Simple Room Treatment Works Wonders!

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Raylinds, Apr 17, 2014.

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  1. Raylinds

    Raylinds Resident Lake Surfer Thread Starter

    I have an 80" TV between my speakers (I am only stating the size to let you know there is a large screen area exposed between the speakers). I have been reading posts that the screen should be covered for listening sessions. I never worried about tis because my speakers are about 3 feet in front of the screen, so I thought there would be no reflections.

    Tonight I decided to try covering the screen with my comforter. I was immediately struck by how much more focused the sound was and how much more coherent the soundstage was. There was more weight to the vocals in the center of the soundstage.

    Being the skeptic I am (and not wanting to have to cover the screen every time I play music) I removed the comforter, listened carefully and the put it back up. There is no doubt there is a noticeable improvement. This is one of the best (and cheapest) upgrades I have done!

    So a question for room treatment gurus- does the thickness of the covering matter? If I put up a curtain to close in front of the screen, will that work as well as a thick comforter?
     
    ghost rider likes this.
  2. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    Looks like no one knows. Did you try anything else like a bedsheet?
     
  3. Hagstrom

    Hagstrom Please stop calling them vinyls.

    I'm just researching this topic myself. I'd try a curtain. Go to a Goodwill and get some cheap drapes and test it out.
     
  4. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    I got an inexpensive foam kit and it drained some of the tizzy sound from the windows and video screen glass. I think a curtain could work, but I would look at acoustic materials. I have always imagined that you could use acoustic panels or foam and create a screen sized panel with something light like a gator board back and sew it into something like a fitted sheet sized to put over the screen.
     
    ghost rider and raferx like this.
  5. Beattles

    Beattles Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    You could make a hinged sectional panel with acoustic material that folds together and moves put of the way.
     
    raferx likes this.
  6. raferx

    raferx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    Both good ideas, easy and cheap to do.
    I had the same issue, and I too noticed a big improvement in sound-image coherence, soundstage depth, stereo/3D imaging, and voice/timbral accuracy covering my flatscreen TV.
    Pretty crazy what blanket can do.
    With a proper, fitted screen cover incorporating acoustic material and thicker, soft cotton or wool/cotton blend in black to match the TV (or whatever matches your colour scheme), I'm sure it would only improve what you're already hearing with just the comforter.
     
  7. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    Yes, which is why I use heavy, thick (actually 3 layers) theater drape (velvet on the part you can see, plus two liners) in my music room. However, keep in mind that such coverings only work on higher frequencies (the thickness and type of material will determine how low in frequency the covering will work).
     
  8. Hipper

    Hipper Forum Resident

    Location:
    Herts., England
    Now you have an inkling of what room treatment can do why don't you investigate further?

    http://www.gikacoustics.com/

    http://realtraps.com/

    There's plenty of info on those sites.

    Speaker and listening position is another factor for you to consider.

    You could also invest in Jim Smiths book 'Get Better Sound' which is full of practical ideas.
     
  9. Sneaky Pete

    Sneaky Pete Flat the 5 and That’s No Jive

    Location:
    NYC USA
    I have a TV in my listening room. I always cover it with a towel or blanket before serious listening. I also prop two large pillows up about tweeter height on the side walls. Both things improve the listening experience greatly .

    Nothing is sweeter than improving sound without spending money. Enjoy it.
     
    Dave and ellingtonic like this.
  10. ellingtonic

    ellingtonic Forum Resident

    In the past when I had a combined room I noticed that covering the TV helped. Right now I'm lucky enough to have a spare bedroom to use as a dedicated room. It isn't perfect, but some rugs and cheap sound treatments have helped a lot.
     
  11. kevintomb

    kevintomb Forum Resident

    Things such as acoustics, room shape, listening position, corner treatments etc, determine a LOT of the sound we hear. Beyond the speaker itself ( obviously the biggest variable) the room comes in a close second, as does equalization etc.

    What amazes me, many in here rarely talk about treating a room, actually measuring response and determining if it is even close to flat or not or doing anything about it.

    Seems the more "esoteric" stuff gets a lot of mention, but the basics and stuff that really matters, is boring or not worthy of much discussion.

    My old house, had a dedicated listening room, with of all things, movable "drapes", on 4 walls, that could be fully closed to deaden the room a lot, or fully open to make it more lively, while each corner had a home made bass trap, and some absorbing material on the walls.
    It honestly cost very little, and was all done by me. Good treatment does not have to be actual "Audiophile" stuff, but can be actual craft and fabric stuff easily available anywhere.
    The difference without the treatments was utterly different. It tooks weeks of experimenting and a lot of very small EQ changes, and Pink Noise and a sound meter to get things just right.

    When they were "just right", the sound was amazing. Truly fantastic imaging, great tonality, and sounds seemed to just emerge from either a small space around the speaker, or inhabit a huge area between them and around them, depending on how a sound was recorded.

    I think in some ways, tiny amounts of EQ, and room treatment offer FAR more improvement, that a lot of things the forum is more open to discussing, such as cables etc.

    Oh well, different strokes.......
     
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  12. Ellsworth

    Ellsworth Forum Resident

    This thread seems right on target. My listening room is our living room so I don't have tons of flexibility in what my wife will let me do. Fortunately it is a good room and I have pretty good speaker placement. My wife is tolerant but only to a limit.

    Digital room correction is a very interesting option. I have read a lot from people that frown on it but when it is your only remaining option to change the room, there might be some merit to it.
     
    ghost rider likes this.
  13. Hipper

    Hipper Forum Resident

    Location:
    Herts., England
    I don't think it's being boring that's the problem. It's difficult. Swapping equipment, cables etc. is pretty easy. Getting speaker position right is time consuming and frustrating.

    Buying room treatment is expensive (I spent around £3,000) although it should outlive equipment. Yes it can be home made but that is not easy or pleasant. Understanding room acoustics and psychoacoustics is quite a big study.

    All these things are very difficult to audition in your home. The best that can be done is to hear a well treated properly set up room and hopefully that will inspire. It also requires listening properly, particularly to bass.

    I was in the dark until nine years ago when I made an effort with room treatment and thought I'd got a good sound. I now know I didn't get it anywhere near right then but think that earlier this year I've broken the back of it. Basically, I consider I have musical bass and once you've got that you are on the home straight!

    I look at pictures on here of nice looking systems, some very stylish, but more often then not there is no room treatment and in the small rooms we use for hi-fi (small relative to a music venue) that means to me the system will not be delivering to their full potential. Some people say they don't need it but they are ignoring basic physics.

    I agree. Even tone controls can help if you are restricted by practical circumstances. Purists will say it will damage the sound but that damage is nothing compared to the improvement at your ears.
     
    Kkfan likes this.
  14. gloomrider

    gloomrider Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA, USA
    Bingo! Esthetics and functionality are rarely compatible. An entire thread could be dedicated to "spousal inhibition of acoustic optimization" ;)
     
  15. raferx

    raferx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    I think for most couples or families, sharing a "music" space with "living" space, room treatment and speaker placement comes down to aesthetics. If you can blend your acoustic treatments in with the decor and your wife/partner and kids don't fall over or have to walk around your speakers, then I think pretty much anything can be tolerated by our better halves...
    PS. My girlfriend gives me stink eye once in a while when I've pulled my Harbeths waaay out into the room and not put them back before the morning.
     
    PROG U.K. likes this.
  16. ghost rider

    ghost rider Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bentonville AR
    I never even thought about this. I have a 55 inch plasma so a big piece of glass between my front speakers. It will be challenging to figure out how to install this. Please post more ideas on ways to do this. I’m going to start off with a shipping blanket and look into drapery fabric.
     
  17. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    Drapes sound like a great idea! Draw them for music, open them for TV! :cool:

    But how thick is the question.
     
  18. ghost rider

    ghost rider Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bentonville AR
    Drapes won't work for me.
    Back in the day I had a big 55in rear projection set and built a big cabinet surrounding it and my subs. I built a inner wall and that’s where I mounted the plasma.
    So I would have to make something that could clip onto the upper shelf and roll up and tuck on the side when not listening.
    listening room.jpg
     
  19. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    I can only suggest something that rolls up like a fabric blind, anchoring it where the books are. Or maybe attaching the blind (with screws) under the TV where there is room and placing hooks where the books are.

    Something like that.
     
  20. ghost rider

    ghost rider Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bentonville AR
    I was thinking something like a wood curtain rod and make some finished blocks that would pinch the two sides above the books.

    Disclaimer I know all the clutter looks bad but it’s actually high frequency defusing material. And the Misses like somewhere to put all the stuff.
     
  21. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    That contraption would have to be completely removable, si?
     
  22. mwheelerk

    mwheelerk Sorry, I can't talk now, I'm listening to music...

    Location:
    Gilbert Arizona
    I have always had a TV between my speakers. This is something I have thought of often but all I have ever thought to do was to position the speakers so the back edge of the speaker cabinets were beyond the front edge of the TV. I may try the blanket thing just to see but honestly can't imagine putting that up and pulling it down repeatedly.

    Given my laziness to the blanket/covering approach what are your opinions on speaker position in relationship to the HDTV between the speakers?
     
  23. ZenArcher

    ZenArcher Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham, NC
    I like the fabric blind idea, especially if you can find those quilt-like shades used in solar homes.
     
  24. tim185

    tim185 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    As long as the screen isn't protruding in front of the speaker cabinets, it shouldn't have a effect at all. As in a flat screen wall mounted with speakers either side. That won't be a problem.
     
  25. David.m

    David.m Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    For a few years now I've been covering my wall mounted 60inch plasma panel with a black 50mm acoustic panel (a synthetic thermally bonded product), aside from any acoustic improvements I also find it easier to visualise the soundstage without the distractions of looking at reflected images in the glass panel.
     
    drew phillips likes this.
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