2. misc-audio
  3. 195052-179897

Room Treatments - ATS Corner Bass Trap

I have posted often my system’s week link is my listening room, a shared listening/living room.  The configuration, a 20’ x 12’ room, with a 11’ x 14’ dining room  in an L- configuration on the left and a hall on the right, is for the most part an open configuration.  Therefore, there is adequate venting to prevent wave reinforcement and cancellation, or at least I thought.   The room was untreated until now due to esthetic considerations and the WAF.  I finally purchased and installed an ATS Corner Bass Trap today and there was an immediate improvement in the following SQ attributes:  

  • Bass detail is much improved, especially the secondary harmonics and the ability to discern the strings from the body of instruments.
  • Dynamics have greater impact. 
  • Detail in general across the frequency range is improved.  
  • Staging is deeper and wider with improved density and dimensionality of images. 
  • Timbre, most important to me, is improved.

So for years, I have underestimated the reinforcement and cancellation effects occurring in my room masking detail and I underestimated the positive effects that relatively inexpensive room treatments can bring.  I still will long for a treated, dedicated listening room, but for now am very happy with the improvements realized today.  Thanks to all that posted on the benefits of room treatments.  



 

jsalerno277

Showing 1 response by jrareform

jrareform's avatar
jrareform
64 posts
 

Agreed with @kevinzoe , although I have no experience with membrane traps.  Filling your rear corners are top priorities for trapping, with as much as you can get in there loosely (using R19 or R13 type stuff, the fluffy kind) and then covering with enough fireproof material to keep the insulation from exiting the unit.

And then if you can at least get your first reflections with 4" minimum, 6-8" preferred paneling, again as large as possible, you will see another giant difference.  The thicker the panel, the lower the frequencies it will cover typically as far as absorption. 

It’s best to get an expert at somewhere like gik acoustics, or many of the other reputable acoustics companies to dial in your room.  If you really want to go down the rabbit hole and get your system singing, get room EQ wizard, and a umik and check your frequency response curve on each channel, as well as your waterfall, rt60 graphs.  Rooms account for a large portion of the sound you’re hearing because in most rooms, most of the sound you are hearing is indirect sound (sound coming from reflections and the room), vs direct sound (coming from the speaker directly to your ears).  Physics! cool But the main thing is to enjoy your system, and in particular the music that is coming out of them.  It can be easy to forget that in all of this work to achieve great sound :D

More to discover