Do I Have to Use My AV Receiver’s Room Correction?
You are not one to buy into the hype. Room correction doesn’t make much sense to you. How can an electronic manipulation do something to your room? It’s all just marketing…or something. Whatever it is, you don’t need it. But you do need an AV receiver and they all seem to come with some sort of room correction. Do you have to use it? Let’s discuss!
The Two Parts of Room Correction Programs
There are two parts (or functions if you like) of room correction programs. There is the setup portion and the EQ portion. The setup portion evaluates your speakers’ performance and sets their distance and trim levels. We used to have to do this manually with a tape measure and SPL meter. For the most part, independent comparisons have shown that even the least powerful room correction programs get this part done with high accuracy. For the most part.
The second portion of room correction programs attempts to “fix” your room by using EQ to adjust the output of the speakers so that inaccuracies in your room are mitigated. It is this function of room correction that has you giving your AV receiver the side-eye. Sure, you wouldn’t mind help with the speaker setup, but this EQ? It’s not for you. Can you just do the first part and not the second?
Yes!
Every room correction program allows you to run it and disable the “correction” function afterward. Generally speaking, you’ll run the room correction program specific to your AV receiver. Make sure you set the microphone up correctly for the best setup results. It will usually require that you take at least one but sometimes a couple of measurements. You can leave the mic where it is (rather than move it) if you like (though moving it would be better). When you’ve hit the minimum number of measurements, exit the program (by indicating you are finished) and verify the setup results.
Lastly, if you want to disable the “correction” portion, you can generally do this in the settings either directly or by switching the correction to “Manual EQ.” As long as you leave the Manual EQ settings alone, there will be no EQ applied. Switching the room correction “off” in your AV receiver’s settings WON’T disable the setup configuration. For the three main room correction solutions, here is how you can easily disable them:
- Audyssey – You can switch Audyssey on or off from the Audyssey menu.
- YPAO – Switch to Manual EQ or change your sound mode to “Through.”
- Dirac – Under “Quick Menu” you can turn Dirac off.
Wrap Up
If you’ve made up your mind that you don’t want to use your AV receiver’s room correction program at all, you can certainly disable it fairly easily. If you are on the fence and you just want to know if you will be FORCED to use it, you won’t. Either way, you’ll have the option of running it to have it properly calibrate your speakers and then testing it on and off. You’ll certainly find that one way sounds better to you.
