room mods

[dtximages]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me some general guidlines for room acoustics. Like where are the best places to put foam and what is best for the walls (thickness etc).I know that in some local hiend dealers around here their rooms were made for the speakers. I will do that one day but its like i can hear my room way too much. I get muddy bass alot. Thats my main prob. Any suggestinos?

[Derek]

Quite a bit to know about accoustics. Would recomend a trip to the library for a book on the subject.

Muddy bass could also be your Cabs.

Derek

[Randy Bey]

Check out: http://members.nbci.com/Jon_Risch/index.htm

and follow the room treatment links.

[jdm56]

cls72,

I would recommend F. Alton Everests, THE MASTER HANDBOOK OF ACOUSTICS. If you can't find it in a library or bookstore, you can get it from AudioAdvisor.

As for foam placement, I think it's more or less the conventional wisdom to put it where the first reflections occur.

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JDMcCall

[mwiener]

That is a cool book. It explains, via math, why you need a concrete wall 50+feet thick to make a completely soundproof room down to 20hz.

It was then that I decided a sound proof room in the basement for my drum set was impractical.

Mike.

[jdm56]

mwiener,

But it's a lot more practical (and attainable) than a soundproof room in your attic.

But seriously wiener - if I may call you wiener - it does get kind of crazy if you let yourself start obsessing over sound. And I'm speaking as a practicing audio obsessive myself. I may have to enter a twelve step program to learn how to be at peace with sonic imperfection, as it seems perfection is unattainable; at least on my budget.

-JDM

[RossVTaylor]

There's a very interesting PDF file available for download from the Auralex site. This 18-page "Acoustics 101" has some good info for designing a sound studio. Many of the principles apply to HT. Go to auralex.com, click on the "Intro to Acoustics" button on the top of the page, then download the Acoustics 101 document from the bottom of the next page. Well worth the paper to print it out.

I've not, yet, bought any of their stuff but when I'm ready to start on my garage-to-HT conversion I'll probably be calling them. I'll be doing a "room within a room" and their sound barrier membrane seems like an important part of that.

Ross

[Colin]

There are two very basic steps that I would recommend that you take to learn more about your room acoustics and how it effects you home theater.

But my first question is always the same what problem are you trying to solve? Does something not sound right? Or, are you simply tweaking away to get the latest spec of performance?

The first step should be done alone, lest one suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous teasings. From outside your listening room, clap your hands together and listen to how they sound. Try shouting a hey and listening for the echo or reverberations. (Now do you see why you should do this alone?) How does the clapping and the shouting sound?

Then walk slowly into your listening room, clapping and shouting what difference did you notice? Is inside the room deader than outside? Is it more alive?

Walk around the room, shouting and/or clapping. How is the spot where you listen, or where the speakers are? Is it better? Worse? Did you notice reflections off the sidewalls? Listening to natural sounds tells you have your room is what the acoustics are and what could be done to improve them.

The second step should be done with a friend. Sit in the sweet spot. Have the friend slide a mirror along the walls until you can see the tweeter section of your speakers reflected in the mirrors. Mentally mark the location of the mirror. That spot is where you might consider some damping material for the high end.

The thickness of the material determines what frequencies are affected. This is why some tweaking audiophiles say that drapes and bookcases are the best damping materials. The drapes can dampen the highest notes while the bookcases can break up standing waves in the room and possibly improve mid-bass.