a-them AVM 90, Operating Manual

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6.0 ANTHEM ROOM CORRECTION
6.1 ANTHEM ROOM CORRECTION (ARC®)
Please visit AnthemARC.com for detailed information about using Anthem Room Correction.
The most signi fi cant detriment to the sound of an audio system is almost always the room it resides within—especially
true in the realm of bass. Even in a professionally treated sound room, bass can quickly become boomy or anemic.
Anthem Room Correction helps audio systems sound their best in any space. ARC o
ff ers a robust suite of tools to tame
your wild sonic frontier—whether you have a tricked-out home theater, a traditional living room with carpet and thick
drapes, or a modern
fl oor plan with large open spaces and acoustically re fl ective furniture and windows.
Have you ever tested the acoustics in an empty room by whistling or clapping? It brings to mind how sound is a ff ected
by a room’s size, structure, and contents. Even when using optimally positioned speakers of exceptional quality, the
room negatively impacts sound quality considerably. Surfaces such as windows and furnishings and the geometry of
the walls,
fl oor, and ceiling add unwanted resonance and coloration, making the bass either boomy or less punchy,
voices less natural, and dialogue less intelligible. The e ff ect on frequency response is typically ±6 dB in the midrange
and ±10 dB at low frequencies.
To compensate for this and to optimize the in-room response of your speakers, Anthem Room Correction measures the
output of each speaker relative to the listening area then, through a series of calculations, adjusts its output. Not only
does ARC correct peaks and dips in a speaker’s frequency response, but it also preserves the bene
fi cial acoustic
attributes of a room—attributes based on proven psychoacoustic science (the study of how humans hear and
experience sound).
In the sample curves provided here, the red curves represent the in-room response before correction, as an average
from
fi ve measurement positions. In contrast, the green ones show a response with equalization applied. The black
curve represents the target response. In this case, a subwoofer and bass management are also in use.
The default correction range, as shown below, is 5,000 Hz. This range can be changed to a higher or lower frequency
if desired, although raising it is not recommended. At higher frequencies, the microphone becomes directional, thus
a
ff ecting measurement accuracy. Note the rise in the measured and corrected response below 200 Hz. This rise shows
the amount of room gain. ARC preserves the natural room gain of the room or allows you to adjust the amount of
room gain if you wish.
The subwoofer graph may imply that the subwoofer plays up to the highest frequency shown, but what it plays
depends on what the other channels send to it as determined by their crossover setting. The subwoofer graph shows
the available correction range, which is not necessarily the range that other channels send to it through bass
management.