(January 24, 2026) For Monoprice Monolith HTP-1 owners, this moment has been a long time coming. Dirac Live Active Room Treatment, better known as ART, has officially arrived on the popular 16-channel processor, bringing one of the most advanced room correction technologies on the market to a platform that's built its reputation on delivering high-end performance at a surprisingly approachable price point.
The HTP-1 has long been viewed as a value disruptor in the under-$5,000 processor category. At $3,999, it supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro-3D, while offering 16 balanced XLR outputs, robust HDMI switching, and Dirac Live room correction, all wrapped in an updatable, network-connected platform. Owners have long been promised ART as a future upgrade, and after more than two years of development, beta testing, and community involvement, that promise is finally being fulfilled.
At a technical level, ART represents a major shift in how room correction works. First introduced by Dirac in 2023, Active Room Treatment leverages a system’s speakers and subwoofers as a coordinated acoustic control network. Instead of treating each channel independently, ART uses Multiple-Input Multiple-Output processing to allow every speaker in the room to work together. The goal is to actively manage low-frequency resonances and reflections, reduce decay times, and produce a smoother, more balanced soundstage across multiple seating positions.
Dirac says the result is bass that’s tighter and more articulate, improved clarity through the midrange, and a wider, more coherent sweet spot. In practical terms, this is the kind of performance improvement that traditionally required extensive physical room treatment or complex multi-subwoofer optimization strategies. ART is designed to deliver much of that benefit through intelligent signal processing.
Behind the scenes, the rollout has also been a community-driven effort. Many thanks to forum member @SRW1000, who first alerted our AV NIRVANA community to the ART/HTP-1 public beta release in late December 2025. Another forum member, @TimoJ, has been involved as a beta tester since October 2023. According to TimoJ, development has been handled by a small, highly focused team comprising one paid programmer and several long-time HTP-1 enthusiast volunteers. That tight-knit structure, TimoJ says, enabled direct communication between developers and testers, helping features move forward without layers of corporate bureaucracy. He also noted that, while the timeline spanned multiple years, there were long periods of inactivity, meaning development itself was not continuously active.
ART represents a major internal upgrade for the HTP-1. The Dirac Live Bass Control module has been replaced with an ART-capable Dirac Live engine, the user interface has been updated to support new functionality, and the front panel software has been rewritten to improve touch features and network setup. Signal processing changes include moving the PEQ module upstream of Dirac to preserve phase relationships, adding all-pass filter options, introducing a balance pane for fine channel level adjustments, and locking post-Dirac trim and delay controls when ART is active. The update also adds a dedicated bass shaker output option and introduces a new firmware structure that separates legacy non-ART builds from ART-enabled releases.
For existing owners, the upgrade path is straightforward. Dirac Live Active Room Treatment is available as a paid license upgrade priced at $299. The license can be purchased as a standalone add-on or bundled with Dirac Live Bass Control, depending on a user’s current configuration. Once activated, ART becomes part of the full Dirac Live processing suite available on the HTP-1.
To learn more about ART or to purchase a license, visit dirac.com. To purchase a Monoprice Monolith HTP-1 Processor, click here.
Related Reading:
- FORUM: Monolith HTP-1 16-Channel Processor
- NEWS: AudioControl New Hyperion Series Debuts with Dirac Live Active Room Treatment at CEDIA 2025!
- NEWS: No Tricks, Just Treats: Dirac Live ART Unlocked on Select Denon and Marantz Gear
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