Room Treatments

[Primalsea]

I've recently got rid of the 3 piece suite and replaced it with a large 4 seater sofa. One of the arm chairs was between the speakers and the other just on the outside of the right speaker. The left speaker is next to the window which has full length curtains.

I always thought this wasn't ideal until the 3 piece went. Now I can hear an echo in the room, even when just talking. This has really spoiled the sound of my hifi which nows sounds muddy in the bass and lower mid.

Low WAF sound treatment panels is a no go so I was thinking of buying a large beanbag 1 meter high and nearly 3 meters across to put between the speakers.

Anyone got any other ideas??

[Cobblers]

filling a room randomly with lots of stuff breaking up the sound often brings about the best sound!
Sparse modern trendy premises will sound the worst acoustically.

Paintings with frames, heavier curtains, rugs, small pillows/cushions. large pot plants, Chandolier. A large Dog or two!

[petercom]

And bookcases stuffed with books or records

[Richard]

Yes, some sound that reaches your ears is direct and other is reflected. Try and keep surfaces (walls and ceiling) on both sides and above your listening position similar as these will reflect a lot of the higher frequencies you hear and form the "image". At other points random soft/heavy furniture will break up reflections. A beanbag will be too light for much effect. Bookcases are partic good in corners and walls behind your seat. As Cobblers says hard bare floors are a real problem. I had lino tiles on concrete for a while when I was broke and the sound was awful so get some rugs if yours is laminate or similar. A good test of a room (once you're used to trying a few) is a handclap, listening for flutter echos. It should sound... like a handclap, bright and sharp, not dull, but without much echo. Wander around the house when you've got it to yourself and it's quiet. Clap your hands in each room and outside of rooms with the door open and you'll soon tune in to echos and the different sounds.

Rich

[Cobblers]

I agree, an over damped environment is nearly as bad as an under damped one for home audio.
Over damped rooms sound stark, claustrophobic, and obviously dead.
Room reflections are indeed a form of colouration not on the recording but I think our brains are fooled a little more by the Stereo image formed with a subtle hint of room reflections in the mix. Very subtle hint of friendly flutter is best though.

I would certainly err on the side of over dead than over live, as I want to hear the recording and what the speakers can do, not the room.

[Primalsea]

The bean bag and the new armchair I ordered arrived and they made some difference. The biggest difference was from my new speakers. I managed to lug the huge things downstairs and try them out. They have a padded baffle made from a few layers of fleece. The sides and back have layers of roofing felt and canvas dopped in PVA. This seems to really with dampening the room.

I had a chance to listen to some very expensive speakers at the Hifi show yesterday (£10K - £40K). Although they sounded good they had a kind of artificial sound. It seems that there is a "highend sound" thats expected and the speakers were made to make this sound rather than a sound that would be considered as being correct.