Well after visiting the audio show last weekend and speaking to GIK Acoustic it really got my thinking about it all. Yes I know it’s an art all in itself and not 100% sure what I want or even after.
My room is a bit difficult, but after showing the guys a few pics, they feel that I should get a nice improvement if I add some 100mm panels behind the speaker, about half way up so extending above the top of the speaker, then one either side of each speaker at the first reflection point, these will be free standing so I can hind them when not in use, also 2 panels on the ceiling just infront off the speakers.
Now what I don’t want to do is kill the sound, as I quite like the way it is, but as always with this journey, could it be better? as I just don’t know what I am missing ?
I know I have first reflection issues especially on the side with the high unit close, the other side wall has lots of pictures and this has helped brake it up, plus if you look at the picture below, you will see 2 cushions on the unit, this helps massively, so I am sure Acoustic panels will help.
But my main question is, anyone got panels on the ceiling? Plus has anyone ever got them and disliked what they did.
I am hoping Peter R will step in, especially as he has the same speakers and uses room treatment, I have tried not to go down this road for a few reasons, but mainly because the wife will hate it all, but I feel my system, my life, my enjoyment of music warrants me to atleast try it and see what it brings.
Any chance you could move the cabinet on the right hand side somewhere else and then put the Fraim against that wall so that it is now longer in between your speakers?
Forgot to add
Will get a bigger rug and hopefully a deeper one to try and help, as the floor is solid concrete with 25 solid oak glued to it.
Also back wall is not the actual back wall of the room, the actual wall is wood stud with normal plaster board and loft insulation between it, then I have a gap, then another wood stud wall with dense wool type insulation, this stud wall doesn’t touch the existing wall, then it has 2 layers of sound board on it and then plastered. So it’s quite a wall behind the speakers, but obviously this doesn’t stop reflections etc or act as a bass trap, it’s more to stop sound going through to the other room, which it made a huge difference too, but it also may be helping?, not sure.
Cheers dunc
The problems with doing that is, no where else to put the cabinet other than tip it and it was quite expensive.
The fraim would stick out quite a bit more and then this would make the speaker move further over.
That would then get very close to TV
Also the speaker would be firing straight into some off the boxes, the layout of the boxes on the fraim, would mean turntable now very difficult to get at as speaker in the way, etc.
My special mains plugs are behind the rack and so in the wrong place now really.
So I don’t think it works really and moving things about has crossed my mind, but I can’t really see an other way.
My speakers are quite a way forward from the front edge of the fraim, hopefully that helps?
Ceiling treatment was the last part of room treatment i did .
Initially just had 2 x 242 panels on the ceiling at the first reflection points and found a good improvement
Later , after talking with GIK , i added 2 more 242’s over the speakers and 2 more over the listening position. These gave an even greater improvement , really changed the feel of the room for the better.
A
Having the speakers in front is better than having them inline but the positioning of the Fraim in the centre will still compromise the SQ to some degree. I would have thought that in the context your fabulous system, moving the cabinet would be in your best interests to see whether it makes a worthwhile improvement and you may find that you longer require so much room treatment. It’s also free and only requires some of your time
Just too many things to overcome to even think about it, so other solutions needed
Everything I’ve read and watched on YouTube (where there are some very knowledgeable content creators) tells me that you need to measure the room and then solve for specific issues.
Just ‘throwing’ various products on your walls and ceiling would seem to be absolutely the wrong way to do it.
You might convince yourself that you’ve improved things; that’s our common practice.
Towards the end of my thread here, you will see discussions that lead to some low ish cost room treatments I did that ended up well in the new listening room the main system is now in:
What size room do you have Dunc? Have you tried REW room measurements?
As a free trial to get some idea of how the sound will change throw a blanket over that TV, and maybe also the unit to cover the glass.
I think you probably need to train the dog to sleep in the sweet point for sound treatment when you are listening and maybe get another to balance the sound.
No not yet, but will have a look cheers
Will add the room size once home
Great idea, I can place a spare duvet over both
The other big dog is also in the room but hidden from view
Plus we have 5 dogs so could try and get 2 to sit on the side to help reduce reflection lol
Hi Dunc, indeed I have tried treating 1st ceiling reflection with various remedies from full diffusion ( 100% redirection) to Vicoustic foam panels to various thickness of wool…… and I simply didn’t like it! Maybe it’s something to do with my hearing, but I ended up with nothing added to the ceiling.
I feel also that I’ve managed to reduce reverb in admittedly more convenient places and per se don’t suffer a slap echo in my room, which absorbers mounted on the ceiling would address.
As for the pine cabinet on the right hand side, could you invite your wife on a luxury holiday and whilst away get a trusted friend to chuck a hand grenade into it?! ( sorry it had to be said).
You could also maybe move the bottom row of your left hand wall photographs away, so the left speaker’s tweeter is not firing onto the glass of the framed photos at 1st reflection point.
I really do feel, that your speakers need far more breathing space, which I appreciate may not be possible in your home?
Good luck Peter
PS. Maybe I should mention throughout my room treatment venture it was imperative for me NOT to ‘kill the sound’ or retain liveliness in my room.
Dunc - you have such a great set up there. Please get rid of that orange pine dresser!! As others have suggested putting the Fraim against that wall (even behind the line of your Fact 12s) would be optimal and you may not need any room treatment then. I appreciate that there are always domestic compromises in play but for the amount you’ve invested in your system surely getting the rig out from between the speakers and allowing the Facts to breathe has to be a priority? Good luck👍🏻
…as do egg cartons
Cheers Peter.
As said I just want to try and get the most from it, as I feel as far as box swapping goes, it’s done.
I know my room is not helping, but at the same time it does sound very good, as other have heard it and I mean other audio nuts like us lol.
So I have just thrown some duvets over the TV and wall cabinet, not sure now good this is compared to the panels, but it has changed the sound slightly, not a big difference, but a difference.
I would say it has deaden the sound slightly, if that’s the right word to use, but the bass seems to be also slightly more prominent, maybe because the higher frequency is less?
But the coving of the TV made very little difference, so I feel it is that cabinet causing me the most problems as we all thought. So I feel for sure a large panel each side of each speaker that is free standing so i can move when needed is the first thing to get or make and then see about the rear wall if I feel the need