Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

[Goliath]

Hi everyone,

I'm very interested in the Omnimic software but I have a few questions. How does this software compare to XTZ Pro II? Any features that Omnimic offers over and above XTZ?

Just to give you an idea of what I would be using the software for :

Frequency response measuring
Modal ringing - waterfall for LF decay
To check before and after adding acoustic treatment (so the above is important)
General tweaking of the system

I saw XTZ includes a time alignment tool so you can make sure the signals from speaker and subwoofer are perfectly in sync, or some such. Not sure if Omnimic offers a similar feature.

Finally, in terms of the supplied mic, I have no idea which is better or more accurate.

These are my concerns. I'm from S.A, and I've heard of mic issues with Omnimic. I don't know if these issues have been resolved or why they occured, but I don't want to order the product to find I need to have it shipped back because of a defective mic, or due to calibration issues.

If these issues can been resolved I need to know. Any advice/feedback on the above questions/concerns would be most appreciated. Thanks.

[bwaslo]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

The hardware problem with OmniMic has been resolved (redesigned to fix intermittent ground issues and difficult to connect USB socket), provided you get a new version 2 OmniMic. The calibration problems were in the very first dozen or so v2 mics, caused by a factory error -- more recent ones are calibrated now at Dayton Audio in Ohio.

As for which is better for you, I can't give an unbiased opinion. I'm pretty sure OM is better for speaker design, but for rooms, better ask others. OM is probably easier to use, since you don't need to string cables to the back of your stereo to do tests, you can just play the test CD and plug the mic into a laptop. I'd base delay/phase adjustment with the subwoofer based on response smoothness rather than trying to do it on "time" - room effects at sub frequencies are not something you'll ever get a pure impulse response from!

There will be a new version of OM software out soon, with some added features (primarily geared toward driver alignment inside a speaker, and equalizer interface), probably around the July time frame. I need to stop hanging around audio forums and finish polishing a few things and write help files before it can fly.

[DrBoar]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

I have the XTZ II (not pro) they are dead easy to set up and you do not have to mess with CDs, I prefer the testsignals to be contained in the app. The XTZ is better for RT60 and room analysis, it can also be used for basic loudspeaker measurments.

For loudspeaker measurments the Omni is better with more detailed frequency reponse and time domain response. It also has distortion measurement. Currently harmonic distortion perhaps IM is in the pipeline?

I am planning to get the Omni as well, both appear to be good kits but with the XTZ leaning toward rooms and Omni towards loudspeakers

[Goliath]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

Thanks bwaslo for chiming in. Glad to hear the hardware issues have been resolved as I was a little concerned about that.

Will the next software revision have the same interface you are using now, or are you changing it altogether? I just ask because programs like REW and Fuzz Measure have "pretty" graphics, but that's not particularly important I suppose.

XTZ Pro II has 1/12 octave resolution while Omnimic has much higher resolution. That is a plus for me. I think your software has features that XTZ does not have. Is it possible to buy Omnimic and then later on use other software with it?

I have the XTZ II (not pro) they are dead easy to set up and you do not have to mess with CDs, I prefer the testsignals to be contained in the app. The XTZ is better for RT60 and room analysis, it can also be used for basic loudspeaker measurments.

For loudspeaker measurments the Omni is better with more detailed frequency reponse and time domain response. It also has distortion measurement. Currently harmonic distortion perhaps IM is in the pipeline?

I am planning to get the Omni as well, both appear to be good kits but with the XTZ leaning toward rooms and Omni towards loudspeakers

When you say loudspeaker measurements are better, why is that? Is that because of the increased resolution? I certainly want to measure my room at the mid and top (ie not just 300 Hz and below) so I can see what's going on.

I'm experiencing big issues with dialog intelligibility and I reckon measuring the room will at least point me in the right direction. So measuring up top is important to me. I don't know if Omnimic is much better than XTZ in that regard. In fact, I have no idea what mic XTZ Pro II uses, been trying to find that out.

[DrBoar]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

You can run the XTZ fullrange all the way up to 20 kHz. Download their manual and it is decribed fairly good.

I did not mean to say that loudspeaker measurements are better but rather that Omni is better at loudspeaker measurements than XTZ.

If "dialog intelligibility" is the problem it suggest flutter echos and a lot of high frequency reflection, that is a room with not mostly empty walls in the upper half of the room and a bright "splashy" sound to it.

Unless you have the opposite an overdamped room in high range and undamped in the lowrange were the syllables are all soaked up and only the deep humming/rumbling chest tones remain of the spoken word.

If your primary aim is to measure room accoustics and secondary to fiddle with loudspeakers get the XTZ. Below I has a notch filter installed in a fullrange speaker and tried it with and without a Zobel. So it is quite useful for simpler measurements


A while ago the Omni (1) was on backorder and I was at a HiFi Show were XTZ were selling the Room Analysers at a really good price I bought the RA II. But for me that just want to fix my listening room for my hobby of building loudspeakers, I will soon order my Omni 2 to do detailed measurement where the room is left out I am especially happy to see that the Omni team seem so open to develop new features and iron out bugs in hard and software:D

[Goliath]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

Thanks for responding DrBoar. Do you have XTZ Pro II, or the standard XTZ software/hardware?

For me, I won't be applying EQ filters or anything like that. I also won't be designing speakers. I just want to measure the room, look at the frequency response, "see" the ringing in the time domain at low and upper frequencies.

The dialog issue is strange. The chestiness/boomy character is heard at certain frequencies and not at others. Some material sounds fine without boom, while others have a boomy sound but I suspect it's within a particular frequency range, or a problem frequency that is causing this.

Admittedly I don't have acoustic treatment except in the corners (tri-traps, from floor to ceiling). I've ruled out the content as being the issue as I've heard the same content on other systems and I know my center is not at fault (Paradigm Studio CC590 v5 center).

When I hear dialog there are certain frequencies that boom over everything else.. it's kind of fatiguing. But again, this does not occur over the entire range, just a specific range otherwise I would be experiencing this all the time.

I'm conflicted now concerning the software. Not sure if I should go Pro II or Omnimic. When you mean fiddle with loudspeakers, do you mean building them or testing them? I just want to know what the room is doing to them.

[DrBoar]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

I got the plainvanilla not the Pro.

Yes by fiddle I mean design and build or in some cases rebuild, improve.

Sound like you have a really high Q resonance somewere. The higher the Q less likely to exite it. Have you tried the realtraps.com test signals to find out how the up to 300 HZ range behaves?

[Goliath]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

No, I haven't tried the Realtraps CD. That's why I'm hoping after purchasing one of these measurement systems that I can see more or less where the issue is. The vocal issue could be in the bass range (150-300 Hz) or thereabouts, or it could be reflections higher up. I'm just guessing at the moment.

The Pro II has a more accurate mic and a higher resolution (1/12 octave in the bass), as I understand it. Most people are telling me that 1/12 is sufficient for measuring in the LF range, but some are saying 1/24 (or 1/48) is required, so I'm confused.

[Goliath]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

There will be a new version of OM software out soon, with some added features (primarily geared toward driver alignment inside a speaker, and equalizer interface), probably around the July time frame. I need to stop hanging around audio forums and finish polishing a few things and write help files before it can fly.

Will the next software upgrade also upgrade the visuals of the graphs? Just asking. I'm not sure what kind of graphic interface Fuzz Measure and REW use, but they look pretty. :D

Would be nice for a visual upgrade, but performance and features are most important. Just thought I'd ask.

[Goliath]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

No reply? Here is another question (or two). If you want to run frequency response on Omnimic can you get rid of the impulse response window for a cleaner look? Looks very cramped with both windows in for each measurement, hence the question if you can disable it to show more display area.

The other thing is purely cosmetic, but can one change the graph colour to white? Stupid questions I know, I just prefer white to blue for measuring.

[Goliath]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

This forum isn't very active. If you want to check decay times, which is the best measurement? The waterfall, or the bass decay? I would like to see the difference that acoustic treatment makes. What is the point of the waterfall chart? Hopefully I'll get an answer. The AVSforum is going nowhere and if I'm not getting help here then I'm pretty sure I'll never get help as this is the Omnimic forum. If I buy this and I get no response from anyone then I'll be disappointed.

[DrBoar]

Re: Omnimic vs XTZ Pro II

I would use the waterfall plots. For me they are easier to read than spectral plotshttp://www.hometheatershack.com/roomeq/
But they are just two different representation of the same data sets, so what ever works for you is the right one.
http://www.realtraps.com/art_measuring.htm
Is a good start at measuring room treatments.

I am sure Omni can be made to be an exellent tool for measurement of room treatment, it is just a software thing, but if they want to bifurcate it to Loudspeaker and Rooms I have no idea