Testimonials and References
Bob "Macc" Macciochi, Audio Mastering
www.scmastering.com
Hi Uli,
I've just finished my first orientation/measuring/target design/testing session with Acourate, and have (5 minutes ago) got myself into a position where I can switch between my previous room correction and Acourate's correction pretty much instantaneously, and get some initial impressions
I do hope you will excuse me, but
HOLY SH1T.
I'm awestruck. Thank you sir. Thank you sincerely.
My room ( http://www.scmastering.com/studio-facilities ) was stunning before. This is ridiculous. It's going to be a looooooot of fun :)
Now I just need to figure out getting the subs in on the action and we're in business :)
I'll spare you any more, but I am *very happy*. I also have a big mouth, and will be sure to send people your way.
Magnificent.
Bob Katz, Audio Mastering
www.digido.com, siehe auch Wikipedia
This is my enthusiastic recommendation for AudioVero's Acourate Digital Room and loudspeaker correction system (abbreviated "DRC" for Digital Room Correction). Up until recently I have been thoroughly disappointed in the sound quality of purported DRC systems. I concluded that no correction was better than the sonic results of an inferior DRC system. Up until a few years ago, none of them met their promise. Among the symptoms: Loss of transparency. Overcorrection (over equalization). Transient response degradation. Loss of headroom (maximum SPL without distortion). Fuzzy and inexact imaging. I can go on, but the bottom line is I was disappointed.
Then I discovered AudioVero's Acourate. Acourate is the first DRC that I can thoroughly recommend. The resulting sound is unquestionably equal or superior to the uncorrected loudspeaker in all respects: Transparency is equal, there is no perceived loss with Acourate. It is truly an audiophile-quality system that even die-hard audiophiles and analogphiles need not be afraid of. Everything else about Acourate makes the corrected loudspeaker sound superior: Stereo imaging and soundstage are more exact and the sweet spot in the center is effectively widened. Tonality is greatly improved and the frequency response extends perceptually flat from 20 to 20 kHz. Transient impact is superior and there is no loss of headroom and no perceived noise, when the gain staging is done correctly. Some of the technical reasons for Acourate's superiority: 64-bit calculation throughout, properly dithered to 24-bits at the end of the chain; no degrading ASRC circuit, the sample rate that goes out is the same as what comes in. No overcorrection, a unique breakthrough in psychoacoustic analysis beats any previous third- or sixth- octave techniques for estimation of the audible effect of the room and loudspeaker combination, and a variable calculation window ensures accurate frequency response. For the first time with any correction system, I felt no need to change or tweak any filters or add any filters to the circuit. Superior target design, this is the most ergonomic part of the program and allowed me to zero in on the ideal high frequency rolloff for my system in a very short time. I haven't found need to change the target since the first day I designed it. Superior impulse response and phase response. Superior crossover implementation, linear phase and with the most accurate curve. Basically, they do everything right and I've only scratched the surface in this description of its superior abilities. Superior to any other DRC I have used or tested.
Of course I have a few remarks: 1) Be aware about latency! The system introduces latency (there is no free lunch), which precludes its ability in real-time recording setups. In video setups, it's usually possible to delay the video to match the audio latency. And pure audio listening is not a problem at all. 2) Ergonomics. Currently the ergonomics of setting up and implementing Acourate are less than ideal. But the developer, the fabulous Dr. Uli Brueggemann, will lead you through the setup and operation until your system performs exactly as I describe: The best it can possibly sound! I expect that as time goes on, the ergonomics and instructions will improve, but I wait patiently, because it's better to have a great-sounding system than one which is easy to set up but doesn't sound good! 3) Surround. The system is optimized for correcting stereo and surround is a bit challenging to set up in the current version.
If you have any questions about this endorsement, which I give honestly and with no compensation, by all means contact me at
bobkatz[at sign]digido.com.
Dominique Bassal, Audio mastering & Electroacoustic music composition
www.studioinverse.com, www.dominiquebassal.com
Since 2002, I have used four successive approaches for monitoring: 1) uncorrected, 2) 5 points parametric equalization, determined by the acoustician that built my studio, 3) a well-known, easy to setup DRC system, and 4) Acourate.
1) was smooth to work with but quite colored; 2) was a bit flatter but very aggressive; 3) was definitely flatter but still aggressive, somewhat fuzzy with elusive imaging 4) is the flattest, the smoothest and the most precise. I can still make instant comparisons between all of those systems, and Acourate makes the three others sound a bit like a joke.
In the 7.1 system, the progression looks more like an exponential curve: between the three first setups, little progress: an aggressive - yet weak on transients -, colored reproduction, with a depressing stage and bizarre localization. Acourate transformed the same speakers into a real surround system, which delivers, depending on the source, precise localization as well as complete immersion. Transients are back, and instruments sound… like instruments, even hard panned, surround back!
The road to Acourate was a steep one for me, having to combine a PC software with a Mac system, but Dr. Brueggemann helped me all along the way, and it was absolutely worth the efforts. In my opinion, Acourate is a real breakthrough in audio reproduction technology.
It will be a pleasure for me to share the details of my Mac + Acourate solutions: dominique.bassal[at sign]videotron.ca