Need more bass slam? Bass tonal correctness? Try treatments

[kfr01]

We all try to squeeze the best possible performance out of our systems.

As I've been upgrading this year, I keep thinking about aspects of the system that I would like to improve. Bass "slam" and bass tonal correctness have remained near the top of my list: I like a good bass drum to hit me in the chest rather than be overly warm and 'muddy'. My upgrades this year have all made positive impacts in different areas. No single electronics chain upgrade, however, made an improvement having the significance of my room treatment upgrades, particularly in the area of bass slam and bass tonal correctness.

Between yesterday and today, I installed 5 more panels. After this installation, I now have the attack wall, rear wall, and first reflection points on the side walls very well treated. In total, my treatment now consists of 2 GIK 244 bass traps on the attack wall and 12 GIK 242 panels distributed among the attack wall, rear wall, and first reflection points.

I won't bore you with lengthy subjective prose: everything has improved.

I highly recommend that everyone explore room treatment as you progress on your audio journey, particularly if improved bass slam and bass tonal correctness are of interest.

[Vintage Pete]

Every time I add more treatments, things improve...even when I think I've already got things "ideal". And the biggest improvement is usually in the bass region. It's one thing to have slam, and I like that. But tonal correctness puts the icing on the cake....making the "slam" that much more "delicious".

It's important to have quality gear. But beyond that, room treatments can yield some of the most dramatic improvements. It's really amazing.

Pete

[Still-One]

Even though we are looking for two different results, I agree that proper room treatments will allow you to tailor the room to address many of the limitations we face. I prefer a accurate but very detailed (some say Hot) high end and could care less about bass slam. My GIK panels did clean up the highs will simultaneously allowing the bass to flow naturally.

[kfr01]

They also cleaned up my highs. It is most noticeable as the room starts to "load" at high volumes. That phenomenon, after the treatments, both occurs at higher volumes and occurs in a much more gradual manner.

Still-one: your posts about the GIK panels made me buy more... and I'm glad that I did. Thanks!

[AndyPandy]

100% with you on that one Karl

although the need for treatments go down a little the bigger the space: I once lived in a HUGE 15m x 10m x 4 m open plan apartment with dome ceiling (it was the entire upstairs of an old converted synagogue) and boy oh boy did a pair of modest 2 way stand mounts sound good in there.

[kfr01]

Let's see, my room is 20' long x 16' wide x 8' high; much smaller than that previous huge space of yours. :-)

The treatment has worked wonders in my small room. :-)

[KMC45]

Karl,

I use GIK Tri-Traps/244's/242's, in different combinations in three rooms. If people would work on speaker placement, then room treatments, they might not waste a lot of money on things that do little, or nothing, to improve how their system sounds.

[chessman]

I agree with all of the above. I happened to use ASC tube traps, but the principles are the same - absorb the mid-range bass overload caused by the room and reap two very tangible benefits (1) mid-bass that thumps you in the chest but is extra clean (80H to 200H) and (2) since the mid-bass bloat is gone, remove the harmonics that are masking the highs, leaving more sparkle, but without fatigue.