The Listening Room Reality

I just asked my wife and she said absolutely not🤣

In our new basement room no problem

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Currently testing a PSI Audio active bass trap (AVAA AC214) in my small room and it makes noticable difference. Had some challenges around 30 - 35 Hz with vibrations, It is an expensive solution. Also impacts the overall sound signature in a positive way. Also tested absorption panels (made of recycled PET), needed 3-4 layers to improve sound - but has a lot less effect than the active bass trap. Activ bass trap makes sound more relaxed (which allows playing louder without interference of rest of family).

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Hi Winkelmr
I have been interested in the avaas for some time. They are pretty expensive and the consensus is that two are required for small/medium rooms.
Would you mind sharing your room shape, dimensions and how many avaas you have, positioning etc.
Also do you have any REW measurements?
Many thanks
Stu


lengte of the room is 9 m and width 4 m. Stereo is on the short side. The challenge with the muddy bass (around 35 kHz) is in the left corner (see bass trap on photo) (Bad Guy - Billie Eilish). Other challenge is that there are 2 wooden floors on top of each other - reduced this issue with the Gaia’s. In the wooden chest there are heavy tiles to reduce the vibration. Tests with only 1 bass trap and that works remarkable - have not tested a 2nd one (dealer offered to do so - but don’t think I will need it in my room).

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Thanks for the reply. Your room is quite a bit longer than mine at 5m.
Avaa looks very discreet in the corner. Glad it is working out for you.
Must get round to demoing at some point.

At the Bristol hifi show earlier this year the Innous room had an Avaa bass trap placed in each corner at the back of the room.

The speakers were active ATC’s.


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Is your dealer in the Netherlands by any chance? If so which dealt was it?

Dealer in Leiden: studio one, have great experience with them.

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Ordered the Avaa today

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When will you receive them, interested to hear how you get on with them.

Received it this weekend, bass is no longer muddy at low frequency and overall sound is more defined. Have tested the bass trap for 4 weeks (borrowed from dealer) and did do without them for 6 weeks, really missing them.

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Excellent, will have to see how to get a demo in the UK

I’ve had mine for about a year and think they are great. For those interested, The Alpha Audio Youtube channel is reviewing them presently and can be expected to publish something within a few weeks.

Hans

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Thought it was worth keeping this topic going because, as I am learning, it’s a tricky subject but critical to our listening enjoyment.

I have a resonance/pressure build up in my room which comes in on tracks with very low bass - think Erykah Bada Rimshot for instance. I’ve tried other speakers here, positioning, etc. The only thing that fixes it is using DSP in Roon, but this of course means using vinyl is difficult on these kind of recordings.

Thinking of how to move forward and having read this thread, I thought bass traps would not really work or pass the interior decor committee so I borrowed some PSI AAVAs. Expensive but if they did the trick… They had zero effect in my room, nothing, so much so I had to check they were switched on properly, I know others have had great success with these so I was kind of disappointed.

I’ve just tried the filters from Home Audio Fidelity, thinking that if it has to be DSP then get the best I can, again following reviews on here. In my room I could hear no difference from the filters I had already developed using REW so, no joy there?

So, my thoughts turn to bass traps and the like again. I have large French Doors one side of my room so as an experiment, I just opened those wide, and also the window opposite the speaker to see what would happen, kind of a surrogate bass trap/release. Same resonance, no difference.

All of this leaves me a bit confused but I’m left with one last thought centred on my suspended timber floor. If it’s not connected to this then I’m out of ideas.

Which frequencies are you addressing via DSP (?), as the 606’s don’t go as low as some 'speakers. Reads like you’ve a room node kicking off – I’ve got a doorway with a piece of glass which vibrates at certain frequencies.

Can you provide a diagram/pic of the space and kit locations etc,?

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606s go down to 30Hz, my issue is around 38Hz

This is pretty much what I get

The room….

Speakers tweeter to tweeter - 2.2M
Speakers to Listening Position - 3.2M

Im really no expert in this, but I have the same power amp and speakers as you. Bass on the 606s has been a little tricky in the past. The thing that really tightened up the bass and stopped/reduced resonance on some songs were powerlines and a good power pack. As someone else pointed out, you just needed to get more/better AC to the system? Perhaps cleaner power helps the isobaric nature of these speakers? You could try borrowing some stuff?

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My suspicion is the 'speakers (in an ideal world), need to come forward a fair bit (up to ~0.45x the width of the room if the Cardas model guidance is believed).

Siting 'speakers back near rear walls generally increases bass reinforcement, but this isn’t always a good thing.

Have you moved them fore and aft?

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