Room acoustics help

[letsavit2]

Sorry cant work out how to put pics up so links for now. Can some one please explain to me why system sounds so much better nearfield listing with speakers only 4ft apart in and alcove? Like this, acoutic panel behind each speaker and one behind me, also behind me is wall and open doorway now once again I set it up along the room, window with wooden shutter behind, some furniture but speakers now a more respectable 8ft apart . but it's sounds terrible, lack of bass and mid range although I'm more than happy with the sound I can't think I can better with more speaker separation but in this room I just can't?

 

[letsavit2]

**** it i give up the software on this forum is terrible.............!

 

[Andy Clough]

Apologies, this might help:

- To upload a picture, you'll first need to have it stored on a site such as Flickr or Picasa.

Copy the URL of the picture, then click the little 'tree' symbol on the menu bar of the Forum posting window, paste in the URL, and click the 'insert' button.

Pictures will resize automatically.

 

[MakkaPakka]

There is an infinite amount of change to be had from moving speakers and listening position. Your 'worse' position might be miles better if your listening position was further forward.

It's worth learning how to measure the frequency response of the room - that will tell you pretty much where everything should be (in terms of how far from walls to place speakers) then you can do minor tweaks.

 

[MakkaPakka]

It works fine.

After you click the tree where it says 'image URL' you need to put in the 'direct' option from photobucket.

 

[letsavit2]

There is an infinite amount of change to be had from moving speakers and listening position. Your 'worse' position might be miles better if your listening position was further forward.

It's worth learning how to measure the frequency response of the room - that will tell you pretty much where everything should be (in terms of how far from walls to place speakers) then you can do minor tweaks.

thanks for the reply, measuring frequency response is a bit above my head to be honest. I have spent most of today moving the speakers around, from both extremes of being in open space to wall corners, the mid and bass is just not there at 8ft apart pointing aross the long of the room compared to 4ft apart pointed across the width of the room? i do lose a bit of stereo imagaging (of whatever its called) but not alot compared to the bass and mid the other way!

I once again try to get some pictures up.

 

[letsavit2]

link to speakers facing along the room, 8ft apart

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af96/alaneverett1974/image_zpsf3eaccab.jpghttp://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af96/alaneverett1974/image_zpsf3eaccab.jpg

link to width of room, 4ft apart

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af96/alaneverett1974/image_zps8d2b4765.jpghttp://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af96/alaneverett1974/image_zps8d2b4765.jpg

 

[letsavit2]

nope direct link in the url (tree) does not work for me, neither does the url code, anyway links below now!

 

[letsavit2]

Apologies, this might help:

- To upload a picture, you'll first need to have it stored on a site such as Flickr or Picasa.

Copy the URL of the picture, then click the little 'tree' symbol on the menu bar of the Forum posting window, paste in the URL, and click the 'insert' button.

Pictures will resize automatically.

tried many times, does not seem to work with photo bucket's URL, cant even edit above anymore. i cant seem to edit the mess above anymore either.

 

[Crocodile]

Here you go. As above, just use the Direct option under the sharing links. But you're absolutely right, this forum software is complete pants. Quite why it resizes images so small & has no option to expand them is beyond me.

 

[p_m_brown]

Hi there,

I can't tell if your listening position is in the middle of the room or offset. Stick your seat in the middle of the room, a few inches away from the back wall and try to toe in the speakers slightly. Lower frequencies will have a field day if your back is right up against the back wall and the toe in will help clean up your midrange. Moving your speakers slightly further from the that wall will further clean up the midrange and detail.

Happy listening!

 

[spiny norman]

Here you go. As above, just use the Direct option under the sharing links. But you're absolutely right, this forum software is complete pants. Quite why it resizes images so small & has no option to expand them is beyond me.

Think it must be something to do with ensuring pictures don't bust out of the page and obscure all those lovely adverts :rofl:

 

[letsavit2]

Crocodile, thanks for that. Been using forums for years and do competed aided design for a living so not a total numpty with computers but after 5 attempts I had to give up or smash my ipad up!

Pm brown, yes I'm always in the middle, either on a pod thing iv got, or the corner of the cushion. I do have an acoustic panel behind me also. I would say 70% of my listing is dance bass heavy music so having a nice deep base is paramout to any other frequencies. Along the room(pic 1) I tried and tried again and I just can't get the midrange I expect from my system, to the point of hardly hearing sounds I know are there in the music, the bass is there but only in higher volumes. What I have worked out is these motive 2's don't care about being close to walls nor corners, the sound remains fairly unchanged. The motive 2's are underside ported if you didn't know.

Now I'm back to the width of the room(pic 2) but have separated the speakers to 5feet apart and they are very close to the corners but with no ill effects. I have some more sound stage, nice tight bass and some midrange is back, my system sounds comparable to my last house and what I expect.

Anyway considering these speakers are really not bothered being close to walls it's weird how they hate shooting music along the length of my room? I'm happy with the sound (well for now!) just wanted to see if I could better with more speaker separation. Maybe I'm just a bass junky!

Thanks.

 

[p_m_brown]

Another thing to try is placing the speakers on granite plinths to isolate them from the suspended floor.

 

[letsavit2]

For the money of granite chooping boards I think ill give that a go pm.

 

[sheggs]

If the photos displayed are correct than this is the classic cube room.

The simple answer to getting a room this size sounding good is bass trapping, it will experience low end problems.

You don't just have to put bass trapping in the corners though, bass collects are every boundary so if you want to improve the acoustics but not have panels in the way you can treat where the ceiling meets the wall

 

[MakkaPakka]

Granite boards definitely helped for me on a wood floor. The Argos ones are dirt cheap and look fine - use sticky foam pads on the underside.

 

[SiUK]

As a btw, if you right-click on the resized photos and choose 'view image' or whativer it is on the right-click context menu of your browser, you will see the original photo size. But yeah, the forum software is pretty dire....buggy, annoying, etc. Someone should be bothered really....

 

[SiUK]

Oh, and as much as this may sound weird (and I may get flack for it), is your window large and at the other end of the room when the speakers are firing down? I ask because mine was like that and I found that when my curtains were drawn the sound miraculously sounded better. I have long since abandoned that orientation because during the day it always sounded horrible.

 

[letsavit2]

Oh, and as much as this may sound weird (and I may get flack for it), is your window large and at the other end of the room when the speakers are firing down? I ask because mine was like that and I found that when my curtains were drawn the sound miraculously sounded better. I have long since abandoned that orientation because during the day it always sounded horrible.

Room is about 15x10so not square.

You're get no flack I'm hearing what effect a room and what way the speakers face has.

yea a big window, about 60% of the wall with wooden shutters. I think next time I try I will cover the shutters and the radiator with some old curtains/thick material. For now I have 5ft speaker separation and I'm sitting about 6 ft away so some decent stereo and it sounds good, as above I can get 8ft speaker separation along the room but it sounds flat, think the window might be the culprit here.

Oh and yes today I picked up two Argos chopping boards for the grand total of 15quid, should I put the spikes straight on them or use the spike feet I have?

 

[CnoEvil]

Oh and yes today I picked up two Argos chopping boards for the grand total of 15quid, should I put the spikes straight on them or use the spike feet I have?

Use the "spike shoes" under the spikes.

 

[alchemist 1]

Talking of acoustics, which i was'nt ....

I've just had new d/glazing and the acoustic has changed for the better..........:?

 

[CnoEvil]

Talking of acoustics, which i was'nt ....

I've just had new d/glazing and the acoustic has changed for the better..........:?

This is a strange and wonderous hobby! :O

 

[letsavit2]

Yea have used the spike shoes, was obvious when I done it they was still required.

You know what can't really do a full test as its getting late but it does seem to have tightened the bass up a little, i have been adjusting my system recently so who knows. Even if its a placebo effect the speakers are more solid than just sitting on 100year old floor boards so the speaker plinths (aka argos chopping boards) are staying, might even buy another set to make them thicker!

Think iv got to the sweet spot for my system in this new room, its sounding good so maybe time to go back to listening to the music and forget the system for a while.....

 

[CnoEvil]

Yea have used the spike shoes, was obvious when I done it they was still required.

You know what can't really do a full test as its getting late but it does seem to have tightened the bass up a little, i have been playing with my system recently so who knows. Even if its a placebo effect the speakers are more solid than just sitting on 100year old floor boards so the speaker plinths (aka argoschopping boards) are staying, might even buy another set to make them thicker!

Think iv got to the sweet spot for my system in this new room, its sounding good so maybe time to go back to listening to the music and forget the system for a while.....

You could try making a sandwich construction, with a layer of rubber / Sorbothane / Blu-tac in between. The more you can do to de-couple them from the floor, the better they should sound (especially the bass). Just make sure the tweeter doesn't get too far above ear level, when seated.

IME. This is worth a bit of messing about.