Hi Everyone,

 

I am looking for some advice on acoustic treatment for my room.

Can anyone please help me with suggestions for a basic acoustic room treatments to start with for a stereo listening set-up.

 

Room size is 3.8 meter x 4.0 meter, looking to concentrate  on acoustic treatment on budget. 

 

Speakers are kept on 3.8 m wall side with approximately 2 metres apart and listening chair 3.0 meters from the speaker's.

 

Room height is 2.8 meters, speakers are approximately 50cm from back and side of the wall's.

 

Thank you

Edited November 13, 20241 yr by VJC
Update

Hi VJC,

I’d recommend that if you want informed suggestions to your questions that you provide additional information. 
If you make a reasonable sketch of your room dimensions and include all the furniture, windows, door locations etc.  
A basic square as you describe isn’t the best for a listening space but what furniture you have (bookshelves, couch, chairs, curtains, plants, tv etc.) will make a difference. 
2nd : Explain the issues you hear when listening to music in the room now - what do you want to improve?  These might be the bass is too dominant, excessive treble, uneven musical presentation in different spaces in the room, not very good central image of vocals, no depth to music …… or others you think. 
3: What speakers are you listening to?

4: Download REW onto your laptop and purchase a USB calibrated microphone and a micstand (Dayton UMM-6 is a good microphone , about $165). 
Watch a few Utube REW setup videos, then try to record some test tones in your room and report back to SNA. 

There are some very knowledgeable ppl on SNA who might help, if they know more about your situation. 
 

5: WRT room treatment, what are your constraints?  Are you free to use professional type treatments - visually they can be a challenge to others.
Some can be more aesthetically pleasing but are generally more expensive. 

Are you willing to try DIY?

6: Budget?  It helps if you can give a range you are willing to spend. 
 

Happy Listening, and, hopefully an improvement you are happy with in the future. 

 

4 hours ago, frankn said:

If you make a reasonable sketch of your room dimensions and include all the furniture, windows, door locations etc.  

Sound advice (parden the pun) from frankn - I would also add the following considerations:

Floor - tiles, floorboards or carpet? On solid concrete slab or 2nd storey wooden truss/ibeams?

Edited November 14, 20241 yr by Craigandkim

There is the main question, which is not clear in addition: what is the aim of your room? Is it for control listening of music or for the acoustical comfort listening? Do you prefer hard dense bass to listen AC/DC or Metallica or are you fan of symphonic concerts, operas or specific something? It may strongly change your acoustical room treatment. Sorry, one more important question: do you need soundproofing (for low frequencies, for instance)?

Edited November 15, 20241 yr by basscleaner

2 hours ago, basscleaner said:

There is the main question, which is not clear in addition: what is the aim of your room? Is it for control listening of music or for the acoustical comfort listening? Do you prefer hard dense bass to listen AC/DC or Metallica or are you fan of symphonic concerts, operas or specific something? It may strongly change your acoustical room treatment. Sorry, one more important question: do you need soundproofing (for low frequencies, for instance)?

Not so  IMHO, a well treated room will allow the playback of any music with clarity, tonal balance, a sense of scale and openness.  You should be aiming to minimise the interaction of your room/speakers with the narrow build-ups of room nodes, multi-paths that wreck the direct sound, amplify/suck out certain narrow bandwidths at the listening position(s). 
If you have multiple seating positions (home theatre?) you will have to average some measurements at different locations to get the best overall performing treatments. 
You should be able to play rock & roll, techno, jazz, orchestral or organ music - within the limits of your HiFi system. 
I do agree that if you also require soundproofing then that is another discussion altogether. 
If you want to playback a couple of very different music genres and you deliberately want to emphasise a specific sound profile then I suggest using DSP (or a very transparent, high# of multi-band equaliser - if one exists) to do that. 
Once the room treatment is complete (as much as you are willing to do), then DSP can also be used to fine-tune any remaining issues, although, it is worth noting that some very well regarded people don’t like DSP. But, horses for courses, if you can try it out you might find it is really good for you. Or not. 
There is no right/wrong. 
 

On 14/11/2024 at 6:42 AM, frankn said:

Are you willing to try DIY?

@frankn

 

Good day and thank you for your inputs on my question.

 

I am fairly new to stereo music listening. And the set-up is in a seperate room one end of the room has a speakers (there is a small glass window behind the speakers with blinds) and a stand for amplifier. Other end of the room has one single leather couch behind couch there is big wardrobe to the wall. Its a carpeted room. No more items , no furniture.

 

Only listen to Qobuz.

 

I do not have any big issues in my music as I am new do know how a perfect set-up will sound. Sorry for my Ignorance but just thinking to do some basic DYI room acoustic for the room.

Edited November 16, 20241 yr by VJC

32 minutes ago, VJC said:

@frankn

 

Good day and thank you for your inputs on my question.

 

I am fairly new to stereo music listening. And the set-up is in a seperate room one end of the room has a speakers (there is a small glass window behind the speakers with curtains) and a stand for amplifier. Other end of the room has one single leather couch behind couch there is big wardrobe to the wall. Its a carpeted room. No more items , no furniture.

 

Only listen to Qobuz.

 

I do not have any big issues in my music as I am new do know how a perfect set-up will sound. Sorry for my Ignorance but just thinking to do some basic DYI room acoustic for the room.

Hi VJC,

Unfortunately a perfect set-up (speakers and room ) is extremely unlikely to be found at low cost / DIY.  You can go a long way but there will inevitably be compromise.  You can greatly improve the sound you hear with effective choices of furniture, pot plants, bookshelves (with books of course), cushions, floor coverings, and, some room treatments. You mentioned (DM) that the stereo is in a separate room , sounds like a spare bedroom where there is only the stereo (streaming only via Qobuz) , speakers and one listening position. 
What speakers are you listening to?

1 hour ago, VJC said:

thinking to do some basic DYI room acoustic for the room.

 

I wrote these posts for queries like yours. 

VJC,

if you are not ready to jump into measurements I have a few suggestions.  
You mention you are pretty happy with the current sound in the setup. The setup has been achieved following an online recommendation and from the Dynaudio online setup guide. 
You mention that behind the listening position is a large, inbuilt wardrobe- if that is empty you may wish to put some clothes/pillows inside. 
You also say that there is no other furniture other than the couch you sit on to listen to music.  
I’d add a couple of large, leafy pot plants to the room (https://www.greenadelaide.sa.gov.au/news/2022-adelaide-indoor-plants )

and if you like reading a couple of bookcases down the sidewalls.  
I would also suggest you try being a bit more adventurous with the position of your Listening position (LP) and also your speakers. 
1) Try moving your LP another 50cm into the room.  See if your speakers sound better, and possibly an improved stereo image. 
2) After 1) and if you are happy, move the speakers another 50cm into the room.  Listen again.  Are you happy? Does the music sound better?

Each time you are moving closer to the speakers so you hear more direct sound. The strength of the direct to reflected sound (from the side walls, the front wall(behind the speakers as you look at them), from the back wall (behind your LP) , from the ceiling))) increases and you hear less confusion because of the reflected sound. 
3) one last test, move your couch ANOTHER 50cm towards the speakers. Does sound get better or worse? If worse, move backwards 25cm. Repeat.

 

You have some fun time in your future moving items around, you will get a bit fitter too😉.  
Try to enjoy the testing. Take your time. Listen to the system for a few hours or a day before making the next change. Take notes and hopefully you come to a conclusion on speaker and LP position that sound best to you. 
 

After that you might decide to purchase the microphone and get REW. 

If not, DONT WORRY about it.  As long as you are happy with the sound of your system, that is what counts to you. 
 

As I said offline, I think getting the Chesky test tracks (streaming) and Jim’s e-book will also help you. 
 

 

On 15/11/2024 at 3:08 PM, frankn said:

Not so  IMHO, a well treated room will allow the playback of any music with clarity, tonal balance, a sense of scale and openness.  You should be aiming to minimise the interaction of your room/speakers with the narrow build-ups of room nodes, multi-paths that wreck the direct sound, amplify/suck out certain narrow bandwidths at the listening position(s). 
If you have multiple seating positions (home theatre?) you will have to average some measurements at different locations to get the best overall performing treatments. 
You should be able to play rock & roll, techno, jazz, orchestral or organ music - within the limits of your HiFi system. 
I do agree that if you also require soundproofing then that is another discussion altogether. 
If you want to playback a couple of very different music genres and you deliberately want to emphasise a specific sound profile then I suggest using DSP (or a very transparent, high# of multi-band equaliser - if one exists) to do that. 
Once the room treatment is complete (as much as you are willing to do), then DSP can also be used to fine-tune any remaining issues, although, it is worth noting that some very well regarded people don’t like DSP. But, horses for courses, if you can try it out you might find it is really good for you. Or not. 
There is no right/wrong. 
 

To my opinion (and not only, believe me), there no any "the best acoustical treated Room" at all and it doesn't be real the same without the goal you follow to. Any room is the resonant chamber for your sound source(s) and even outer ones, which produces sound noise. You may to get closer to the aim of "neutral" acoustics, but, as you, sure, know, it will be echoless chamber, don't you?

Besides, as you know, there is a masking effect of low frequencies. It means, in particular, that if you have the room with acoustics, oriented to hard rock or jazz (with high SPL for bass), therefore, loss of sensitivity to mid and high ranges is inevitable, don't you?

Next,  (I'm talking about low freq.range only) use of DSP for one or two low frequency sources can't allow to get smooth FR at some listening point in principal without compromise confirmations. The Trinnow technology can improve this by use of many LF sources, but what about budget and a room space economy?