Tools to measure in room response

The test CD and RadioShack SPL meter worked for me. Just take the measurements from your usual listening position.

One problem is that there is no since "usual listening position." Moving the mic or the SLM only a few inches can change the FR substantially, especially if it is handheld. Using REW, one can take several sweeps from different positions within the listening position in a matter of minutes and average them.

I guess it depends on whether you want to know something or just get a feel of what's going on.

Kal

I'm with Kal - I use Fuzzmeasure and a measurement microphone - examples are on my virtual system. Even with a tool like this it took me several days to make adjustments. A good understanding of physics helps but is not a prerequisite to using tools like Room Eq Wizard (provided you read up on the subject).

If your idea of system tuning is swapping out your $500 speaker cables for $1,000 speaker cables in order to match the brand of your $500 interconnects then simply ignore this post. (There is absolutely no point in taking measurements if you are not prepared to take appropriate action to do anything about it - in that case it may be better not to know and you'll have more fun spending your money on some cable elevators instead)

Bob_R
"..no laptop..."

Bob I suppose, one could borrow a girl friend's laptop or just 'a' friends, over the weekend or ask them to drop by for a couple hours and bring it along..

If one goes with a mic... any suggestions there?
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Other’s
Do you need to afix some tube surrounding the mic.. or just how fancy does one need to get in this area. Won't a tri pod for the mic work just fine?

OK... so you get the software, mic/RS meter, Laptop, and take every measurement known to man and some as yet unknown perhaps... What then?

I can appreciate the input here and elsewhere as to attending to bass irregularities, and reflections, using traps and diffusers. What physical paraphernalia, apparatus, and so forth are used thereafter to attend to the frequency range above 200 - 300Hz??

Seems to me with the addition of physical structures, DIY stuff, etc. at best it’s a guessing game then, deciding which, what, where and how much of this or that.

Wouldn’t using electronic means to adjust for the anomalies be the best and shortest path to a positive solution in the acoustic treatment realm? As much as other’s seem to preclude such added componentry to the signal If one doesn’t want to clutter up the listening room with all these sonic attenuators & diffusers which are a non exacting process and far from one of simplicity, it would appear at least a more succinct and quite pertinent resolution for the majority of listeners… without looking into it too deeply.

Are these electronic EQ’s such poorly voiced or non transparent, devices, or so immensely over priced components, most audio nuts will shy away from them and pursue the haphazard mechanical avenue instead?

Or should the entire idea of using electronic equalization be revisited, surely, at some greater length?

BTW… just how musical is a ‘flat’ room anyways? Not owning one, nor knowingly having not been in one, I have to ask/wonder.