I should also say adding subwoofers and placing them correctly is a great solution. :) But since you mentioned you don't have a lot of freedom in your room I did not pursue that. The same advice applies though, except with a sub finding the place that excites the room modes most evenly is paramount.
Need help with room and speaker setup, big dip from 250-80hz
I have a very small and odd room. The room itself is 9' wide by 10' long with 9' ceilings. The wall directly behind my head is only 3' tall, above that it opens up to my family room and kitchen. I have the speakers firing down the 10' length. The speakers (Sonus Faber Guaneri Evolution monitors) are toed in directly at my head, 3' from the front wall, and 1.5" from the sidewalls. I have bass traps in the corners, absorption at the 1st reflection points and ceiling, and a mix of absorption and diffusion on the front wall. My listening chair is right up against the short back wall.
I just did a quick measurement of my room using a cheap RS SPL meter and some test tones. It seems I am -6db at 630hz and 250-80hz. Any advice what I can do to help alleviate these dips? As you can tell by my room dimensions I do not have a lot of flexibility. Thank you.
I just did a quick measurement of my room using a cheap RS SPL meter and some test tones. It seems I am -6db at 630hz and 250-80hz. Any advice what I can do to help alleviate these dips? As you can tell by my room dimensions I do not have a lot of flexibility. Thank you.
Showing 2 responses by erik_squires
First, get a calibrated microphone. They’re $25 to $100. Dayton imm6 or UMIK-1 That your dips are happening at multiples of each other testify to having a standing wave due to wall surfaces around 7 to 8’ apart. Room EQ Wizard has a bass decay chart which will help you see the problems with more clarity. REQW is free, but I use OmniMic. When you plug the speakers, you are reducing bass and reducing the chance of exciting the room modes. What’s happening is that the room is ringing, like a bell. If you play no bass, you won’t hear it, so it sounds better, but, bassless. Make sure your bass traps are adequate. GIK Soffit traps are among the best and least expensive below 200 Hz. If after placing you still have those nodes, then increase bass traps first. The better your bass traps the more chance of lifting the lows, clipping the highs AND getting a better response regardless of listening location. They are the enabling tech. for room equalization. If you can’t EQ, it’s because your room treatment isn’t enough. After assessing that, add a miniDSP unit or equivalent. Don’t try for flat, I usually use about 1 to 1.5 db downward slope above 70 Hz. Works best for music and movies. If you don’t haver enough traps you wont’ be able to lift the dips, but you should be able to clip the peaks. What you’ll see in addition to the 80 and 160 Hz dips are some massive peaks, like +20 dB. By lowering them you’ll get a more full bass experience. Again, the better the room treatment, the easier and better your EQ results. Best, Erik |