Best bang for buck tweak?

[jaxwired]

I've seen lots of audio reviewers and audio insiders comment that one of the most significant factors in how your system sounds is room acoustics. Yet, beyond speaker placement most people seem to ignore this issue entirely and focus on electronics, cables, and speakers. People put way more effort into picking cables than room acoustics, yet most experts seem to agree that room acoustics have more impact on sound quality.

With that said, has anyone reading this focused on improving room acoustics? If so, what did you do?

I know there are a lot of room treatment products sold (tube traps for instance), but they are usually very expensive and seem way over-priced. Has anybody tried these devices or made your own?

Thoughts? Comments?

 

[SHAXOS]

I couldnt agree more. Ive had some pretty expensive speakers and in the wrong room they sound pants. Even now the speakers i have sounded way better in my parents house with the large room so i can get them posititioned correctly. Im lacking that final bit of space with my current room and its really obvious in the sound. Unfortunantly there is not much i can do as im limited by space. They sound great but i know they can sound better in the right room.

 

[drummerman]

A good sub without doubt. Helps overcome a lot of 'room problems'.

 

[Overdose]

You need to get all medieval on that room........

Put up some heavy fabric drapes, floor to ceiling.

Seriously.

 

[pwiles1968]

The front room size and shape was a consideration when I purchased the house, I Have large sofas in there and heavy curtains around window and Carpet on the floor (Would Never put wood down in there) so have not needed to do much with the room itself, I do spend ages if I move round tweaking the speaker positions until the sound is just right not sure how many people do that but it is Free and makes a huge difference.

 

[Craig M.]

bookcase put across a problematic corner. thick throw pinned to wall behind my head. chair across another corner with a couple of old quilts stuffed behind it. beanbag in another corner. i've also tried a couple of big boxes with smaller boxes and polystyrene inside in corners, this made a noticeable difference but the boss made me get rid of them. once i have made my next source and amp upgrade, i will try some acoustic panels to get rid of slap echo at high volume.

just experimenting with speaker position can make huge differences. i don't need to treat first reflection points as the direct sound reaches me first (nearfield listening position).

 

[plastic penguin]

jaxwired:

I've seen lots of audio reviewers and audio insiders comment that one of the most significant factors in how your system sounds is room acoustics. Yet, beyond speaker placement most people seem to ignore this issue entirely and focus on electronics, cables, and speakers. People put way more effort into picking cables than room acoustics, yet most experts seem to agree that room acoustics have more impact on sound quality.

With that said, has anyone reading this focused on improving room acoustics? If so, what did you do?

I know there are a lot of room treatment products sold (tube traps for instance), but they are usually very expensive and seem way over-priced. Has anybody tried these devices or made your own?

Thoughts? Comments?

I bought my RS6's partially because of my room acoustics, as opposed to t'other way round. If I had hard floors and little in the way of furnishings chances are I would of chosen a different speaker. But I'm a huge believer in room acoustics; I haven't gone over the top. There's no sound-proofed walls and ceilings, but if you adhere to basic (and sensible) rules, then you should maximise your kit.

 

[Anonymous]

Some experienced audio engineer (forgot the name) once claimed that a correctly constructed loudspeaker would not be much affected by environment.

I've had speakers that sounded very much the same, independent of placement and amplifier -- and still sounded what I believe to be "neutral".

So perhaps the best tip is, in the first place, to avoid equipment that's made to change the original sound towards some 'ideal' or other.

But then, of course, most people seems to like sound that's muddled up (for instance, considering equipment with uneven frequency response, massive harmonic distrortion, and even noise, to sound 'warm', 'musical' and even 'natural'), and find that adding even more muddle improve it.

 

[jaxwired]

Fahnsen:

Some experienced audio engineer (forgot the name) once claimed that a correctly constructed loudspeaker would not be much affected by environment.

I've had speakers that sounded very much the same, independent of placement and amplifier -- and still sounded what I believe to be "neutral".

So perhaps the best tip is, in the first place, to avoid equipment that's made to change the original sound towards some 'ideal' or other.

But then, of course, most people seems to like sound that's muddled up (for instance, considering equipment with uneven frequency response, massive harmonic distrortion, and even noise, to sound 'warm', 'musical' and even 'natural'), and find that adding even more muddle improve it.

All I can say is that there are an awful lot of manufacturers claiming "neutral" sound yet it all sounds different to me. Sure are a lot of different "neutrals" out there...