Can speakers be too large for a room

Almarg

muffled or dull is a good word for it.
When i removed the panel it seem to open up a little.
I don't know that i do need first reflection panels. I put them there because everything i've read about room setups say that the first reflection panels and corner traps were a must.So once i started building the reflection panel and corner traps. I built and installed them at the same time. Thinking this to be a good place to start. And could start tuning the room from there. I talked with a person yesterday on Audio circle that lives in my area that has his own line of diffusors and is going to come by an evaluate my room. I sure he wants to sell me something and he might.

One thing I didn't mention is that my room is built With resileint channels and double layered drywall with mlv between. The walls and ceiling absorb a lot of vibration in the room. Don't know if it makes a difference or not.

As far as the media is concerned. I look mostly for well record music more than genrie and I use the Bryston cdp for most of my listen.

I hear the difference mostly in instuments like the cymbal's.

Bostonbean

I know that the Wilson's are good speakers, but aren't for everyone. They are a good starting point though.That was the reason for speaker suggestions. If I get my room set up right and still am not satisfied then I could sell the wilsons and try a different pair. It's rare to run into a (legal) deal like i got.

Ckoffend

I was auditioning the duette's at my local dealer when I found the Sofia offer. I liked them very much. Though it was in there showroom and not in mine.



Thanks for all the feedback guy's

Matt,

Wow, you did a real job on your room. Built as you have described, I'm not sure why you feel the need for the additional treatments; especially if the floor is carpeted.

I converted a 3rd garage stall into a recording studio for one of my daughters and did pretty much the same things that you described. It worked very well - too well in fact; the room was almost acoustically dead. I had to remove some of the carpeting and add wood parquet to sections of the walls and ceiling in order to adjust the acoustics. Figuring out how to un-treat the room properly was much harder than the initial room planning and construction.

Br3098

I couldn't ask for better sound proofing. No one in the building can hear my music at all not even the bass.
I am a commercial construction subcontractor that specializes in doors and I am a factory certifed sound door installer for several major manufactures. So i have the opportunity to talk with several professional in the soundproofing field.

It helps to know people.

Removing the first reflection panel is about the only untreating i can do. The corner trap aren't built in place, but will make a big mess if removed. I would have to move out of my office to do this and at this time it is not an option. I have considered room measuring software and a mike, but that is something else to learn and i don't really have the time right now.

MWilliams -- Thanks for the clarifications. Yes, dull cymbals would seem to suggest simply weakness in the mid to upper treble. My feeling, though, contrary to some of what has been suggested, is that enhancing that part of the spectrum by enhancing first reflections would be compensating for one problem by introducing another. With the likely result of unwanted side-effects on imaging and other parts of the spectrum.

All I can suggest, if you haven't already done so, would be to take one of your better quality recordings containing cymbal crashes, and play it at realistic "live" volume levels, with the tweeters of the speakers aimed directly at you. If there is still significant dullness, then I would have to think something else is wrong somewhere, although I'm not sure what that might be.

Good luck!
-- Al

One thing I am going to try is to raise the speakers some. This is my office, so my listening position is higher than normal. I,ve read that the tweeters should be about ear level. I am going to try and raise the speakers about 2 inches. When listening the soundstage seems to be a little low.

Matt, you'll definitely want to consider this quote from John Atkinson's review of the Sophia in Stereophile:

In the vertical plane ... the speaker's balance doesn't change much as long as the listener sits with his or her ears below the top of the enclosure. Stand, however, and a large suckout appears at the upper crossover frequency, which appears to be just under 2kHz.

A suckout around 2kHz would definitely have an effect on cymbals, in the direction of dullness.

Also, note the frequency response plot for your former speakers (the CM1's) in this review. If you click on Figure 2 to expand it, you will see that most of the treble is elevated by around 5db relative to the mid-range. That is significant, and perhaps your experience with that speaker is affecting your expectations. In contrast, as noted in JA's review the Sophia's are essentially flat from mid-range through treble, aside from some small and narrow peaks and valleys.

Hope that helps,
-- Al