• CEPro_logo_blue-new
  • TOPICS
      • News
        • People & Places
        • Product Briefs
      • Projects
      • Events
      • Control
        • Central Vac
        • Energy/Power
        • HVAC/IAQ
        • Interfaces/Devices
        • Lighting
        • Motorized Shades
        • Whole House Systems
      • Audio/Video
        • Amplifiers/Receivers
        • AV Accessories
        • AV Racks
        • Cabling
        • Displays
        • Furniture
        • Headphones
        • Home Theater
        • Media
        • Mounts/Lifts
        • Multiroom AV
        • Projectors/Screens
        • Speakers/Subwoofers
        • Wireless AV
      • Security
        • Access Control
        • Alarms/Sensors
        • Services/Platforms
        • Surveillance/Cameras
      • Business Support
        • Associations/Buying Groups
        • Cell Phone Boosters
        • Distributors/Reps
        • Operations
        • Recurring Revenue
        • Research
        • Sales/Marketing
        • Software Services
        • Tools/Testers
      • Networking
        • Cellular
        • Devices/Equipment
        • Wireless
        • Wired/Installation
      • Markets
        • Builders
        • Commercial
        • Design
        • Europe
        • Outdoors
        • Resimercial
        • Wellness
      • CE Pro Hub Pages
        • Bose
        • Inside Sound United
        • Nice
        • Savant
  • PRODUCTS
  • RESOURCES
    • Reports/Downloads
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Webcasts
    • Podcasts
    • Digital Edition
    • CE Pro-iQ
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • CEDIA SHOW UPDATES
    • CEPRO PRINT EDITION
    • CEPRO DIGITAL EDITION
    • CEPRO NEWSLETTERS
  • DISCOVER
    • CEDIA Expo
      • September 29 – October 1
        Dallas, TX
      • VISIT SITE
    • KBIS
      • February 8 – 10
        Orlando, FL
      • VISIT SITE
    • Total Tech Summit
      • November 13-15
        Las Vegas, NV
      • VISIT SITE
    • Commercial Integrator
      • VISIT SITE
    • Security Sales
      • VISIT SITE
    • Tech Decisions
      • VISIT SITE
    • Campus Safety
      • VISIT SITE
    • Design Well
      • VISIT SITE
    • KBB Online
      • VISIT SITE
    • AV-iQ
      • VISIT SITE
    • CE Pro-iQ
      • VISIT SITE
  • Search
  • TOPICS
    • News
      • People & Places
      • Product Briefs
    • Projects
    • Events
    • Control
      • Central Vac
      • Energy/Power
      • HVAC/IAQ
      • Interfaces/Devices
      • Lighting
      • Motorized Shades
      • Whole House Systems
    • Audio/Video
      • Amplifiers/Receivers
      • AV Accessories
      • AV Racks
      • Cabling
      • Displays
      • Furniture
      • Headphones
      • Home Theater
      • Media
      • Mounts/Lifts
      • Multiroom AV
      • Projectors/Screens
      • Speakers/Subwoofers
      • Wireless AV
    • Security
      • Access Control
      • Alarms/Sensors
      • Services/Platforms
      • Surveillance/Cameras
    • Business Support
      • Associations/Buying Groups
      • Cell Phone Boosters
      • Distributors/Reps
      • Operations
      • Recurring Revenue
      • Research
      • Sales/Marketing
      • Software Services
      • Tools/Testers
    • Networking
      • Cellular
      • Devices/Equipment
      • Wireless
      • Wired/Installation
    • Markets
      • Builders
      • Commercial
      • Design
      • Europe
      • Outdoors
      • Resimercial
      • Wellness
    • CE Pro Hub Pages
      • Bose
      • Inside Sound United
      • Nice
      • Savant
  • PRODUCTS
  • RESOURCES
    • Reports/Downloads
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Webcasts
    • Podcasts
    • Digital Edition
    • CE Pro-IQ
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • CEPRO PRINT EDITION
    • CEPRO DIGITAL EDITION
    • CEPRO NEWSLETTERS
    • CEDIA SHOW UPDATES
  • DISCOVER
    • Cedia Expo
      VISIT SITE
    • Commercial Integrator
      VISIT SITE
    • Security Sales
      VISIT SITE
    • Tech Decisions
      VISIT SITE
    • Campus Safety
      VISIT SITE
    • Design Well
      VISIT SITE
    • Total Tech Summit
      VISIT SITE
    • KBB Online
      VISIT SITE
    • AV-iQ
    • CE Pro-iQ
M
POPULAR SEARCHES
News
Projects
Control
Audio Video
Security
Business Support
Markets
SUBSCRIBE CEDIA EXPO CEPro-iQ
Audio/Video | Home Theater | Operations | Speakers/Subwoofers | Tools/Testers
January 25, 2022

Minnesota Integrator Relies on Dirac Live Room EQ Solution

Founding CEDIA member Dallas Dingle of Supercalibrations says using Dirac Live room correction means happier clients.
Jason Knott   Updated: February 14th, 2022
Article:
Audio/Video | Home Theater | Operations | Speakers/Subwoofers | Tools/Testers
January 25, 2022

Minnesota Integrator Relies on Dirac Live Room EQ Solution

Dallas Dingle has specialized in high-end home audio—as a hobby and a profession—for more than 40 years. Founder of St. Paul, Minn.-based Supercalibrations, Dingle has done it all, from building his own loudspeakers, to home theater installations, to commercial work. Supercalibrations was even a founding member of CEDIA, the global industry association for the design and integration of residential technology.

And in all those years, Dingle says one challenge has remained the same. “Trying to get speakers to sound like they’re supposed to in a room has always been a quagmire,” he says. “Even in my own home, I’ve been willing to put up whatever acoustical treatments it takes. There were times I still couldn’t quite get the sound I wanted.”

That changed when Dingle discovered the right room correction solution. Now he doesn’t consider a job finished until he’s calibrated a client’s listening space using Dirac Live.

“Even in dedicated rooms built for listening to music or watching movies,” Dingle says. “Because in reality, 99 percent of rooms where you put speakers—even finely tuned environments with acoustic treatments—the room’s going to affect the sound. But even there, Dirac Live makes a huge difference. It can correct for a room with poor acoustics, or it can be used as that final tool for taking a room that already sounds pretty good and turning it into something even better.”

Dirac Live achieves this by using algorithms to analyze and reduce the sound colorations introduced by a room. It’s fully tunable to the listener’s preference and because installers can run it on a laptop, they enjoy the flexibility of having speakers in one room and the receiver in another.

The Future of Digital Lighting & Control

As a custom integrator, lighting is in demand. Effective communication, education and showcasing the value proposition of LED light fixtures in conjunction with integrative control systems are the keys to overcoming challenges and closing sales in this specialized market. Join us as we discuss the future of digital lighting and control with David Warfel from Light Can Help You and Patrick Laidlaw and Mark Moody from AiSPIRE. Register Now! 

“In our business, we also make our own speakers, and we don’t have to worry about fine-tuning our speaker sound quite so much,” Dingle explains. “Because with Dirac Live overlaid on top, you’re going to get a great result.”

Great Music in Challenging Spaces

Over the years, Dingle has seen what many other custom installers have seen: the design of residential spaces that actually hinders audio performance. Even in dedicated home theaters, Dingle and his technicians use Dirac Live to optimize the sound, not unlike the growing number of professional producers and musicians who use the solution in studios to ensure they hear their mix accurately, without room impact.

“Many times, rooms are geometrically challenging, or too small for the sound system, or they’ve been designed with in-wall and in-ceiling speakers with angled drivers for that discreet installation,” Dingle says. “At some point, though, it becomes a matter of form over function.”

But in Dingle’s experience, the residential clients who want beautiful interior spaces are the same people who love their music collection and want to experience it optimally in their homes. “They put in really good sound systems because the rest of the house is so nice,” he says.

The Dirac Live algorithm allows for measuring and correction over a wide space, so you get an enhanced sound experience in a bigger space, which is perfect for rooms like this.

Dallas Dingle, Founder, Supercalibrations

One Supercalibrations client, a prominent psychologist in the St. Paul area, had been working with Dingle’s team for years. He’d had them build a media room on the home’s lower level and was using a couple of channels from one of its amplifiers to drive a prized pair of Bowers & Wilkins speakers on the main floor. When Dingle was at the house upgrading the media room, he suggested refinements upstairs, too, including an NAD M10 streaming amplifier featuring Dirac Live.

“He also had a subwoofer built into the wall in that space that was rattling too much, so we replaced that,” Dingle says. The goal was to significantly upgrade the audio experience in the area where the family entertained most—a challenging, open space that spanned the kitchen and family room.

With Dirac Live running on the NAD M10, Dingle used a miniDSP UMIK-2 microphone to measure the audio system and room at multiple key spots throughout the entire listening area to account for guests who might stand when visiting or sit on high stools as they dined and socialized.

“The Dirac Live algorithm allows for measuring and correction over a wide space, so you get an enhanced sound experience in a bigger space, which is perfect for rooms like this,” Dingle says.

With the calibration settings saved to the NAD M10, it was time to hear the result.

“It was pretty profound,” says Dr. Jefferey Hill, PsyD, of the new Dirac Live-optimized system Supercalibrations installed. “I sat with Dallas to listen, and the sound just came to life all around us.”

A self-identified audiophile, Hill’s musical tastes span everything from classical music to ‘90s hip-hop. When he’s relaxing with his new system, though, Hill says Boz Scaggs really shows it off.

“Ultimately, if I was going to spend the money on this custom music setup, why not go the distance and have it calibrated and optimized?” he says. “It’s part of the value-add and makes a huge difference.”

Improved Sound for Multichannel Home Theater

Dingle uses Dirac Live to optimize multichannel home theater systems, too. Recently, when upgrading a client’s home theater, Supercalibrations added four in-ceiling PSB speakers to an existing five-channel design and used Dirac Live, which comes with the system’s new NAD M17 processor, to optimize the home theater sound.

Dirac Live Bass Control
Related: Dirac Live Bass Control Now Offered for AVRs

In another space, Dingle’s team built custom loudspeakers and left them unfinished because they would be placed behind a fabric wall. With the money saved on finishing, Supercalibrations installed an NAD M17 and NAD M27 amplifier and used Dirac Live to get the sound exactly right.

“It was a basement area with a built-in cabinet and some empty space. We built custom woofers and three front channels,” Dingle says. “Again, Dirac Live made a huge difference. In fact, it’s hard for me to think of a situation where Dirac didn’t improve the sound in whatever room we used it.”

That includes his own home. Having discovered Dirac Live, Dingle bought himself a miniDSP DDRC-24 room correction processor. The compact, affordable unit, powered by Dirac Live Room Correction, gets a regular workout.

“I’ve used Dirac Live probably 50 times in my home because I’m always switching speakers and trying things out,” Dingle says. “When Dirac Live is on, I consistently hear a nicer, smoother bass response than I heard before. In my experience, Dirac Live always makes a difference. If you’re a music lover especially, it’s really hard to do without.”

  • Page 1

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jason Knott
Follow
Jason Knott:
Jason Knott is Data Solutions Architect and Evangelist for D-Tools. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of CE Pro. He can be reached at jasonk@d-tools.com.
View Jason Knott's complete profile

ARTICLE TOPICS

Audio/Video • Home Theater • Operations • Speakers/Subwoofers • Tools/Testers

ARTICLE TAGS

Bowers & Wilkins • Dirac • NAD • PSB • Room Acoustics

SHARE

Share On Facebook
Share On Twitter
Share On Linkedin
Share On Whatsapp
Share Via Email
Copy URL
← Previous Article Next Article →
Article Business SupportCE Pro SummitCommercialEventsNews

Total Tech Summit 2023 Offers More Networking Opportunities Than Ever

Although vendor connections and education sessions are a huge part of the #TotalTech23 value proposition, the 200-plus influencers in attendance will also be there to network.
Article ControlDesignHVAC/IAQLightingMarketsNewsOutdoors

Modern Forms Smart Fans by AiSPiRE Debut at CEDIA Expo 2023

WAC Lighting integrator-focused lighting fixtures company AiSPiRE launches smart fans lineup from sister brand Modern Forms during the recent CEDIA Expo in Denver.
Article Business SupportCE Pro SummitCommercialEventsNews

Total Tech Summit 2023 Offers More Networking Opportunities Than Ever

Although vendor connections and education sessions are a huge part of the #TotalTech23 value proposition, the 200-plus influencers in attendance will also be there to network.
Article Audio/VideoBuildersBusiness SupportControlDesignHome TheaterLightingMotorized ShadesMultiroom AVSpeakers/SubwoofersWellnessWhole-House Systems

Beemer Smart Home: From House Guests to Satisfied Customers

Based in affluent and design-savvy suburban Seattle, Beemer Smart Home welcomes customers and collaborators like treasured house guests.

SHOW NEWSLETTER

Sign Up

CE Pro

Subscribe Sign Up

Content Types

News
Products
Projects
Companies
Downloads
Webcasts
Podcasts
Events

Specials

CEDIA EXPO
CE Pro 100
CE Pro Summit
Awards Programs

Company Info

About
Contact Us
Customer Service
Advertise with Us

Subscribe

Magazine
Newsletters
Digital Edition

Connect

Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube
RSS Feed

Categories

AUDIO/VIDEO
AV Accessories
AV Racks
Amplifiers/Receivers
Cabling
Displays
Furniture
Mounts/Lifts
Multiroom AV
Projector Screens
Speakers/Subwoofers
Wireless AV
CONTROL
Central Vac
Energy/Power
Interfaces/Devices
HVAC/IAQ
Lighting
Motorized Shades
Whole-House Systems
NETWORKING
Cellular
Devices/Equipment
Wireless
Wiring/Installation
SECURITY
Access Control
Alarms/Sensors
Services/Platforms
Surveillance Cameras
BUSINESS SUPPORT
Associations/Buying Groups
Distributors/Reps
Operations
Recurring Revenue
Research
Sales/Marketing
Software/Services
Tools/Testers
MARKETS
Builders
Commercial
Design
Europe
Outdoors
Wellness
FOLLOW US ON
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow

© 2023 Emerald X, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

  • ABOUT
  • CAREERS
  • AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS
  • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
  • TERMS OF USE
  • PRIVACY POLICY