TOPIC:

I have the nanoAVR DL. Reading the manual, I saw these paragraphs:

Set the speaker distance (or equivalently, delays) in your AVR using the procedure recommended by your AVR
manufacturer. While Dirac Live calculates the relative delays between all channels and corrects for any
differences, correct delays in the AVR are necessary for bass management to function correctly.

Set the level trims in the AVR using the procedure recommended by your AVR manufacturer. While Dirac Live
aligns the gain of all channels, correct level settings in the AVR will avoid potential issues with reduced dynamic
range and errors in bass management.

The AVR I use in the living room is the Yamaha RX-V381. It has a calibration microphone that allows for room measurements - the so-called YPAO, or Yamaha Parametric room Acoustic Optimizer. When running it, YPAO changes a bunch of things:

• the delay for each channel, including the subwoofer
• the level trim for each channel
• EQ corrections (very simple and coarse, only uses a few fixed frequencies)

I usually disable the EQ generated by YPAO and rely on more sophisticated EQs instead - I used Equalizer APO before, now I use Dirac Live on the DSP. I do the measurements for YPAO with the microphone placed in the center of the couch in front of the TV. I always keep the AVR in Straight mode, bypassing surround, hall effects, etc.

The way I read the manual, it seems like I should actually do the YPAO procedure first, keep the delays and the level trims generated by it, disable the YPAO EQ, then run the Dirac Live calibration procedure. Is that right?

Does Dirac Live measure the channel delays during its own calibration procedure with the UMIK-1? If so, does it apply corrections?

If DL does not measure and apply its own delays, would DL work better if the correct delays / level trims have been applied to all channels, including the subwoofer, via automated measurements using the AVR? And only after that do the DL calibration with a computer? Is that the recommended sequence?

It's sufficient to just use the distance and levels screens in the AVR settings.

Okay, so this is what I did:

I performed the YPAO measurement with the microphone that comes with the Yamaha AVR. This does several things:

- it sets the channel delays
- it sets the level trim for each channel

It also applies a simple EQ, but I always disable that.

The automated procedure with the microphone is simpler and faster than the manual procedure, and the level trims would be hard to determine without it.

Then I switched to the DLCT and performed the full Dirac Live room measurement and calibration with the UMIK-1. I used the default target suggested by the app.

The results are quite outstanding. The bass is full and even. The tweeters, previously a bit too hot, now are smooth and sound at the right level. The whole sound is articulate, clear and detailed. There are sound improvements everywhere in the room.

I like it a lot.

Thanks!