I agree with those that feel it is most likely the room acoustics. The large room size will, in general, help you, since it will reduce the frequency of the primary bass modes (although the low ceiling height is a bit of a problem here). I agree with Rives, though, that the construction of the ceiling is more important than the height.
If you've got hard concrete walls and floors, you need to do something to tame strong reflections. Make sure you have some acoustic absorption at the first reflection point on the side walls and floor. If the room is excessively bright, you can add more absorption on the wall behind the speakers, then on the wall behind the listener. Be careful about adding too much absorption, though. You don't want to make your room too dead. Substituting diffusion for absorption works well with less effect on reverberation time, but is more expensive to implement for a comparable effect.
Very hard walls will also increase the Q of the room, causing the bass modes to be narrow and strong. It doesn't sound like it's bass boominess you're complaining about though so this may not be as big a problem in your room. If it is, then some use of bass traps (RPG Modex is probably the best if you don't want to make your own) and low frequency equalization will help a lot.
Regarding your ceiling, I agree with Rives that diffusion can make a big difference, particularly with such a low ceiling. You can make polycylidrical diffusors that will fit up between the joists fairly easily. If the heavy blanket trick suggested by Buscis2 helps at all, then a broad application of diffusors will help significantly more. If you need help figuring out how to make the diffusors, let me know.
Good luck.
- Jay
http://www.jaytorborg.com
If you've got hard concrete walls and floors, you need to do something to tame strong reflections. Make sure you have some acoustic absorption at the first reflection point on the side walls and floor. If the room is excessively bright, you can add more absorption on the wall behind the speakers, then on the wall behind the listener. Be careful about adding too much absorption, though. You don't want to make your room too dead. Substituting diffusion for absorption works well with less effect on reverberation time, but is more expensive to implement for a comparable effect.
Very hard walls will also increase the Q of the room, causing the bass modes to be narrow and strong. It doesn't sound like it's bass boominess you're complaining about though so this may not be as big a problem in your room. If it is, then some use of bass traps (RPG Modex is probably the best if you don't want to make your own) and low frequency equalization will help a lot.
Regarding your ceiling, I agree with Rives that diffusion can make a big difference, particularly with such a low ceiling. You can make polycylidrical diffusors that will fit up between the joists fairly easily. If the heavy blanket trick suggested by Buscis2 helps at all, then a broad application of diffusors will help significantly more. If you need help figuring out how to make the diffusors, let me know.
Good luck.
- Jay
http://www.jaytorborg.com