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Show HN: HiFiScan, a Python app to optimize your loudspeakers

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Re: Show HN: HiFiScan, a Python app to optimize your loudspeakers

#71

Post by timc3 »

vladvasiliu wrote: post #61
its_bbq wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Build your own panels with rockwool insulation. There way better than almost anything you'll find on the market and easy even for no talent carpenters like myself

How do you cover those? I'd expect drywall or similar would negate most benefits.

Fabric that you can breath through easily for looks. Under than you can be very thin fabric that makes sure that the fibres from the insulation doesn't escape.

I use this for looks: https://www.camirafabrics.com/en/contract/inspiration/acoust...

Re: Show HN: HiFiScan, a Python app to optimize your loudspeakers

#72

Post by timc3 »

its_bbq wrote: post #59
vladvasiliu wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you're far better off learning how to treat the room properly Would you have some pointers on this? I've been looking into this and while I've found pointers on "what to do", what's missing is where to actually find the necessary panels and how to figure if they're actually worth anything.

Build your own panels with rockwool insulation. There way better than almost anything you'll find on the market and easy even for no talent carpenters like myself

Exactly. If you really want to get into it the depth of the construction of the panels you need is based on some maths - density of the insulation material and it's particular properties but all of that can be found out on forums such as this one: https://gearspace.com/board/studio-building-acoustics/ - vs the frequencies you wish to treat.

You can put your room dimensions into a calculator and get a rough idea of some of the try and find the modes of the room - which you want to treat, though sometimes it takes trial and error as well. But you want to treat the point of first reflection and then have bass trapping in the corners.

Don't buy that "acoustic foam" that looks like egg cartons, it's rubbish.

Re: Show HN: HiFiScan, a Python app to optimize your loudspeakers

#74

Post by danuker »

timc3 wrote: post #65

This type of software, is just a bandaid and really doesn't work very well (though it can work better with headphones). Properly thought out and tuned acoustic work is what is needed. I am lucky enough to have a spare room in my house, and set out to build a studio (an almost life-long dream) and decided that I didn't want to compromise on the acoustics and spent some time looking into the subject. In the end I built…

This project still has a good bang for the time or money buck.

Life has compromises. You do give up some things to build a perfect studio.

Re: Show HN: HiFiScan, a Python app to optimize your loudspeakers

#75

Post by danuker »

Gracana wrote: post #17
erdewit wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is dealt with by smoothing the spectrum in a way to preserves the power density. The constructive and destructive interference then cancel each other out.

What does "smoothing the spectrum" mean? What operations are being performed?

I'd guess: Fourier transform, a power density preserving blur convolution, then inverse Fourier transform.

But I am not familiar with the field of signal processing.

Re: Show HN: HiFiScan, a Python app to optimize your loudspeakers

#76

Post by kekebo »

ttpphd wrote: post #28

I'm a psychoacoustician and this is not the way, very sorry to report. Others have touched on the acoustic issues already, so let me touch on the psychological ones: your perception of sound from loudspeakers doesn't just depend on the acoustic waves hitting your ears. It also depends on your personality and expectations. If you genuinely believe that doing a seance to drive out the poltergeist from your speaker set…

It's an unwritten rule in the studio scene around me to have a specific fader that is prominently placed but does nothing. To use when certain musicians (usually guitarists) demand to raise the gain of their instrument into unreasonable territory. Seems to work reliably to look at them and very slowly raise that fader until the they say it's good

Re: Show HN: HiFiScan, a Python app to optimize your loudspeakers

#77

Post by archi42 »

willis936 wrote: post #55
aeturnum wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A friend loaned me a fancy usb DAC a while back and I used it to listen to music while I worked. After about a day or so I asked her if it was my imagination or if the audio really did sound better. Her answer was that there's no difference between those situations: if I imagine it sounds better, it does sound better.

I don't have to use my imagination to hear the signals coupled into my USB DAC when I move my mouse. They're really there and I really don't want them to be.

Depends on the USB DAC, and maybe/probably the PC. I don't have/hear interference with my current setup. I did have the issue with another DAC; IIRC I put an RC filter into the USB cable power lines (or did I just add an R into the ground line? Do some research if you plan on trying this).

PCs these days often still have an optical toslink, that can be used to avoid the issue.

Re: Show HN: HiFiScan, a Python app to optimize your loudspeakers

#78

Post by willis936 »

archi42 wrote: post #77
willis936 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have to use my imagination to hear the signals coupled into my USB DAC when I move my mouse. They're really there and I really don't want them to be.

Depends on the USB DAC, and maybe/probably the PC. I don't have/hear interference with my current setup. I did have the issue with another DAC; IIRC I put an RC filter into the USB cable power lines (or did I just add an R into the ground line? Do some research if you plan on trying this). PCs these days often still have an optical toslink, that can be used to avoid the issue.

I have an ODAC+O2. They're not easy to source for cheap these days. My issue is that the power supply filtering inductor has a cracked iron core (due to me being clumsy). The cheapest solution would be to replace it, but it's not super easy to swap out surface mount components.

I'll just deal with it by keeping the O2 volume low and cranking the volume on a second amp. Long term I'll just buy an element or a schiit.

Re: Show HN: HiFiScan, a Python app to optimize your loudspeakers

#79

Post by archi42 »

timc3 wrote: post #67
tomduncalf wrote: post #50

Cool project! I recently bought a set of iLoud MTM monitor speakers which come with a special mic which they use to analyse the room and correct for it in a similar way to this. It makes a good difference to the sound - highly recommend the speakers if you are looking for a smallish set of monitor speakers that sound great and can be used very near field so you can use lower volumes.

Yeah, those are kinda cool. They have the added advantage that they don't have a huge amount of bass, though what they do have is impressive for their size to be fair. But because of their size they don't always activate room acoustics in a crazy way, and a lot of people monitor with them fairly close so don't need them loud either further lessening the problems.

> a lot of people monitor with them fairly close so don't need them loud either further lessening the problems.

This simple insight is gold. But is it actually true? The standing wave should still pop up. Though with less energy it's probably mostly handled by the furniture.

Whatever the case, having monitor speakers sitting close avoids/lessens the issue of the first reflection point, making the higher bands sound much less "muddy". This can be improved by picking a speaker with a strong beaming characteristic. Eg 4" broadbands will bundle the acoustic wave quite strongly in the higher frequencies. Sounds muffled for bystanders outside the beam, but amazing stage and resolution for the one or two persons inside of it.

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