“I initially purchased SoundID Reference along with the condenser microphone from Sonarworks as a way to help improve frequency response on my main hifi system that although is in a "dedicated" room, I have not gone overboard with sound treatment. I did however spend a lot of time tweaking speaker positioning and toe-in to improve reflections and bass response (speaker faces are a good 4 ft from the rear wall and 3+ ft from side walls). My main hifi setup is not god-tier but I would characterize it as pretty high-end (4-way Canton 5K reference series towers, turntable and phono stage from Vertere, Holo Audio KTE Serene pre and May KTE DAC, McIntosh MCD500 used as CD transport and a pair of Benchmark AHB2 amps in bridged mono used as mono-blocks). A while back a dealer lent me a Burmester power amp to try so I swapped out the two Benchmark AHB2s and did extensive listening alone and with my cousin. The result was, yes, there was a very fine "refinement" in the upper mids / lower treble, a slightly more relaxed sound but no compromise on resolution or bass control. Just sounded more "right". This story is for context as that power amp would have cost me well over $20k for I would ballpark it at ~2.5% improvement (this is based on 0% to 5% as a range, basically very difficult to perceive even during active listening using reference material). After creating the profile with the Sonarworks product, I would say the impact is very easy and quick to perceive and makes the sound more natural and balanced. From upper Bass to lower treble my response was basically flat, but there was more significant variances in the mid bass and lower FR as well as in mig treble and higher, as well as significant variances in left vs. right channels. I think the channel FR balance correction really helped with imaging and staging. So to put a number on it, I'd have to say 10% better easy so yah 5X vs. the amp upgrade (but now maybe the Bermester would be better, will need to save up!).
Finally, when I used the Sonarworks product to "fix" my desk "nearfield" and living room stereo, the impact was huge, like OMG. These are lesser systems than the main and the rooms are more lacking for sure as not dedicated. If I had to put a number, for my nearfield, my Gold 5 Tannoy monitors that cost ~$600 for the pair now have a natural balanced sound that makes me feel like my plan to upgrade from Adam Audios at ~3X the price may not be a rush. Similar for the living room stereo. Oh, lest I forget headphones... Specifically my HD800S, that headphone I love but soooo wished to have more low-end and just a bit smoother in the 6k area, so piano notes don't hurt in higher registers.. Wow. My HD800S is now, .. perfect? So yes, buy this and make everything sound better, more refined, more natural, more real.”
“As I'm still using a Mac Pro "Cheesegrater" tower, unfortunately, I'm limited to calibrating just the stereo speakers in my home studio (though I do have a subwoofer). When I upgrade my CPU and OS, I know I will be able to calibrate everything I could possibly use including surround systems.
After a few tries and about half an hour, I was able to calibrate my home studio (a Pro Tools hardware system with Genelec 8040 speakers not placed ideally in an oddly shaped room).
The calibration was easy enough with the system walking me through every step, as well as available youtube tutorials. It took me a few tries to get the mic input set to a level that the calibration system liked but after that, it was relatively easy.
I found that using a mic stand helped with the initial listening position calibration as well as the near-speaker calibrations. At first, I thought the mic clip included with the calibration mic was the wrong size as it did not fit on the mic and I couldn't find any instructions regarding its proper use. With a little trial and error, I realized that it clips on the XLR connector, not the mic. After that, the process proceeded smoothly, removing the mic from the stand to move it to all the different positions requested by the calibration program. You definitely want to be able to clearly see your computer monitor when doing this step. When completed, I ended up with a response curve being generated that definitely gives me a flatter response, (something critical to making decisions while mixing in the studio).
I look forward to my imminent upgrades so I can re-calibrate with better speaker placement and the sub.
I know my mixes are translating much better for me since calibrating with the Sonarworks system.”
“There is a very real and surprisingly subtle effect after initiating the SoundID Reference. I've noticed that transients are much more punctuated and audible, my low end is less boomy, and the biggest difference for me is that audio is significantly less fatiguing to listen to for long stretches of time.”
“Given the widely variable frequency response among speakers and headphones, Sonarworks is an extremely useful tool that takes the guessing out of mixing. This is especially true if you are working in a poorly treated space.”
“Sonarworks has completely changed my entire production process for the better. I used to produce my music with what felt like sonic blind spots that resulted in tons of headache at the mix-down phase. Now that I utilize sonarworks in my studio, I am getting a true to form representation of my mix from the start of an idea to the finished product. My workflow is more efficient, my mix-downs are minimal, and most importantly my final product is better!”
“I ordered the software + microphone kit and am very happy with the purchase. It was delivered internationally in 3 days without any problems. I calibrated the software and am seeing significant improvements in how my speakers sound now.”
