Spatial Computer

[machinehead]

Checking out RMAF. Spatial Computer has a hardware/software package.

 

http://www.spatialcomputer.com/

 

Looking further it seems their hardware is this:

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/593816-REG/tc_electronic_967_310011_Studio_Konnekt_48_.html

 

Seems like a big price gap, am I missing something?

 

[aljordan]

It is a big price gap, but the Spatial system (at least used to) also includes digital room correction software and an RTA mic in the form of the ARC AU plugin, which I believe costs about $500 USD on its own. The Spatial system also includes some support in setting the room correct stuff up for those who do not want to learn the software themselves. I believe most of the value of the Spatial system would be the ease of use and customer support.

 

However, if you are somewhat technically oriented and don't mind going through a bit of a learning curve, you can achieve better results for far less money. In my opinion, there is little flexibility within the ARC software and the resulting correction makes the system sound too thin. Even more unfortunately, I believe that ARC is the only room correction software that is available for the MAC. There are more choices available for Windows and Linux operating systems.

 

Alan

 

 

 

[wgb113]

Wouldn't the Behringer unit w/ mic produce similar results if used as a DAC/Preamp with a Mac?

 

Bill

 

[aljordan]

Wouldn't the Behringer unit w/ mic produce similar results if used as a DAC/Preamp with a Mac?

 

The Behringer 2496 works well as a digital EQ device, particularly when sitting between a digital source and a DAC. The Behringer unit is not a particularly great sounding DAC (I have one sitting in my closet). Of course, if you use a computer as your source, you can do all the Behringer's EQ functions with software instead, so you don't need the extra external unit and associated connections.

 

The Behringer is a little different than digital room correction software. It adjusts amplitude but doesn't deal with phase and time correction and does not give a system a transient perfect impulse response like some correction software does. It also doesn't do frequency dependent windowing and all that psycho-acoustic stuff when generating filters. Although I'm not sure how much all this other stuff matters in actual use.

 

Alan

 

[Alan B]

machinehead, I spent about 45 minutes with Clayton Shaw of Spatial at the RMAF last weekend. First of all one sends Spatial their Mac and they load their special room correction software on the computer. They then ship the computer back to you along with a calibrated mic, a firewire mic amp/ADC/DAC/preamp of your choice up to and including the Prism Sound Orpheus ($3,000 to $8,000 depending on your choice of hardware). Clayton can then log on to your computer and perform any needed room correction and can make any needed adjustments as if he was in your house. This is just the short explanation, there is more to it. Spatial mentioned that later this month they were going to post more info on their website in a few weeks.

 

[Part-Time Audiophile]

Based on my back-to-back listening of the two Emerald Physics rooms at RMAF, I have to say that the Spatial solution needs more work.

 

[machinehead]

Scot, we all like different things, but I prefered the Spatial room, actually one of my favorite of the show. The other room with the Behringer didn't sound good to me.