LOOKING TO IMPROVE THE ACOUSTICS OF MY LISTENING ROOM

Very smart question from someone who is doing it the right way.  I was in the same place as you.  I was starting a listening room from scratch and a dealer recommended treating the room first and then working out the equipment.  Best advice I ever got.  

The dealer worked with Viacoustic and sent my room specs to have recommendations made.  Viacoustic came back with a comprehensive, fully modeled schematic to optimize the room.  I followed the guidance and was very, very pleased with the results after installing treatments.

Money well spent that gave me confidence that spending hard earned money on electronics will yield the best possible return.

My best advice is don't half-ass the room treatments, get professional help, then enjoy your room.  I'm not all that far from you and if you would like a tour of my room hit me up.  Good luck and cheers. 

"The room can make or totally wreck a system" discussion posted by hilde45 today

m

ay be a good way to start.

I have two 2-channel systems, one with flexibility in placement of components (dedicated listening space), the other inflexible (living room).  I was not happy with the sound in either space.  In my listening room, I played extensively with speaker placement and ultimately settled on a location that sounded best.  But it still didn't sound right, lacking the tight bass I was used to, and fatiguing when I look back.  I decided to invest in Dirac Live (via MiniDSP) and wow, what a life changer.  Best money I ever spent in audio, like a veil being removed from the music.  Thousands of dollars spent on an audio system cannot guarantee good sound if your room isn't up to the task.  I experienced all the benefits advertised by Dirac.  I am now onto my third MiniDSP unit, for my HT.  

I should have added that one of the negative aspects of the MiniDSP in my setup is that I no longer play any of my DSD files because Dirac only processes PCM.  But the incredible improvement in sound I obtain with Dirac far surpasses any theoretical advantages that DSD brings to the music.

What would really help is to know what exactly are you experiencing sound wise in your room with your system. I have corner bass traps at my ceiling corners and (2) GIK Absorption Panels on the wall behind my listening sofa. I also made sure to have some absorption material behind my system to absorb rear reflections due to the size and shape of my room. Carpet on the Floor, Thick Drapes and almost nothing that has a reflective surface to it as well. I had to correct a 50hz Bump that was sending havoc in my SQ all the way up to 100hz…Finally ended up replacing my Maggi’s to CUSTOM Built Soundfield Audio MMW-1’s that incorporate DSD and was able to tune the speakers to my acoustically treated room. At this point and not to sound prejudiced, but I and numerous audiophiles who’ve come to check out my system at a recent audiophile society listening session event hosted at my home felt it was one one the best sounding set ups they’ve heard and could not believe what I was able to accomplish sound wise in my room. Note: I went through 11 pairs of speakers prior in my room over the past 5 years driving myself, my wife and the many manufacturers crazy with returns… Finally I’m happy, It’s a journey.

This is why I ask, COULD IT BE SYSTEM SYNERGY ?  You can over do it with room treatments, best to start slow but if you don’t know what YOU need FOR YOUR EARS to correct then you really have no starting point. You may need Defusers, You May Need Absorbers, You May Need Bass Traps… Without knowing what you’re looking to achieve and just reading over and over “Acoustic Treatment” in numerous posts you could be sending yourself into a whole other rabbit hole in addition to the one you started with your Equipment. LOL