Room acoustics, the last hurdle?

[4RE]

Will roomacoustics be the last hurdle to be taken in the quest for perfect sound?

If the importance of room acoustics should be expressed in a percentage of the total experience, how much would you estimate / declare?

[Xuxa]

I find this an interesting question. Firstly, the look is important. You have to live with it & I have been very compromising with my other half who would acoustically treat the whole house if I let him!

Secondly, it depends on the type of room & it's initial harmonic state to begin with. So when you buy an audio system, you always think first about where you are going to put it...yes? Therefore, consideration of the room should come first because it will also determine what equipment like the size of your loudspeakers will best suite.

Thirdly, all rooms require treatment & it is a matter of degree. Reflection & standing waves are a system's enemy but overcompensating with too much absorption will kill the live energy expressed in music.

Lastly, the room is a musical chamber that expresses the presentation of your system, so by volume as equally important as your fine equipment attempting to mimic the artist's recording. If I were to give you a number of importance as a percentage of total experience, then it would be 50% or more depending on the initial harmonic state.

[Family Progtitioner]

Xuxa,

Agree with 50%, and I would put the importance of speakers at 45-49%. Unless someone has a highend vinyl rig where the source is actually important, I think audiophiles place far, far, far too much emphasis on sources, preamps, amps, etc. Don't even get me started on cables, power and all the other baloney out there.

It mainly comes down to room/speaker interaction

[antipop]

Room treatment has made a much more significant impact on the sound than any other element in my system.

Instead of spending 10k on a source, spend a fifth of that on room treatment and you'll never look back.

[GaryProtein]

Originally Posted by Family Progtitioner

. . . would put the importance of speakers at 45-49%. Unless someone has a highend vinyl rig where the source is actually important, I think audiophiles place far, far, far too much emphasis on sources, preamps, amps, etc. Don't even get me started on cables, power and all the other baloney out there.

It mainly comes down to room/speaker interaction

+tan 90 degrees

[djwhog]

How do you know how much, what to get and where to place it?

[Family Progtitioner]

Originally Posted by djwhog

How do you know how much, what to get and where to place it?

If you are really interested, I would contact GIK acoustics and send them pictures of the room and setup. Those guys are good!

[MasterLuJr]

Originally Posted by djwhog

How do you know how much, what to get and where to place it?

I think the first thing you have to do is listen to your room. Do you have too much bass, echoes, slap back, sound waves lingering to long, reflections,etc.Next figure out which acoustic panel/trap looks best and will work for you. Remember it's going to be permanent. Then I would suggest starting out with two or three panels, then add more if needed. The ceiling in some rooms is a common problem area as well as the back of the room or corners. This is just a general opinion as all room are different. Also don't permanently adhere the panels right away. Move them around to you hear the biggest improvement.

[4RE]

Anybody can do RT60 sweep nowadays, but interpretation and experience don't come with software.. ive seen too many expert acoustic 'jobs' completely overdampening a room to achieve an ideal RT60. Job done but music gone.
The 'damping phenomenon' seems a sticky thing amongst audiophiles.

[antipop]

Originally Posted by djwhog

How do you know how much, what to get and where to place it?

Room Eq Wizard would give you a good idea of the room acoustics and what need to be taken care of.

The treatment usually focus on the first reflection which would improve soundstage and increase precision (usually needed if the RT60 is too high) and on bass management in case there are some mode which excite the room.

GIK is a good resource and they are very helpful with any question you might have