Earlier this week, we had Ben van Leliveld from 'Acoustic Matters' at our place to help us with our (living) room.
Ben is IT specialist and also music lover.
A couple of years ago, he sold his IT company and is now exclusively doing room acoustics.
He takes large projects, supports shows (he is the favourite of Alon Wolf from Magico), but also helps mere mortals like us.
We are happy to finally begin optimising our room.
We had another company doing some measurements last year, but their support was non existing.
Ben's promises to be the opposite!
He arrived, unpacked his stuff, and started to talk about his journey in audio, and what he's looking for in adjusting a room.
Then we started listening.
First disc:
Rebecca Pidgeon -
The raven
Bob Katz says this is his best recording ever.
'Spanish Harlem' was the track Ben chose.
Indeed a very clear sounding track, with incredible detail, depth and wide soundstage.
Analysis from Ben: real high end sound, almost uncoloured.
But: low bass too weak and undefined, something in the midrange around 1K, and around 2-3K.
Also: instruments a bit too much on the same line. Drums should be 2m behind the singer.
Instruments a bit shifting to the left side.
And soundstage not wide enough.
We continued with
Jennifer Warnes -
The Hunter (24K Gold CD)
This CD confirmed the findings.
Then came a true torture for a system:
Secret Key Masters
Marion von Tilzer plays
Apollo 14, a composition of her own.
The grand piano, a Steinway, let us hear the departure of the rocket in a hammering way, until we arrive into calmness again, ending with a landing part.
Ben knows how the slightly metallic sound of the Steinway in some notes by heart, he was there during the recording.
Our system supported the test quite well.
The piano sounded like a grand piano, but again the low notes, that should be on the extreme left, shifted a bit inwards.