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Does anybody pay a pro to dial their system in?

Bought a new system here and I’m shooting in the dark for what to expect. It sounds underwhelming to me and I feel I need a second pair of ears. My new system comprises of:

Benchmark AHB2

Benxhmark DAC3 

Totem1 bookshelf speakers

i know the system is not the problem, it’s me. All just muddy. Small room 12x8. I’ve added carpet and thick curtains on all three walls (behind speakers and both sides. On the sides I have two sets of curtains so I can open them in the middle so I don’t deaden the room too much. All in all I’m not thrilled at all at what I hear.

Over the last year Ive been listening day and night to a great “lively and exciting” set of headphones (Fostex TH900) which I love and maybe this has set a bar on what I’m looking for in a room system. I understand that a system and phones are two different experiences but for now the system doesn’t hold a candle to what the headphones are giving me.

I’m  wondering if hiring a professional to dial my system in would be a good idea as I really don’t know what to expect from the system and my small room.

thomastrouble
digsmithd
913 posts
 

Agree with "boxert""jonW"...you sucking the life out of the room.Room that small you need as much liveness to work with...start with no dampening and let you ears adjust to whats really happening,speakers out from wall...in the ole tight triangle is the only way that small room will work imho.Would start with them straight at you to remove any first reflections.Totems are killer imagers so it wont be them.It can be done...but as that ole blue blood said "youll have to Earn it".Small rooms are great because your hear everything.

emergingsoul
957 posts
 

Time to buy a puppy

, it's not rocket science, the room is too small. really low volume level Will probably work fine otherwise all the sound is confused when you turn up the volume.

New puppy will appreciate a bigger room two

cdorval1
25 posts
 

Good question.  My best experience with stereo in a smallish room was to put aside visual design and practical considerations for awhile and listen near-field.  Make an equilateral triangle with your chair and the two toed-in speakers—my assumption would be five to six feet on each side of the triangle.  Just listen that way for a while, make some minor adjustments and don’t worry about the practical side.  Your Benchmark components and Totem speakers are very good.

 

It never hurts to bring in a professional to help you at any point, but he or she will likely try much of what has been described in responses to your question. 
 

Enjoy!

designsfx
789 posts
 

@thomastrouble 

You definitely are setting up a small room! While there are many great suggestions here in sharing my experience I would say that it does help to hire an experienced professional with the proper measurement gear. 
When setting up the room I currently use (10’ W x 16’ L x 8’ H) I found myself unable to overcome “room boom” regardless of what speaker placement I tried. After many adjustment attempts (between my busy work schedule) I decided to hire a well known acoustic engineer and the outcome was more than I could have hoped for. I think if I would have had more free time available I probably would have gotten there but what I learned during the process had a great value as well. If I we’re setting up a new room I would do it again- it’s faster, you learn how the room responds via measurements and you gain insight as to the strengths and weaknesses of your equipment (mainly speakers) in the process. During my setup process we were able to map out the type, size and placement of the needed treatments as well. It was money well spent!

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