what is the effect of furniture on sound

mikeinbrum

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Oct 22, 2008
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I've been forced into buying a new sofa for the living room which now sits slap bang between my hifi speakers. I'm not sure whether I actually can tell a real difference in sound quality or whether I'm just imagining it as I'm miffed about having to shell out for a new settee instead of some nice new hifi gear. Is it likely that sound will be negatively impacted by sticking a whopping great big sofa between a pair of floorstanding speakers? I have moved the speakers to be level with the front of the sofa to try and minimise any absorption of sound or whatever... In general what effect do soft furnishings have on sound if they are in close proximity to speakers?
 

chebby

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Jun 2, 2008
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Well it almost certainly isn't going to help sticking a great big mass of frequency absorbing material in between a pair of speakers..

Probably worth re-thinking the layout of your hifi.

Maybe a really good pair of bookshelf type speakers that are compatible with wall mounting.
 
A

Anonymous

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Well, a room with carpets, curtains, soft furniture etc absorb more of the sound, tending to make it less harsh to the ears on systems with a more forward presentation.

Personally I do not like a room to have too many hard reflective surfaces as it makes for a brittle sound on a transparent system which is fatiguing to my ears.

The main problem that I see you having is if the speakers are sitting close to the settee it will limit the throw of the of the cones to the side, especially on the midrange.
You will find the sound stage is effected, try putting on some familiar music and adjusting the positioning of the speakers till you find the sweet spot.
It may surprise you just moving them 6" in a direction could make a big difference.
 

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