I calibrated a really nice 5.1.2 system comprising of an Arcam AVR550 with Monitor Audio Apex Surround package of 5 speakers and the Apex Subwoofer with 2 Monitor Audio in ceiling speakers just in front of the listening position. This was in a multi purpose room but a very large focus on home cinema and multi channel music listening. The sources were a Panasonic UB9000, Sky and a Media streaming solution with a 65inch LG OLED TV.
The customer has been into sound quality since his teenage years and prefers quality over quantity as he really likes a natural sound. The home cinema system is watched by all his family so the setup had to be tailored to be family friendly so I sought to achieve a nice balance of everything. The customer has already set up the system using Dirac to the best of his ability and using the included microphone and had already done a pretty good job using the Dirac and Harman target curves, however he wanted to know the system was performing at its best hence why he hired me to come in.
I spent a couple of hours taking measurements, because there was a a few things to work out along the way at the end I have a great set of measurements to work with. I then set a custom target curve to fully integrate his 1 Apex subwoofer with the main speakers (this took a fair bit of work) to achieve a full range, dynamic and punchy sound with superb clarity and surround stage imaging and staging. It was a great reminder for me at just how good the Monitor Audio Apex speakers are. The last task was to alleviate the bit of sibilance that was present on some vocals which I achieved without robbing the front sound stage of any presence or sparkle. The end result was a very tight and cohesive sounding system, with fantastic overhead clarity and really good balance and I left the system punching well above its weight.
