What is acoustic correction?

Acoustic correction consists of optimizing the sound in a room. It is used to make the room more intelligible by controlling the reverberation time. It therefore provides sound comfort that plays on health, fatigue and productivity.

Acoustic correction can concern many different areas:

• Hi-fi
• Home theater
• All types of professionals: restaurant, open space, schools, etc.

Acoustics is becoming more and more important in our society due to the undesirable effects of poor acoustics.

To learn more, don’t hesitate to read our tutorial on acoustic correction.

In the context of this article, we will only focus on the acoustic correction of a hi-fi system.

Hi-Fi acoustic correctors: our audio advice

Acoustic correction is essential in hi-fi. In this context, it can be:

• Active
• Passive

Active acoustic correction

Active correction is carried out with an amplifier. It aims to control bandwidth. Ultimately, its goal is to obtain a linear response curve: there should be no trough or bump across the entire frequency spectrum. This is called equalization.

In this type of correction, the properties of the part are not changed. The echo of your room will always be there if you have one initially. Thus, an active treatment cannot replace a passive treatment for a restitution of very high quality.

The great interest of active treatment is to better manage the bass. It can therefore be an alternative to bass traps by allowing better management of this frequency band.

However, this technology also generates phase rotations and often causes a loss of transparency.

Active analog and digital correction

Active correction can be analog or digital. Analog is no longer used today. It was mainly used a few years ago.

Digital, more precise, is much more used. It allows you to manage and process a large amount of data in a meticulous manner. It works with an on-board computer system.

Passive acoustic correction

Acoustic correction of a hi-fi system can also be passive. It will be carried out with acoustic treatment products such as:

1. Acoustic panels
2. Diffusers
3. Bass traps

Unlike an active correction, we are going to play on the physical properties of the room itself. Concretely, we will play on the reverberation time and the echo problems that an untreated part generates in almost all cases.

This type of processing is essential for low frequencies which require heavy processing. To find out more, don’t hesitate to read our tutorial on the acoustic treatment of a hi-fi room.

In addition to better listening, passive acoustic treatment also provides sound comfort when you receive people, for example.