2. tech-talk
  3. 137025-501

Spacing Diffusor Panels

How important is it to have all your diffuser panels adjacent to each other?  If you’re placing diffusion behind your speakers and the wall is 20ft wide how important is it to have No Gaps between panels? If the panels are 3ft wide and you’re using three should they be arranged adjacent to each other thereby creating a continuous nine foot wide diffusion area or can they be separated by two feet or more? Does a non continuous alignment adversely impact the diffusion?
stickman451

Showing 2 responses by hornguys

hornguys
180 posts
 
Since the sound from the back of the panels will not be particularly good, why would you want to diffuse it, thereby adding an unnatural sound to the room acoustics? 

Personally, I would prefer to absorb that back wave.  Reflecting it any manner cannot help, IMO.
hornguys
180 posts
 
Very careful placement of the absorption panels is required, as well as using the correct size.  Too much absorption can definitely kill the sound's liveliness.

Re the sound from the rear - it's not even close to the sound from the front.  If for no other reason, think of how you have the panels configured.  That is backwards - or at least very different - from what you chose for the best sound from your seat. 

Maybe it's close to the same sound if the speakers are pointed straight ahead, but who does that?  Multiple panels per channel (Tympanis, 30.7) can be worse as the the time and phase differences are reversed.

When I worked at Magnepan as Natl. Sales Mgr., ( I wrote the set-up manuals for T-1D, MG-1 & MG-2A), I can guarantee you that we did not want to disperse the highly colored reflected sound. Doesn't mean that in some cases/installations it might not be preferred, however.
More to discover