Room acoustics

[bakker_be]

Following up from my post
(http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?97881-Community-Funded-Squeezebox-Replacement-Would-you-be-interested&p=745995&viewfull=1#post745995)
in another thread, i'd like some advice on room acoustics, an more
specifically, acoustical treatment.

I'm quite happy with what I have, but at times I get this itch to
improve, especially knowing that it can sound a lot more "alive" than it
does in my setup. I've already said it in some other thread on here: it
seems as though it's lacking in dynamics. I have for instance a bootleg
of Richard Thompson at Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival, which is really
amazing. At the store, Touch connected through SPDIF, playing at
(subjectively, not measured) the same level, I could really feel each
time he hits the strings on his guitar. Same hardware, approximately the
same listening distance at home, I can't. It's better when I connect the
Touch through analog though ...

How could I begin to solve this? Relevant hardware: Touch; Marantz
SR-5004;TMA Premium 905; BK Monolith+ FF. If you need any additional
info, I'd be happy to provide it :)


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[Apesbrain]

Can you provide some information about your listening room?

- dimensions (l/w/h)
- geometric shape (box, trapezoid)
- where your speakers are placed
- any speaker tilt, toe-in/out
- where you sit
- what coverings are on the walls, floors, ceiling
- amount of window glass
- what furniture is in the room
- where is your listening room located in your house and what type of
structural framing (e.g. wood/plasterboard, concrete block).

Draw and scan a picture if you can.

BTW, are you listening at home at the same apparent volume level as you
experienced in the store? Small changes in level can make a big
perceptual difference.

Good resources for acoustical treatments:

http://www.tubetrap.com/
http://www.atsacoustics.com/

Before you spend a lot on treatments, provide the information above and
see what suggestions you get that can be tried for free.


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[bakker_be]

Pictures taken from my listening/viewing spot, from left to right. Sorry
for the less than optimal quality, cell phone pictures. No tidying has
been done befor taking them either, as this is the "natural" state of
the environment ;)
This part is around 3,5m x 5m, 2,2m high, drywall ceiling directly on
wooden roof beams (roof itself is OSB sheets on top of the beams,
covered with an isolating layer and weatherproofing), fireplace is also
drywall, on metal studs, floor is massive oak on concrete, walls are
plastered & painted brick and mortar.
14743
14744

This part is 3,5m x 4m, 2,7m high, its where I'm seated, watching across
the shortest dimension, around 2,8m from the 50" Pioneer Plasma. Floor
is still the same massive oak, the wall behind my back plastered and
painted brick and mortar, the wall with the TV is drywall on metal
studs, fixed to plastered brick and mortar. Above the TV, against the
ceiling there's a MDF-construction, 0,4m deep, 0,15m high along the
whole wall, containing halogen lighting. The ceiling is plastered and
painted concrete beams. The couch I'm sitting on is around 2,7m long,
leather body with corduroy cushioning, like the one in the 1st picture,
just longer.
14745
14746

This part is 4m x 4m, 2,7m high, plastered and painted brick and mortar
all around. The ceiling is again plastered and painted concrete beams,
floor is Belgian Blue stone on concrete, cellar underneath it. Theres
another MDF-construction, 0,6m deep, 0,15m high along the whole wall,
containing halogen lighting. All cupboards and the table are massive
wood, there's pine, teak & oak. Above the window ther's a MDF
construction hiding the rolling shutter.
14747

There are no doors between these spaces, the dividing wall between my
seating place and the right part is also plastered and painted brick and
mortar. No drapes as yet, the wife hasn't decided yet what she'd like ;)


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[Apesbrain]

Like you, I am a fan of the modern, minimalist interior aesthetic, but
unfortunately it is about the worst thing possible for sound
reproduction. All those hard surfaces (walls, glass, brick, ceiling,
floor) create multiple reflections that will destroy any sense of
soundfield and smear transients. Even the furniture is hard (leather)
and mostly right angles. Sit where you typically listen and clap your
hands; you want to minimize those echoes.

Some easy things to try:

1. Your speakers are unequally loaded: one is in a corner, while the
other is not. The first thing I'd do is move them closer to one another
and "aim" them so their beam axis would cross 0.5m behind your head.
Experiment with this angle; sometimes crossing in front of your head or
aiming straight on is preferable. I can't tell from the pictures if the
speakers are resting directly on the floor which will also add
coloration; you might try putting them on spikes or small decoupling
stands. They may also sound better with a small "tip up" angle.

2. Minimize the reflective surfaces by putting an area rug with a thick
pad in the listening area. Hang something on the walls to break up the
surface and help tame ringing from the stud walls. Put some soft
pillows and a folded blanket on the leather sofa. When your wife
chooses drapes and they are in place, that will also help.

3. Given the room size, I know it's unavoidable that your head end up
right against the back wall but it's not ideal. Can you move your sofa
even 15cm away from the wall? Or hang something absorbtive (e.g.
tapestry-like) on the back wall.

Do a Google search on "designing a good listening room" and you'll find
many resources. I'll also PM you some other suggestions.


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[Julf]

Post by Apesbrain
Do a Google search on "designing a good listening room" and you'll find
many resources.

'Ethan Winer's book' (http://www.ethanwiner.com/book.htm) (and his
'forum' (http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/forums/24/1)) are
a good resource too.


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[jezbo]

Does your amp have balance & tone controls? That's the usual way to
tweak the sound according to room acoustics - something modern amp
designers often forget in the quest for a trendy "minimalist" design.


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[bakker_be]

Post by jezbo
Does your amp have balance & tone controls? That's the usual way to
tweak the sound according to room acoustics - something modern amp
designers often forget in the quest for a trendy "minimalist" design.

It's a Marantz home theater receiver so yes it does. It's got 3
different modes of operation:


- Audissey, with all possibilities that entails (automatic set-up,
manual tweaking of the curves, distances, ...)
- Source Direct, defeats all Audissey functions except Bass
management
- Pure Direct, defeats all Audissey functions, passes an untreated
full range signal to the main speakers


When using Pure Direct, music sounds dull and thin in my room. In
Audissey mode, deactivating Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ, music does
sound more alive, but a touch bass heavy. Source Direct is better with
regards to bass, but it's still somewhat dull.
I've looked into other forms of room correction (affordable ones that
is): Inguz, Behringer FBD, ... but everything I read tells me to first
try and physically correct my room. Another problem is that they all
seem to necessitate quite extensive measuring, and I can't seem to get
the house really quiet for long enough during the day (3 kids, wife, 2
cats, ...) and at night when everybody sleeps the volumes needed for the
testing are prone to wake everybody up :D


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