Hardwood floors vs Carpet


I am about to pull my carpet flooring to install wood flooring in my home. I had a non-audiophile over who stated that the acoustics will change with the addition of wood vs carpet. It dawned on me that he was likely correct. Anyone know what changes in sound could be forthcoming with wood flooring? I have recently got my system to sound like ive alwasy wanted and hope this home improvement doesnt serve to be a audio downgrade.
128x128justlisten

Showing 1 response by sdcampbell

Replacing your carpeting with wood flooring will substantially change the acoustics in your listening area. Wood, being a hard substance, will reflect sound, rather than absorbing it like carpet. This may have several results: 1) Room echoes and standing waves may become more problematic, as the room has become "livlier"; and 2) the room acoustics will seem a lot brighter.

If you proceed with installation of hardwood flooring, you may find that you will have buy some area rugs to reduce acoustic "bounce", or perhaps install some room treatment materials to restore the audio balance you now enjoy. Unfortunately, you won't know what other corrective actions may be required until you have completed your flooring project.

You may want to solicit information from other Audiogoner's about how to sound treat a room with lots of reflective surfaces.