Does anyone know or recommend a professional acoustic service (SE Qld) for room set up? 

 

This is for 2 channel & not HT.  I have a very bright room, odd shaped and with timber floors so it's a challenge, hence I need someone who has the expertise, time and patience to set it up.

Edited April 30, 20223 yr by rambada
spelling dunce

You could try Ultrafonic

https://www.ultrafonic.com.au/

I've never used them, but they're Brisbane based

I managed to set my system up in some kind of near field position in a very lively room. I'm in the Tweed Valley. I'm happy for you to come and have a look / listen some day to get an idea of what's worked for me.

 

My room treatments are:

Couches

Sound deadening posters

A large chair with a high back

 

As you can see, there's not much 'professional' about it but the results are pretty damn good if you ask me.

 

Cheers,

 

Pim

Floating timber floor or on concrete?

Paul Spencer at @Red Spade Audio can do remote guided acoustic measurements/consulting (Paul is based in Melbourne), but you would need your own measurement rig (Umike, mic stand, a laptop running REW software (REW is free)).

Paul would lead you through taking room measurements over a Skype/Teams/Zoom session, then analyze the results and recommend appropriate solutions (eg speaker/listening position placement, treatment, subs etc).

 

Regardless of the professional you find, IMHO having your own measurement rig and being able to take acoustic measurements of your room is very useful, assuming you have some interest in the process of achieving good sound in your room, and not just the outcome?

 

A measurement rig isn't costly, provided you already have a laptop available to run REW (free).

A measurement rig needs:

• a measurement microphone - the MiniDSP Umike is a good option Acoustic Measurement Tools: UMIK-1 (minidsp.com)
• a microphone stand - get one with a boom so you can poke the microphone into corners, like this one ICON MB-01 Height Adjustable Boom Style Microphone Stand w/ Tripod Base | Microphone Stands - Mannys Music // Mannys Music
• download Room EQ Wizard (REW), which is free, onto an existing laptop REW - Room EQ Wizard Room Acoustics Software
• Run through the REW setup/tutorials so you can take a room measurement at the correct volume levels

It's ok that you don't understand what the measurements mean at this stage, and don't be horrified by the lumpy results.

 

It's at this stage that it's useful to engage a professional, who will do their own measurements, and if you ask questions along the way you will learn heaps about the acoustics of your room.

The interpretation of room measurements is where the skill is, and what you're paying the professional for...

...but with your own measurement rig you'll be able to independently confirm that the recommendations/treatments advised by the professional actually perform as they're meant to...and you can measure the changes you make yourself after the professional has gone (new treatments, new speakers, new house etc). 

 

cheers

Mike

Not much to add to Mike's comments above except that it isn't absolutely necessary to get a flat freq response to obtain a 'good sound' at home -  I've seen people spend $thousands on room eq treatment and pro-audio dsp units in order to get close to an 'ideal' (mythical) measured response and end up with rather dull and lifeless sound despite the very high quality equipment 

 

Flat freq responses are a requirement in recording and mastering studios but not necessary at home, particularly if you have wide musical tastes.

 

 Bright rooms generally require a fair bit of damping or diffusion and a lot of this can be DIY - getting control of the bass notes is the hardest thing yet the most essential

On 01/06/2022 at 11:47 PM, HdB said:

 Bright rooms generally require a fair bit of damping or diffusion and a lot of this can be DIY - getting control of the bass notes is the hardest thing yet the most essential

IMO get the room's bass right and you're 80% done...and I'm happy to stop at 80% solutions.

Unfortunately, the more rigid your boundaries/walls are the more they'll reflect bass back into the room so it bounces around and needs to be managed/absorbed.

REW will show this by long decay times in the waterfall charts and high reverb times in the lower frequencies for the RT60/reverb charts.

 

On 01/06/2022 at 11:47 PM, HdB said:

Flat freq responses are a requirement in recording and mastering studios but not necessary at home, particularly if you have wide musical tastes.

Generally it's agreed that a smooth frequency response is preferred, but with a tilt sloping down from lower freq to higher freq - the classic "room curve"

My room curve is approx 3dB boost at 20Hz shelving down to approx -3dB at 20kHz.

 

@rambada - you can discuss this with whichever professional you engage.

 

Mike