Do what you can to tame the bass. There are limits and room modes are "almost" impossible to overcome (wrt flattening the response curve). Take a look at my TN 2023 system page for before and after bass traps response curves. I have it slightly "flatter" today but it requires as much bass trapping as I can fit. And I have a very well-proportioned room (23.3x16.5x10).
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.
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@hbarrel They look nice. Good color selections and decent NRC numbers. I just installed some Acoustimac 6 inch bass traps in the corners up high in my room because they build them lighter than I do. A two inch panel is not going to do diddly for bass btw. Go 6 inches at least wherever you can. And a paradigm is to place panels across the corners and that is fine if all you can do is purchase yours as 2x4 foot panels. My DIY floorstanding bass traps are 10 inches thick and 59 inches tall by 32 inches wide with additional triangles of rockwool behind those. I deconstructed my 24 x 32 inch bass traps from large boxes to units straddling the corners and then I added the triangles behind them. I didn't make the originals properly so I reused almost all the materials for the new ones. Filling in the triangles behind the panels is very helpful and I have the measurements to verify. |
- 12 posts total