steve Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 I believe George Cardas said "the biggest variable in a stereo system is the room in which it resides" or something close to that. (not taken verbatim) So let me ask you.. I used to have my system in our main living room, with particle board floors (carpeted of course) on floor joists, elevated above ground, and the walls were wood paneling over 2 x 4s. I have long since moved to a dedicated music room, larger (but not by much) where the floor is berber carpet over concrete (ground level) and the walls are 5/8" sheetrock over 2 x 6s. The ceiling is also higher in the new room. Here's what I am experiencing, or imagining.. I seem to have lost a lot of bass, and just plain "fullness" of the music. It's like I listened to the music with the loudness switch on in the old set up, then turned it off , and decreased the bass and the music got real "thin", or "hollow". maybe this is why I long for tone controls when I am looking at preamps.. Anyway, my theory is that the concrete floors/sheetrock do not resonate like wood, therefore my "hollow" feeling. Is it me? Anyone else experience this?? Should I move back into the living room, and make the listening room into a bedroom? I only did this to keep late night music sessions from interfering with the better half's sleep! Good advice needed! Thanx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Double and triple check for reversed polarity on one of the speakers. We've all been burnt by this at least once. Failing that, quit torturing yourself and move enough of the stuff back to where it was and run it long enough to check it, see if your sound is back. I don't think it's the floor. Smells of reversed polarity somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted January 21, 2004 Author Share Posted January 21, 2004 Tom thanx for that advice but I've triple checked that! I've reconfigured the wiring many times to no avail! What has made me wonder..one time I set the KHorns on the short wall, shooting long, and I got the exact opposite effect! Too much boominess! Go figure! The way they're set up now though is by PWK's standards.. 1 to .618..1 being the long wall distance .that's why I'm so confused..and thought it was the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Steve, isn't it interesting that we aren't sure if we are hearing what we are hearing? With the Khorns, they load a room with bass, rather than projecting it directly to you in the normal listening position. Without a analyzer printout to see the actual changes, there are a few theories we can advance to partly explain your changes. - With the higher ceiling, it takes more amplification to load the room to the level you are acustommed from before. - The bass nodes have changed slightly, so you might not be sitting in an area that previously had a bass reinforcement pattern. - The materials in the new room construction(esp the concrete floor) have a tendancy to reinforce mid to higher frequencies preferentially over bass. - Your amp is being driven harder and has an equalization pattern that is now in play, or is solid state. - Your geometry is different from speakers to listening position. Make sure the speakers are well grounded to the floor and are really snuggled to the corner walls. When I moved my speakers, the new corners were not plumb - I lost major bass until I added new thicker rubber gaskets on the tailboard. Also check the crossovers and make sure all is firmly connected.Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwatkins Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 I agree wholeheartedly with Dave and Tom. My addition is the room size and the possibility of cancellations in the LFs that leaves the sound thinner. My amatuer approach was to systematically move around the room and see what my ear said, then take SPL at each place noting my perception. Mine was easy, since I was doing this for a sub and I simply made the appropriate location change - you won't have that easy option. However, maybe someone can give you the true technical skinny on bass traps and accoustical treatment that has a similar (some say better) effect. If wiring is good, amplification is good and no changes in source I would imagine some explicit researched and properly placed wall treatment may be another good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted January 21, 2004 Author Share Posted January 21, 2004 thanx you guys..I've always wondered how "room treatments" would work, but they seem a bit pricey to me. I have rearranged the furniture / speakers to every conceivable position ( I am limited) finding little changes make big differences (and some were not good) I'll double check my speaker cables with an ohm meter just to make sure they aren't out of phase from the factory..I guess it COULD happen.. If I didn't have this hobby to drive me crazy what else would I do ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbajner Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 I moved from upstairs to downstairs basement setting. have berber carpeting on the floor over concrete. the bass loss was the most notable sonic disadvantgae about being downstairs. the overall sound was a lot different. something I am going to have to live with since thats where all my stuff now resides. had to crank up the sub a bit to compensate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 What is the entry-way to this new room? A door, a wide opening? How much higher is the ceiling? How much glass? That was an excellent post Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbflash Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Steve, What is the size of the new room? Closer to equal measurements than the upstairs. Are you sitting closer to the back wall than before? Just wondering. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 This is one topic that always makes me chuckle. I've lost count of the number of times i've suggested the listening enviroment as the demon . Guys will spend huge piles of doe on tube gear and proceed to describe the sonic wonders of there system , the next week you see a picture posted of there gear. Low and behold there is the entire red rose tea trinket collection sitting on top of the speakers ??? Or better yet tile or hardwood flooring and lots of glass , you might just as well play your tunes in the bathtub ! Next time you go to a stereo shop that knows what there doing , just ask how much it costs to build one of there listening rooms. The place i deal with has 6 rooms each one has at least $30,000.00 invested in wall- floor and ceiling treatments . diffusers, buffers etc etc . Audio control makes a room analizer with a recording grade mic , I've used one at my place and you would not believe how sound can be changed just by moving things around in the room plus a few additions. What is sound ????? " VIBRATION WAVES " right. How do you think there acting in your enviroment ? Now spl and room pressuring is a whole other topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOADEDTUNES Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 I'm no expert in this field but i can tell you from my past experiance that the room makes all the difference in the world. I've moved my gear into dozens of cities and homes in the past 15 years with varied results. Not all were positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.