The problem with absorption panels- it kills the fine details


If you’ve ever removed your absorption panels, you’ll find that you’ll hear a lot more detail and there is more openness. Truth is all those fine pressure amplitudes that add so much to enjoyable listening are considerably extinguished with absorption panels. The room seems quieter with absorption panels because all the fine detail is diminished.

It sounds different, so people think it sounds better. Absorption panels can kill good sounding music. I removed most of the absorption panels, and things actually sounded better. All the furniture in the room and the bookshelves were doing their thing in a great way. So I’ve concluded I really don’t need all that crap on the walls.

emergingsoul

Showing 2 responses by thespeakerdude

Room treatment is not something that can be guessed at nor something easily done by ear. It is difficult to tame reflections, get a good room response, and maintain on axis speaker response if you are using DSP. That does not mean DSP is bad. It is a tool and must be used responsibly.  I expect you absorbed too much mids making other frequencies more pronounced which further masks the mids. That wrecks your detail.

@avanti1960 

Its not usually about reflections giving fake detail though they create a sense of space. It's normally about absorption causing suck out in the room response whether you can hear the direct or not. Detail is not only first arrival it's subtle details in sustain, etc.  Get suck out and you get masking from louder sounds at other frequencies.