Is Auto Room Correction Right For You? Well, Here You Go...

@heaudio123, 

I say I do that ’manually’, but what I mean to say is that I don’t rely on auto - I can still employ a measurement mike (Omnimic 2.0), if I need to tackle a specific problem. But, as I say is pointed out in the videos - it’s still a matter of being able to fully trust the mike if it’s a different result than what your ears are telling you it should be...in the end, after all is said and done, you can only prefer a result or not - the ears always have the final say...and, while I appreciate your feedback here, and as is pointed out in the videos anyway - a microphone just doesn’t hear sound the way we do, period.

"No, our ears and brain tend to change with our mood"

No kidding. I'd say that's why adjustments are done over several sittings, preferably spaced a few days apart...when using the manual method, the optimization is happening over Time (days), not necessarily just distance - and the optimization is more of Yourself than of the system.  Its only half of the process when you're paying close attention to picking up on audible problem areas in order to focus in on a potential problem. The other half requires you to Not pay attention too hard, so that you can pick up on the things you might have missed otherwise and then attempt to assess the cure - if it does not sound right to you when you're relaxed and able to listen in an Uncritical frame of mind, then it will not sound right to you any other time, either. That's the whole point of taking that kind of time - not because it's a big production to make adjustments, it isn't - it simply requires those sequential steps in order to dial in YOURSELF reliably (both your brain and your ears, during the same session)...that's not so automatic with people. It's the repetition over time gives the excellent results with this method, but it does require being aware of how it works...and that it works well (which it does once you're familiar with it). 

Widely optimized sweet spots have not exactly been a high priority of mine, I'd say. A guest or two can sit in or near the lp when I move their chairs into place...listening from there is virtually the same is in the lp, so it works fine. Phase for me is something I have to take into account the old fashioned way - good driver orientation vs speaker placement, time alignment. Room nodes are never recommended to be handled with EQ until they are within 3 dB - that means a properly designed and treated room relative to system and usage is imperative, unfortunately...and as expensive as that is, that is what I will be getting into shortly - adding on a dedicated listening room onto my house.

But, if you want to use auto anyway, then I would think it's at least possible to get terrific results, too. I'm not here to say that it can't ever work - just that it apparently may not yet be working as dependably or as universally well as the manual method - particularly as that was outlined in the videos.

But, evidently you did not watch either video. Watch them and then tell me what parts you can contradict.

The trouble is your hearing changes even without a change in “mood.” Hearing changes based on 🔜 subconscious 🔚 interferences, shall we call them noise and distortion? And the brain is a sensitive transceiver? We could also call it mind-matter interaction. It’s a simple case of signal to noise + distortion but Noise + Distortion includes external factors, not just those from the electronics.

And if that's the case, then are you saying it's never ok to listen to music? The brain being too unreliable then? Is it too late for me to get my money back on my CD's? ;)