Is DEQX a game changer?

Lewinskih01 is partially correct if Almarg is only using a pair of full range speakers. There will be no opportunity to manually adjust time alignment but DEQX will still take care of this

The processor will automatically phase & time align what it hears during the measurement and calibration processes but there can be no manual time alignment as there would be when using 6 channels or 2-way plus sub(s)

Bombaywalla,

You are right, we did have a lengthy discussion with Roy on the topic, and he did say that about processors...including DEQX. But my take was his answer was based on speculation on his part as to how these devices work. He didn't come through as if he had actually tried any of these. He is a believer on time-alignment and has developed analog XO to do that at all frequencies, and I think he believes measurements cannot deliver the same and the differences are significant enough. But from people's experiences here with DEQX and elsewhere with Acourate, users are very happy compared to their situation pre-digital device.

I've been in touch with a guy who has a very expensive system with YG speakers, etc, and used to own a TotalDAC D1, which he replaced with a DEQX HDP-4 and was super happy about the change and couldn't talk highly enough about it. He now replaced it with a Lynx Hilo and Acourate and now he can't talk highly enough about that setup. I am by no means suggesting the latter approach is better than the DEQX, but his experience shows good results can be achieved either way. And the multiple good reports also suggest measurement-based approaches indeed work, even if suboptimal vs Roy's approach.

BTW, I've been slow to implement any of these for several reasons. I was considering an exaSound e28 (8-channel DAC) and bought a used e22 (2-channel) to try out and concluded the e28 would not be a good path. Plus I live in a country where getting all of these things is super complicated - takes a lot of time.

Nevertheless been enjoying this thread and the good experiences shared here.

Cheers

Roscoeiii: Very curious to hear more about others' use of the analog input into the DEQX. As a vinyl guy, I worry about losing some of that analog magic....

I also prefer to listen to vinyl and can confirm that DEQX has only enhanced 'that analog magic'. The TT phono stage is connected directly into the RCA unbalanced analogue sockets. All my other devices are input from a preamp via the balanced analogue XLR connections and I also use the analogue volume control feature. There is certainly no digital glare

The benefits of removing room/speaker influences are astonishing. As an analogy, some years ago I took an eye test because I felt my night driving vision had deteriorated a little but I thought everything was OK the rest of the time. When I first tried the glasses, I was amazed how everything was suddenly pin-sharp even though I hadn't noticed it over the preceding years and didn't even realise

For me that's exactly what DEQX does - "spectacles for my ears"!

The Problems I have with the DEQX unit as I seem to understand.

1. I would prefer to use my PS Direct Stream Dac over the DEQX (24/96 limited) Dac. So, which Deqx unit would be best for that application?

2. I have 215lb speakers that I would prefer to keep in there present place. So, can I expect good results with the Deqx unit to calibrate my speakers as they sit?

3. Is this unit so complicated that I will need an "expert" to set it up?

Ozzy,

I'll take a crack at Questions 2 and 3.

Q-2: Maybe. It depends on the significance of the room interactions with your speakers. My listening room/basement is acoustically terrible. I had to move a lot of stuff around. But the results were well worth the effort.

But look at it from another angle. If your room is really screwing up the frequency response of your speakers at the listening position, and the interactions are so significant that the DEQX will only partially tame the problem, you are losing out on a lot of potential improvement.

In my case, imaging was smeared because, in effect, I was listening to two different speakers. The FR of the L and R speakers were way off. Having said all that, you really won't know what (if anything) needs to be done until the DEQX runs its sweeps and the room effects are measured.

Q-3: If you're a techie, you might be able to slug your way through the set up. Andrew (Drewan77) has become quite facile doing his own set ups. But in my case, I wouldn't touch it. I worked out a comfortable fee arrangement where the DEQXpert did everything over the internet with my PC. Set up took over 3 hours!! And btw, he only "tamed" my speakers. They are NOT perfectly matched or flat. The DEQXpert made judgments based on his technical skill and empirical experiences.