Does MultiEq XT32 make a difference?

[Defcon]

I have a Yamaha receiver, I'm very happy with it. But I read everywhere that Audyssey room correction is far superior to the competition (like YPAO which I have), and that XT32 is that much better than plain Audyssey. e.g. I don't believe Yamaha or Pioneer even work the LFE.

I plan to get dual subs and again, I read that the SubEQ which is present only with XT32 is the only one which does a good job.

I tried YPAO and it didn't produce a big difference. Is Audyssey that much better, and is sub eq going to produce an audible difference? Currently I don't have any measuring equipment, that itself is not cheap to buy and is complicated to setup with REW etc.

 

[TheWarrior]

You shouldn't hear significant differences, assuming your speakers are in the right places for your room. Transitions, pans across the screen, and effects like that are cleaned up once the receiver has a basic understanding of your room. The sound stage across the listening positions should be almost identical, except where room boundaries interfere.

YPAO has been applauded many times as one of the only alternative solutions to Audyssey, unlike Onkyo's solution. I would definitely not trade receivers simply for EQ!

 

[PENG]

I tried YPAO and it didn't produce a big difference. Is Audyssey that much better, and is sub eq going to produce an audible difference? Currently I don't have any measuring equipment, that itself is not cheap to buy and is complicated to setup with REW etc.

I can tell you from my experience that Audyssey XT32 and Sub EQ HT are quite capable of flattening the response of the lower frequencies from you main listening position. That does not mean you will prefer the sound but it does mean the bass response will be more accurate, true to the recording. As TheWarrier was alluding to, the overall results may vary depending on your room acoustic environment and placement of the speakers/subwoofers.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

It does make a difference, how big, it really depends on your room. Would it be worth the AVR upgrade? That is a different question, I myself haven't compared directly how big difference there is with and without it so I can't really answer to that question. But if that is only reason you think of upgrading I would hold until you have another reason or two.

 

[KEW]

If you are getting dual subs and don't want to manage the REW learning curve, it makes sense that XT 32 should be in your future.
However, having dual subs does a lot to mitigate the same problems that XT 32 addresses. So, if you have dual subs on your list, buy them first. XT 32 can wait.

 

[herbu]

if that is only reason you think of upgrading I would hold until you have another reason or two.

Agree. I went from Yamaha to Denon, (YPAO to Audyssey). I have 2 subs and the dual sub EQ is nice. Audyssey did indeed set one a bit louder than the other. However, I'm not at all sure I could actually hear the difference.

And by the way, a simple sound meter is not expensive. Much less expensive than a new AVR. You could use it to check the balance of your subs, and other speakers, if you're interested. You don't need fancy software.

Your Yamaha will play a tone thru each speaker, one at a time. You simply sit in your chair and look at the sound level on your meter. Adjust the volume of each speaker up or down as you wish. The same for 2 subs. Simply connect only one, and look at the meter. Then connect only the other one and repeat. Your subs likely have a volume/gain control on the back. You can adjust them to balance as you wish.

In other words, I wouldn't trade AVRs only for XT32.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Like everyone says, YMMV.

In my experience, the room correction itself (Audyssey XT, Audyssey XT32) didn't produce a significant audible improvement or change.

But the Audyssey Dynamic EQ made a significant audible improvement with my 5 x subwoofer bass at my usual listening volume for movies and music.

 

[lsiberian]

I would not change receivers for an auto EQ software.

 

[Defcon]

Thanks for all the replies, very helpful.

If I could upgrade my AVR for ~$100 to a Denon (with MultiEQ XT, not XT32) would it be worth it? Asking since there are some good deals on refurb models and I can try and sell my current Yamaha. I'd be giving up some features (like Analog->HDMI upconversion, about 10w/ch etc) and the only real upside would be Audyssey vs YPAO - is that worth it?

 

[TheWarrior]

No. Thats a couple of meals or a lot of snacks enjoyed using your HT!

If you are still experiencing actual problems, that you can identify, then your issue may be room related and there is only so much correction software can do for that anyway.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks for all the replies, very helpful.

If I could upgrade my AVR for ~$100 to a Denon (with MultiEQ XT, not XT32) would it be worth it? Asking since there are some good deals on refurb models and I can try and sell my current Yamaha. I'd be giving up some features (like Analog->HDMI upconversion, about 10w/ch etc) and the only real upside would be Audyssey vs YPAO - is that worth it?

No one knows if you will enjoy features such as Audyssey XT/XT32 Dynamic EQ.

For someone such as myself, I would never buy any AVR or pre-pro that does not have Audyssey XT/XT32 Dynamic EQ. So to me, it's worth $1,000.

But to others, DEQ may be worth $0.

 

[Defcon]

No. Thats a couple of meals or a lot of snacks enjoyed using your HT!

If you are still experiencing actual problems, that you can identify, then your issue may be room related and there is only so much correction software can do for that anyway.

Thanks, yes I tend to agree, that's worth 5-10 bluray's I can buy too

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks, yes I tend to agree, that's worth 5-10 bluray's I can buy too

Don't waste your money. Yamaha electronics tends to be very reliable. I have a couple of residences, that have Audyssey and the Eq. as usual is a downgrade.

I use no Eq from my pre/pros, and have perfect bass all over the room.

I only use these auto set up systems for channel level and distance, but nothing else!

 

[PENG]

Don't waste your money. Yamaha electronics tends to be very reliable. I have a couple of residences, that have Audyssey and the Eq. as usual is a downgrade.

I use no Eq from my pre/pros, and have perfect bass all over the room.

I only use these auto set up systems for channel level and distance, but nothing else!

Seems to me you are jumping to conclusion. There could good reasons why it would be downgrade for some and upgrade for others.

 

[Alex2507]

If I could upgrade my AVR for ~$100 to a Denon (with MultiEQ XT, not XT32) would it be worth it?

You can get a Denon with all that for a hundred bucks? Can you get me one?

 

[highfigh]

You can get a Denon with all that for a hundred bucks? Can you get me one?

Apparently, he has a guy, if you know what I mean.

 

[Defcon]

Yes, there was someone selling an older Denon for much cheaper and the difference after selling my Yamaha would be about ~100. That is sold now, I was debating on it for the last few days.

 

[Alex2507]

Yes, there was someone selling an older Denon for much cheaper and the difference after selling my Yamaha would be about ~100. That is sold now, I was debating on it for the last few days.

What model Denon?

 

[Defcon]

What model Denon?

Denon 3313ci