McIntosh’s “Room Perfect” room correction system dramatically improves the performance of a loudspeaker in a client’s room. Unlike many other room correction systems we have seen in the past, the room is what is being corrected, not the speaker’s response. Often room correction systems work toward an ideal target curve for the speaker system. This method changes the character of the loudspeaker. If one chose the loudspeaker based on the sonic signature of the speaker, to rob the system of the signature is to take away the performance of that loudspeaker from the client’s system. The Room Perfect system differs in that it is interested in gaining room knowledge to remove the room’s issues from the performance but not adjust the speakers response to a target curve. The result is the advantage of having the best of both worlds – a corrected room and the speaker performance the client paid for.
The process of gaining a “Room Perfect” listening position is interesting in itself. The microphone is placed in the listening position. Exact measurements are taken from each speaker to the microphone and entered into the “Room Perfect” menu. When the testing process begins, there are tones directed from each loudspeaker to analyze. The first 50 tones (covering from 20 Hz to 350 Hz) form a “low frequency test signal” while 71 pure tones form the “high frequency test signal”. After the initial testing, the microphone is moved to locations around the room to learn the knowledge about the room necessary to filter the problems of the room. Room knowledge is revealed as a percentage after each subsequent test. The goal is to reach 90% or better. In a recent test we performed, the knowledge was 98% after 9 positions.
In the first illustration, you can see the room response from the right and left speaker with subwoofer.
Curves
The Blue curve is the untreated room while the green is the same room after the Room Perfect filters are applied after running RP. The sound was improved considerably by the Room Perfect filtering out several large peaks in the response.
Both the MEN220 and MX150 McIntosh components provide Room Perfect. See your Omega Sales representative for more details.
Omega Sales Inc
