You have effectively just shown why its a common complaint that room treatment kills the room , and thats with a small amount of treatment.
Its obvious the bass seems more prominent if you kill the top end. Imagine if you added more proper full range panels , it would kill it even more. Full range panels are much more effective at treating the mid/top end and rather poor on the bass. The problem is generally in using the wrong type of treatment , in the wrong position and in the wrong quantity.
Most rooms need much more bass treatment than full range. I only have full range treatment on first reflection points and on the ceiling. All my other panels are range limited bass traps. In your case i would definitely use Monster Bass range limited traps both on the rear wall and sides. They can be mounted to make them free standing and moveable.
I wouldnt worry about ceiling treatment at the moment.
Rooms are the biggest individual aspect of our hobby. I recently moved my system from a fully carpeted and well damped room to a new extension which is a lot larger and open, with hard flooring. Before I moved it I was convinced I’d need something to dampen the highs but I didn’t. I’m lucky enough to not have any first reflections, vaulted ceiling and speakers well away from any walls. A simple rug and curtains proved to be enough. The sound is livelier than the old room but it’s fantastic with it.
Well after trying it with and without the duvets I have come to this conclusion so far, the rear duvet over the TV and partly my racks, didn’t seem to make as much difference as the one over the cabinet, and I think I can certainly live without it.
Now the one over the cabinet certainly did make a difference and not sure if I liked it, rather than be better it made things just sound a bit duller and not as fast, now maybe I am just accustomed to a lively room and sound and it sound sound more like it does with the duvet, I don’t know, but for sure I don’t want lots of panels soaking up all the sound.
I did the clap test in the room without anything added and it was OK, didn’t echo etc, so maybe my room is much better than I thought.
I do remember my picture wall made quite a difference to the sound, as they are all scackered and are deep and I think they are acting a bit like a diffuser maybe? Especially compared to the cabinet side.
So going forward I am going to explore further and may end up with something infront of the cabinet to diffuse rather than soak up if that makes sense, to try and balance it out more, or have one each side to match.
But I certainly don’t want to give up any of my speed or dynamics going forward and also avoid making it dull.
Cheers dunc
I am currently looking into room treatment for a set up not totally dissimilar to yours. Have you thought about taking the plasterboard off your stud wall and replacing it with fabric (GIK acoustic sell a range) which would allow the sound to pass through and be absorbed by the insulation. The insulation I would use is Rockwool which comes in various densities but is essentially what is put into the panels you buy and hang on the wall.
Personally I think room treatment is far more effective than fancy power supplies or other costly esoteric upgrades and therefore needs to be done before contemplating such. Oddly few dealers tell you this.
Hi John, allow me to suggest to pass your plans by Jonas ( or is it Lukas) at GIK UK if this is where you are it’s not as simple as it may look. ATB Peter
Hi
My rear wall is very different to the others, as this is a stud wall and the others are solid brick and traditional cement and plaster.
But my rear wall is not standard as I have the original stud wall with insulation inside and then normal plaster board and skim on both sides, then I have another 3 inch stud wall that stands an inch off the other stud wall, this is filled with high density rock wool and then I have 2 layers of sound board on the face, then skim.
I did this to help sound Prof my music room from the family room and it worked a treat, obviously it’s not really doing anything for the sound quality but I am certainly not going to be removing it.
But following up on all this, I am not sure I want to much anyway as I don’t want to just dull the sound, plus as I found out last weekend my system sound amazing, well that’s what another hifi nut said when he heard it, in fact his words was best I don’t use my system for a week or two as its going to sound crap now.
We were both discussing room treatment and he doesn’t feel I even need any
You need to get correct reading for your room as if not you just are guessing and that could easily make things worse and cost you. I certainly wouldn’t do anything without having someone with the right kit and experience to point me in the right direction when tackling this
@Dunc & @JohnC2 , You can do measurements yourself using REW (free software), just having to buy a measuring microphone (a tad over £100 new for the one recommended by REW, maybe 2/3rds of that secondhand - and can easily be sold on afterwards if not wanted again).GIK can accept and interpret REW files, and even guide you as to what measurements to take, all within their free consultation service (obviously hoping you will then buy from them).
Edit: just noticed Richieroo has said much the same.
I suspect you learnt that duvets ergo bass traps can change the sound! For the record duvets won’t replicate what proper acoustic panels can do.
I have recently gone through a journey where I moved and the sound collapsed and have just about got it sorted 18 months later….
A few thoughts:
are you prepared to have panels in the room - my room is dedicated so no problem but would I want them in a room for family use is debatable.
GIK will tell you to deal with first reflection points - wall, floor and ceiling using the mirror method to identify and treat.
measurements using software can be made if you want to get right into the detail.
I would recommend engaging with GIK with room size etc and a few pics to see what they advise as point 2 it’s likely to be first reflection points
maybe before doing that think about experimenting with the room - it’s a bit of effort but worth trying different lay outs - I can’t help think your speakers will be impacted by boundary interference as they are close to side walls - some good videos on GIK site
I approached it out of necessity not optimisation as it sounded dreadful…. Couldn’t really believe how much the room impacted the sound…. Almost regretted moving!
Well my first problem is the wife lol, not a chance I am going to be allowed panels on the wall or ceiling as I must also admit they don’t look very nice, what ever you do to them
Panels tend to be the sum of the parts in terms of effectiveness-it’s a case of all In or all out! Do consider playing with speaker position - defo try pulling them out a bit and closer together to avoid being in the corners and seeing what it does.
You can try during 14 days with GIK and return, but pay the shipping.
I tried and it gave a different sound, more forward and less airy. I returned the different panels I tried on all possible places. Monster bass traps and bass corners.
But it worth trying. You will be fixed.
Most if not all of GIK’s range can have an image of your choice printed on them, so they can become features, whether art, photos, murals etc, depending on position. (They confirmed to me that this facility is not confined to the designated ‘art’ panels.) Of course the image has to be suitable for the size and shape. Alternatively IIRC they can be coloured however you like, e.g. to exactly match the wall theyre covering. This opens up a vast potential to help them blend in, or even become visually enhancing features.
@Innocent_Bystander and @Richieroo I have heard of this but do you not have to take a lot of readings at different points in the room. Also how much of a palaver is it?
Unfortunately tri-traps and panels are the wrong aesthetic
it’s not as simple as it may look. ATB Peter
