Room Correction

Hi all,

I didn't know where to post this, but I wanted to let owners know about the room correction feature with the most recent firmware update and had seen some mixed user feedback.

I've owned the DMP-A6 for just over a year and have always respected the design and functionality, but not really loved the sound. My room is approx 5.5m x 3.3m and my stereo speakers are along the long wall firing across the narrow part of the room. As such, the speakers are just 40cm from the rear wall. My listening position is on a large sofa opposite. I'd describe the sound as clean, a little glassy at the top, and lacking warmth (upper mid bass).

Throughout my ownership, Eversolo have continuously upgraded the firmware. Given v2 of this product is now available, I was pleasantly surprised the other day to see the DMP-A6 alert me to another update available for download. This update has delivered room correction, no less!

From day 1, end users have always had EQ settings to shape the sound to their tastes, and several months later, PEQ was also provided. I didn't have much joy adjusting these manually and wasn't invested enough in the product to purchase a microphone and use REW with a computer to set the PEQ accordingly. However, the room correction option enables the use of the microphone on your smartphone, so I gave it a try.

The DMP-A6 generates two 20Hz - 20kHz sweeps of white noise, and then analyses your room response and prepares left and right FIR filters to negate the peaks and troughs in the frequency range. The results were so encouraging with just my iPhone 16, that I purchased Eversolo's calibrated measurement microphone and today, have run a fresh sweep. All I can say is wow, I had no idea the FIR filters would make such a difference. I have a full range of bass without it being overdone, and the adjustments have removed (flattened?) whatever was bothering me in the upper registers. I'm turning the amp louder and louder with a dumb smile on my face haha.

The DMP-A6 was a great product a year ago without any of the improvements and feature additions. To provide this level of support and development to their entry product is just incredible. Thank you so much Eversolo!!

 

Give this man a medal.
Objective, honest observation. Glad to hear it helped you shape the sound to accommodate both your hearing experience and your room response.

 

I read the review posted by @Nice Monkey and after doing so I'm a bit hesitant to buy the suggested eversolo EM-1 microphone or a UMIK-1 and use my DMP-A6 to provide room correction. If I haven't misinterpreted the his write up the DMP-A6 might struggle when playing hi-res files above 96kHz sampling rate and similarly with DSD or SACD.iso files of which I have a huge number. Unlike its newer siblings, the DMP-A6 Gen 1 has to achieve room correction in software whereas the newer units implement room correction in hardware. IME with other devices, hardware implementation takes a lot of burden off the processor.

@Mark Lilliman I'd be interested in reading what your experiences have been playing back 24bit / 192kHz wav, DSD, SACD.iso or hi-res flac files using the room correction feature enabled (assuming you use these hi-res files). My interpretation of the article that @Nice Monkey wrote was there were no issues with playing lower resolution files such as 16bit / 44.1kHz wav but he suggested the DMP-A6 might struggle with the higher resolution ones. Your additional feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Agree

 

The A6 has no problems playing 96 kHz and above audio or DSD tracks. But the FIR equalizer is simply disabled for those resulting in room-correction not being available. This avoids the potential problems nicely. I think 24-bit at 44/48 kHz is still facilitated which is not irrelevant as 24-bit makes the biggest difference.
You need an A8 or A10 to feature Eversolo room-correction with those tracks/albums too.
Updated my review a few days ago and I expect it is described unambiguous now.

Will compare myself but expect to end up doing room-correction on my Onkyo TX-RZ70 and not on Eversolo combined with HDMI output to my AMP.
For movies and BD albums expect to use my Dune HD MAX 8K as it also offers optimized HDMI output. Anxiously awaiting their new FW as several of my essential changes will be included. This making Dune a valid alternative for my current Zidoo movie players. Just back from South America and will do this next without a rush.

Also using the new DAC-Z10 for 2CH with my DMP-A6 is a consideration but depends on the actual price.

 

I tried the room correction feature as well, on my A6 Gen2, using an iPhone 15.
I keep going back and forth, turning the FIR filters on and off, some tracks sound better with filters on, others with filter off. I'm still undecided whether I want/need to invest in a proper calibration mic.

I do have a question: the EQ Gain is set by default at -5 dB... is that the correct setting? and why?
Thx

 

If any of your EQ including room correction FIRs have boosted any frequency area, then the EQ gain should balance this to avoid any possible clipping. So -5dB may be appropriate or not, you need to know the max boost (if any) that the EQ functions have introduced.

 

Looks like the maximum gain for the FIRs is 5dB, so the default -5 should be ok.
I have created a EQ preset with noting else than -5dB to make the AB-testing with and without EQ/RC a little easier.
Regards