dcx

[tonedeaf]

O.K.,here it goes,dumb question of the month!
I plan to modify Infinity 362's,and berhinger 2030p's per wmax.
I will add an SVS sub to the equation.I will call them for recomendations.
Now,its been suggested to add a dcx2496 into the system.I have no experience with anything like that.What is it for and what does it do?
Would I need special cables for hooking it up?Is it difficult to use,or have a high learning curve?Would I need any additional components like the arts cleanbox to hook it up?I've looked at it online but I'm not sure I would be tech savvy enough to figure it out.I would purchase if it would make a difference.
I havent got a receiver yet but it will have preouts.
Would this be a nice sounding set-up?

Any information from you knowlegeable persons would be greatly appreciated.
I'm a grandfather of 4 so please be gentle.I'm waaaaaay past my prime of being able to learn quickly.
P.S.70% movies,29%music,1%gaming for the rugrats(I have a play station 3 for blue ray.
I doubt if I've asked everything I should,or provided all pertinent info,I will provide if need be.
Regards,Len

 

[lsiberian]

This is gonna be a lot of work I warn you. I respect Wmax's mod list, but he's done this stuff a lot. For you everything will be new. So take your time and do it right. I suggest finishing the speakers up before you start dumping cash on stuff. Try it out on the cheap speakers first.

Phase 1
The first upgrade involves the bracing it requires a good miter box or miter saw and some wood glue.

My method for bracing:

1. Calculate the speaker's internal dimensions. Figure out how many braces are needed on each axis.

12.5 x 8.4 x 8.3" (317 x 214 x 211mm)

Internally it's probably 11.5 x 7.4 x 7.3

I'd make one top to bottom brace. A set of 4 braces going from the top to bottom brace to the back and 4 braces connecting left to right.

11.5 + 4 x 7.4 + 4 x 7.3 will give you the bracing length.

6 feet should give you enough bracing material.


Pick up the necessary length in pieces of oak 1 x 2 from the local lumber yard. Lowe's and Home depot should carry it.

For this step you will need to measure the speaker dimensions and get an idea for how many braces each axis should have. I usually do a brace every 3" to 4"

I always cut the bigger braces first that way if I mess up I can always use the wood for the smaller ones. But I don't glue it in place first. I start by gluing the backs and then I cut the left to right braces into 2 smaller pieces that join with the middle piece. I glue the left side then I glue the middle brace followed by the right side. I put a front braces where I can, but it's a bit more tricky. Once done bracing I'd put her back together and see what she sounds like to justify your hard work.

Phase 2
The next involves rockwool, fabric and a can of 3M-77(potent stuff). Doing things in stages will help you keep the momentum and give you a stopping place should you decide you've had enough.

One 6lb rockwol sheet http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Roxul-Rockboard-60--RB60-S.html

and some burlap http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Burlap-Fabric-56-inch-wide--1009.html

will go along way to improving your Behringer speakers.

You will want to cut the board in pieces that can fit through the driver hole.

make sure before you put them in the cloth or fibers can get into the speaker drivers vent causing it to overheat and burn out. You will want to glue them outdoors because the smell of the glue is terrible. Spray a coat on the wall you are gluing to and on the back of your rockwool. Give it a couple minutes and then stick the board on the wall. If you can double the back piece to 4" and only use 2" pieces on the sides. This will improve the quality of the speaker a lot.

Now Wmax also uses Constraint layer damping, but that is an advanced technique. I think it's too much for a first time modder or builder. Bracing and damping will vastly improve the performance of the speaker. Make sure you also seal up the seams of the wood and between the drivers and speaker box.

 

[GO-NAD!]

This is gonna be a lot of work I warn you. I respect Wmax's mod list, but he's done this stuff a lot. For you everything will be new. So take your time and do it right. I suggest finishing the speakers up before you start dumping cash on stuff. Try it out on the cheap speakers first.

Phase 1
The first upgrade involves the bracing it requires a good miter box or miter saw and some wood glue.

My method for bracing:

1. Calculate the speaker's internal dimensions. Figure out how many braces are needed on each axis.

12.5 x 8.4 x 8.3" (317 x 214 x 211mm)

Internally it's probably 11.5 x 7.4 x 7.3

I'd make one top to bottom brace. A set of 4 braces going from the top to bottom brace to the back and 4 braces connecting left to right.

11.5 + 4 x 7.4 + 4 x 7.3 will give you the bracing length.

6 feet should give you enough bracing material.


Pick up the necessary length in pieces of oak 1 x 2 from the local lumber yard. Lowe's and Home depot should carry it.

For this step you will need to measure the speaker dimensions and get an idea for how many braces each axis should have. I usually do a brace every 3" to 4"

I always cut the bigger braces first that way if I mess up I can always use the wood for the smaller ones. But I don't glue it in place first. I start by gluing the backs and then I cut the left to right braces into 2 smaller pieces that join with the middle piece. I glue the left side then I glue the middle brace followed by the right side. I put a front braces where I can, but it's a bit more tricky. Once done bracing I'd put her back together and see what she sounds like to justify your hard work.

Phase 2
The next involves rockwool, fabric and a can of 3M-77(potent stuff). Doing things in stages will help you keep the momentum and give you a stopping place should you decide you've had enough.

One 6lb rockwol sheet http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Roxul-Rockboard-60--RB60-S.html

and some burlap http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Burlap-Fabric-56-inch-wide--1009.html

will go along way to improving your Behringer speakers.

You will want to cut the board in pieces that can fit through the driver hole.

make sure before you put them in the cloth or fibers can get into the speaker drivers vent causing it to overheat and burn out. You will want to glue them outdoors because the smell of the glue is terrible. Spray a coat on the wall you are gluing to and on the back of your rockwool. Give it a couple minutes and then stick the board on the wall. If you can double the back piece to 4" and only use 2" pieces on the sides. This will improve the quality of the speaker a lot.

Now Wmax also uses Constraint layer damping, but that is an advanced technique. I think it's too much for a first time modder or builder. Bracing and damping will vastly improve the performance of the speaker. Make sure you also seal up the seams of the wood and between the drivers and speaker box.

Yes, this is an ambitious project. As Isiberian suggests, I would stick with the speaker mods first. I haven't done that sort of thing before, so I can't comment on his directions, other than to say that he knows what he's talking about.

As for the DCX, I bought one a few months ago to incorporate into my 2-channel system. I've crossed over a pair of subs with my mains through it, but have not done any equalizing yet. That will come later, when I have more time. My subwoofers are DIY and because I'm using an EP2000 to power them, there is no high-pass filter to protect the drivers. The DCX has that feature and although the lowest you can set it is 20Hz, it's fine for my application, because this is a system for music only.

For HT purposes, that is a bit high, as movie LFE can go below that frequency. Of course, you need a very capable subwoofer to get useful output below 20 Hz anyway. So, if you don't have a sub that reaches those depths, it doesn't really matter.

You will need to adapt balanced (TRS) connections on the DCX to unbalanced (RCA) connections on your receiver. I use RCA interconnect cables and TRS/RCA adaptors from Parts Express. This conversion introduces the risk of a ground loop and the resultant hum. I didn't get that, so I consider myself fortunate.

There is also the fact that professional components operate on a different gain than typical consumer components. You may hear a "hiss" from your speakers because of it. However, the gain is adjustable and you may be able to compensate for the difference.

If you have a recent multi-channel receiver, with its own sub output and crossover, and room correction like YPAO or Audessey, I'm not sure I'd bother with the DCX. It is not user friendly for people who are not used to pro-components. It took me a while just to figure out how to set the crossover frequencies. As I said, I haven't tried equalizing yet and I predict that there will be quite a few headaches for me when I try.

I suggest you download the manual and the operating software from the Behringer website. Read over the manual and play with the software; that will give you an idea of what you'll be facing. I found the manual difficult to understand, but perhaps you won't.

Having said all of that, I really like it for how well my subs blend with my mains. You wouldn't know they were there - until you play a good recording of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" at an "elevated volume" and come to the finale's climax - the firing of the cannon. You just know that those crashes aren't coming from the mains...

Anyway, good luck with your project!

 

[tonedeaf]

Yes, this is an ambitious project. As Isiberian suggests, I would stick with the speaker mods first. I haven't done that sort of thing before, so I can't comment on his directions, other than to say that he knows what he's talking about.

As for the DCX, I bought one a few months ago to incorporate into my 2-channel system. I've crossed over a pair of subs with my mains through it, but have not done any equalizing yet. That will come later, when I have more time. My subwoofers are DIY and because I'm using an EP2000 to power them, there is no high-pass filter to protect the drivers. The DCX has that feature and although the lowest you can set it is 20Hz, it's fine for my application, because this is a system for music only.

For HT purposes, that is a bit high, as movie LFE can go below that frequency. Of course, you need a very capable subwoofer to get useful output below 20 Hz anyway. So, if you don't have a sub that reaches those depths, it doesn't really matter.

You will need to adapt balanced (TRS) connections on the DCX to unbalanced (RCA) connections on your receiver. I use RCA interconnect cables and TRS/RCA adaptors from Parts Express. This conversion introduces the risk of a ground loop and the resultant hum. I didn't get that, so I consider myself fortunate.

There is also the fact that professional components operate on a different gain than typical consumer components. You may hear a "hiss" from your speakers because of it. However, the gain is adjustable and you may be able to compensate for the difference.

If you have a recent multi-channel receiver, with its own sub output and crossover, and room correction like YPAO or Audessey, I'm not sure I'd bother with the DCX. It is not user friendly for people who are not used to pro-components. It took me a while just to figure out how to set the crossover frequencies. As I said, I haven't tried equalizing yet and I predict that there will be quite a few headaches for me when I try.

I suggest you download the manual and the operating software from the Behringer website. Read over the manual and play with the software; that will give you an idea of what you'll be facing. I found the manual difficult to understand, but perhaps you won't.

Having said all of that, I really like it for how well my subs blend with my mains. You wouldn't know they were there - until you play a good recording of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" at an "elevated volume" and come to the finale's climax - the firing of the cannon. You just know that those crashes aren't coming from the mains...

Anyway, good luck with your project!

Thanks for the reply.I would much rather go with audessey than incorporate the dcx.I can see where the the dcx has a high learning curve.I am by no means an audiophile so the audessey would suffice.
I have the very CD you mention.First time I played at "elevated volumes"the dog ran under the bed and the wife thought we were under attack.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I felt there was big difference b'ween my initial quick 3 point calibration and proper one using all 8 point I did later on using this guide (download word file in end of first post)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14456895

Before investing your time and money into advanced PEQ which DCX is, You'd be better off with some room treatments.
Just approach the wall near which you have speakers standing and clap your hands - if you hear echo - you'll have room modes issues, which audessey can't fully fix

 

[lsiberian]

It's not always possible to treat a room though. If it's the living room she who must be obeyed will likely veto it either in word or in deed.