3 things that have revolutionized my home cinema

[RickyDeg]

- Adding room treatments[/b]. Testing bass traps and acoustic panels for the first time in my listeningroom resulted in vastly improved definition, soundstage and control.

- Bypassing automatic EQ. Setting my system to 'direct' using a good pre/amp combo have added greated sense of realism and superior transparency.

- Manual level calibration. Using a good quality SPL sound pressure level meter to set speaker levels have given more reliability and improved balance to the overall sound.

A year ago I didn't consider the above options. I relied fully on automatic set-up routines and the EQ supplied by my receiver, something I know a lot of people do. That can of course still deliver good results. But as I have found over time, particularly with new electronics at the helm, it was less than what I could achieve in my particular case. For the first time I'm not inclined to go back to using EQ-trickery or relying on automated measurements. Difficult rooms may always benefit from some of that, but I firmly believe now that a proper set-up and a bit of manual labour can be far superior.

Have YOU discovered anything particular that have revolutionized YOUR home cinema?

 

[bigboss]

My Buttkicker! :cheers:

 

[RickyDeg]

:rofl: AWESOME, bigboss! I've yet to even think of that one!

 

[sheggs]

Understanding the effect that the actual room has on sound is still something that we are trying to educate people in. Many people spend £10,000's on equipment and spend nothing on room treatment. For £1,000 you can completely tame most rooms. I would recommend most people looking up some good acoustic primers on the internet to learn more

 

[RickyDeg]

Understanding the effect that the actual room has on sound is still something that we are trying to educate people in. Many people spend £10,000's on equipment and spend nothing on room treatment. For £1,000 you can completely tame most rooms. I would recommend most people looking up some good acoustic primers on the internet to learn more

Indeed. Excellent point.

It took me a while myself to understand this. However, I don't think you fully understand until you've actually experienced the difference right in your own listeningroom, like I have now been able to do. The relatively simple bass traps and acoustic panels (absorbers) that my acoustic consultant demostrated in my home did make a world of difference, without doubt. I aim to install these permanently very soon. There is still more that can be done but there's no doubt the room, and the speakers placed within it, have the biggest impact on what we hear!

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Agreed Ricky. Sheggs is as alwaus right too.. Buttkicker - tempted BB. But where are the pocs RD?

 

[RickyDeg]

Hello you! :wave:

I will create a separate thread with pics once the room treatment have been permanently installed. I only had them for loan and evaluation for a week. I have repairs and re-painting of walls in my listeningroom to complete before I can install them. Can't wait!

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Fan fix.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Unlikely (Ricky) to be of practical benefit to me, I recon many others, like myself, like to see dirty photos. Sawn timber & wet paint rollers are a real turn on when folk start new build projects. Are you insulating walls specifically or relying soley on after build sound treatment? Good luck with your project - now go get the kettle on.

 

[RickyDeg]

You're funny. The web is boiling over with dirty pics like that already, so I'll spare you mine :rofl:

My repair and paint job have nothing to do with the acoustic treatment project at all, I just wanna get that out of the way before I hang those babies up permanently. I'lll take before/after pics. There will be 3 absorbtion panels and two corner bass traps to begin with. They are after build treatments, made by Sounds Of Science in this case. Several friends of mine have their panels with brilliant results.

 

[RickyDeg]

Fan fix.

:dance:

 

[ellisdj]

I discovered all the same stuff as you quite a while ago and have been banging on about them since - I did this with DIY panels

However after recently trying 2 GIK Acoustics Bass traps I know I want more in my room asap and I want rid of the DIY's for ever. The traps from GIK are excellent and the service is as well. Will be back soon for more....

I have also discovered building a Dedicated Audio PC and spending time and money tweaking it to be the best source I have yet heard for a music transport in my home. I would love to try it against a really good hifi company streamer and see how it fares - that would a fun day.

The high quality playback is made possible with JPlay software - it converted me from a High End Streamer to the Audio PC - no going back

 

[Frank Harvey]

A year ago I didn't consider the above options. I relied fully on automatic set-up routines and the EQ supplied by my receiver, something I know a lot of people do. That can of course still deliver good results. But as I have found over time, particularly with new electronics at the helm, it was less than what I could achieve in my particular case. For the first time I'm not inclined to go back to using EQ-trickery or relying on automated measurements. Difficult rooms may always benefit from some of that, but I firmly believe now that a proper set-up and a bit of manual labour can be far superior.

Have YOU discovered anything particular that have revolutionized YOUR home cinema?

Very similar to you Ricky with regards to point 2, and it is something I have tried to promote for a while now. My system has sounded great since not bothering with EQ, to the point that I then changed my processor for the Audiolab 8200AP, which also vastly improved music too, partly for similar reasons, but also because of the flexibility is has for setting distances and levels (0.1m and 0.5dB steps). I've tried other products since, but most have made me look forward to putting the Audiolab back into the system.

But as you say, some rooms will benefit from EQ - it's just a case of experirmentation, and people shouldn't be scared to prefer the non EQ approach if they prefer it, for whatever reason.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

I would suggest that where EQ attempts to compensate for acoustic inbalance, room treatment removes it..No end of fiddling with EQ (beyond a little centre speaker tweaking) always takes me back to non processed settings.

 

[RickyDeg]

Very similar to you Ricky with regards to point 2, and it is something I have tried to promote for a while now. My system has sounded great since not bothering with EQ, to the point that I then changed my processor for the Audiolab 8200AP, which also vastly improved music too, partly for similar reasons, but also because of the flexibility is has for setting distances and levels (0.1m and 0.5dB steps). I've tried other products since, but most have made me look forward to putting the Audiolab back into the system.

But as you say, some rooms will benefit from EQ - it's just a case of experirmentation, and people shouldn't be scared to prefer the non EQ approach if they prefer it, for whatever reason.

Hey David :wave: Hope you are well? I'm actually kinda glad that you, and a few others, are promoting the idea of moving away from EQ and I remember your earlier posts about your experience with the Audiolab. It's cool you tend to put the Audiolab back into the system after having tried something else - that says something. Was interested in that one myself for a while too but settled on another straight-shooter; the NuForce AVP-18 (has an EQ-system, but I no longer use it).

Actually gonna experiment with another approach soon - removing the preamp/processor altogether and replace it with the Oppo BDP-105D to be used as 7.1 preamp/processor connected directly to the power amplifier. Shortest possible signal path with excellent DAC's and quite decent volume control. No HDMI audio jitter issues either. Two friends of mine (and other owners) are using the Oppo this way and I can't wait to evaluate the result in my set-up. One less box of electronics to wrestle with as well.