Swedish digital audio specialist Dirac is continuing the expansion of its Dirac Live Active Room Treatment (ART) platform with support for the Monoprice Monolith HTP-1 home theater processor. With this update, ART—designed to coordinate multiple speakers and subwoofers to reduce room-induced distortion and timing errors—moves further into the enthusiast AV processor segment, delivering tighter bass integration, improved clarity, and more precise spatial performance in real-world rooms.
More importantly, this signals where the category is heading. Advanced room optimization is no longer a boutique feature reserved for ultra-high-end systems from brands like Trinnov Audio and StormAudio. With Monoprice and Dirac joining that short list, expectations are shifting: buyers shopping for serious AV processors and increasingly high-end AV receivers—now assume this level of room correction and system-wide control is part of the package, not a luxury add-on.
Introduced in 2023, Dirac Live Active Room Treatment uses a system’s existing speakers and subwoofers as a coordinated acoustic control network. Rather than treating each channel in isolation, ART actively manages low-frequency resonances and time-domain interactions across the room, reducing modal ringing and reflections while preserving phase coherence and spatial accuracy.
“Dirac Live ART is redefining what’s possible in home theater sound correction,” said Fredric Tapper, Vice President and Head of Business Development at Dirac. “By bringing this technology to the Monolith HTP-1, we’re empowering more users to experience a level of realism, control, and immersion that previously required professionally treated rooms or highly complex systems.”
Powered by Dirac’s patented MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) processing, Dirac Live Active Room Treatment allows all speakers and subwoofers in a system to operate as a coordinated whole rather than as independent channels. By controlling low-frequency energy, managing decay times, and addressing time-domain interactions across the room, ART delivers smoother bass response and more consistent tonal balance across a wider listening area—results that traditionally require extensive physical room treatment.
“Our collaboration with Dirac reflects a shared commitment to advancing home theater performance,” said Hobie Sechrest, Business Unit Manager for the Monolith Series at Monoprice. “By bringing Dirac Live Active Room Treatment to the Monolith HTP-1, we’re giving customers access to professional-grade acoustic control in their own homes. This collaboration marks an important step in making studio-grade performance more accessible to serious enthusiasts around the world.”
Dirac Live Active Room Treatment builds on the company’s established Dirac Live Room Correction, which optimizes both magnitude and phase response to address limitations inherent to traditional EQ approaches, and Dirac Live Bass Control, which uses machine-learning–based processing to co-optimize speakers and subwoofers for more consistent low-frequency performance across the listening area. Together, Dirac Live ART, Dirac Live Room Correction, and Dirac Live Bass Control form Dirac’s most advanced home theater optimization platform to date.
Monolith HTP-1 AV Processor Key Features
As an AV preamp/processor, the Monoprice Monolith HTP-1 is designed to serve as the control and signal-routing center of a dedicated home theater system, handling source selection, audio and video processing, and delivering line-level outputs to external amplification.
- Channel Configuration: 16-channel home theater preamp/processor supporting advanced multichannel and immersive surround formats.
- HDMI Connectivity: HDMI 2.0b with 8 inputs and 2 outputs; one HDMI output supports ARC and eARC.
- Audio-Only Inputs: Analog stereo RCA (2), digital coaxial (3), digital optical (3), balanced XLR (1).
- Audio Outputs: 16 balanced XLR line outputs for connection to external power amplifiers; 1 pair of unbalanced stereo RCA outputs.
- Network Connectivity: Wired Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
- Streaming Support: Bluetooth and Roon Ready.
- Maximum Video Pass-Through: Up to 4K UHD at 60Hz.
- Audio Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
- Surround Sound Format Support: Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, DTS:X, DTS Neural:X, DTS-HD Master Audio, Auro-3D, and Auro-Matic.
- Room Correction and Equalization: Dirac Live Room Correction included with HTP-1 ownership, optional Dirac Live Bass Control, and support for Dirac Live Active Room Treatment.
- Additional Audio Controls: Bass and treble tone controls, plus a 16-band parametric equalizer with independent speaker control for each band.
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 17.1 x 5.7 x 12.0 inches.
The Bottom Line
It’s rare to see 6+ year old products get enhancements, but this update seems squarely aimed at existing owners running multi-subwoofer, multi-channel systems who want measurably better bass control, tighter decay, and more consistent performance across the listening area without resorting to extensive physical room treatment. Although the HPT-1 is still available today, Dirac functionality is not included in the purchase price, and requires a licensing fee. Dirac ART + Bass Control licenses run $598 $549 when bundled, or $299 individually.
Casual users may balk at the added cost, but for serious home theater builders chasing precision and repeatability, this is exactly the kind of upgrade that justifies the expense.
Price & Availability
The Monolith HTP-1 AV Preamp/Processor (Product Number: 37887) is available for $3,999 at Monoprice.com.
Owners of the HTP-1 can add Dirac Live ART for $299 by purchasing a license, but you’ll also need Dirac Live Bass Control when used with one or more subwoofers, which costs another $299. Currently the combo is available for $549 if purchased together.
Related Reading:
- Dirac Live Active Room Treatment Arrives on Select Denon & Marantz AVRs: Precision Audio Calibration Now Available
- Klipsch Unveils Next-Gen Powered Speaker Line at CES 2026, Powered by Onkyo and Dirac Live
- AudioControl Hyperion Series with Dirac Live Active Room Treatment Coming for CI Integrators:
- Dirac Brings Concert Hall Sound to Your Car, But You Might Have to Move to Europe or China to Hear It
