Have 24 hours to decide.
Should I get the
Dayton Audio DATS V3 Computer Based Speaker & Audio Component Test System
Or the
Calibrated Mic.
Budget is tight have been saving up for the mic for some time. Now. But then I see that Dats V3 can do what a calibrated Mic can do and more.
But I was really keen to get started with using REW and I dont think Dat V3 works with REW.
My application ?.
Testing drivers that come with flakey at best TS.
Building a 3 way speaker setup and box for my own use and entertainment as a hobby. And testing various builds like open baffle, sealed / ported etc.
I thought I would look into just getting a regular 5$ USB mic and using it with REW. Maybe create my own calibration file. Nothing Im doing needs to be super accurate. As this is just a hobby. But now I dont have the time. Have a friend returning from the US in a few days. And have to pick something like today.
Should I get the
Dayton Audio DATS V3 Computer Based Speaker & Audio Component Test System
Or the
Calibrated Mic.
Budget is tight have been saving up for the mic for some time. Now. But then I see that Dats V3 can do what a calibrated Mic can do and more.
But I was really keen to get started with using REW and I dont think Dat V3 works with REW.
My application ?.
Testing drivers that come with flakey at best TS.
Building a 3 way speaker setup and box for my own use and entertainment as a hobby. And testing various builds like open baffle, sealed / ported etc.
I thought I would look into just getting a regular 5$ USB mic and using it with REW. Maybe create my own calibration file. Nothing Im doing needs to be super accurate. As this is just a hobby. But now I dont have the time. Have a friend returning from the US in a few days. And have to pick something like today.
Calibration isn't the most important thing. If you want to work with crossovers, get a mic that isn't USB.
any reason for dont get the USB version ?. Is there any options you would recommend.
So far I have been working with my phone and some android apps. It seems to be doing a decent job. Its no REW. But it seems to be working.
I should add to this that some measurement mics may work with the standard sound in/out of a computer, but some require something called 'phantom power'. If you intend to buy a sound card, ie a sound interface for your computer then you can get one with phantom power, they are readily available and there are threads on this site covering the topic. Otherwise you can build your own power unit.
I have some USB sound cards that I was using as a Scope before I got my bench top scope.
The other thought I had was to build my own Mic. i.e. with a small NE5532 circuit.
125$ which is like 10,000 bucks in my country seems a lot to spend to get one or two readings.
Thanks for your inputs it would seem I need to do a lot more reading before making this decision.
I only have a laptop so any sound card has to be USB only for now.
My original question remains unanswered i.e. if I get the Dat3 does it do everything I can do with the calibrated mic ?. i.e. test box designs.
The sound card can be USB. The difference is that the input and output channels, L and R are all on the same card and are in synch with each other.
I don't use anything like Dats because I don't usually measure T/S parameters, and when I do I just do it the regular way. That's not to say you couldn't make life easier.
I don't use anything like Dats because I don't usually measure T/S parameters, and when I do I just do it the regular way. That's not to say you couldn't make life easier.
Just a quick update since I made this post I now have both. A Umic 1 and a Dats V3.
The Dats V3 worked for a few months. And now it just shows garbage. It wont even self calibrate.
Support for this product is thin. And your typical response is send it in. Which is not an option for me.
I need to replace the two cables. And also try it on another laptop. Very disapointed with the dats.
On the sound card I was going to buy one which a lot of people use in their setups. Till I read a post where the guy bench marked the sound card and the results were horrible. In fact the noise floor and THD of the USB sound card was worse than the amps that he was trying to test.
The Dats V3 worked for a few months. And now it just shows garbage. It wont even self calibrate.
Support for this product is thin. And your typical response is send it in. Which is not an option for me.
I need to replace the two cables. And also try it on another laptop. Very disapointed with the dats.
On the sound card I was going to buy one which a lot of people use in their setups. Till I read a post where the guy bench marked the sound card and the results were horrible. In fact the noise floor and THD of the USB sound card was worse than the amps that he was trying to test.
Ah. You may have run foul of a Windows update somewhere along the line. I had a similar issue with mine; oddly enough it was resolved by trying a different [type] of USB input on my PC. For whatever reason, the one I normally used got fouled up. So you may want to try that, and possibly on a different machine also, to see if it's some kind of obscure conflict that's come in.
As a slightly different opinion re USB microphones: I'd repeat ye olde [but still valid] cliche of 'never let the perfect be the enemy of the good enough'. In outright / ideal terms it's completely true -you really need a dual channel setup if you're going all-out for perfection. No argument there. However, the truth is that you can get very good results using USB microphones & measurement techniques such as those outlined by the late Jeff Bagby, especially with simpler speakers with a modest number of drivers & XO points. He was a rather good designer himself, and used exactly that for many of his speakers, as have / do many others. I usually use Holmimpulse or ARTA, but I have Omnimic v.2 available also, and truth to tell in a majority of cases, it's more than fit for purpose, as well as being a lot quicker & more convenient in terms of setup etc., making it less intimidating for people new to taking measurements. Put it this way -assuming you take care with the setup, you'll get better results using measurements with Omnimic [or REW] with the methods Jeff outlined than simply guessing, using generic filters, or simulating from data-sheets, to the point that a lot of people are happy to stop there.
As a slightly different opinion re USB microphones: I'd repeat ye olde [but still valid] cliche of 'never let the perfect be the enemy of the good enough'. In outright / ideal terms it's completely true -you really need a dual channel setup if you're going all-out for perfection. No argument there. However, the truth is that you can get very good results using USB microphones & measurement techniques such as those outlined by the late Jeff Bagby, especially with simpler speakers with a modest number of drivers & XO points. He was a rather good designer himself, and used exactly that for many of his speakers, as have / do many others. I usually use Holmimpulse or ARTA, but I have Omnimic v.2 available also, and truth to tell in a majority of cases, it's more than fit for purpose, as well as being a lot quicker & more convenient in terms of setup etc., making it less intimidating for people new to taking measurements. Put it this way -assuming you take care with the setup, you'll get better results using measurements with Omnimic [or REW] with the methods Jeff outlined than simply guessing, using generic filters, or simulating from data-sheets, to the point that a lot of people are happy to stop there.
So people advise against USB mics and say you don’t need DATS, only a 2 channel usb interface, an amp and five resistors plus some parts ‘n wires. And REW or ARTA of course. Now what made you decide at last?
Life is too short.
As it happens I have all the above options available, plus some more, but in many cases the former do the necessary job fine, are quick and convenient, so when I don't need to go further -why make things harder than they need to be?
As it happens I have all the above options available, plus some more, but in many cases the former do the necessary job fine, are quick and convenient, so when I don't need to go further -why make things harder than they need to be?