Your Listening Room
Copyright 2013 © Troels Gravesen
The lines below comes from the
Speakers' Corner
pages some two years ago. It addresses a crucial issue in any hifi
system set-up and my idea of giving its own page is to add comments from
time to time whenever I come across things that may help people in not
only creating a decent room for hifi but also understand why the sound
from your hifi set-up may be less than adequate.
I did a google on "modern interiors" and nicked the image below.
Probably a nightmare in terms of acoustics. I hope the panels on the
ceiling and on the walls are acoustic absorbents to at least remove some
of the bathroom acoustics. Why modern interiors must look like this is a
mystery to me. Maybe our modern lives are so chaotic that we need home
interiors free of anything that may tickle our curiosity. I love
visiting people where the living room tells a story of what these people
do and find interesting. Paintings, books, things they brought home from
where they have been, things they have made with their hands, etc.
I love carpets, curtains, book shelves and fabric furniture that enables
more than two people to have a conversation without hearing the echoe of
voices bouncing between tile floors and concrete walls and ceilings.
Highly reverberant rooms adds to the stress we so much need to get away
from.
Check out the youtube videos below and find inspiration for a better
acoustic environment.
Any sound system set-up should start with this question: What is your
room like? Many people set up seriously expensive systems in less than
adequate acoustic environments and never render the full potential of
their investment.
Almost every day I have to direct respondents to this page:
CHOICES. I cannot
- and shall not - give any recommendations on what speakers to build,
but I can tell people not to build the Jenzen Illuminator if
they have 5 SET watts at hand - and not to build the TQWT if they use a
400 watts solid state amps. Generally people are afraid of using large
speakers in small rooms - and yes, it can go wrong depending on actual
speaker and room placement. 12 sqm is not a whole lot - actually the
size of my workshop - and I don't have problems running my Jenzen
speakers in my workshop where they can be placed away from the corners.
But don't stick two Jenzen speakers in the corners of 10-12 sqm unless
you have a digital equaliser. Not recommended.
A speaker may be so tall the response from the drivers may not gel
properly at short distance, but a large speaker may be much better
energising a 12 sqm room compared to a small 6+1 speaker. That is: The
speaker drivers don't have to do much, we have reduced cone movement, we
have low distortion and we have more dynamic headroom.
One thing is matching room, speakers and amplifiers, another thing is
what can be done to better room acoustics. Sometimes a modest investment
in room treatment may be worth more than a new megadollar amplifier - or
loudspeakers. Lots of literature is available on room acoustics - and
what can be done about it. I won't make a list, but simply point to a
few youtube movies on treating your room for better sound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbLVjHfHahg.
I love this couple - and the wife's body language saying : "Do I really
have to in on this?" Very sound advise. Must see video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVZTKIrR6lI.
Part one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qECsSHJXvNA
Part two. Sound advise too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4paIPqORvdc
Don't know the language, but have subtitles and very well demonstrate
what it means to add a few acoustic absorbers (use a pair of good head
phones to hear the sound). On my
5F mini-system
here the difference is very clear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=JQLDIrS8deU.
This guy must have had 6 double expressos in a row. I love his AU
accent. Have fun!
There are many more movies on acoustics on youtube and take a look around and get ideas.
more to come