infinity rabos spl meter

[evac311]

I have an Infinity sw12 sub with the room adaptive bass optimization system, and I'd like to get the bass tuned. Infinity charges sixty dollars for their kit with meter and test cd. I'd like to do it for less by buying an spl meter and cd seperately, but I'm worried that I might not get the same performance from a radio shack spl meter. What is my best option within a budget?
Thanks

[Woochifer]

The primary difference is that the RABOS system is designed for simplicity of use. Also, my fuzzy recollection is that the parametric EQ adjustment on the back of the Infinity subs are not indicated by the standard frequency and bandwidth measures, but rather by numerical scales, which might be difficult to match by using a Radio Shack SPL meter and standard test discs if that's the case.

The Radio Shack SPL meter costs $40, and a test CD will run you $10-$15, so it's not like you'll save a whole lot of money by foregoing the RABOS kit. If you plan to keep your Infinity sub for a while, it might be best to just go with the RABOS kit, if for no other reason than its simplicity. The Infinity sub and the RABOS system are limited because they use only one parametric filter (whereas most typical rooms will have at least two or three problematic bass frequencies that require adjustment). But, the alternative is to go with a more elaborate parametric equalizer setup that allows for more corrective flexibility and more EQ filters, and that has a far steeper learning curve. Even with only one parametric filter on the Infinity subs, that's still a huge improvement, and the RABOS system allows you to enjoy this improvement in easy-to-follow steps that take less than 15 minutes. The parametric corrections on my subwoofer took nearly two hours to do, plus a lot of reading and getting up to speed on the concepts before that.

[evac311]

Thanks. I think I will go with the Infinity kit. I'm moving in about two weeks, so it will be nice not to have to go through hours setting this thing up by ear again.