Discovering Audyssey: In-depth look at the room correction feature in Denon and Marantz AV receivers
Audyssey, a US-based company specializing in the acoustical properties of audio equipment, offers a range of room correction technologies designed to optimize sound quality in various environments. The three primary versions of this technology are Audyssey MultEQ, Audyssey MultEQ XT, and Audyssey MultEQ XT32, each tailored for different room sizes and audio setups.
Starting with the base level version, Audyssey MultEQ, often referred to as 'Bronze Built-in', provides basic room correction with adjustments for speaker levels and time delays. It includes Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ, features designed to protect against sudden volume peaks or troughs and optimize the dynamic range for the situation, as well as to boost bass and treble responses at lower volumes. This version is ideal for small rooms with simple setups.
The mid-tier version, Audyssey MultEQ XT, also known as 'Silver Built-in', offers more measurement positions and improved equalization filters compared to the base model. It maintains the Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ features, making it suitable for mid-sized rooms, particularly for those requiring more precise adjustments, especially for low frequencies.
The top-tier version, Audyssey MultEQ XT32, or 'Platinum Built-in', features the most advanced room correction capabilities with more measurement positions and high-resolution filters. It includes Dynamic Volume, Dynamic EQ, SubEQ HT, and LFC (Low Frequency Containment). SubEQ HT ensures that room correction filters are applied to all the subwoofers, as if they were a single unit, while LFC limits the transmission of low frequencies through walls to different rooms, maintaining sound quality. This version is best suited for large, complex rooms, offering more than 10,000 control points, providing 32 times the resolution of plain MultEQ.
The Audyssey MultEQ Editor app, available for Android and iOS, allows for more fully-fledged control of your room correction and offers customization. The app is particularly useful if the AVR is in a remote location in the house, as the MultEQ-X Calibrated Microphone kit with extender leads can be used for better accuracy.
Audyssey hails alumni like Professor Tomlinson Holman, famously the 'TH' of Lucasfilm's original THX group. The first technology to emerge from the company was the Audyssey MultEQ room correction system in 2004. The built-in versions of Audyssey MultEQ contain an easy walk-through as part of the Denon or Marantz on-screen menu interface.
For those seeking more flexibility and control, the Audyssey MultEQ-X software, compatible with Windows 10 or Windows 11, offers detailed frequency responses of individual channels, an 'advanced curve designer' with targets for each channel, and more sophisticated subwoofer level adjustments. This software costs $200 (around £145 / AU$300).
In summary, Audyssey MultEQ offers a scalable solution for room correction, with MultEQ for small rooms with basic needs, MultEQ XT for mid-sized rooms requiring more precise adjustments, and MultEQ XT32 for large, complex setups. The technology's extensive features and customization options make it a popular choice for audiophiles seeking to optimize their audio experience.
- The Audyssey MultEQ Editor app, a tool available for Android and iOS devices, provides users with advanced control over their room correction settings, offering precise customization.
- In homes with AVR systems in remote locations, the MultEQ-X Calibrated Microphone kit with extender leads can be used for better accuracy when controlling room correction settings with the Audyssey MultEQ Editor app.
- The base level version of Audyssey's room correction technology, Audyssey MultEQ, is ideal for small rooms with simple audio setups, featuring Dynamic Volume, Dynamic EQ, and adjustments for speaker levels and time delays.
- For mid-sized rooms that require more precise adjustments, particularly for low frequencies, the Audyssey MultEQ XT (Silver Built-in) offers improved equalization filters and maintains Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ features.
- The top-tier version, Audyssey MultEQ XT32 (Platinum Built-in), designed for large, complex rooms, boasts the most advanced room correction capabilities, with 32 times the resolution of plain MultEQ, SubEQ HT, LFC, and high-resolution filters.
- The technology's extensive features and customization options make Audyssey MultEQ a popular choice among audiophiles seeking to optimize their audio experience, with the Audyssey MultEQ-X software available for Windows 10 or Windows 11 for further control and detailed adjustments at a cost of $200 (around £145 / AU$300).
