again, there's no replacement for knowledge and experience here folks, sorry. Do it wrong, and you'll get what everyone else ends up with, and that's a mediocre sounding, at best, sounding system!
There's hundreds of ways to compromise all of these multi-channel systems in difficult system/room setups, with challenging acoustics (many of which can't be fixed with a "box").
I'd suggest assistance. Good luck
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