Trinnov ST-2 vs. Sound ID Apollo Integration
Nov 17, 2024 13:34:40 GMT -6
wiz, kcatthedog, and 1 more like this
Post by Johnkenn on Nov 17, 2024 13:34:40 GMT -6
This is my opinion, take it or leave it.
I've been testing this out today...Nothing particularly scientific, but here's my take. Believe me, I'd love to sell the Trinnov - even if it's a pittance of what I paid. Of course, I'd have to have a replacement.
I have a Heritage RAM monitor controller, so I have the Trinnov going AES to a Hilo and I monitor from the Hilo DA. I have the Hilo outputs going to Input 1 on my RAM.
My Apollo is a BLA mod, so it has great DA - it just hasn't been corrected so I don't really even use it. But I've set up SoundID to work and have it going to Input 2 on the RAM. So I can volume match and go back and forth.
*Just an aside - apparently, the correction doesn't follow any mirrored digital connections. EG, I have my Analog 1-2 mirrored to spdif so I can send that output digitally to the Hilo for (better) DA conversion. So I don't believe the correction can be sent digitally and can't be used with an external DA. Maybe I'm missing something, but when I bypass my Trinnov (which is connected via SPDIF/AES, toggling the correction on and off makes no difference. You'd think that could be fixed?
Back to comparing the two. I finally got them relatively volume matched and could switch back and forth. This is an old Sound ID profile I had from August, so I wanted to measure again - and while I can get the software to recognize the input from my Sonarworks mic in the initial screens, it won't register when I try and measure. No clue and I have a message out...So honestly, I don't know if it's a great representation of my room at the moment. But it's definitely generally the same curve - big boost in bottom, big dip around 90, then various smaller issues.
Initially - the Trinnov is way less subtle. Much less bottom and seems brighter. I actually went in to the custom setting in Sound ID and matched the Trinnov measurements by ear - and they were really close. BUT - here's the difference - and finally proven to me by being able to go back and forth - the phase. When I'm listening on the SID correction - it sounds really good. (Listening to No Ordinary Love - Sade...great bottom and cool use of width) But when I switch over to the Trinnov, I immediately hear space and reverb that I didn't hear with Sound ID. OK - 30 minutes later - I've been really going back and forth even more. I've adjusted the EQ in the "Custom" part of SoundID to match the Trinnov as much as possible and I feel pretty good about them sounding really close. SID does a really great job of that. But again - you switch from SID to Trinnov and it's like "Oh - there was reverb on that." This is a hyperbolic sounding analogy, but it's like going from mono to stereo - obviously the SID isn't mono, but it's the same sensation on a smaller scale if that makes any sense: it's just wider and "unmasked." Before using room correction, I was constantly pulling back verbs and delays after listening in the car...I just wasn't hearing it.
So - here's my final thought on the two: Sound ID is great. You should buy it if you don't have anything else. Integration in the Apollo is even better. AND...the Trinnov is even better. I'm seeing occasionally on Reverb you can buy the st-2 for like $2500 with a mic. Man, at that price it's a no-brainer IMO. I'd MUCH rather have the Trinnov than a Sta-level or Helios. Well - that's not true lol - it's not as sexy a buy as those two, but it's more important in the scheme of things. This has confirmed to me that I think I leaving Trinnov to go with the SoundID Integration would make me mix differently - you can't fix something you can't hear - and I feel like that's a step backwards. I'll probably buy it for $50, though. It's a great solution for tracking in my case. Now when tracking, I can use it to correct my headphones - and actually committing to more aggressive EQ moves during tracking.
I've been testing this out today...Nothing particularly scientific, but here's my take. Believe me, I'd love to sell the Trinnov - even if it's a pittance of what I paid. Of course, I'd have to have a replacement.
I have a Heritage RAM monitor controller, so I have the Trinnov going AES to a Hilo and I monitor from the Hilo DA. I have the Hilo outputs going to Input 1 on my RAM.
My Apollo is a BLA mod, so it has great DA - it just hasn't been corrected so I don't really even use it. But I've set up SoundID to work and have it going to Input 2 on the RAM. So I can volume match and go back and forth.
*Just an aside - apparently, the correction doesn't follow any mirrored digital connections. EG, I have my Analog 1-2 mirrored to spdif so I can send that output digitally to the Hilo for (better) DA conversion. So I don't believe the correction can be sent digitally and can't be used with an external DA. Maybe I'm missing something, but when I bypass my Trinnov (which is connected via SPDIF/AES, toggling the correction on and off makes no difference. You'd think that could be fixed?
Back to comparing the two. I finally got them relatively volume matched and could switch back and forth. This is an old Sound ID profile I had from August, so I wanted to measure again - and while I can get the software to recognize the input from my Sonarworks mic in the initial screens, it won't register when I try and measure. No clue and I have a message out...So honestly, I don't know if it's a great representation of my room at the moment. But it's definitely generally the same curve - big boost in bottom, big dip around 90, then various smaller issues.
Initially - the Trinnov is way less subtle. Much less bottom and seems brighter. I actually went in to the custom setting in Sound ID and matched the Trinnov measurements by ear - and they were really close. BUT - here's the difference - and finally proven to me by being able to go back and forth - the phase. When I'm listening on the SID correction - it sounds really good. (Listening to No Ordinary Love - Sade...great bottom and cool use of width) But when I switch over to the Trinnov, I immediately hear space and reverb that I didn't hear with Sound ID. OK - 30 minutes later - I've been really going back and forth even more. I've adjusted the EQ in the "Custom" part of SoundID to match the Trinnov as much as possible and I feel pretty good about them sounding really close. SID does a really great job of that. But again - you switch from SID to Trinnov and it's like "Oh - there was reverb on that." This is a hyperbolic sounding analogy, but it's like going from mono to stereo - obviously the SID isn't mono, but it's the same sensation on a smaller scale if that makes any sense: it's just wider and "unmasked." Before using room correction, I was constantly pulling back verbs and delays after listening in the car...I just wasn't hearing it.
So - here's my final thought on the two: Sound ID is great. You should buy it if you don't have anything else. Integration in the Apollo is even better. AND...the Trinnov is even better. I'm seeing occasionally on Reverb you can buy the st-2 for like $2500 with a mic. Man, at that price it's a no-brainer IMO. I'd MUCH rather have the Trinnov than a Sta-level or Helios. Well - that's not true lol - it's not as sexy a buy as those two, but it's more important in the scheme of things. This has confirmed to me that I think I leaving Trinnov to go with the SoundID Integration would make me mix differently - you can't fix something you can't hear - and I feel like that's a step backwards. I'll probably buy it for $50, though. It's a great solution for tracking in my case. Now when tracking, I can use it to correct my headphones - and actually committing to more aggressive EQ moves during tracking.
