I've been renovating my house for a couple of years now and I've just about got the living room finished. I've knocked it through into another room to double the size, it's about twice as long as it is wide now, 30m2, I've stripped all the wall paper and had it skimmed by a plasterer and repainted the fresh plaster. I've replaced the carpet with oak flooring and high skirting boards. It looks really nice. I haven't finished the skirting yet but as the wife and kids are away for the weekend I dragged the bare bones of my big HiFi kit out of storage and rigged it up so I could listen to some new vinyl. I think I've ruined my acoustics no matter what I do It sounds like I'm sat in a shipping container, there's nothing in this room but wood and leather and solid walls it sounds so tinny.
I was really looking forward to some serious HiFi again and now I'm going to have to wait until I do the next room, my office, which will be thick carpet an wall to wall tapestry I've just decided!
I was really looking forward to some serious HiFi again and now I'm going to have to wait until I do the next room, my office, which will be thick carpet an wall to wall tapestry I've just decided!
I know exactly how you feel. I did the same thing when I converted my old garage into a "pretty" listening room. Sounded like "Ping!"
Absorb and diffuse, that what you have to do. Wool rugs, as Ray says, wall hangings, drapes, shelves full of books and records, plants, heavy furniture. All those work pretty well with out looking like acoustic treatment.
Absorb and diffuse, that what you have to do. Wool rugs, as Ray says, wall hangings, drapes, shelves full of books and records, plants, heavy furniture. All those work pretty well with out looking like acoustic treatment.
I've had good results with mounting wool rugs on a wooden frame and hanging it on the wall (in the right place) like a picture.
Looks good enough for WAF. It works especially well behind the listening position, if near the rear wall, and also at the first reflection
point from the side wall(s).
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Its amazing how different sound is in different rooms.
I used to run a mobile disco.
It could be echoey in large solid walled rooms.
In rooms with lots of curtains it could be very damped.
I used to run a mobile disco.
It could be echoey in large solid walled rooms.
In rooms with lots of curtains it could be very damped.
Diffuse it or lose it. Carpet dosnt absorb low end so too much of it is not a good idea other. The best is full range absorption like a 3 or 4 inch thick rock wool. Frame it with some nice matching wood, cover it with a nice acoustically transparent cloth and bingo. Cheap atractive excellent absorber.
I've been playing with it a bit positioning throws and the odd Labrador around the room to try and soak up some of the reverberation.
I'm not sure if I am imagine it or not now but isolating the speakers from the floor seems to have improved matters a bit. I wonder why?
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I'm not sure if I am imagine it or not now but isolating the speakers from the floor seems to have improved matters a bit. I wonder why?
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You all missed the the first and foremost non negotiable - Flat hard surface between the speakers is very bad.🙁
Now that you moved the speakers forward from that cabinet, you should have a more accurate soundstage - less diffraction and reflections above 1KHZ.
Remove the cabinet from the center, place components on a lower open shelf stand -a really low stand, absorb on the wall below the window, turn the blinds at 45 degrees facing up and leave carpet in front. Then move speakers in and out to find the flattest bass possible while paying attention to the soundstage as the speakers get close to the wall.
Now that you moved the speakers forward from that cabinet, you should have a more accurate soundstage - less diffraction and reflections above 1KHZ.
Remove the cabinet from the center, place components on a lower open shelf stand -a really low stand, absorb on the wall below the window, turn the blinds at 45 degrees facing up and leave carpet in front. Then move speakers in and out to find the flattest bass possible while paying attention to the soundstage as the speakers get close to the wall.
Things certainly improve when I pull the speakers well in front of the cabinet! the sound stage is so much better. Thanks Joel
I need to keep everything as toddler proof as possible which is why the speakers are all tucked up next to the cabinet. But I'm quite happy to pull the speakers forward and chuck my beanbag chair in the optimal position when I get chance to do some listening.
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I need to keep everything as toddler proof as possible which is why the speakers are all tucked up next to the cabinet. But I'm quite happy to pull the speakers forward and chuck my beanbag chair in the optimal position when I get chance to do some listening.
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I haven't pulled out the big guns yet. I still have a Samoyed in reserve. 
Bred by the Nenet people of northan russia for use as acoustic damping. Nightmare when they molt!
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Bred by the Nenet people of northan russia for use as acoustic damping. Nightmare when they molt!Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Try it with nothing between the speakers by moving the rig to one side. It can have a dramatic effect on imaging.
The more I listen the less sure I am its definitely the acoustics. I'm beginning to suspect that there might be something else going on here.
I'm wondering if the amp has something to do with it. I'm using is my old NAD 3130. I think its about 30 years old and has been sat idle for the last three years or so. Its never been re-capped to my knowledge and I wonder if its showing its age finally.
I'm going to try using a 160W T-Amp in place of its power stage tomorrow morning
See if thats any better.
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I'm wondering if the amp has something to do with it. I'm using is my old NAD 3130. I think its about 30 years old and has been sat idle for the last three years or so. Its never been re-capped to my knowledge and I wonder if its showing its age finally.
I'm going to try using a 160W T-Amp in place of its power stage tomorrow morning
See if thats any better.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
rugs on the wall look awful, no matter how good the rug is. try a large canvas paintings around the room especially wall in front and back of speakers. won't dampen the sound as much as ugly rug but will look heaps better.
or could be a crappy capacitor in the amp.
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or could be a crappy capacitor in the amp.
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- Try to put your speakers facing the width of your room, and not the length.
this way your speakers would be far from the corners and side walls.
- To get the best bass definition, the speaker cabinets, should not vibrate at all (specially back and forth).
putting them on soft pillows is a No No. three spikes on bottom of your speakers are sufficient.
If you are worried about your nice floor, you could use heavy garden flags or Granite slabs (as heavy as you can manage),
sitting on three thin pads (not to scratch the new floor) and then speakers spikes directly on the flags.
Three spikes and three pads means 'no wobble'!
- Try using a rug on floor near the speakers.
with so many hard surfaces, mid-range sound is being reflected, and interferes with direct sound of speakers.
- Try a large non sound-reflecting painting behind your listening seat, facing the speakers.
Not much else you can do, you may finally get used to it, even like it.
this way your speakers would be far from the corners and side walls.
- To get the best bass definition, the speaker cabinets, should not vibrate at all (specially back and forth).
putting them on soft pillows is a No No. three spikes on bottom of your speakers are sufficient.
If you are worried about your nice floor, you could use heavy garden flags or Granite slabs (as heavy as you can manage),
sitting on three thin pads (not to scratch the new floor) and then speakers spikes directly on the flags.
Three spikes and three pads means 'no wobble'!
- Try using a rug on floor near the speakers.
with so many hard surfaces, mid-range sound is being reflected, and interferes with direct sound of speakers.
- Try a large non sound-reflecting painting behind your listening seat, facing the speakers.
Not much else you can do, you may finally get used to it, even like it.
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Its funny you say that Ken. I have been getting used to it. It has a live music feel. The bass is not as I'd like it though.
The swap out of the Power Amp has helped a bit and I am enjoying the detail of tyese speakers again.
They have the drivers and crossovers from a pair of 90s Heybrook HB1 speakers (not initially my work) and I've modded the cab so the volume behind the main driver matches the volume of the donar HB1s (the top 1/3 of the cab) the bottom of the cab is just a big box with a tweeter in it. I was thinking of putting a big bag of sand in the bottom of the cabs as damping.
The swap out of the Power Amp has helped a bit and I am enjoying the detail of tyese speakers again.
They have the drivers and crossovers from a pair of 90s Heybrook HB1 speakers (not initially my work) and I've modded the cab so the volume behind the main driver matches the volume of the donar HB1s (the top 1/3 of the cab) the bottom of the cab is just a big box with a tweeter in it. I was thinking of putting a big bag of sand in the bottom of the cabs as damping.
The speaker box (specially the front baffle) holds the speaker assembly. if it is allowed to dance with the music - or better still with the movement of the coil - it tends to not only add its own coloration, but also interferes with the sound of the cone. technically speaking, you only want the the cone to move, and all else not to!
Putting sand bags inside the cabinet, is done to increase the mass of the speaker in order for it to be more resilient to vibration, also it helps eliminate standing waves inside the cabinet. The more bottom heavy, the less the vibration.
A dense slab and spikes ( could be just three round head bolts at the bottom of the cab.) stops the cab. vibrating. The sheer weight of the slab, needs a lot more energy to make it move back and forth.
Also if memory serves right, the HB1's had a midrange correction section on the crossover circuit, that was very beneficial to that speaker.
If your speakers are different you may want to disable that. After a few glasses of wine I can not be sure, but I do remember an inductor, capacitor and resistor from bass driver to the tweeter.
If you are happy with them, leave it alone.
Again, I am a little tipsy writing this.
I think I've finally solved the bulk of the problem. I had some time to look at this again this morning. I noticed the trebble tone pot on tye NAD wasn't doing much. So I cleaned all the pots out with some contact cleaner and It's all a lot less tinny.
I'm just packing it all up to move house now. We'll see what the new home sounds like.
I'm just packing it all up to move house now. We'll see what the new home sounds like.
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