The Listening Room Reality

They look really arty/cool👍🏼 ATB Peter

I tried bass traps in every places, and didn’t liked the effect.

Have you tried acoustic curtains ?

image

Yes indeed, at my wife’s request I’ve had 2 pairs of underpants in said fabric tailored for me. ATB Peter

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I don’t know if you are joking or not. I know there are acoustic curtains available as acoustic treatment.

After reading a few posts, some of them in particular, I think there is something that has to be clarified: acoustics is based on science, and the way we perceive sound as well.

Buying Gik acoustics (Vicoustic, etc.) expertise isn’t that expensive and is a good way to do things.

But if one want’s to address its room acoustic problems by itself, buying stuff probably isn’t the best way to start.

If one want’s to solve its room acoustic problems, learning is key.

Learning/knowing basic things like how sound propagates through the air (in a spherical way or like a beam, depending on its frequency), what’s the relation between frequency and wave length, what’s sound pressure, what’s sound absorption, what’s sound diffusion (or scattering), etc.

… And of course understanding the first law of thermodynamics.

Also, one needs to be aware of some myths around acoustics and furniture.

  • Bookshelves won’t diffuse sound. A diffuser is designed using mathematical sequences…
  • You can’t absorb low frequencies (under 250 Hz) with foam or furniture.
  • Plants probably enjoy music but won’t be of any help to address room acoustic problems
  • etc.

Good start points :

Videos :

–> https://www.youtube.com/user/GlennKuras/videos

–> https://www.youtube.com/user/AcousticFields/videos

–> https://www.youtube.com/user/EthanWiner/videos

–> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE-AQZGUXTM&list=PLyUIMiryImPja0TpkcPhtcRjMKS8Ih6Zw&index=9

Curiosity :

High efficiency sound diffusers:
–> https://news.ncsu.edu/2017/06/thinner-sound-diffuser-2017/

PSI Audio – Addressing low frequencies
–> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bRz7yXiLNg&list=PLyUIMiryImPja0TpkcPhtcRjMKS8Ih6Zw&index=5&t=0s

Nice readings edited by the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Federal institute of Technology) :

–> https://beast-epfl.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/search?query=sub,exact,ACOUSTIQUE%20DES%20SALLES:%20534.84,AND&search_scope=default_scope&vid=EPFL&lang=fr_FR&mode=advanced

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Thanks for all these informations Tomser. I want just to point that the artificial plants that I put recently in a corner between the speakers improved clearly the sound. To my great surprise. My goal was only decorating.

Exactly what I did Thomas and can we now have some pics please :face_with_monocle: ATB Peter

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I’ll take some more pictures and post them. No rush :wink:
You already have some taken 2 years ago (posted above) when I started treating the room.

Here are some others taken when the Magicos arrived (already posted somewhere else on the forum). But you can’t see the back wall nor side wall. I’ll take some more pics.

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You can add this also :smile:

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@frenchrooster I’m constantly amazed by your ability to you keep track of others posts :grin: It certainly is time consuming!

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Looks truly amazing and the attention to detail likewise and the Magicos blend in beautifully - it rings home that some of us ‘could’ be considered a bit ‘challenged’ :face_with_hand_over_mouth: Enjoy Peter
( am replying to Thomas’s post btw sorry )

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Thanks Peter! Your system looks great as well :smiley:
You’re lucky you could place your electronics away from the speakers.
This is one of many things I would like to change but can’t.

It’s not what I intended :sweat_smile:

Trying to correct my room’s acoustic was really fun and quite rewarding. Just wanted to share.

Many things… hardly!? :thinking: Happy New Year to you Peter

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I disagree. A bookcase full of assorted books, with differering spine materials, differering heights, and unevenly aligned spines, etc, will diffuse sound - not as effectively as a properly designed diffuser, but far better than a flat wall or glass doors. It will also have some absorption properties, though nothing like as good as a properly designed absorber.

[quote=“Thomas, post:102, topic:5761”]

You can’t absorb low frequencies (under 250 Hz) with foam or furniture.
[/quote=
I think that it is possible for a large soft sofa can absorb into the bass region, though it depends very much on its construction - but nothing like as well as a purpose-designed bass absorber, just better than nothing (although only if the sofa can be positioned in an appropriate place).

But you are entirely right that it is a matter of straightforward science - there is no magic! nor ‘audiophile’ exotic non-scientific treatments to relieve people of excess coin!

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I spent 4 hours today in the trains and metro. Big strikes. So yes, I have some time to loose…

I feel however you are a bit sarcastic. However my post was to show others than well done cables dressing is also in the area of acoustic improvements.
One thing that will improve your system, if I may make a suggestion to a great specialist as you, is to put all the ps on a second rack. It really improves the sound.

And we even only have 2 means of achieving our goals, ABSORPTION and DIFFUSION. ATB Peter

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Bookshelves full of books do provide some absorption and marginal diffusion, of course, but it’ll be more on the absorption side (around 3kHz). Does it make a difference? Oh yes, it does. Absorbing between 2 kHz and 5 kHz makes an immediate a difference.

Probably, in a certain way. This is something one could easily measure. Considering most sofas are made out of foam I doubt one could expect an effective absorption under 250-300 Hz. If the sofa is covered in leather it’ll have pretty poor absorption capabilities (air doesn’t pass through easily)

I couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately it is quite common :expressionless:

I was probably a bit « maladroit » to post your pic without clarifying my purpose. So I may understand your « agacement « . Google is not my friend for exact traduction, so I preferred the french terms you understand well.