New 8.0 firmware

[Triggrhappy01]

(Cross post from "Firmware 8.0 thread)

I took some REW measurements of 7.1.1, 7.1.3b and 8.0.0.  With SAM defeated, and ICM defeated in 8.0.0, there is no significant difference between the three.  Any variation can be attributed to measurement error.




However, in 8.0.0, ICM (Intelligent Cinema Mode) is defaulted to ON and you are most likely hearing its effects as shown below when you load 8.0.0 and a config file created under the "new" Configurator.



As far as I can tell, there is no way to defeat ICM from the configurator - meaning the only way to turn it off is to map the "ICM on/off" function to a remote button and then manually defeat it.  It seems to be a smooth, subtle downward tilt toward the high frequencies, approx. 1dB down at 1 KHz, 2dB down at 10 KHz, and 3dB down at 20 KHz according to the graphs.  The hinge point appears to be around 100-150 Hz.  Note that ICM seems to adjusted dynamically depending on volume, and this represents only a single volume setting.


(Expert 200 was at level of -18 for all measurements.  KEF LS50s are on loan and it's unknown if they are fully broken in.  UMIK and latest REW version for OS X.  Except for the "ICM on/off" remote control mapping, the same config file was used for all FW versions - downloaded 5/17 using the new Configurator.  The overall measurement level is low but all measurements were made under the same conditions.  FW version measurements taken approx. 30min apart.  DPM was on during all 8.0.0 measurements.  Room is 12x20 and reflective.  Speakers are along the long wall, microphone approx. 8ft from each speaker.)

I was wrong about ICM being on by default, and apologize for misstating as such in my original post.  Additional measurements confirm that ICM is defaulted to OFF until you turn it on.  And, it turns out that - contrary to my statement - the only way to turn it ON is to assign the ICM on/off function to the remote and manually activate it.  You won't hear ICM unless you really mean to.  It was an error on my part that led to my claim to the contrary.

You know how SAM is always default=on whenever you load an enabled config file (even if it was off before loading the new config)?  The fault in my logic was assuming that ICM worked in this same way.  Unlike SAM, ICM remembers its last state no matter how many new config files you load.  I had left ICM on during the course of my original measurements.  Therefore, I saw ICM's tilted-down effect every time I loaded a different config file, and believed that ICM was defaulted to on whenever you loaded a config.  I was wrong, sorry.