(Beginner) Correct test signal path/chain?

Vitus4K

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Feb 18, 2020
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To all you guru's,

I'm coming from video calibration and there's an awful lot of do's and dont's that goes along with it.

You can certainly perform the calibration in several ways, but many ways will result in inaccurate results due to several factors, one among the biggest - not having the calibration equipment correctly setup.

I'm of course wondering if the same applies to audio calibration.

When taking measurements in video calibration, you're best of hooking up the calibration signal path the very same way it'll be used once the system is finalized and ready.

I'm thinking the very same way for audio.

I see the lot of websites recommending 'you can use this, if you don't have that, you can build this, otherwise this cheap thing will do it, pretty much any device is capable' etc.

My thinking:

I have DATS V3 + UMIK-1.

REW is the software that goes hand in hand perfectly with those two devices, complementing each of their limitations.

I'm awfully concerned about he correct signal path and how to hook things up the correct way for the most accurate audio calibration.

I have a home theater aystem (3.2.2) running the Sony STR-DN1080, which will use the Oppo-203 for media playback.

The Oppo-203 has been modified with better compoments ultimately affecting the final audio quality.


Am I not best off purchasing an audio calibration disc to playback sine sweeps, thus having the Oppo-203 generating the signal, passed on to my Sony STR-1080 receiver via HDMI, then output to my speakers for testing? The signal chain would be the same as when the system is finalized.

The alternative would be hooking my laptop HDMI or headpone jack to the STR-DN1080 analogue inputs, but then the STR-DN1080 performs an AD-conversion on the input side, and later a DA-conversion on the output side. Cheap laptop, too many conversions?


What's right and wrong here?

I don't care for what's possible, I care for how to most accurately send test signals using REW to measure.


Maybe REW needs to send out the signal to measure it?

How can I not benefit from putting the test signals through my whole system?

A sine sweep is to simple to be affected by audio specifications and capabilities by a cheap laptop?

The way to do it would be using a high-end USB soundcard?

What about the loopback they all talk about?


Thanks for helping me here!
 
Last edited:

John Mulcahy

REW Author
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
7,212
The laptop would be fine, the conversions will not make any difference. Test discs do not have the signal REW uses for measurement. You can save REW's sweep to a file and play that back if you prefer. There is a general guide here.
 
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