How DEQX’s new Gen-4 products address High-Res Audio’s biggest problem
How DEQX’s new Gen-4 products address High-Res Audio’s biggest problem
So, can Gen-4 DEQX change audio as we know it? Well, I’m biased as hell, but here’s the thing ...
It’s exciting to introduce an ecosystem that the new DEQX models represent that tick pretty much all the audio component boxes. The Pre-8 for example is a state-of-the-art ‘Preamp’, ‘Internet and Bluetooth Streamer’, ‘DAC’ (digital to Analogue converter), ‘ADC’ (Analog to Digital converter), ‘Phono Preamp’, ‘Room Correction processor’, ‘Equaliser’, ‘Linear-phase Active Crossover’ and especially, ‘Loudspeaker calibrator’.
What’s different is DEQX’s ability to correct your speaker’s native Impulse Response errors in ways it's designers could never do. This is a very big deal because our speakers are the weakest link to achieving next level audio realism. Although designers did what they could to minimise these errors that compromise realism, they have no way to process the audio driving their speakers to a degree that compensated the errors.
Speaker designers perform ‘anechoic’ measurements (where no room reflections are allowed to mix with the speaker’s native sound), to determine how accurately their speaker are. This is why DEQX Speaker Correction requires an ‘anechoic’ measurement rather than room measurements, which come later, in order to evaluate the speaker’s behaviour in detail. Otherwise, room reflections mix with the speaker’s direct sound, creating conflicting time/phase information that can’t be used to restore timing coherence in detail. We’ll get to room issues later.
So that you won’t need a half million-dollar anechoic chamber, we only need to measure upper bass, midrange and high frequencies anechoically. Unlike low and mid bass, these frequencies can be measured in most rooms ‘anechoically’ with the help of the software that ignores the room reflections reaching the microphone. Now we know which frequency groups the speakers have delayed and by how much. We also know which frequencies play too loud or soft and by how much.
Measurements are sent to DEQX-Cloud (BTW legacy users, you don’t need the DEQX-Cal Windows app anymore) and the Calibration filters are created and returned to the DEQX processor. About 10 milliseconds of delay is added to the audio so the ‘on-time’ frequencies can be delayed to the extent needed for the ‘speaker delayed’ frequencies to catch up. Then the audio’s reconstructed with 2GHz 64-bit convolution processing, adding about minus 140dB of digital distortion and noise i.e. absolutely zero bad!
With upper bass, mids and highs now accurate, Room measurements taken at listening positions measure room problems. Even if the speaker’s bass is ‘flat’ from the manufacturer the room and speaker placement induce resonance’s that mask detail unless dealt with. This is done automatically, with custom EQ tweaks allowed but rarely required.
The LS200 is the simple ‘just add speakers’ model that includes a great 200W amplifier that allows mono or stereo subwoofer integration. The Pre-4 offer the same features as the Pre-8, so add your own amplifier, also allowing integrated mono or stereo subwoofers.
Kim Ryrie
Co-Founder and CEO,
DEQX Pty Ltd,
Sydney Australia