Room Correction Beta firmware for WiiM Pro, Pro Plus and Amp - User Testing Experience

[Fender]

Although I am pleased with my already existing and approved method for soft correction steps and not waiting for the WiiM solution it is a very important and interesting field. Eventually this article could give some additional opinions. Opinions! Not saying everything is right ;-)

Room Correction: Benefits and Pitfalls

Room correction devices are designed to at least partially mask a room's problems without actually correcting them, so the term room correction may have been invented as a distraction from that fact. Although you can help one type of room problem in a limited way by altering the signals to the...

janszenaudio.com

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

My personal opinion.

1 - In the first instance, treat the room, though your ability to do this may be limited.
2 - Speaker placement is as important, if not more so.
3 - After doing what you can with 1 and 2, measure the room’s FR
4 - Try to iron out the big nasties
5 - Remember, you’re supposed to listen in a real room, not an anechoic chamber.
6 - And finally, though this should probably go at the very beginning, sit as close to your speakers as you can, and as their design allows. The closer to the speaker you get, the more ‘speaker’ you hear, and less ‘room’. In that respect, it really doesn’t matter (as much) what troubles your room has.

Watch (and listen to) this video from 4:54 to 6:02.

Before you do anything else, getting more ‘speaker’ and less ‘room’ is most easily achieved by just sitting closer to your speakers. Apart from bass nulls.

EDIT: Interestingly, he also mentions point 4 (above) just after 15 minutes. Use EQ to get rid of the large issues, we’re surprisingly insensitive to the little bumps and dips.

 

[Fender]

My personal opinion.

1 - In the first instance, treat the room, though your ability to do this may be limited.
2 - Speaker placement is as important, if not more so.
3 - After doing what you can with 1 and 2, measure the room’s FR
4 - Try to iron out the big nasties
5 - Remember, you’re supposed to listen in a real room, not an anechoic chamber.
6 - And finally, though this should probably go at the very beginning, sit as close to your speakers as you can, and as their design allows. The closer to the speaker you get, the more ‘speaker’ you hear, and less ‘room’. In that respect, it really doesn’t matter (as much) what troubles your room has.

Watch (and listen to) this video from 4:54 to 6:02.

Before you do anything else, getting more ‘speaker’ and less ‘room’ is most easily achieved by just sitting closer to your speakers. Apart from bass nulls.

My highest obstacle in RC is the WAF, not the wife ;-)

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

I’m a strongly suspect that most of us have small, often desktop systems, but that we all think everyone else has a dedicated listening lounge 6m x 8m.

I’m absolutely positive that most of us usually listen to music on our main system alone, and yet we talk about rooms as if we need to get sound right for 12 people sat over 3 rows.

 

[Brantome]

I’m a strongly suspect that most of us have small, often desktop systems, but that we all think everyone else has a dedicated listening lounge 6m x 8m.

I’m absolutely positive that most of us usually listen to music on our main system alone, and yet we talk about rooms as if we need to get sound right for 12 people sat over 3 rows.

I’d be frankly surprised if most of us have desktop systems - if I were to be asked how music should be listened to at home, I wouldn’t answer seated at a desk in front of a PC, arms length from the speakers. Guess I’m old school from the age when we didn’t have PCs to sit in front of

 

[Fender]

I’d be frankly surprised if most of us have desktop systems - if I were to be asked how music should be listened to at home, I wouldn’t answer seated at a desk in front of a PC, arms length from the speakers. Guess I’m old school from the age when we didn’t have PCs to sit in front of

Never in my life music in my office came to my mind. Even not when alone in my office. It would not be appropriate for our business and also my multitasking skills are poor. Nearfield experience is headphones with DAP, phone or tablet.
But times are different and work life balance became more important. In my feeling it is tending more to life than work ;-)

 

[harkpabst]

"Cases for iPhone/iPads can obstruct the microphone. Be sure to aim the microphone at the audio system and ensure it’s not covered up by your hand (ex: Bottom of iPhone)."

Measurement Process

HouseCurve is an iOS app for tuning audio systems. Use it for room correction, adjusting equalizers, setting subwoofer phase, choosing crossovers and more.

housecurve.com

A good one. But these measurements have been so far off the charts, even more so now we know an SVS sub is involved. Not sure if just a case alone could be causing that. Maybe unless it's not really a fitting case and blocking the used microphone completely.

Which leads me to the next point: iOS devices (and yes, Androids, too) usually have more than one mic. This is one the things HouseCurve is stressing in their manual. Can we be sure which mic the current beta might pick on which iPad revision? Should this be part of the problem, there's nothing we can do but wait for the next firmware and app version.

I'm using WiiM Amp and my sub is connected with single RCA, I usually have 100hz crossover and no level boosting is set. LFE mode off in SVS app and zero phase, positive polarity (all pretty "normal")

I'm not familiar with the SVS app, but generally LFE mode should be on, not off. If SVS implements this feature true to the letter, then switching LFE mode on will remove any low-pass filtering performed by the sub. This is good, because the WiiM Amp should take care of that all on its own. It might also reduce any delay added by the sub's processing.

 

[eByGum]

A good one. But these measurements have been so far off the charts, even more so now we know an SVS sub is involved. Not sure if just a case alone could be causing that. Maybe unless it's not really a fitting case and blocking the used microphone completely.

Which leads me to the next point: iOS devices (and yes, Androids, too) usually have more than one mic. This is one the things HouseCurve is stressing in their manual. Can we be sure which mic the current beta might pick on which iPad revision? Should this be part of the problem, there's nothing we can do but wait for the next firmware and app version.


I'm not familiar with the SVS app, but generally LFE mode should be on, not off. If SVS implements this feature true to the letter, then switching LFE mode on will remove any low-pass filtering performed by the sub. This is good, because the WiiM Amp should take care of that all on its own. It might also reduce any delay added by the sub's processing.

I initially expected LFE to be "on", but the SVS app says with respect to Low Pass Filter feature, "If using an AV Receiver with a subwoofer output, leave in the OFF position". As you say, leaves the WiiM Amp to manage crossover. Works well, sounds great.

 

[harkpabst]

I initially expected LFE to be "on", but the SVS app says with respect to Low Pass Filter feature, "If using an AV Receiver with a subwoofer output, leave in the OFF position". As you say, leaves the WiiM Amp to manage crossover. Works well, sounds great.

Sounds like a misnomer to me, then.

 

[cooky560]

I’m a strongly suspect that most of us have small, often desktop systems, but that we all think everyone else has a dedicated listening lounge 6m x 8m.

I’m absolutely positive that most of us usually listen to music on our main system alone, and yet we talk about rooms as if we need to get sound right for 12 people sat over 3 rows.

I have my main system in a room that's about 6m x 4m, my WiiM amp is in another room, connected to a pair of "bookshelves" my Lintons.

I think most people using a nearfield setup will have little need for the WiiM, as most nearfields plug directly into a computer, and many support USB and digital inputs.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

Never in my life music in my office came to my mind. Even not when alone in my office. It would not be appropriate for our business and also my multitasking skills are poor. Nearfield experience is headphones with DAP, phone or tablet.
But times are different and work life balance became more important. In my feeling it is tending more to life than work ;-)

I don’t think we’re discussing your office at work.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

I’d be frankly surprised if most of us have desktop systems - if I were to be asked how music should be listened to at home, I wouldn’t answer seated at a desk in front of a PC, arms length from the speakers. Guess I’m old school from the age when we didn’t have PCs to sit in front of

I too am from that generation.

But judging by various ‘show us your set up’ threads on the internet, I think desk-based systems are far more common than you think.

I actually don’t feel comfortable sat on a sofa listening to music, and prefer being at a desk.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

I have my main system in a room that's about 6m x 4m, my WiiM amp is in another room, connected to a pair of "bookshelves" my Lintons.

I think most people using a nearfield setup will have little need for the WiiM, as most nearfields plug directly into a computer, and many support USB and digital inputs.

I disagree. PCs can be configured to use REW and PEQ programmes, but they’re an absolute pig to use.

Do you know how many threads there are on something as basic as setting up Windows so it outputs bit perfect? And how (relatively) complex it is to ensure everything is set correctly?

 

[Fender]

Just the opposite here. For me music needs a comfortable chair and sometimes a cigar ;-)

 

[harkpabst]

Just the opposite here. For me music needs a comfortable chair and sometimes a cigar ;-)

Absolutely (less the cigar ...).

In particular the WiiM Amp is certainly not the typical choice for desktop listeners, with HDMI ARC, the well made local USB storage support and its general all-in-one approach. The Mini/Pro/Pro Plus could be, but from what I see the desktop crowd is often more into fiddeling with different DACs all the time and the computer or a dedicated NAS/RPi/whatever is the main streaming source.

Also, room correction is hardly an issue with desktop listening, except for improving sub integration, while (manual) EQ is a different story.

And for me that's one more reason why EQ and room correction should be distinct features, both independently configurable and working simultaneously (even if room correction technically works by applying EQ).

 

[Fender]

Sometimes! A few addictions should stay. Most are buried ;-)

 

[cooky560]

Just the opposite here. For me music needs a comfortable chair and sometimes a cigar ;-)

I have a nice leather sofa that I love to sit on while relaxing to a nice bit of music. The WiiM makes this so easy because I can just create a long playlist on my phone from that same sofa.

I don't smoke, but I am not going to say no a nice single malt whisky while I listen

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

Whilst I’d cleared my glass when I took this pic, you may be able to despot the jar of dry roast peanuts.

 

[Fender]

Whilst I’d cleared my glass when I took this pic, you may be able to despot the jar of dry roast peanuts.

View attachment 5924

Even in those setups kind of cable salad seems to be unavoidable ;-)

 

[Wiimer]

By the time these chats are over, will Android beta testing begin?

@WiiM Support,
Will Android beta be after the public RC update for IOS? Or is it completely unpredictable?