Just how good is Audyssey MultEQ XT32?

[Dazed_and_confused]

So I asked for a Sony STR-DN1050 ($475) receiver for Christmas...Been reading and talking and I'm really tempted to switch to the Denon AVR-X4000. Normally $1300, it's available for $800 (newer model available I suppose). I'll be using the Andrew Jones Pioneer FS-52 floor speakers (along with the matching center and surrounds). Also will have dual SVS PB-1000's for subs.

I've heard a lot of good things about Audyssey EQ. My room is 2100 cubic feet, is carpeted but has a lot of bare walls. I think I already know the answer to this but would I notice a big difference with the Audyssey EQ features?

 

[Dazed_and_confused]

So I asked for a Sony STR-DN1050 ($475) receiver for Christmas...Been reading and talking and I'm really tempted to switch to the Denon AVR-X4000. Normally $1300, it's available for $800 (newer model available I suppose). I'll be using the Andrew Jones Pioneer FS-52 floor speakers (along with the matching center and surrounds). Also will have dual SVS PB-1000's for subs.

I've heard a lot of good things about Audyssey EQ. My room is 2100 cubic feet, is carpeted but has a lot of bare walls. I think I already know the answer to this but would I notice a big difference with the Audyssey EQ features?

I'd also like to cite this link: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Zeb0vg0JIBV/learn/reviews/20051129/audyssey.html
I'm particularly interested in the potential downsides of Audyssey. My speakers aren't high end and I plan to use my system for both home theater and music. Would Audyssey be an asset or liability with my setup?

Thanks

 

[KEW]

You are liable to get a wide range of responses on this one. Some people swear off any type of processing.

Personally, I feel that if you have premium speakers, a treated room, and are willing to invest time and money in a measurement system for your room to work out the bass management with your subs, you don't have much need for Audyssey. (translation: 99% of us can benefit from Audyssey)

However, for the system you describe in a normal room, I think it is money well spent. The X4000 may be overkill compared to the rest of your system, as a budget option I would consider the X1000 over the Sony because it gets you into Audyssey MultEQ XT and enough power to manage that size of room. However, with the X4000 you are getting better tuning of the dual subs.

See my comments here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/my-take-600-budget-for-avr-speakers-and-subs.92915/

 

[Dazed_and_confused]

Thanks for the reply KEW. I agree that the DenonX4000 may be overkill but it's the lowest cost receiver I could find with dual sub eq...I may just go with the Sony and see how things sound with speaker placement.

 

[onlyme]

Can't speak for XT32, as I have no personal experience, but I own two XT equipped Denons, and am quite impressed. Where I think Audyssey really shines is in the blending of the various speakers in your room, via distance/delay and phasing calculations. I can't say for certain how much the room EQ is beneficial, but the delay and phase allow me to get good, solid, and seamless blending of two subs, in a room that has separate HT and stereo systems, with separate seating arrangements. (I.E. the same two subs are used for the '.1' content of separate 7 and 2 channel systems oriented along two different sides of the same room. The y-cable is swapped depending on which system i'm running at the moment, and each Denon is running it's own XT calibration)

XT32 is only supposed to be better.

Thumbs up from this guy.

 

[Dazed_and_confused]

Would I be able to achieve similar results to Audyssey using the RoomEqWizard software (REW)?

 

[fuzz092888]

Would I be able to achieve similar results to Audyssey using the RoomEqWizard software (REW)?

The short answer is no. Not by itself. The long short answer + minimal information is, yes with REW + about $300-1500 depending on whether you're doing stereo or multichannel + a few hundred hours to learn 1)the software 2)how your speakers and your room interact 3)how to measure/what to measure/then measure 4)trial and error 5)a whole bunch of other nuances and unexpected stuff.

REW + miniDSP type stuff is really cool, but you have to know what you're doing. There is a learning curve. By the end of it, you will probably have invested more time and money in trying to replicate what Audyssey does than if you had just spent a little more and gotten XT 32 in the first place.

 

[PENG]

So I asked for a Sony STR-DN1050 ($475) receiver for Christmas...Been reading and talking and I'm really tempted to switch to the Denon AVR-X4000. Normally $1300, it's available for $800 (newer model available I suppose). I'll be using the Andrew Jones Pioneer FS-52 floor speakers (along with the matching center and surrounds). Also will have dual SVS PB-1000's for subs.

I've heard a lot of good things about Audyssey EQ. My room is 2100 cubic feet, is carpeted but has a lot of bare walls. I think I already know the answer to this but would I notice a big difference with the Audyssey EQ features?

Big difference in bass. Aside from bass, my REW/mindsp mic plotted graphs show excellent results but not the differences show on paper are not terribly audible to me.