CES 2012

John Atkinson and Kal Rubinson became familiar with DEQX, an Australian company specializing in digital loudspeaker correction and room compensation, during their review of NHT’s Xd active loudspeaker system; I had the opportunity to become acquainted with DEQX at last year’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.

Then, the company gave an impressive demo of their HDP-3 standalone processor mated to a pair of Gallo Reference loudspeakers and Parasound amplification, showing room interaction and examining how the sound of the system could be optimized in the frequency, phase, and, most important to DEQX, time domains.

This year, the company gave a similarly impressive demonstration of their new HDP-4 processor ($4995), which should be available in about two months.

The DEQX HDP-4 processor is a lot like the HDP-3, but adds several audiophile touches including a 32-bit Burr-Brown D/A converter, Cirrus Logic A/D converter, improved inputs and outputs (balanced and unbalanced), 24-bit/192kHz-capable digital inputs, gold-plated connectors, and a handsome brushed aluminum faceplate. It looks the business.

In the picture above, stealthily captured by Scull Communications’ Jonathan Scull, I’m doing my best to keep up with DEQX's affable managing director, Kim Ryrie. Ryrie gave me an interesting step-by-step look at the DEQX software and, while I remain pretty much terrified of speaker correction, room compensation, and everything else that our “Music in the Round” columnist Kal Rubinson enjoys, the DEQX program struck me as powerful, intelligent, fairly intuitive, and maybe even a little bit fun.

For those, like me, who are intimidated by such products, real-time set-up assistance is available, via Skype, courtesy DEQX’s US agent, Larry Owens. That’s service.