Dirac Live vs. Audyssey

So, I’ve had Denon HT receivers for years, which of course use Audyssey for room correction. (Yes, the newer ones have Dirac available as an upgrade for hundreds of dollars, but my current one doesn’t have that option.) I’ve always thought it was OK but the last couple years I’ve heard so much about Dirac Live that I’ve wanted to try it. The fact that Audyssey doesn’t seem to like the newer Ascend speakers (it always says my Horizon center is polarity-reversed) doesn’t help.

So, the price on the Onkyo TX-RZ50 has plummeted recently and when it hit $1000 I just had to pull the trigger. Just did the setup (which is admittedly more time-consuming and finicky than the Audyssey setup), put in the Harman+6dB target curve, and put on Mad Max: Fury Road.

Now, honestly, while l was hoping for some improvement, I wasn’t actually expecting all that much. I figured the differences would be subtle and it would take me a while to pick out the differences and I’ve have to try multiple things to really hear it.

Uhh, no. The difference was IMMEDIATELY apparent. Better localization, better bass impact, more compelling overall 3D sound field, and I don’t have rears, just 5.2.2 with front heights. Very pleasantly surprised, If you have a Denon you can upgrade, it’s probably worth it. If you’re cross-shopping something with Dirac vs. something with only Audyssey, get the one with Dirac.

Admittedly, the mic could be a part of it. For Audyssey, you’re limited to the little mic that comes with the receiver. For Dirac, I could use my calibrated UMIK, which is certainly a more accurate instrument. But I suspect it’s more complicated than just that.

Anyone else recently switch from Audyssey to Dirac Live? Your experiences mirror mine or is it just that my (weird-shaped and difficult) room is unique?

Sorry, never used either Audyssey or Dirac. Have had EmoQ (stay away from Emo processors), YPAO, and now Anthem ARC (previous versions as well as current Genesis). Anthem RC light years ahead of either and definitely an improvement as you noticed.

From what I’ve read, Dirac and ARC are fairly comparable and both much better than Audyysey

I upgraded from an the original version of Audyssey multiq to direc live and it was similarly night and day. audyssey tamed a room mode, but wasn't really noticeable beyond that. Dirac on and off is like two different rooms completely.

I have no experience with Audessey in my own room. The three room correction systems I have used in my room are Trinnov, Dirac, and currently Arc Genesis. All have worked well.

Trinnov has one added trick up its sleep as it corrects for speaker position as well. For movies (5.1) it created a more enveloping experience, and speaker positioning in my room is quite good.

Also, on a side note, I don't EQ above 400-500hz in my room. First, above that point, my room doesn't seem to have much of a problem. Also, with all three systems, when I did EQ above that point, things sounded weird or artificial.

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing your experience! It's awesome to hear that the Onkyo TX-RZ50 with Dirac Live made such a big difference for you. I've been using a Denon receiver with Audyssey and have had some issues too, especially with the polarity of my speakers.

Your description of the improvements in sound quality, bass, and overall experience is really encouraging. I’ve been thinking about upgrading, and your post makes me want to try Dirac Live.

Using a better mic with Dirac Live definitely sounds like an advantage over the standard Audyssey mic. It's good to know it made such a difference for you.

I'm also interested to hear from others who switched from Audyssey to Dirac Live. Did you notice similar improvements?