Room treatment 101. What do I need and where do I put it. (Traps, pannels, ect)

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supermo26

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I need to know what to buy and where do I install it as far as pannels and traps go.

Ok so we just moved into this house so nothing is set up. Wife wants TV to remain on this wall and not over the fire place. (We don't care to have to look up while watching TV.)

TV and speakers can be center more in the room. TV will probably go up a little higher with a wall mount unless we get a entertainment center (dresser style). Speakers can be placed further back or even a little more forward if needed.

Couches and furnature is not set up in stone by any means. Just kind of thrown out there.

Basically, I'm wondering where do I need to start as far as room treatment. I would think $600 or less would be cool but no more than $1000. I don't need room to be perfect for critical listening. I want to get the room to sound better with a few pieces. Not sure what to get or even where to put them. I have read that people with knowledge in this stuff can make suggestions off of pictures with out taking measurements or setting up testing equipment.

We don't have a sub or surround yet. Just got the speakers and receiver. Happy with the sound so far but I have read and heard that room treatment can cause the best improvements. When I clap my hands I hear a lot of echo.

SO who is up for making some suggestions?  I have skimmed threw a lot of post and some of the online books about sound and I don't have the understanding to start messing with complicated math. I just need some basic instructions that will make the sound better, not worse. :)










Alex Reynolds

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A few things to consider:

The main echoes you hear are whats called "flutter echo" and happens between to hard boundaries that are parallel (in other words, parallel walls). For example, your floor and your ceiling are not parallel, and even if they were, there is carpet on the floor so your flutter echo will only be due to your side walls and not the ceiling or floor. So for maximum difference for the cost, you should just stick to wall treatment. I usually recommend treating the first reflection points in the room and the rear wall. Rear wall are typically has a lot of bass buildup so thick treatments (6" or thicker) work pretty well on the back wall. Reflection point panels can be 3" or more. If you do surrounds, treating the front wall can help keep the surrounds from blending in with your front channels (so the surround is more "surround" and the mains are more directional")

I would position your couch so that it is in front of the TV/speakers instead of to the side, and try not to sit directly in the middle of the room. A few feet forward or back from the center would be your best bet (judging from the photos, about 3 or so feet from center). The TV and speakers should be centered along that wall.
You don't need to take measurements unless there is a specific problem you are trying to quantify and need to address.

For an example of a treated theater room for under $1,000 - consider a set up like this:

Obviously, this is a more idealized single-purpose room, but the general ideas can still be followed. You could do traps in the rear corners like this, or focus more treatment on the back wall with flat panels instead of the corners.

supermo26

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So corner bass trap treatment or back wall with flat panels to start. What products are recomended? Are there any products that have art look to them as well?

Alex Reynolds

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Either a few thick wall traps on the back, or corner treatment in the back. Whichever works better. Considering you've got the fireplace back there, the corners might be a better solution for your room. But more importantly is treating the early reflection points. You can treat these with any size panel, but the thicker you get, the more bass absorption you get.

Also, I generally suggest checking this out for anyone who's setting up their room: http://gikacoustics.com/room-setup-general-no-nos/

Ethan Winer

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I'm wondering where do I need to start as far as room treatment.

That's a pretty big room, so you need a fair amount of treatment to reduce the echo to an acceptable level. What you are looking for is called "broadband absorber panels," versus thin foam that improves mid and high frequencies while leaving the bass to rattle around. This short article on my company's web site is mainly about home recording, but all the same principles apply to hi-fi and home theater too:

Acoustic Basics

--Ethan