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room treatment

I have my system in a room which I am considering treating. I down loaded a program and entered in my room dimentions. Length-18 ft, res freq is 31.36 and multiples there of
Width-13.4 ft, res freq is 43.28 and multiples there of
Height-7.8 ft, res freq is 72.06 and multiples there of.

res freq was calculated by the program. I am limited with what I can do with the room because it is a rental unit. The right side wall of the room when facing the home theater unit has an opening 5 ft wide to the ceiling(7'10) . It also has a chase, approx dimensions , 16 x 24 , that runs floor to ceiling.Floor is carpeted,ceiling is spackled, large fabric couch and two fabric chairs, have four large leafy plants which I hope helps to deal with reflections. My system sounds relatively good but I can tell that it has alot more to offer. I will slowly be upgrading the system. I have Paradigm Monitor 9 mains with center and surrounds. 8"sub to be replaced. The rest will eventually go. Is there anything that could be done to improve the the way the room sounds. Bass seems to be the weak spot. Kick drums could come out cleaner. Can anything be done reguarding the res frequencies? Some input would be most welcomed.
arp
7 responses Add your response
mrjstark
1,112 posts
 
If it is a rental I would consider a RCS (Digital or Analog Room Correction System) like Rives(it is on my list for some time now) or TacT Audio (which I own) or Copland (which I have NO experience with but heard good reviews).

If you can deal with room treatment ....great.
Start with 2 (or 4) bass trap in the corners behind the speakers. Maybe some echo corners busters and Some diffusers on the ceiling since it is not that high.

The most important fact is that you are willing to try it.

Cheers
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,676 posts
 
Go to www.realtraps.com and take Ethan's words to heart (and wallet). An alternative is www.gikacoustics.com. Both offer good advice and good products.

BTW, plants are of little acoustic use.

Kal
pdreher's avatar
pdreher
1,208 posts
 
I second GIK Acoustics. I just added 5 of their 244 panels and the results have been excellent. Very helpful staff and excellent prices.
heavystarch
34 posts
 
Arp,

I would also agree with Kal - head straight over to www.RealTraps.com and read everything Ethan has to offer on his website. I think Ethan's website is one of the most informative around regarding room acoustics and remedies. Their products are 2nd to none and install quite easily.

Plus if you are renting you can get a way with a few holes in your walls if you hang them. If/when you move out of your apt. just a little $5.00 putty, touch up paint and it will be as if you were never there.

GIK offers some really great products too and they're every bit as helpful.
frank_sm
112 posts
 
If you rent you can purchase stands to mount the real traps on so no need to even drill into the walls. I own 14 real traps and about half of them are on stands. You can also move them around to optimize positioning.
arp OP
9 posts
 
Thanks. I went to the web sight. Quite a bit to digest. I work for a high end home builder, so building the bass traps will be easy to build. I have three finishing carpenters that I can go to for advice. How do I know whether it is the upper or lower bass trap that I should build? I'm thinking of making it look like a couple pieces of furniture once I know what type of traps I need. Has anybody tried that. If so, is there anything that can be learned before I give it a try? There are usually some unforseen problems that make the project interesting. If I can figure out how, I will post a picture.
frank_sm
112 posts
 
If you're going to build traps use Owens Corning 703 to stuff them with. This appears to be the choice of the notable acoustics companies. Cover floor to ceiling in all corners if possible, the more broadband absorption the better. Avoid using cheap foam.

Here are links to some round bass trap construction ideas.
http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/basstrap.htm
http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/traps/traps.html
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