What to buy next

Back in June when I attended THE Show in Newport, I decided that after my second vacation in July I'd get myself a DSPeaker since bass boom and/or lacking bass response is the single biggest problem in my living room system.  But then before my July vacation, I decided to buy a DVD-9000.  Issues related to the DVD-9000 continued through about mid August.  So then the window opened up again.  I'm home for the foreseeable future (no planned vacations for the next 10 months or so) and I can buy stuff now.  But by this time, I was no longer committed to buying the DSPeaker Dual Core, having found issues with it and other approaches which might be better (and, unusually, cost less).  What I really need to do is start making full system measurements using REW or something better.  In August, I picked up a nice $100 calibrated microphone with bass calibrated to 5 Hz.  I could get started on this at any time now.  I also did a system time alignment and tuning using Tact for measurements (but not correction).  But an independent fine resolution measurement with REW would be better.  I just have to get around to doing it.  Note: meanwhile I have been doing many other things and making great strides forward if not in the direction I planned in June.

So I'm now putting off major purchases until I do that.  Especially with regards to EQ or acoustical products.  I need to establish baseline measurements as well as get comfortable making those measurements.

After doing the measurements with REW, I may simply choose to adjust and add to the Parametric EQ's (PEQs) in my Behringer DCX crossover or DEQ equalizer.  Another alternative would be to get an OpenDSP product to implement filters designed using REW.  Existing commercial products Dirac and Accourate don't look like what I want--I might prefer the algorithms used by DSPeaker to those.  But in either case, I want to do the measurements first.  Then, audio things I could buy would include:

DSPeaker Dual Core 2.0  (after all)

OpenDSP-DI (an alternative that works with REW)

Bag End E-Trap (an alternative way of taming modes, and it might be best for problem spot I have)

RealTraps, GTK, etc: Mondotraps, Minitraps, etc

Those are specifically things to deal with bass boom and impact.  But meanwhile I have other audio projects going.  Just last winter I started the Turntable Project, which has been on hold since about April.  Things for that project include:

new 12" tonearm and arm cable for Lenco table

new extra phono cartridges: Dynavector 17D3 (I could use up to 2 more!)

second moving coil amp for living room

repair Technics EPA-100 tonearm

refurb Technics motor

dustcover, dustcover

Get LP12 fixed (requires new cartridge)

Get Sony PS-X800 fixed

New turntables ???

And then, that's hardly the beginning of audio projects I've been thinking about:

New R2R Dacs for super tweeters, subs, and master bedroom system (4 new Dacs in all)

New Behringer DEQ's to replace DCX's so I can use external DAC's

OR, modified Behringer DCX's (and DEQ's)

I'm sure there's more, but that's about all that's coming to mind now.  Meanwhile, I also hope to get some big home improvement projects done, starting before January, and on for the next 4 or so years I hope to get these things done:

New master bathtub and tile (high priority!)

Other bathroom remodeling (lower priority)

New driveway extension

New patio and patio cover

Garage/Gym redesign

Other kitchen and bath upgrades

Solar system

And, in addition to that, there are some other important expected purchases in next couple years or so:

New couches for living room back wall

New kitchen chair for 2nd person

New adjustable bed for Queen's Room

Finally, in about 2 more years, I'm going to need a new CAR, for which the least expensive model I'm considering is Nissan Leaf for about $35,000.

With all this on the buffet table, I'd better not scoop up too much audio bricks.  A sensible person might say I've already got enough audio stuff…