Introducing Dirac ART to Marantz and Denon

Summary

In this video, Ricard, Vice President of Sales for Durac, discusses the innovative Direct Active Room Treatment (ART) technology, designed to optimize home theater performance. ART targets lingering noise and room reflections, ensuring sound clarity by reducing decay time. Ricard explains how ART complements other technologies like room correction and bass control, providing a holistic solution for perfect sound quality. This technology is set to launch later in 2025 and will be available to Denon and Marantz users, enhancing their systems through easy software licenses and calibration processes.

Takeaways

• 😀 Active Room Treatment (ART) optimizes home theater performance by reducing lingering noise and improving sound clarity.
• 😀 ART addresses sound decay by using active speakers that not only play the desired audio but also support each other to minimize unwanted noise.
• 😀 Direct Live software, a key part of the ART system, provides room correction and bass control, improving the accuracy of sound across different room environments.
• 😀 Direct Live's room correction focuses on aligning speakers in terms of frequency, time, and phase, ensuring optimal sound delivery.
• 😀 Bass control, introduced as a feature in 2023, ensures consistent bass response across different seating positions by managing room modes.
• 😀 ART goes beyond room correction by using the full system of speakers to cooperate and support each other in creating an optimal listening experience.
• 😀 Active Room Treatment helps compensate for less-than-ideal speaker placement, ensuring better sound even in suboptimal positions.
• 😀 The system is designed to address common home theater challenges, including speaker placement, bass interaction, and room reflections.
• 😀 ART operates in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 150 Hz, affecting both subwoofers and other speakers in this range for improved decay time.
• 😀 The ART technology, previously tested in automotive environments, is now available for home theaters, compensating for unique room acoustics.
• 😀 To use ART, users need to have Direct Live with room correction and bass control, which can be purchased and licensed via the Denon or Marantz websites.

Q & A

What is Direct Active Room Treatment (ART)?

Direct Active Room Treatment (ART) is a new audio technology designed to optimize home theater sound performance by actively removing lingering noise in the room, reducing decay time, and improving overall audio clarity.

How does ART improve the sound experience in a room?

ART improves the sound experience by reducing reflections and lingering noise that can distort the audio. It works by synchronizing speakers to ensure sound waves reach the listener at the same time, eliminating the negative effects of room acoustics.

What issues does ART aim to solve in a typical room?

ART addresses issues like lingering noise, reflections, and improper timing of sound from speakers. These problems occur when sound waves bounce off walls and other surfaces, distorting the audio that reaches the listener.

How does ART work alongside Direct Live and Bass Control?

ART builds on Direct Live's room correction and Bass Control by further reducing unwanted sound reflections and improving decay time. While Direct Live focuses on aligning speakers’ frequencies and timings, and Bass Control optimizes subwoofer response, ART enhances overall sound quality by reducing room reflections.

How is ART different from traditional passive room treatments?

Unlike traditional passive room treatments like absorption panels or bass traps, ART is 'active,' meaning it dynamically adjusts sound in real-time to reduce unwanted noise and reflections, making it a more flexible and less invasive solution.

What frequencies does ART cover?

ART operates in the frequency range of 20Hz to 150Hz, which includes the bass range and midrange frequencies where reflections and decay time can significantly affect sound quality.

Can ART work with any speaker setup?

ART is designed to work with speakers that operate within the 20Hz to 150Hz frequency range, allowing both subwoofers and other speakers to cooperate in achieving an optimal sound field.

When is ART expected to launch for consumers?

ART is expected to launch towards the end of 2025. More details, tutorials, and support will be available as the launch date approaches.

How can users access ART once it is available?

Users will be able to purchase ART licenses on the Direct website. The license can be bought separately or bundled with other features like room correction and bass control for Denon and Marantz AVRs.

Do users need other licenses to use ART?

Yes, to use ART, users must already have a Direct Live room correction license. For full functionality, users will also need the Bass Control license, which handles subwoofer optimization.