Slickdeals is community-supported.  We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
Heads up, this deal has expired. Want to create a deal alert for this item?
expired Posted by undisturbed316 • Dec 14, 2023
expired Posted by undisturbed316 • Dec 14, 2023

Dirac Live Bass Control for Denon AVR-X3800H / AVC-X3800H (Digital License)

from $228.85

$349

175 Comments 41,975 Views
Visit Retailer
Good Deal
Save
Share
Deal Details
Dirac has Dirac Live Bass Control for Denon AVR-X3800H / AVC-X3800H (Digital Licenses) on sale as listed below when you apply discount coupon 30BCDM23 at checkout.

Note: Discount code does not apply to individual 'Room Correction' licenses.

Thanks to Community Member undisturbed316 for finding this deal.

Available (prices after discount coupon):
  • Dirac Live Bass Control Single Subwoofer $228.85
  • Dirac Live Bass Control Multi Subwoofer $327.21
    • Upgrade an existing Bass Control Single Subwoofer license to Multi Subwoofer $110.82
  • Bundle Offer $425.57
    • Room Correction Full Bandwidth
    • Bass Control Single Subwoofer
  • Bundle Offer Multi $523.94
    • Room Correction Full Bandwidth
    • Bass Control Multi Subwoofer
Features:
  • Corrects sound gaps and bass decline
  • Enhances bass crossover area for smoother reproduction
  • Utilizes machine learning for phase co-optimization and supports one or multiple subwoofer (depending on license)

Editor's Notes

Written by citan359 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Offer valid through January 15th, 2024
    • Please note that measurement microphone is not included in the software purchase.
  • About this product:
    • Windows 10 or macOS 10.14 Mojave, 10.15 Catalina, or newer required
  • Additional Note:

Original Post

Written by undisturbed316
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Dirac has Dirac Live Bass Control for Denon AVR-X3800H / AVC-X3800H (Digital Licenses) on sale as listed below when you apply discount coupon 30BCDM23 at checkout.

Note: Discount code does not apply to individual 'Room Correction' licenses.

Thanks to Community Member undisturbed316 for finding this deal.

Available (prices after discount coupon):
  • Dirac Live Bass Control Single Subwoofer $228.85
  • Dirac Live Bass Control Multi Subwoofer $327.21
    • Upgrade an existing Bass Control Single Subwoofer license to Multi Subwoofer $110.82
  • Bundle Offer $425.57
    • Room Correction Full Bandwidth
    • Bass Control Single Subwoofer
  • Bundle Offer Multi $523.94
    • Room Correction Full Bandwidth
    • Bass Control Multi Subwoofer
Features:
  • Corrects sound gaps and bass decline
  • Enhances bass crossover area for smoother reproduction
  • Utilizes machine learning for phase co-optimization and supports one or multiple subwoofer (depending on license)

Editor's Notes

Written by citan359 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Offer valid through January 15th, 2024
    • Please note that measurement microphone is not included in the software purchase.
  • About this product:
    • Windows 10 or macOS 10.14 Mojave, 10.15 Catalina, or newer required
  • Additional Note:

Original Post

Written by undisturbed316

Community Voting

Deal Score
+37
Good Deal
Visit Retailer
Leave a Comment
To participate in the comments, please log in.

Top Comments

I'm in the same boat. I was going to pull the trigger because someone mentioned to me they have a 30 day return policy in case it doesn't perform according to it's desired effect (which makes sense), but I just checked their license agreement and it says to get a refund you "must not have used the Software," which makes no sense at all to me.

If you find evidence that they do give you a no hassle 30 day period to see if it improves your correction beyond what Audyssey MultiEQ X32 + the $20 Audyssey app can do, post the link here to let us know.

For me, if that company isn't willing to let you see if it's worth the money, it's a bad policy. It's not like they have to absorb return shipping costs or resell a discounted used product.
Dirac experts can chime in, but my limited research shows that if you only have 1 sub, especially a modest one that isn't doing a whole lot below 20Hz, regular full-bandwith Dirac is arguably enough. Yes I know even a regular 10 or 12" will technically play below 20 Hz. But you need some heavy subwoofers in a controlled room to be really pushing usable output at 10-15Hz.

Seems to me you could use bass control as a standalone if you only want it tuning your subs, or go with the live + the multi-sub license if you want it doing everything in a multi-sub system. I've always been happy with XT32 but want to give Dirac a try because there seems at least some agreement that is superior. I missed the BF deals on full-bandwith but though somewhere in the ~$250 - 300 range might be worth a shot. XT32 does handle 2 subs, but not to the complexity that the multi-sub Dirac bass control is described to.

I'm probably oversimplifying this but based on the descriptions, to me it seems:

For a no sub or 1 sub system - Dirac full bandwidth is arguably superior to XT32.

For a 2 sub system - XT32 is arguably superior to Dirac full bandwidth alone. Dirac FB + multi-sub bass control would be superior to XT32.

I'm really struggling with seeing the value of Dirac bass control for a single sub, except as a standalone product where you only want sub calibration. Maybe that's the point?

But for me, the $799 package to cover multi-sub systems... I'm not doing that. I'd rather wait until my next AVR upgrade to see how their market / built-in options pan out. Not saying it isn't worth it, but $800 is far too big of a gamble to me to try it. Maybe if the licenses were transferable at least once or twice maybe, but locked to one AVR? Nah.
Unpopular opinion: Dirac live is not worth it for 90% of us. It's not gospel.

All mid-to-high tier receivers will have basic speaker distance correction. So you can take a tape measure and tell the speaker how far each channel is. That will give you a pretty good (not perfect) timing delay. But then, you modern high end receiver also mostly likely has some free flavor of room correction software. That will do 90% of what Dirac does.

Dirac does three things on top of all else: it flattens each speaker's curve, chooses a good crossover, and adjusts the level of each speaker. Of all those, I'd argue adjusting the level is the most valuable feature. In my view, you're paying $100's more to get the level correct out of each speaker on top of what you can do for free. Is that worth it?

I'll go a step further. I did my own calibration on a new Onkyo receiver, listened to it for a few weeks, and then did a Dirac calibration. Dirac nailed all 5 speakers, but completely underpowered the sub no matter how hard I tried. I just don't think I'd pay so much $$ out of pocket on top of the brilliant Marantz / Denon / Pioneer etc capabilities that come free with the receiver.

175 Comments

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Dec 20, 2023
729 Posts
Joined Aug 2009
Dec 20, 2023
rexian
Dec 20, 2023
729 Posts
Quote from Madanshah16 :
I reached out to dirac on refund policy and ownership transfer.

They mentioned that the 30 day refund policy still applies if one isnt happy with Dirac results.
This is great information. Thanks for reaching out and posting the update here! Their EULA [dirac.com] is certainly confusing - how does one not use the software and determine s/he is not happy with the result? shake head
Quote :
3. Refunds. To be eligible for a limited refund, you (i) must have acquired a license to the Software from
Dirac or from an authorized distributor; and (ii) must not have used the Software; (iii) must provide proof
of payment for the Software; within thirty (30) calendar days of your receipt of the Software.
ACQUISITIONS OF LICENSES TO SOFTWARE ARE NON-REFUNDABLE FOLLOWING THE
EXPIRATION OF THE 30-DAY PERIOD AND IN THE EVENT THAT THE SOFTWARE HAS BEEN
USED
. SHIPPING CHARGES AND CREDIT CARD FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.
I am planning to take the plunge as Dirac was the primary reason I went with X4800 over C40 - $1k saved will pay for this entire upgrade. Hopefully it turns out measurably better than XT32 otherwise will have to deal with the return.
Dec 20, 2023
383 Posts
Joined Jan 2007
Dec 20, 2023
netjack
Dec 20, 2023
383 Posts
Anyone know why I'd be getting an "activate filter not authorised" (request could not be autorised because it was rejected as not authorised. This may be because the user account or device lacks the required licenses) error even though I have the full bandwidth + dlbc license active on my account?
Dec 20, 2023
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
Dec 20, 2023
LovelySparrow901
Dec 20, 2023
1,702 Posts
Delete
Last edited by LovelySparrow901 December 20, 2023 at 09:19 AM.
1
Dec 20, 2023
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
Dec 20, 2023
LovelySparrow901
Dec 20, 2023
1,702 Posts
Quote from java568 :
Dirac Live vs Audyssey Review on Denon / Marantz Receivers:
https://simplehomecinema.com/2023...receivers/
Also in that article…
"Audyssey has two massive aces up its sleeve: Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume.…
In contrast, Dirac Live doesn't include any of these technologies"

Pretty sure I read that Denon AVR's are gonna allow both audyssey and Dirac to share the dynamic eq and dynamic volume, although most folks recommend against using dynamic volume.
2
Dec 20, 2023
232 Posts
Joined Nov 2013
Dec 20, 2023
JonathanJ7608
Dec 20, 2023
232 Posts
Quote from LovelySparrow901 :
Also in that article…
"Audyssey has two massive aces up its sleeve: Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume.…
In contrast, Dirac Live doesn't include any of these technologies"

Pretty sure I read that Denon AVR's are gonna allow both audyssey and Dirac to share the dynamic eq and dynamic volume, although most folks recommend against using dynamic volume.
Keep reading...

"There's a bit of a silver lining for Dirac Live and it is this: due to the better phase-response, the sound is somewhat clearer and more intelligible at all volume levels even without changing the EQ."

Let's not cherry pick.
Dec 20, 2023
1,702 Posts
Joined Jun 2023
Dec 20, 2023
LovelySparrow901
Dec 20, 2023
1,702 Posts
Quote from JonathanJ7608 :
Keep reading...

"There's a bit of a silver lining for Dirac Live and it is this: due to the better phase-response, the sound is somewhat clearer and more intelligible at all volume levels even without changing the EQ."

Let's not cherry pick.
Did you actually read and comprehend what I wrote?
2
Dec 20, 2023
232 Posts
Joined Nov 2013
Dec 20, 2023
JonathanJ7608
Dec 20, 2023
232 Posts
Quote from LovelySparrow901 :
Did you actually read and comprehend what I wrote?
Just addressing the first half of your posts from the same article. Having experienced both XT32 and Dirac and messing with different curves as well as Dynamic eq.. Dirac still sounds better in my set up. Although I'm sure multEQ-X might best it with more hours of calibration that im not ready to invest.

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Dec 20, 2023
894 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Dec 20, 2023
TheSchlaf
Dec 20, 2023
894 Posts
Dirac / DLBC made a significant difference in my system. X3800h, RF-82iis, and 2 x PB-2000s. Definitely worth the $600
Dec 20, 2023
894 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Dec 20, 2023
TheSchlaf
Dec 20, 2023
894 Posts
Quote from netjack :
Anyone know why I'd be getting an "activate filter not authorised" (request could not be autorised because it was rejected as not authorised. This may be because the user account or device lacks the required licenses) error even though I have the full bandwidth + dlbc license active on my account?
Try to reactivate and see what happens. My licenses were only added to my account, it wasn't activated.
Dec 20, 2023
693 Posts
Joined Aug 2009
Dec 20, 2023
tokerblue
Dec 20, 2023
693 Posts
Is this license per device? Meaning if you have more multiple setups, you'd have to buy more than one license?
Pro
Dec 20, 2023
11,042 Posts
Joined Jul 2010
Dec 20, 2023
supermanrob
Pro
Dec 20, 2023
11,042 Posts
Quote from java568 :
Dirac Live vs Audyssey Review on Denon / Marantz Receivers:
https://simplehomecinema.com/2023...receivers/
That is a pretty good write up and informative.

Hmm did anyone else catch how much he talked/brought up about bass integration/mitigation and the work he had to do to dial it in.
How does that align with what Dirac says DLBC offers/does?
https://www.dirac.com/live/bass-control/

Hmmm I wonder if all that is just a "marginal/nothingburger/no value" benefit/product as some keep "preaching" over and over and over!!?

I definitely didn't get that impression or even that Dirac is "head and shoulders" better!

Wonder if having access to those two very good RCs on the same receiver is a benefit? Scratchchin
Especially when you get one included and you don't have to pay for the other unless/until you want to!

Funny how he didn't get downvoted & called a "troll" for making such a "useless" post!
Oh yea forgot, I didn't post it! Paperbag
2
Pro
Dec 20, 2023
11,042 Posts
Joined Jul 2010
Dec 20, 2023
supermanrob
Pro
Dec 20, 2023
11,042 Posts
Quote from tokerblue :
Is this license per device? Meaning if you have more multiple setups, you'd have to buy more than one license?
Correct, that applies to both DL and DLBC, that has always been the case.
1
Dec 20, 2023
729 Posts
Joined Aug 2009
Dec 20, 2023
rexian
Dec 20, 2023
729 Posts
Quote from LovelySparrow901 :
You haven't found a custom xt32 target curve using the app that you're happy with?
I don't have the $200 app with better customizability but the $20 IOS app didn't make X4800 audibly better than the X4100 I upgraded from. Measurably it was slightly better but nothing special. My subs manually calibrated with miniDSP 2x4 HD/UMIK/REW sound good but there is room for improvement.

Am I happy? Yes, but the upgrade turned out to be just for HDMI 2.1 and dedicated port for butt-kicker (and, of course possibility of DLBC). Manual calibration is a pain any time I make a change. My room is a bit complex so if DLBC does a better job, even if slightly, it's a keeper IMO just because of the time saved. Otherwise will have to figure how to return.
Last edited by rexian December 20, 2023 at 04:28 PM.
Dec 21, 2023
729 Posts
Joined Aug 2009
Dec 21, 2023
rexian
Dec 21, 2023
729 Posts
Quote from supermanrob :
Correct, that applies to both DL and DLBC, that has always been the case.
Not sure why this was downvoted - it is correct.

Dirac does allow transferring the license to a new device as long as the new device is the exact same model (for cases where the current one cannot be repaired and must be replaced).

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Original Poster
Dec 21, 2023
132 Posts
Joined Jun 2011
Dec 21, 2023
undisturbed316
Original Poster
Dec 21, 2023
132 Posts
Quote from rexian :
I don't have the $200 app with better customizability but the $20 IOS app didn't make X4800 audibly better than the X4100 I upgraded from. Measurably it was slightly better but nothing special. My subs manually calibrated with miniDSP 2x4 HD/UMIK/REW sound good but there is room for improvement.

Am I happy? Yes, but the upgrade turned out to be just for HDMI 2.1 and dedicated port for butt-kicker (and, of course possibility of DLBC). Manual calibration is a pain any time I make a change. My room is a bit complex so if DLBC does a better job, even if slightly, it's a keeper IMO just because of the time saved. Otherwise will have to figure how to return.
I got the DLBC upgrade. But to my ears, I can't say that the upgrade in sound quality is more than 10-20% over (if I had to quantify it). Honestly, after performing room correction, Dirac with bass control was a few dbs louder than xt32 with editor app over all, and if I just raised the volume, I almost wouldn't be able to tell the difference. ( rectangular room, no room treatments, not optimal subwoofer placement)

I'm glad Dirac allows a 30 day trial, cause I'm not certain that a slight upgrade is worth $560+mic cost. But I'm still learning how to use Dirac and rew, so I'll make the most of the trial
Last edited by undisturbed316 December 20, 2023 at 05:19 PM.
Dec 21, 2023
232 Posts
Joined Nov 2013
Dec 21, 2023
JonathanJ7608
Dec 21, 2023
232 Posts
Quote from undisturbed316 :
I got the DLBC upgrade. But to my ears, I can't say that the upgrade in sound quality is more than 10-20% over (if I had to quantify it). Honestly, after performing room correction, Dirac with bass control was a few dbs louder than xt32 with editor app over all, and if I just raised the volume, I almost wouldn't be able to tell the difference. ( rectangular room, no room treatments, not optimal subwoofer placement)

I'm glad Dirac allows a 30 day trial, cause I'm not certain that a slight upgrade is worth $560+mic cost. But I'm still learning how to use Dirac and rew, so I'll make the most of the trial
Appreciate your input... just like I thought.. marginal increase in sound upgrade according to your insights.
Last edited by JonathanJ7608 December 20, 2023 at 05:55 PM.

Related Searches

Popular Deals

View All

Trending Deals

View All