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

[Brantome]

As @Brantome said, yes, if it was currently possible.

HouseCurve allows averaging multiple measurements automatically? I didn't know that.

For now and to suit power users as well as the average Joe I would really prefer to limit automatic RC to lower frequencies (like 1 kHz max) and allow additional multiband PEQ to be applied on top of (or rather independently of) RC.

Yeah, I’ve used HouseCurve and it allows you to take multiple measurements and then it presents you with its output. See https://housecurve.com/docs/tuning/equalization

 

[steadyshot]

If I were Wiim I would explore cooperation and synergies with HouseCurve creator . I think this would be win win for both sides

 

[harkpabst]

Yeah, I’ve used HouseCurve and it allows you to take multiple measurements and the it presents you with its output. See https://housecurve.com/docs/tuning/equalization

HouseCurve docs are impressive. It shows that they do know their stuff. Zero BS there at all, as far as I can tell. Just proven facts and clever approaches.

 

[cc_rider]

Not sure how Sonos does theirs under the cover, but they have you walk around the room while their speakers emit bleeps and bloops, not a simple sweep.

 

[steadyshot]

The moving mic method (MMM) is a room correction technique that helps you get a more accurate picture of your room's acoustic problems for better equalization (EQ) results. Here's a breakdown of what it is and why it's useful:

What is the Moving Mic Method?

Setup:

Place a calibrated measurement microphone at your primary listening position.
Configure room measurement software (like Room EQ Wizard - REW) to use pink noise.
Begin playing the pink noise through your speakers at comfortable listening levels.
Movement:

Slowly and continuously move the microphone in a roughly 1-meter radius around your listening position. Cover the area both horizontally and vertically. Think of it like stirring a pot to create a well-blended sound profile.
The software continuously records the frequency response as you move the mic.
Analysis:

The software averages the multiple measurements captured during your movement.
This average becomes a more comprehensive representation of how your room interacts with sound at the listening position than a single, static point measurement.
Why use the Moving Mic Method

Addresses Standing Waves: Rooms exhibit standing waves—areas where certain frequencies become amplified or cancelled out due to reflections. Moving the mic helps average out the impact of these standing waves, which a single-point measurement might miss.
Spatial Averaging: Your listening experience isn't limited to one exact spot. This method accounts for the fact you might move your head slightly, or even sit in slightly different areas of your couch. The MMM gives a better overall acoustic picture.
Smoother Results: The averaged readings give a smoother curve. This leads to more natural-sounding EQ corrections than trying to compensate for every tiny peak or dip a single-point measurement might find.

 

[harkpabst]

MMM is mainly a timesaving shortcut compared to multiple individual measurements, it doesn't provide better quality. There is a reason why e.g. regular REW measurements do not rely on pink noise.

Since RC will be a once-only procedure for many users I would personally prefer taking a couple of measurements manually (and having the software average them).

 

[steadyshot]

MMM is mainly a timesaving shortcut compared to multiple individual measurements, it doesn't provide better quality. There is a reason why e.g. regular REW measurements do not rely on pink noise.

Since RC will be a once-only procedure for many users I would personally prefer taking a couple of measurements manually (and having the software average them).

Yes that is understandable and the HouseCurve approach . Also HouseCurve by default uses sine sweep and not pink noise ( although there is an option) which I think it is better for getting phase and delay information

 

[Wiimer]

That's one possible reason.

Also, it is not overly clever to try and compensate the combined output of both speakers, playing a coherent monophonic signal up to 20 kHz. As the wave length becomes very short (~3.4 cm at 10 kHz) the microphone might pick up a cancellation of both speaker outputs easily, if it is not exactly equidistant to both speakers. This could be shown as a dip where there actually is none.

Thank you for the very clear explanation.

By the way, I use my mic measurements to measure multiple points (and directions) around my ears, and I use the sum of the maximum values in all graphs as a reference for PEQ correction. Is this wrong? Is it better to use the average value?

Sorry for digressing from the subject..
Thank you.

 

[Smartplug]

So the beta is apple users only for now?

You’re golden if you have iOS on wiim product.

 

[Smartplug]

Hi Team,

The current version of the target curve is flat. In our next release, we'll support other types of target curves, such as B&K, Harman, etc. Please stay tuned!

When can we expect the next release? Thanks!

 

[WiiM Support]

AAARGH!

Thanks for replying, but that's maybe the wrong way around.

At the moment, we're talking about the Amp (though we will be talking about the Ultra soon enough).

Any delay to the signal due to processing in the amp will be the same for both mains and sub, so no delay required. The only reason the sub might be out of time is if it does it's own processing (except * below), which delays the signal further. So including delay for the sub out can only make it worse.

You need need delay on the mains, so that if the sub's processing slows the signal down, you can slow the mains by the same amount.

Adding delay to the sub and not the mains on the Amp is, as far as I can tell, completely useless, * apart from the very rare set up where you have a 2.1 system with the sub closer to you than the mains - it's more likely the mains will be closer, with the sub tucked away somewhere.

Please reconsider.

Many thanks.

Hi Steve,

Great observation! I think allowing users to choose between delaying the main speaker or the sub-out would be the most effective solution. I'll discuss this with our team.

As Brantome suggested, we could consider implementing both positive and negative delay adjustments for the sub-out, if that's a feasible approach.

 

[Haskil]

Hi Team,

The current version of the target curve is flat. In our next release, we'll support other types of target curves, such as B&K, Harman, etc. Please stay tuned!

If the right speaker and the left speaker cannot be parametrically corrected individually using a calibrated microphone... this new possibility offered by Wim will unfortunately not be used to improve the final sound quality.

 

[WiiM Support]

When can we expect the next release? Thanks!

It's planned to be released by the end of March after we get the first round of feedback from the beta users.

 

[harkpabst]

By the way, I use my mic measurements to measure multiple points (and directions) around my ears, and I use the sum of the maximum values in all graphs as a reference for PEQ correction. Is this wrong? Is it better to use the average value?

Short answer: I've always ever averaged my measurements (sometimes with different weighting) and I really think that aiming at the sum of max values will overestimate a sensible correction. However, I cannot give a well founded, well worded and easy to understand explanation from the top of my head.

 

[Wiimer]

Short answer: I've always ever averaged my measurements (sometimes with different weighting) and I really think that aiming at the sum of max values will overestimate a sensible correction. However, I cannot give a well founded, well worded and easy to understand explanation from the top of my head.

Thank you.
I will use the advice you gave me in the future.


・・・

I hope, the WiiM team will deliver a beta of Android RC within a year. I'm now staring at the cherry blossoms with sad eyes...

 

[canard]

Thank you.
I will use the advice you gave me in the future.


・・・

I hope, the WiiM team will deliver a beta of Android RC within a year. I'm now staring at the cherry blossoms with sad eyes...

can we see differently...
wiim discovers the functions - precautions to take in order not just to create "a correction function" but a "relevant and somewhat efficient correction function", while retaining the possibility of regaining control a little etc. "....
it's a heavy subject...
so thank you to iosboys "to wipe the plasters"...
;-)

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

Hi Steve,

Great observation! I think allowing users to choose between delaying the main speaker or the sub-out would be the most effective solution. I'll discuss this with our team.

As Brantome suggested, we could consider implementing both positive and negative delay adjustments for the sub-out, if that's a feasible approach.

Thanks, that’s quite excellent.

I believe for negative delay you’d need a Time Machine, though.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

It's planned to be released by the end of March after we get the first round of feedback from the beta users.

That’s fantastic.

Do you know if 10-band PEQ outside room correction will be available by then, too?

 

[Brantome]

Thanks, that’s quite excellent.

I believe for negative delay you’d need a Time Machine, though.

I’d call it a buffer into which the stream is received. You’d either send it immediately to the speakers and delay sending it to the sub or vice versa. No non-Newtonian physics required

 

[101fallingdown]

Still patiently awaiting the beta here, signed up immediate after it was posted a while back - question, I have and use both an iOS and Android device, will the signals that show I sometimes use an Android device delay or prevent me from getting on the beta? (I’m guessing if this is for only iOS users for now, Android folks wouldn’t receive a beta email).