Has anyone used REW for equalization yet?

As the title states, curious to know if anyone has gone through the process with REW and made adjustments with the EQ. What are your impressions?

I have used REW with the 976 and it was not too hard. I got good results and the 976 is setup to work with REW when you get to the EQ section of REW. I took measurements of all my speakers including the sub but right now I am only using the recommended PEQ adjustments for my subwoofer. I highly recommend the UMIK-1 for the measurement mic and even a boom stand.

Here is link for the REW download and a link for a step by step guide which is very good.
https://www.avnirvana.com/resources/

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/91-audio-t...ml#post22823228

I have tried it however I did not come up with any relevant changes. I had limited availability to a computer and was quite pressed for time. I have since discovered that for some reason my TV audio was on at the time I did the measurements and I will need to redo them when I can get a hold a laptop that can be moved into the theater room. Couple of notes. The users manual for REW is a challenge. Read it a couple of times before setting out on this adventure. I used HDMI 6 as my input and selected the TV as my second monitor so I could see the results both on the computer and the TV. The sound is quite loud so get some ear plugs. The 976 has shelf filters which are different than high and low pass filters (in fact they are just opposite). If you aren't familiar with these, there are some articles on the internet.

Good post. I hope you can come up with some good results on your next measurement.

I’m preparing to use REW with the 976. I see in the manual the recommendation to use HDMI in order to use the digital signal path and EQ. Am I correct that using an optical input would accomplish the same as HDMI?

The recommendation to use HDMI with REW is pretty strong - if you want to be able to send a lossless test signal to any of the channels it is your only digital option. There is a great deal of experience in the various forums using ASIO4ALL to drive HDMI with REW. Using optical is not the same, especially for 5.1/7.1 channel setups as compression would be applied to the test signal.

You could use optical for stereo left and right channel measurements and calibration (+sub after crossover) as stereo is still lossless over SPDIF. You could manually switch the left or right pre-out to your amplifier's other channel inputs to drive individual surround channels, but that sounds exhausting.

THANKS! HDMI it is then.

It might be informative to read another, more compact take on the use of REW. This one at the MiniDSP site. Link. It talks about using REW's ability to automatically create the filters.

OTOH, I have used REW to help dial in my PEQs for several years, and I like to do it manually, being somewhat of a control freak. Plus I like to use the fewest number of filters possible. It might need only one notch filter to dramatically improve a subwoofer's "one note" room resonance.

First and foremost, REW will provide important data on the speakers' frequency responses. That will be an eye opener. From there, you can decide how much (or little) correction you might want to apply. And finally it will help you splice the subs with the mains optimally.

Even if you do it manually (change the EQ filters from Auto to Manual), REW lets you apply filters to the measurement and see how it will be affected. It is a very accurate predictor of the end result. You can look at the measurements/results with different smoothing as that can help reveal how it will be heard. Some of those scary peaks/dips in the response are not as audible as they might appear with no smoothing, so applying 1/6th octave smoothing can make them more relevant.

Doing this manually a few times and listening to the results will really help train your ears about the nature of response errors that matter and how to address them with EQ.

Or turn down the volume. Unlike typical room EQs, REW can work fine at lower SPLs as long as the background noise is low, and as long as REW does not give you a level error message.

Easiest way to see what any of these filters does is to open REW's EQ page, select Model 976, open a manual EQ filter and play with the settings. You'll see it on the graph.

Yes, HDMI is the preferred way.

In my case, I do not have HDMI on my computer, so then the stereo analog or S/PDIF outputs can be used. Set the 976 to All Stereo mode, and disconnect all the speakers except the one of interest.

I hope those who have used REW with their 976 can provide some guidance so I'm reviving this thread as I'm getting ready to use REW (with my MacBook Pro) to check my family room's performance and then use the 976's PEQ feature. I have ordered a boom mic stand for my UMIK-1 microphone, a USB C to HDMI cable to connect my Mac to the HDMI port on the front of the 976, generally getting acquainted with REW on my separate 2-channel system and about to install some new drapes that will address a speaker reflection point. A couple of general questions that may be more about REW than the 976:

1. Does REW recognize the number of active channels in the 976 (e.g. I'm running a 5.1 system)?
2. I have Outlaw's 4-page guide on how the PEQ and bass management work in the 976. Should the sweeps be done at full range on the speakers and then translate the filters below the crossover point (80Hz in my case) to the subwoofer and LFE or do I run separate sweeps at each speaker only below 80Hz for sub and LFE adjustments?
3. I have read and been careful in my 2-channel rig to avoid trying to increase the gain too much where the room is likely causing a dip in frequencies below about 300Hz as it can put a great deal of strain on an amp. However, my 2-channel system does not have a sub. How much gain is reasonable with a sub for dips below the crossover point between sub and small speakers? I have limited any gain to 5db in my full range stereo system. Is that a reasonable amount of gain for filters/corrections above 80Hz?

Thanks for the guidance!