[Desertpilot]

Hi folks, just for fun, why not a poll?  I was watching a Danny Ritchie (GR Research) video and his room had thick curtains surrounding his listening area and acoustic treatments behind the curtains.  He's pretty smart about this stuff.  Since I don't have a dedicated listening room, I can't do this.  But, I'm curious.  In what environment would Spatial open baffle speakers thrive?

Marcus

[abomwell]

I like diffusion behind the speakers and absorption behind the listening chair. I deflect first sidewall reflections. If the room sounds pleasant for conversation it will likely work well for dipoles.

[Desertpilot]

I have absorbtion/diffusion panels behind each speaker.  Thick "blackout" curtains covering the entire left side wall.  Listening position has four cloth covered and thickly padded recliners.  Some diffusion on the rear wall.  Carpet & pad on the floor.  No echo and conversation sounds normal.  I have a couple bass traps but they are only 2' x 2' and I'm not sure they help much.  I think I am done with acoustic panels and want to move towards DSP to finish off.

Marcus

[abomwell]

DSP can be enormously effective.

[Tyson]

I have a very live room naturally, lots of bare walls, wood floors and glass windows.  I've done everything I can to quiet the room based on my own design and build of 4" thick acoustic panels using very dense denim insulation.  I also up in thick shag carpet in the living room and the side office/nook area to the left of my system.  The room is a lot more quiet now.  It's not perfect because it's my main living/dining area so I have a few constraints on where I can put things. 

IME, a quiet room is always better than lively room for good quality sound.  That's true of any speaker type.  Now, it's certainly possible to over-damp a room and end up with something dead sounding.  Each room is a bit different, so experiment and find what's the best balance for your particular room (and ears).

[morganc]

DSP can be enormously effective.

What dsp units have you used/loved? 

[abomwell]

DSPeaker Anti-mode X4 is my favorite. Automatic room correction with plenty of manual EQ flexibility available. Self contained and no computer is needed. Great product.

[ric]

I also use Dspeaker (orig.) on my subs, but more recently have experimented with some 2'x4'x6" insulation (rock wool type) that I put between some 1/2" pvc as a cage/ holder so that I can move them around without having them flop over. That also helped smooth out the bass a bit, but too much in the corner can deaden the sound so you have to be careful.
     But I still stand by my DIY Shakti Hallographs as having a very good affect on the soundstaging and image focus. Because I put them on lazy susans, I can pivot them where they sit right behind the speakers--there are some recordings that are a bit "in your face" meaning I would want to add some room ambience/reflection via the Hallographs, so I point them at the reflection points on the side walls. There are other recordings that sound too diffuse, and positioning the Hallographs to toe inwards usually does the trick--so much depends on the recording.
   Also, while messing around with the cheap version of the DIY, I made a few and one ended up on a side wall more as a diffuser and I have also been using one two feet off the ground right between both speakers. I have tried it with and without one, and right now I prefer it with. YMMV!
Good luck!

[JTF]

Hi folks, just for fun, why not a poll?

My room goes beyond moderate treatment, but it's not dead. Maybe add in a full or heavily treated option?

[Mr. Big]

Every room is different. What I need or you need is two different things. Not to mention gear.

[Desertpilot]

Thanks everyone.  Most folks are in the "moderate" camp like me.  What makes me curious is the amount of sound coming out of the back of my X3s headed towards my front wall.  While I do have the 6 inch thick absorber/diffusion panels (2 feet wide) on the front wall behind each speaker, sometimes I think I should add absorption between my panels.  That might keep sound from bouncing off the front wall back towards the MLP.  Open baffle cancels side reflections so I should be good there.  Ceiling is 11 feet high so I suspect cancelation plus the ceiling height helps me there.

Am I striving for perfection?  Well, yeah.  I think I might hang some thick comforters between my current panels and see if I hear a difference.

Marcus

[abomwell]

I think it would be a mistake to absorb the front wall reflection. By doing so you would no longer have a dipole.

[Mr. Big]

You have to damp the front wall on Spatial speakers as well as any panel speakers or Electrostatics, you get cancelations if you don't. Corner Bass Traps are a must, 1st reflection points and depending on your room defusion, and heavy curtains on windows is help and if you have windows blinds point them upward but not closed and this creates more defusion if you have a window behind the speakers. 

[abomwell]

There is plenty of conversation with differing viewpoints about this here: "Room treatment for Dipole vs Monopole vs Open Baffle?" https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=38973.0

[Tangram]

Important topic! I think it is quite common to overdamp when introducing treatments. That was me, but with different speakers. There was no reverb! Incredibly “accurate” but dull as dishwater.

Today I have an area rug that replaced incredibly thick shag broadloom (installed specifically to dampen the room). This leaves some hard flooring exposed (vinyl over concrete). I also have absorption clouds and Vicoustics DC-2 diffusers behind the M3s. I have absorption panels on 1st sidewall reflections and a big “bass trap” which is the cavity behind my home theater screen stuffed with rock wool (HT is 90 degrees to stereo). My head is about 3’ in front of the back wall, whichis a combination of record shelving (above) and storage cupboards (below). I open all the cupboards when listening because they resonate at low frequencies, boosting the bass in a not-good way.

I am thrilled with the resulting sound. I will say that the Spatials are much kinder to a difficult room like mine, compared to box speakers. To me, that is one of their strong selling points.