Front or Back wall diffusers

Talk to GIK.  They’ll give you some good advice given your room and offer products that are relatively reasonably priced. 

@seanheis1 I think I may speak for many here that we care a lot more about sound than clutter, and since a picture is worth 1000 words I think many here (including me) may benefit from seeing what you’re talking about.  But, if it really makes you uncomfortable please just disregard. 

@seanheis1 @axo0oxa I’m seeing several people here advocating for diffusion over absorption.  Are there any general rules as to when/where it’s better to use diffusion or absorption?  I’m very interested and not clear on this at all.  My guess is it’s largely room, system, and personal-taste dependent, but just wondering if there are any generally accepted rules on this.  Also surprised someone argued against bass traps that I’d never heard before and had me scratching my head a bit.  Thanks for any thoughts and/or hard-won personal experience. 

Thanks for the helpful feedback. I never thought my untreated (other than a large area rug and bookshelves on one side) basement listening room sounded too bad — no frequencies seem emphasized or attenuated — and now thinking that might be largely because my speakers are 6’ out into the room and over 3’ from the sidewalls (ah the joys of a dedicated listening room with no WAF interference). That said, I know there are improvements to be had. I’d always thought I’d judiciously add some absorptive panels, but after hearing the feedback here and as I enjoy the spaciousness and reverb trails my system preserves/produces I’m thinking of skewing more to diffusion maybe mixed with some absorptive panels and bass traps as or if needed. One thing that seems assured is that to get it “right” for my room, system, and personal tastes there’s gonna be trial and error involved and that there’s no magic formula to achieve that, but I actually like that because that’s how I’ve learned many important audio-related lessons along the way. Anyway, great stuff and thanks again.