Anthem Room Correction (ARC) System – Part 2 – Including a Subwoofer

Extending the ARC System to Include a Subwoofer

In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the Anthem ARC (Anthem Room Correction) firmware that is present in their SSPs as well as the AVRs which have a reduced filter bank size. In Part 2, we will discuss the addition of a subwoofer and how it is integrated into the ARC program using the full SSP version of ARC.

By far, the most significant sonic issue for acoustic music when a subwoofer is deployed occurs around the crossover from the subwoofer to the main speaker. Adding a subwoofer to a system using a standard bass management system without a room EQ in the loop (sub and main channels) degrades the flatness of the response in this critical area. At a minimum, the in-room transition band of the low-pass and high-pass filters should track the shape of a fourth-order Linkwitz–Riley (4th order LR – more on these two designers work is below) filter to about 20dB down. With a 4th LR at 80Hz crossover, both speakers are active between 60Hz and 110Hz (-10dB points), a frequency range that is populated with a variety of common instruments playing throughout the score.

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David A. Rich, Ph.D.

David A Rich received his MSEE from Columbia University and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Polytechnic University of NYU. He specializes in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design, with a portfolio spanning from audio ICs for Air Force One to RF ICs for wireless cell phones. Holder of fourteen patents, David's industrial experience includes ten years at Bell Laboratories where he rose to Technical Manager. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in integrated electronics and electro-acoustics. David's interest in audio began very early under the influence of his father, who was a recording engineer during the halcyon days of RCA Records. He gained an early understanding of electronics building Echo, Heath, and Dynakits. At the start of quadraphonic sound, David was building decoders based on designs in Popular Electronics. During his teen years, he spent more time in the back of TVs than watching movies at the front of the set. He still has limited interest in things video. David has been a professional reviewer of audio equipment for more than two decades, serving as Technical Editor for The Audio Critic and Sensible Sound. He is a member of the Audio Engineering Society High-resolution Audio Technical Committee. Collecting classical recordings has been a passion that has run concurrently with involvement in audio hardware. David has a special interest in early- and mid-20th century American tonal composers. He is an avid fan of chamber music and leads the Selection Committee for the Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) Chamber Music Society Concert Series.