Quote:
Hermit wrote:
 The whole point to REW is tuning HT systems, but even using a direct receiver signal, I wonder how poor the acoustic match will be, to a stand-alone amp. |
The whole point of using REW is to test and calibrate the system to be used to listen to music and/or watch movies. I don't see any point in testing a different system instead of the real system. Quality of the receiver does not matter anymore at this point because what you want to achieve is the best calibration for your entire system, not just for one speaker at a time.
Quote:
Hermit wrote:
I ask the question because I have been wondering if REW's test tone generation, would minimize the apparent difference, since it is looking at the consistant frequency of its test tone? |
The quality of the test tone generation does not matter. What's important here is level of each frequency seen from the microphone. I don't think that REW check the consistency of its test tone, but only the levels. It's a very good tool if you're interested in calibrating your speakers (and sub), checking/modifying the room acoustic characteristics (room treatment), ... but a bad tool if you want to discover how good your system sounds.
Quote:
Hermit wrote:
The idea of a portable REW test system intrigues me and I'm just wondering if it would provide reasonably good results? I think it would be cool to carry a single suitcase of gear to someones house, and provide them with a decent analysis of their acoustics, without having to mess with their equipment much. |
Yes for checking the room response. No to test how your friend's system will perform in the room.
It's important for you to know that different speakers and amplifiers will respond in a different way in the same room. For instance, two different subs in the same room may need completely different location, gain and/or phase settings. Personal taste is an important factor too: some people like lots of bass, others a wide sound stage, etc
I know some people who do just that: carry a bag full of equipment and help people calibrate their system. But they only bring a mic, a PC with REW, an external sound card, test CDs, etc. No speakers, no receiver, no amplifier.
Quote:
Hermit wrote:
I still haven't done a real REW test. Everything I am asking could be totally meaningless because I know so little. I am just having so much fun getting set up to do some real acoustic analysis, and my engineering/geeky nature sometimes overwhelmes my common-sense...  |
I think that you should try to play with REW with your system in your room to see how it really works.