Harman? Toole? B&K?
As I alluded to – ok, I was more than alluding to it – in the previous article, I do not like the idea of house curves. Even if you like house curves, you simply cannot ignore the fact that any EQ curve you employ must be content and volume-dependent.
This is because our ears’ sensitivity to loudness is more or less linear at 1khz but is not at any other frequency. So any curve you load will need to be calculated based on equal-loudness principles (such as those defined in ISO226:2003).
What this means is that you need:
- A list of pre-calculated target curves for Dirac Live (these are included with my Dirac Guide here)
- Alternatively, you need a calculator that allows you to edit the Dirac Live Target Files (there is an editor that I created here)
- Some kind of calculator that tells you which curve to load into which Dirac Live memory slot. Since most Dirac AVRs and DSPs only have 3-4 Dirac memories, it is important that you make the best use of the slots according to your listening habits.
I created a Dirac Live Memories Spreadsheet that is provided with Dirac Live Perfection that allows you to figure out which curve to load either based on your input or based on your listening volumes. I have created this as much for myself as for others because I find the house curve approach people use rather limiting – and dare I say without trying to offend anyone – unscientific. If you have migrated from Audyssey Dynamic EQ then you need this guide.
The spreadsheet allows you to enter your listening volume as well as the required offset for the content you listen to for your input or choose a standard offset that will work across all the different volume levels.
The spreadsheet will also tell you how much you would need to increase your surround volume levels to mimic Audyssey (full strength). There is further discussion around how to use a setting between full and half strength which is included in Dirac Live Perfection.
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