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.

jsalerno27707-08-2025 12:31am

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hbarrel Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 496 posts 07-08-2025 at 03:10pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete @bugredmachine thank you for taking the time to reply in concise manner. Very much appreciated.
drrsutliff Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 894 posts 07-08-2025 at 10:03pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete I have used the ATS corner base traps in my 14’ x 18’ x 8’ room for many years. They helped even out and clarify the lower register response in my room in conjunction with the room also employing additional 4” x 2’ x 4’ ATS absorption panels and some diffusers. The quality of construction and appearance also add to their value. Nothing will fully address nodes that exist in the space but the effects of them being present is very positive.
bugredmachine Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 521 posts 07-08-2025 at 11:54pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete @hbarrel You are very welcome I updated my TN systems page with new pics of the room and the traps. I have smaller triangle bas traps in the rear corners also behind the Real Traps diffusers.
kevinzoe Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 170 posts 07-13-2025 at 10:01pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete jsalerno277 - congrats on your discovery that treatments can provide real substantive sound quality benefits. I am a bit surprised at how a single trap made so much of a difference that you listed, especially in an open concept room - I don't doubt your findings and would encourage you to expand your coverage as WAF, budget, and space allows. Absorption of bass energy helps: remove modal peaks and fill in nulls for better symmetry of Left/Right speaker loudness. reduce bass decay times that are too long relative to the average midrange decay times and as such can improve midrange clarity by reducing what was bass masking before the treatments. Aim for your lowest 1/3rd octave interval of <500ms or ~150% of the avg midrange decay times, whichever is lower. For example, if your EDM music has a tempo of 120 beats per minute which is 1 beat every half second or 500ms, you want the first beat to decay down to the noise floor before the second beat begins otherwise the second beat begins while the 1st is still decaying and heard which adds to the one-note bass effect. But the bass decay time should be relative to its mids (see point below) a Bass Decay and "Warmth" is a ratio that considers how well the bass and midrange integrate. It takes the average decay times of two bass octaves and divides it by 2 midrange octaves average values and should be between 1.1 - 1.45. I wrote an article about it here: https://www.thesilo.ca/combining-bass-loudness-decay-times-to-improve-stereo-quality/#google_vignette invest in both velocity (insulation filled) and pressure (membrane, diaphragm, Helm Holtz) type bass traps for best results Keep going!!!
jrareform Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 64 posts 07-13-2025 at 10:26pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete 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! 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