Could anyone with a good understanding of room acoustics explain to me please why removal of a big piece of Oak furniture (TV unit) from between the speakers makes such a profound difference to the tautness, tightness ans hardness of bass.
The unit was 150cm wide and weighed £50KG. Solid oak. Hefty piece of furniture. Replaced by a new trendy lighweight (10kg) wood bench with thin metal legs. Possibly to be replaced with a Fraim or two.
Music had a lot more depth, slam before. Sounding substantial and firm. Like a cricket ball hitting a bat. Now the music feels softer and lighter. Like a softer ball hitting a bat. Music also less clear.
I’m thinking of moving from SN2 to 282/250DR so hoping I get all the tautness back with that move.
Your sound stage starts with getting your speakers set in a close to perfect triangle with your listening position at the peak. Getting your voicing in the center by moving your speakers side to side starts the process, then you get the bass by moving them closer or further from the back wall, then the imaging and fine tuning with toe in. But most aspects of PRaT, and those details of clarity, delivery, and the state of NIRVANA sound come from the location between the speakers.
This is why manufacturers say to ensure the face of the speaker must be X distance forward of any object between them, like a fireplace hearth, cabinet etc. when starting your set up process. Your sound stage should be more open now. Typically, a dealer will have a nice fake plant in between to take up a little of the resonance from the high, mids and low frequencies, and tone them down like a sound trap or panel.
A solid oak unit will vibrate differently from a more flimsy structure, so the two would affect the sound in the room differently - though Zi wouldn’t have liked to predict in what way either!
One thing that has always puzzled me is why it is considered better to place rack in corner where bass frequencies are concentrated potentially causing more unwanted vibration. Is it definitely better than between speakers???
It makes a difference. Look at my post on system pics, I had to hang acoustic panels on my large wall to help with frequency issues. I am just passing along info. Have a nice read on the article if you wish. You can use the info to your advantage or disprove it if you wish.
While I am also skeptical, And came across the article a while back, I have been to several dealer listening rooms in the USA, in Ann Arbor MI, Chicago, Atlanta, and others, and there always seems to be a fake or real plant between the speakers in one of the rooms or in the room somewhere(not all rooms and dealers I may add)and wall panels or some kind of sound absorption on the front walls where the speakers are, which we know makes sense.
Hi Scott, I thought I’d show you a picture of my real acoustic palm. I’ve had it for years and it not only gets fed and watered but also enjoys music most days ATB Peter
Need as much absorption as possible given those fact 12’s bass capability. Lovely speaker, and great room you have. Those speakers are so musical. That would be my next step, but my 25.26 are only 2 years old and are a great fit. I may have them into and through retirement given the 20 year warranty PMC provides.
I can attest too. I put a little plant between my speakers and was surprised by better clarity of the sound, even if some responded that it can make any difference.
ATB Peter
ATB Peter
