@recordchanger2018, I got off the acoustic treatment train a while back. It started when I bought my Quad ESL 57 panels. The previous owner used them in his design winning home that was featured in an architectural magazine, the name of which escapes me. No room treatments were used with the exception of some well placed furniture. I am not recommending that you buy a pair of ESL 57s, although I think if you like that look and it fits into your decor you could do a lot worse in selecting a speaker. You have been given some very good options as well from other posters. One thing I'd like to mention is the concept of using a "swarm" woofer system with any set of speakers you buy. I built my own version of this type of system, but it definitely helps with room nodes and I have found a lot of success with it. You can learn more here: http://www.audiokinesis.com/the-swarm-subwoofer-system-1.html You can place these asymmetrically around the room and it works wonders to eliminate room issues. I will never go back. If you are daunted by the size of each box or if this is not going to satisfy your inner WAF, note that the boxes can be smaller in size, mine are 1.4 cu. ft (something like 8" x 10" x 8") with 8" woofers. Yes you will need a external crossover, but I found in my room those are much easier to "hide" than acoustic panels. I hope I have given you something else to think about other than the recurring man cave acoustical panel ideas. |
Guys, i’ve been an audiophile since I started dating my husband in 1963 . At first it was “ enforced” listening, finally becoming voluntary after the kids grew up. We have been through Altec Lansing,double Advents, Maggie’s , quad 57’s (re done), Bud Fried’s supermonitors, Harold Beveridge’s big white electrostatics, etc etc....HH Scott, Avery Fisher, Saul Marantz, Rek -O-Kit ,the real Harmon Kardon,tubes, stacks of audio magazines and enough vinyl and turntables to fill a radio station back in the day. I went on here specifically to find out if we could decently ( sound wise) get around visible acoustic treatments. I have been told by many personally that echo is only treatable physically and not electronically, therefore I thought I’d ask all the most dedicated hobbyists here on Audiogon. I will leave y’all now. BTW, my husband ( the original audiophile in our family) has been on Audiogon since about 2005. Vinyl rules until digital can REALLY SOUND ANALOG......you guys were so so helpful... okay, okay, I will admit I have learned a lot of things from Geofkait and Squires, it’s just that for all of us, sarcasm without the smile or wink is hard to see unless we already knew each other. Best to all!! Jan |
There are no speakers that are going to solve this problem. I have been doing this for 35 years and I’m amazed at how little people don’t understand this issue. Remember that anything above 100 hz is a problem of reflection. Anything below 100 hz is a problem of room pressure. If you have a full range speaker, you have to deal with getting the room pressure solved before you do anything else. It won’t matter what else you do. Try opening up one window about 2 inches in your car while listening to the radio at 60 miles an hour and tell me what you hear. Your ears will feel like they are going to explode. If you don’t fix the problem of pressure you are not going to get good sound. Bass ’absorbers’ do not work. Yes, I said it, they do not work. Bass traps, etc., are the biggest waste of money period. Diffusers don’t work either unless they are at least 4 inches in length and are made of some kind of solid hard wood. Plants don’t work either, they are pseudo science. This has been proven time and time again. However, wool carpets are very good. I recommend wool on the floor and even hanging on a few walls. This will help with the ’echo effect’ you are having in your room. If you can, place the speakers so that they are not parallel to any wall. If you have bookshelf speakers and don’t mind sitting on a bean bag or pillow on the floor, use Mapleshade Audio’s Bedrock speakers stands and watch the problems of your room go away. This is due to the fact that the sound will hit your ears way before any reflections and you will not experience the headache. I hope this is helpful. |
