Abstract: A discussion on DRC for cheap speakers.
Today I made a visit to a Swedish DRC-lab and got access to one of their engineers and their chief of BU DRC-products for half a day.
I got insight in WHAT they do, and HOW they view the future. Many things that I can´t write about today, but surely will get back to You within the near future.
So tagging this blog as an early news channel on DRC, might be a good idea.
First of all we discussed what I already understood, the “cheaper” the loudspeaker the more DRC can do for it.
Not so good news for esoteric loudspeaker manufacturers, but surely good news for us consumers!
One OEM to this lab, have tried to make a loudspeaker that uses this new approach and its somewhat different constraints on constructing a loudspeaker.
A VERY small cabinet of maybe 4-5 litres, with a 3″ front element and a 5″ internal bass element – it sounds SHIT without DRC and GREAT with the filters turned on! Flat down to about 40Hz and with some sound pressure too! All for just a few hundred USD, DRC-SW and 2x40W amplifier included!
world-class as Your PC loudspeakers! and doing well in Your small living room too.
What will mainstream and top-notch loudspeaker manufacturers make of it, once they understand and add these DRC-tools to their engineering box?
My wife would love them! As they are “sooo small”. I could perhaps like them too, as they have a good chance to sound well enough in my home, or office. Different room acoustics is not all that important with DRC, remember?
Secondly we covered DRC in mobile phones. Yes You read me right. Mobile phones.
Normally a mobile phone is terrible with its cheap small loudspeakers, right!?
If it at all has two speakers, they are different and mounted in a real lousy “cabinet”, right!?
The loudspeakers are also too close together for any stereo separation and clarity, right!?
Right!
So it’s a perfect candidate for good DRC!
What this specific DRC does, is to handle the x-talk by using the left speaker to cancel the x-talk from the right one and vice versa, on top of delivering improved frequency and impulse response. It was amazing! It was a revelation!
The stereo perspective came to life, the soundstage doubled in width, the instruments separated and could suddenly be pin pointed on the soundstage.
Of course there was no bass, of course it wasn´t very loud, but it sure was good for the money! I doubt the loudspeaker element of the demonstrated phone was more than a dollar….
Being listened to near field, 10-15 inches at the most and at low volumes, the “Room” need no correction, so in this case “DSC” or “Digital Speaker Correction” would describe the technology best.
On top of all these goodies, I got a very tasty medium rare chili-burger for lunch at the local burger joint. I love burgers!, don´t we all?
I will be back for more demos in the near future, half a day was not nearly enough.
Conclusion: DRC gets rid of some of the constraints that sound engineers struggle with. Most clearly seen with cheaper loudspeakers and enclosures.
I wonder if most reviewers and normal users will give this type of a eqp a fair review? Do they even understand to activate DRC properly? I have read tests where its obvious that the reviewer don´t understand what they are testing. But I do agree that its a wonderful opportunity for a smart maker of loudspeakers to make wonders with relative cheap material.
Making small cheap speakers better, seems to be the future. I for one, will certainly look for this next time our family upgrades. I want SMALL well sounding speakers.
The white small speakers seems to be an excellent add to my PC system, I am so tired of these plastic loudspeakers. But what make are they an where can I get them?
I admit that I have invested far to much in my Hifi equipment in loudspeakers, amps and Yes cables, to easily admit that DRC is a happy choice ?
However I AM interested in what it can do for my room. I guess my room is as good as anybody’s? And if its true what You state, that 85% of the distortion is from the room, then I guess I ought to pay attention?
Looking forward to a test where the rooms influence is isolated from a better system, perhaps once You get the Palladiums in place?
Looking forward to Your review of speakers where DRC is used already when designin the speaker, this could well be a breakthrough in their design? What do You think?