Dedicated music room layout

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Maybe some acoustic panels bend your sofa if you fire across the room.

I may have a little experiment with my room at the weekend firing across the room but most of the reading I have done suggests firing down the room is optimum but as we all know each room is different!

Gary

Dont want to de rail this thread, but it does show how good the 808’s can do, even in tight spaces.
A few quotes from the review.
What i will say is that this is amongst the best systems i have heard.
The bass control of his system was very good.
As far as sound quality goes, i can say it had little effect on me. My system now has a vitus Ri 10mk11 and dcs bartok.
If you are going to the Maverick show, then you owe it to yourself to ask for your favourite tune and listen to why we all bother with audio.

This was all over a year ago, and my system has grown and got better since as well.
Anyway, that’s enough from me. You can find the full review if you want, plus hear it at the show.
Cheers dunc

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Thanks for the reply @Farthings-cat i will certainly be trying both ways round and will consider the panels behind the sofa. Where we are at the moment I fire across the room and have a bloody great mirror behind the sofa, which isn’t exactly ideal.
Interested to hear how you get on trying the swap around in your room.

Iain

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Have you decided to put your 808’s along the bay window wall or the longer one opposite the door Ian? Speaker cable length, mains socket position dictate? I can offer my two pence worth of advise regarding treatment either way.

I’m going to try it both ways to start with and use extensions to make it work. Because I’m active and have the rack in the middle ant the moment, I only have 2M lengths of speaker cable (3 pairs). Once I decide which way works best I will have the sockets put in and order new speaker cable to match new positions. If I fire down the room the rack will go in the bay and set right back. If I fire across the room the rack could be in the middle or in the bay. Either way, any advice on room treatment gratefully received @Cohen1263

It’s a great write up and review @Dunc. I know the 808s can work well with some space restrictions and their unfussy nature was one of the reasons I have them. I know you have yours in a similar size room and I see you have a dresser/sideboard to accommodate, but have you tried firing across the room or is that just not possible?

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I did some moving around last night and fired across the room. It was instantly a lot worse so reverted back to foreign down the room.

Everyone’s room is different but for me in my room (4.8m x 3.6m) firing down the room gives me a much better outcome.

Worth experimenting though as whilst a bit of a faff it’s a free experiment!

Gary

Maybe consider doing a floor plan with measurements and send to the nice folk at GIK to see what they recommend. They do sale or return albeit you have to stump up the costs of postage.

They typically recommend treating first reflection points (mirror seating position method) and the corners but worth seeing what they recommend.

Gary

Thanks Gary, that’s really helpful.

Will dig out the details for GIK and flick them a floor plan with equipment options and see what comes back.

KR
Iain

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So your FRAIMs will sit between the speakers. A compromise but these big systems in smallish rooms require some.

Ok I learned a hell of a lot about the fundamentals of room treatment from Peter R and then tuned to my tastes.

Firstly direct sound is the goal not reflected with it’s time smears. if you fire across the small dimension you avoid major first reflection issues. However you then should fit absorption behind where you will be sat or you will get reverb from the wall behind you. I actually don’t like too much absorption treatment as I like a lively “live feel” sound. But in your and my room definitely in that area. This config would be my preference subject to not creating any nasty bass node issue (another thing altogether)

If you position the system in front of the bay you can sit away from the wall (where your LPs are planned to go) thereby negating the reverb. But you will not be able to avoid first reflection point sound doing it’s thing. Some seem to like it. Fair enough. I actually like to diffuse at first reflection in a small room because for me it creates a more open sound.

This is just my two pence worth based on a lot of reading then experimenting with 808’s.

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I haven’t tried it with the 808’s, but when we first moved in here about 30 years ago, i had my system set up with the speaker’s either side off the fire place.
But it wouldn’t really work for me today, and as the review says, it sounds very good as it is.
When we move, which will probably be in about 5 years time to a bungalow near the cost, then hopefully i can design the room around the system, rather than the system around the room.

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I changed to firing across the room so the sibs could have more room,
I ended up experimenting with underlay on the opposite wall to help subdue the bass a little



Now I have started acoustic dressing

The kitchen door opposite left speaker no longer rattles and sounds better than the righ speaker,
doing other side today

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Hello,
a remark which does not concern the arrangement.

Since this will be a listening room, consider having an electrician install a dedicated power line. it’s a very big upgrade.

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Wise words!

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Already on that,

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I have done some messing about on Excel to get a better feel for the furniture and equipment and how that fits into the room.
I have done 2 versions, 1 firing each way. The limitations are if I fire down the room I have 1.6 meters between the speakers with only 20cm to each side and behind. I can easily achieve anything from 2 to 2.5 meters from tweeter to ear.

When firing across the room I can get to the recommended 2 meters between the speakers and 70cm to any side boundary. Keeping to 20cm behind the speaker it only gives 1.9meters from tweeter to ear with the chair(s) pushed right to the back wall.

I can get all required furniture in the room so should make a nice cosy room.

Looks good although coffee table could cause some reflections, always a compromise.

Maybe to avoid what if thinking draw up a plan B firing down the room and try both. Some rooms are very fussy and some aren’t, you won’t really know until you try!

Best of luck

Gary

Thanks Gary,

Both versions are in my post above. One down and one across.

Coffee table is an optional extra as we don’t currently have one any my wife isn’t keen on them.

Oops missed that detail! Defo try both.

Plenty of funky side tables about these days to rest that all important glass of wine!

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