No "Room Correction" Topic option. Why?


I wanted to pose a question on room mods but do not see a logical place
to insert it so I am going with "Speakers" as a good, wrong choice.
Moderators, can you attend to this deficiency? 

My question: I am redoing my listening room in several ways.
Not because it was bad-quite the contrary. But because the room 
was a dark hole so I bought three new windows and replacement door.
The existing wall allowed rain water in from the patio floor outside.

 I started dismantling a 20' section of wall. As I opened the wall i found the
existing base plate-not treated wood, to be dust. Then mold on the drywall.
then termite evidence. 

Once the old crap was gone, I poured a concrete base plate 20 feet and another 6 feet
on the return. Termite damage had trashed the double sill plate and parts of two joists.

With all the wiring exposed I discovered an abandoned 220 a/c line buried in the wall.
Voila!  I had 2 dedicated 110v outlets for another part of the room. 

Might as well add 5 can lights while I was at it.

I upgraded the Streaming ethernet line from cat 5 to cat 7. Might as well
since I had sawsalled thru the old line. 
Then I learned that fiber is a better bet so I will be changing that later.

Another find! A buried abandoned entry door offering a 30" x 80" x 10" shelving
opportunity! 

I started this task by removing the old carpeting.

Now to my question. 

Shall I go with new porcelain tile flooring and plan on area rug -or-
put carpet back for its superior sound absorbing properties?

I hope someone out there has been down this road and has
an experience to share?

Thank you!


chorus

Showing 17 responses by tomic601

One key question to ask is does brand X elastomeric between two sheets of Y constitute a constrained layer - converting some motion into heat ?
Rettinger covers all the ratios.... including the nasty but popular one...

and of course there is a nice page on staggered wall construction, I paid $10 for a deactivated Library copy....
People are missing the point of measurement and software and science and listening, they are not mutually exclusive, rarely is one sufficient.

studio six Digital provides a low / no Cost toolbox... start there

avs, felt is not a super broad band absorber But you do see it deployed on a variety of speakers - typically the mid and tweeter. 
I had an unrelated call with Richard Vandersteen yesterday and we got to talking about the room - talked about a Mutual friend of Our who owns an audiophile record company - super high grade reissues - his quality evaluation/ listening room also included The above in the thread  mentioned golden ratio, double layers, air gaps, etc we have been talking about but also S ducting on the air conditioning/ heat ducts as well as the return line.
free pro tip
This may be of use.

https://www.acousticfields.com/ten-guidelines-for-room-acoustic-treatment/

i prefer natural absorption w rugs and furniture, hiding acoustic absorbers behind artwork, acoustical curtains if absolutely necessary, plants as diffusers and RPG wood diffusers.
Agree, IF luxury get the room dimensions correct - golden ratio , Fibbonachi sequence, yes!Then room noise floor
The stereo illusion is fragile at best, I myself mostly a seated listener don’t mind 11 bands of analog EQ below 120 hz w typical room node centers and cut 2x boost.
but of course there are other ways
i find real living spaces often far exceed over treated dedicated rooms, not always but often.
best to all
I think some might be missing half the point, which is the baseline noise floor of the room. 
@terry9 thanks so much - I shall build some panels and learn :-)

I had a great back and forth w excellent customer service and technical support at Quietrock the 545 has a 32 mil galvanized steel barrier, I will try that soon.

For those who appreciate science and the blacker arts, try ( pardon the pun ) cutting some carbon black powder into green glue.

i have done this with plugs for fireplaces and in a vocal booth , your mileage may vary
@avsjerry the product I use is Acousticork , it is foam and cork, ignore my error in quoting sorbothane. Never the less- effective. As for the Labrador, some small amounts of random are good

Also, for those not wanting to wander randomly I suggest Acoustic Design and Noise Control Volume  1 acoustic design by Rettinger

i am on my second time thru.... I think n times might not be enough...
Mike at least you can admit that a sign of emotional intelligence:-)

I also have a 240 line split in two, easy and as the OP and others know easy to do and undo IF there is future desire to invest in a step down transformer.

finally since we are on the subject of science based truth vs dusty old narrow experience, there are sources of excellent and effective acoustic curtains- just search on that subject line w Escondido, CA. In use at many mastering labs, recording studios ( ours included ), Kennedy Center, etc.

pm me and I will walk you thru some low to no cost acoustical measurement tools to help you baseline and improve your room.
Me personally I would put down a layer of sorbothane/cork w glue, paying close attention to stud sill plate ( wrap it up ! ) and then an engineered hardwood and then tune w area rugs, Labrador is an excellent absorber.

best, cool post.