Room Measurement Kit

[bandphan]

New room measurement kit from Auralex

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

$500 a bit too fancy for Behringer Mic, usb stick and simple sound recording software.
I wonder if acoustic consultation (Room Analysis Plus) is included in the price ?

 

[bandphan]

$500 a bit too fancy for Behringer Mic, usb stick and simple sound recording software.
I wonder if acoustic consultation (Room Analysis Plus) is included in the price ?

Yes it is . And not that it matters are you sure its a behringer?

 

[Weasel9992]

I'm also a little confused about the cost. You can buy a very usable measurement mic for about $70, and a nice one for about double that. Even if you BUY measurement software instead of using the freeware software that's out there (that are more than adequate and come with test tones), you're still only at around $300 or so. There are any number of places you can go to have measurements analyzed for free, both acoustics vendors like Auralex or online forums. Seems kinda low value to me.

Frank

 

[bandphan]

Im sure the market is for those who like the idea of DYI, but dont Or as base for installers in lower level companies.

 

[highfigh]

Yes it is . And not that it matters are you sure its a behringer?

Look farther into this and you'll see that it is. The other one that looks just like that is the Dayton, so it's a possibility (my Behringer mic came in a case exactly like that one, without the Auralex wrap).

For less than $50, you can get a either the Behringer or Dayton mic. Add $69 and you can get TrueRTA 1/6 octave RTA software that will do sweeps, has a waveform generator and several other features and functions. REW is a good one, too. I think what they're really charging for is their expertise in interpreting the information, more than anything else.

For most people, the $64000 question is, "OK, I have the room response. Now what?".

 

[nibhaz]

Do you get only a single room analysis or is the number of analysis unlimited?

If it’s the former then I would say the price is a little steep.

However, if you get an unlimited number of analyses then I think it is priced quite reasonably. This could be a great tool for those starting out in the CI profession.

 

[highfigh]

Do you get only a single room analysis or is the number of analysis unlimited?

If it’s the former then I would say the price is a little steep.

However, if you get an unlimited number of analyses then I think it is priced quite reasonably. This could be a great tool for those starting out in the CI profession.

If someone is getting into the CI profession, they should work for someone else first. That way, they can get some product training. For someone to start out on their own, the cost of the training and loss of income is pretty steep. An employer will look at it as an investment in that employee but if someone goes to work for another dealer and leaves immediately after all of the training, their reputation will spread at the speed of light. This may not mean anything to that person but it will as soon as they need something from another dealer.

Audyssey has their own training and a kit for room measurement. They also sell their own equipment and it treats the sound more extensively than what's in a receiver.

Acoustical measurement and acoustics in general aren't for people just getting into the business unless they have a strong math/science background and/or some experience with it.

 

[Weasel9992]

If someone is getting into the CI profession, they should work for someone else first. That way, they can get some product training. For someone to start out on their own, the cost of the training and loss of income is pretty steep. An employer will look at it as an investment in that employee but if someone goes to work for another dealer and leaves immediately after all of the training, their reputation will spread at the speed of light. This may not mean anything to that person but it will as soon as they need something from another dealer.

Audyssey has their own training and a kit for room measurement. They also sell their own equipment and it treats the sound more extensively than what's in a receiver.

Acoustical measurement and acoustics in general aren't for people just getting into the business unless they have a strong math/science background and/or some experience with it.

Yes, sir. All of those things are true. I "interned" with several companies over the years, both in live and studio audio and integrated systems/acoustics design, at *low* pay for many years. My compensation was learning from people who knew what they were doing and were willing to tolerate me.

I don't know...seems like a very low-value thing to me simply because there are so many other ways to do this at literally 1/4 the price or less. Besides, it doesn't seem like it's aimed at the professional, it seems like it's a consumer item.

Frank

 

[nibhaz]

I was more or less referring to “trunk slammers” or someone that is just doing CI stuff on the side. I should hope someone doing CI as their primary profession would be more advance than this product.

But seriously though, if you do get an unlimited number of room analyses, any schmuck that can set up a microphone and take pictures and measure room dimensions could add acoustical room analysis to their list of services. And use the Auralex name for brand recognition to boot.


Which leads me to believe that this is probably an overpriced single use product.

 

[bandphan]

http://www.cepro.com/article/auralex_room_analysis_kit_plus/

 

[westcott]

There really is nothing available to the general public with a cost/resolution that would be of any use to the average consumer.

It just leads to a false sense of accuracy that leads to even more mistakes like improper EQ use. No matter what anyone claims, without 1/32 octave resolution, you are just wasting money and time.

P.S. Sorry if that pisses off all the subwoofer forum members but the truth hurts.

 

[highfigh]

There really is nothing available to the general public with a cost/resolution that would be of any use to the average consumer.

It just leads to a false sense of accuracy that leads to even more mistakes like improper EQ use. No matter what anyone claims, without 1/32 octave resolution, you are just wasting money and time.

P.S. Sorry if that pisses off all the subwoofer forum members but the truth hurts.

Ever seen what can be done with a 6-band parametric EQ and the knowledge to use it correctly? You'd be surprised by how flat and smooth the response can be.

 

[westcott]

Ever seen what can be done with a 6-band parametric EQ and the knowledge to use it correctly? You'd be surprised by how flat and smooth the response can be.

As I said, they are not accurate enough to do any proper EQ. They do more damage than good. They just lead the user into a false sense of usefulness.

 

[highfigh]

As I said, they are not accurate enough to do any proper EQ. They do more damage than good. They just lead the user into a false sense of usefulness.

I wasn't referring to some POS from a DAK catalog, I meant a real one- the kind used for control in fixed installations. They're used extensively in concert venues, too. I don't think the sound engineers get a false sense of usefulness when they use these.

Here's a link to the company whose equalizers I have installed (in the late '90s-they have all new models now) and have seen in action.
http://www.whiteinstruments.com/index.htm

The same system designer/engineer designed the system at the new Dallas Stadium. He's based in Austin.

 

[westcott]

I wasn't referring to some POS from a DAK catalog, I meant a real one- the kind used for control in fixed installations. They're used extensively in concert venues, too. I don't think the sound engineers get a false sense of usefulness when they use these.

Here's a link to the company whose equalizers I have installed (in the late '90s-they have all new models now) and have seen in action.
http://www.whiteinstruments.com/index.htm

The same system designer/engineer designed the system at the new Dallas Stadium. He's based in Austin.

According to several papers I have researched from those like Dr. Toole, 1/3 Octave resolution is NOT sufficient to properly interpet sound interaction within a room.

I was not able to find any ready information from the links you provided to include this product as adequate. All catalogs must be requested and are not on the site (those I bothered to research).

I find a lack of resolution data suspect. Anyone with equipment capable of such resolution would surely place this information in their product information.

I did say that their is professional grade equipment with the capabilities to provide the proper data to attempt EQ but not at a price for the general public or enthusiast to use.

The point I am trying to make is that EQ is not for the amateur and should not be used period by them. There are a lot of products claiming to provide proper EQ but once again, none at a price for the audio enthusiast.

 

[highfigh]

According to several papers I have researched from those like Dr. Toole, 1/3 Octave resolution is NOT sufficient to properly interpet sound interaction within a room.

I was not able to find any ready information from the links you provided to include this product as adequate. All catalogs must be requested and are not on the site (those I bothered to research).

I find a lack of resolution data suspect. Anyone with equipment capable of such resolution would surely place this information in their product information.

I did say that their is professional grade equipment with the capabilities to provide the proper data to attempt EQ but not at a price for the general public or enthusiast to use.

The point I am trying to make is that EQ is not for the amateur and should not be used period by them. There are a lot of products claiming to provide proper EQ but once again, none at a price for the audio enthusiast.

As far as your last comments- I absolutely agree. People usually go to the "Happy Face" eq curve almost immediately and don't know what an equalizer is really made for. Having done car audio for too long and having replaced I don't know how many speakers because the equalizer was used to add gain, I instantly became a fan of Audio Control equipment that could be hidden in the trunk and a cover installed, so the customer and their "expert" friends couldn't screw up the settings.

1/3 octave isn't lab grade resolution, but the vast majority of people won't hear the difference, anyway and if they saw the analyzer, they'd freak out because they don't know what to look for. 1/3 octave isn't a bad starting point, though. Much better than a bass, mid and treble control and far better than 1 octave resolution. Let's face it- when people don't want to use or see acoustical treatments, it'll never be "right" and using an equalizer is sold as a solution in far too many cases.