Strong, huge, and costly, Revel's Ultima Rhythm2 subwoofer ($10,000) deeply inspired me when I originally saw it in Harman International's suite at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show. Its specs read like no other sub's: 196 lbs; 18" cast-outline woofer; double 4" voice-loops; 4kW pinnacle power from twin interior speakers that produce 1kW RMS; 115dB pinnacle acoustic result; a completely configurable, high-goal, 10-band parametric equalizer (PEQ); an inner hybrid with high-and low-pass results; and PC-based arrangement through USB. The Rhythm2's patent-forthcoming plan is said to allow barely sufficient air to move all through the bureau to forestall any mutilation actuating tension because of warming of the voice-curls. What's more its facade, shape, inclined top edges, and base plinth radiate the quality viewed as in Revel's first in class floorstanding speaker, the Ultima Salon2, with which I was natural.
The Rhythm2's back board was without the Sub30's bunch switches and minuscule, difficult to-understand names. What remain are: a power switch simply over the delta for the AC rope; a three-position turn-on switch (Auto/On/Trigger); an increase dial; both ways channel inputs; high-pass yields (XLR, RCA); a solitary result for driving different subwoofers; in and out jacks for a 12V trigger; and a USB port.
As an other to that large number of handles and switches, the Rhythm2 is constrained by Revel's Low Frequency Optimization (LFO) programming, installable in the purchaser's PC. With the PC associated with the Rhythm2 by means of USB, LFO autonomously changes the sub's low-and high-pass hybrid channel settings from 50 to 100Hz, in 1Hz augmentations; chooses among six channel slants (first-, second-, fourth-, or eighth-request, Butterworth or Linkwitz-Reilly); and postpones the subwoofer's result (up to 631ms) to time-adjust it to the fundamental speakers. LFO likewise deals with the Rhythm2's PEQ to exactly change the principle speakers' recurrence reaction up to 300Hz, and "makes up for room-related normalities by applying a comparing revision bend."
Arrangement
Revel delivered me one Ultima Rhythm2 and two Ultima Salon2s. A truck with a lift door showed up with two beds: 417 lbs of Salon2 on one, 243 lbs of Rhythm2 on the other. The overseers carried the supported containers into my home, up the short stairwell to my listening room, unloaded every one of the three speakers, and set them in the room.
They likewise left a little heap of materials close to my listening seat: the Rhythm2's removable grille, separable power rope, and 10-page speedy beginning aide. Yet, where were the subwoofer advancement manual, the LFO programming, and the CD-ROM loaded with test signals? Incidentally, all manuals, test signals, target bends, and arrangement programming can be downloaded from Revel's site, where they can be refreshed as frequently on a case by case basis.
I busied myself with putting and interfacing the three Revels. Following the speedy beginning aide, I slid the sub into the room's right front corner, and the Salon2s into the spots typically involved by my Quad ESL-989s. This put the Salon2s' inward edges 7' 6" separated, their external edges 2' 10" from the sidewalls, and their front astounds 7' 2" from my ears when I plunked down. The Rhythm2's front bewilder was 4' behind the right-channel Salon2, and 9' 2" from my ears when situated. I paid attention to the Rhythm2 without its grille.
I ran a couple of adjusted interconnects from the results of my Bryston BP26 preamplifier to the Rhythm2's bits of feedbacks, and one more pair from the Rhythm2's high-pass results to the contributions of a couple of Theta Digital Prometheus monoblocks (audit to be distributed one month from now). Unadulterated Silver Cable R50 twofold lace speaker links associated the intensifiers' speaker terminals to the Salon2s. I downloaded and introduced Revel's pink-commotion test tones, target reaction bends, and LFO programming on my Lenovo X220 PC, which runs Windows 7, and utilized a 6' USB link from my printer to associate the PC to the Rhythm2. I began the LFO programming, turned on the Rhythm2, and tapped the Connect button on the LFO principle screen. The product's association status pointer became green and recognized the sub as "Rhythm2," letting me know that LFO currently controlled the sub. I then, at that point, set the sub's result level to – 19dB, as recommended by the LFO manual.
The Master's Calibration
A few days after the fact, Kevin Voecks, Revel's New Product Development Manager, shown up to enhance its arrangement for my room. This included matching the sub's recurrence reaction to a progression of restrictive objective room-reaction bends that had been created utilizing JBL's Adaptive Room Correction and Optimization System (ARCOS). Voecks expressed that these bends give the "way to great room coordination" for the Rhythm2, and permit LFO to "act like 'ARCOS light' in certain regards."
To take his estimations for advancement, Voecks utilized my Studio Six iTestMic, a savvy, proficient grade test and estimation amplifier that plugs straightforwardly into my iPhone 4's 30-pin connector, and which John Atkinson additionally suggests. The combo has demonstrated exact enough to precisely quantify, enhance, and match subwoofers to principle speakers. Studio Six's Audio Tools application, accessible from iTunes, gives the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) programming expected to register and chart the mike's result.
Prior to taking any estimations, Voecks utilized the LFO programming to set the Rhythm2's inner hybrid channels to 80Hz for both the high-and low-pass channels, and their inclines to 24dB/octave, in view of his past experience planning and advancing the sub's presentation with the Salon2s. He likewise set the sub's infrasonic high-pass channel to NormalPrior to taking any estimations, Voecks utilized the LFO programming to set the Rhythm2's interior hybrid channels to 80Hz for both the high-and low-pass channels, and their slants to 24dB/octave, in light of his past experience planning and streamlining the sub's presentation with the Salon2s. He additionally set the sub's infrasonic high-pass channel to Normal, which rolls off the Rhythm2's result underneath 20Hz. Since the sub's inherent leveling supports its intensifier's drive as the sound sign's recurrence plummets, huge yet indiscernible woofer journeys beneath 20Hz can drive the sub's twin speakers into cutting.
Voecks crushed the Rhythm2's result level change for the more exact and more dependable settings accessible through LFO. He later found that the back board's manual result control shut off the sub when contacted. He let me know that, to fix this issue, the seller would essentially supplant the back board and its gadgets with another get together without transportation the sub back to the plant.
Whenever he'd made the entirety of the set-and-fail to remember changes, Voecks played an advanced record of uncorrelated pink commotion (accessible from Revel's site) that he'd copied to a CD-R, and matched the result levels of the satellite speakers to the Rhythm2 utilizing Audio Tools' SPL meter. Then, at that point, he utilized the application's FFT module to quantify every speaker's acoustic result briefly at every one of five unique areas assembled around the highest point of my listening seat. These were then arrived at the midpoint of, put away on my iPhone, and remotely imported to the LFO programming.
full reach, no subwoofer or evening out, 1?3-octave reaction in LG's listening room
Voecks then, at that point, shown the arrived at the midpoint of FFT room-reaction information on my PC in LFO, which showed the outcomes from 10Hz to 4kHz. Utilizing LFO's 10-band PEQ, he found the middle frequencies of the room's hubs, diminished the levels at those frequencies, then, at that point, tweaked the quality variables (Qs) of those decreases. Utilizing the PEQ, he matched the subsequent bends to foreordained objective bends (fig.1), then, at that point, changed the subwoofer's room reaction to all the more likely fit the particular objective bend (fig.2).
At the point when Voecks had gone, I checked the Salon2s' full-range room reaction with Audio Tools' Real Time Analysis (RTA) module by bypassing the subwoofer and its inner hybrid. The RTA module is enhanced for the reach covered by subwoofers, as is generally precise in the scope of 20Hz–1kHz, above which the mike's reaction tumbles off. The Salon2s' low-recurrence room reaction, when the floorstanders were run full reach, showed a little top at 250Hz, a plunge at 125Hz, one more top at 63Hz, and a delicate ascent beneath 40Hz (fig.3).
I reinserted in the sign way the Rhythm2 and its advanced hybrid and PEQ settings, then, at that point, rehashed the room-reaction RTA estimations. The subsequent chart was a lot compliment from 25Hz to 1kHz (fig.4).
Tuning in
Throughout the following two months, I paid attention to numerous accounts of artists, pipe organs, and film soundtracks. I started by decreasing the Ultima Rhythm2's result by 2dB, to – 21dB in light of the fact that I would have rather not lose the inborn bass power and augmentation of the Ultima Salon2s. These full-range speakers have delivered the absolute best profound bass expansion and haul I've heard in my room, and it was hazy to me what more the Rhythm2 could add
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