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Comment by ElongatedMusket | Hacker News Reader

Link to sample software? The only room EQ I ever used was built into an Onkyo receiver and it was terrible at balancing the sound.

Also, obligatory paywall archive link: https://archive.is/nR1VQ

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People have linked some cheap app things, which may work, but the real deal stuff is something like a Trinnov rack unit, or Neumanns DSP room correction system, which is what I use. Both are somewhat pricey, but this stuff isn’t audiophile junk, it’s meant for studios that really need the room to get out of the way, and it’s usually paired with quite a bit of treatment. The difference is insane. It’s not like a “this one has a tiny bit more sparkle” difference, it’s a +-15db at a couple of points in the low end kind of difference.

Someone also linked RoomEQWizard, which is an awesome tool, but dialling in a flat sound with it using just an EQ is going to send you to phase hell, and you’ll also need a halfway decent measurement microphone to get the most of it.

A cheap app that will provide results comparable to Neumann, Trinnov or Lyngdorf is drc-fir [0]. It will correct frequency response and phase while correcting the reverberation in your listening room. It's free software and quite well documented.

[0] https://drc-fir.sourceforge.net/

Been many years since I used REQ (as I've not changed my setup in a long time). Don't forget a decent soundcard (does not have to be expensive). I use a USB (can't remember the brand/chipset) and an old Audessy calibration mic (+-1db) which is good enough and works well with REQ.

REW (free, but not FOSS): https://www.roomeqwizard.com/

A calibrated measurement microphone can be bought for 79$: https://www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/umik-1 or https://cross-spectrum.com/measurement/calibrated_umik.html

Housecurve is the same, let's you use the iPhone microphone.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/housecurve/id1470695018

https://drc-fir.sourceforge.net/

There was a period where my listening setup used BruteFIR running filters generated by this DRC program. To my ear it sounded really good, especially managing some of the quirks having large speakers in a small space. It was sort of an anti-audiophile setup though, the only way to play anything on it was via AirPlay and everything but the speakers was pretty boring and hidden.

I love the 'boring and hidden' aspect. I used to have a huge stereo system. Nowadays I have a PC with a good sound card. It runs Kodi and is hooked up to two active speakers.

Everything my old rack would do has been replicated in software at state of the art quality with free software. Any old desktop PC is powerful enough.

My desktop setup uses the KRK GoAux 4 which have built-in EQ.

Room EQ Wizard[0] was quite easy to use for other speakers.

[0] https://www.roomeqwizard.com/

https://mathaudio.com/room-eq.htm

https://housecurve.com/

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