[Hipper]

Instead of using lots of absorbent panels on walls and ceilings, why not use them to either surround the listening chair to prevent incoming reflections, or around each speaker to stop sound that doesn't come directly to the listener?

I know one member on here used to surround his chair and maybe still does. I tried it but it wasn't very practical for accessing cups of tea or the remote:




However I do put panels beside my speakers to prevent side wall reflections and this works well:

[Bendingwave]

When sitting in my Recliner listening to music I have noticed a difference in sound when my hands are placed behind my head as if my arms are preventing some reflections since my arms are close to my ears....so I do believe that utilizing wall absorbent panels around or close to the chair can help in preventing reflections....IMO I would only put them on the side where my ears reside before the arm rest as putting the panels too far in front like in that picture IMO can affect imaging and sound stage.

Even putting a pillow or any type of absorbing panel materials above the back side of the chair can prevent some reflections.


cupping my hands around my ears also seem to reduce reflections....Maybe someone will invent some type of acoustic ear attachments that reduce reflections while directing the sound directly into your ears....My chihuahua can move here ears so that she can pick up the best audible sound. 

[veloceleste]

When sitting in my Recliner listening to music I have noticed a difference in sound when my hands are placed behind my head as if my arms are preventing some reflections since my arms are close to my ears....so I do believe that utilizing wall absorbent panels around or close to the chair can help in preventing reflections....IMO I would only put them on the side where my ears reside before the arm rest as putting the panels too far in front like in that picture IMO can affect imaging and sound stage.

Even putting a pillow or any type of absorbing panel materials above the back side of the chair can prevent some reflections.


cupping my hands around my ears also seem to reduce reflections....Maybe someone will invent some type of acoustic ear attachments that reduce reflections while directing the sound directly into your ears....My chihuahua can move here ears so that she can pick up the best audible sound. 

It's been done. Serious listeners they were called. Sam Tellig formerly of Stereophile "reviewed" them. It was probably late 1980's  or early 90's. See last post in this thread

https://www.stereophile.com/content/sam-telligs-ears-1

[JakeJ]

You might chat with member John Casler about his experiments with the LEDE room treatment and the listening chair.

A couple of threads he discussed this in:
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=153741.0

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=153563.0

[Hipper]

It was John I was thinking of in my post. Thanks for the links to his latest developments - interesting as always.

I posted something on ear cupping here, post 34:

https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/improve-frequency-response-of-ear.189478/page-2

[Bendingwave]

Plywood wouldn't be a good choice because its very hard and will reflect sound instead of reducing reflections like ones own hands....You need a softer material with dampening properties.

[JLM]

You guys need to read Floyd Toole's book "Sound Reproduction" or just give up in-room listening. 

IMO nearly all systems are way "over qualified" for the given room/setup.

[Hipper]

You guys need to read Floyd Toole's book "Sound Reproduction" or just give up in-room listening. 

IMO nearly all systems are way "over qualified" for the given room/setup.

I have read Toole's book, including where he reports that most listeners prefer side wall reflections. I thought I did too until I reduced them (perhaps eliminated them). The result was, as John Casler has said in the links to his experiences mentioned above, that you get 'a purity to listening, generally only available with headphones but with a full soundstage'. I prefer that sound to the one with side wall reflections.

Plywood wouldn't be a good choice because its very hard and will reflect sound instead of reducing reflections like ones own hands....You need a softer material with dampening properties.

The plywood was used (to try and replicate cupped ears) because it was to hand but also because I assumed that my ears will reflect sound and if I bend them it somehow distorts that sound, particularly increasing some higher frequencies. My measurements showed the arrangement had a similar effect to cupping ears.

[rollo]

  For that near field setup you do not require any treatment. Concentrate on your front end instead. Yes the back of reclining chairs and the like can and will affect the sound. Get a chair with no head rest. Easy as pie.


charles

[JLM]

I have read Toole's book, including where he reports that most listeners prefer side wall reflections. I thought I did too until I reduced them (perhaps eliminated them). The result was, as John Casler has said in the links to his experiences mentioned above, that you get 'a purity to listening, generally only available with headphones but with a full soundstage'. I prefer that sound to the one with side wall reflections.

Note that Toole retired from JBL, whose top of the line speakers now use controlled directivity to help reduce room (side wall) effects.

[Wayner]

I have approached this issue on several fronts. First, our listening chairs have high backs, to reduce rear wall reflections.



Then, I created sound absorbers (using old bath towels wrapped around tube and hung at first reflection locations on the left and right wall. There is also one on the rear wall.



I also have my speakers in a slightly larger then normal "near field" listening environment, which seems to bring the whole thing together. I also have the speakers set along the long wall, not the short wall, to eliminate multiple side wall reflections.

[ric]

I think it was Robert E. Greene in a TAS article years ago that talked about taming room reflections. My experience with DIY component isolation led to among other things isolating my acoustic (flamenco) guitar from where it contacts the body (leg, chest, right arm) and trying different end pins and stops for my girlfriends cello--all to good affect. The point being to isolate where the sound is coming from first, vibration wise, which leads to speakers and now I'm throwing the DIY out the window and spending the money and I highly recommend the Iso-Acoustics products.
All of this led me to try putting isolation devices (Herbies, DIY) under the feet on my large listening chair to see if minimizing vibration at the source (me) would also have an affect. It did not, but surely would be worth further exploration.
As far a using a chair or other methods to minimize room reflections, again my preference would be to go to the source of the relections, the walls, floor, ceiling. When I got my Spatial Audio M3 open baffle speakers I thought I would no longer need the DIY Shakti Hallowgraphs I made due to the open baffle affect of the speakers. Wrong. It could be because Spatial uses controlled directivity in order to tame room reflections, which almost seems counter intuitive using an open baffle, but whatever the reason I find that using the Hallowgraphs gives me more control over how I perceive the sound-stage. Many times I point the Hallowgraphs towards the wall at a reflection point, and this will give me a more open, spacious sound-stage. And usually the opposite, pointing them in, tends to give a more intimate setting.

[rollo]

  Last evening I put a cloth blanket over my leather listening chairs back. To my surprise the music was better focused. Today will be looking for cloth chair. Yes that much of a difference. Thanks for this thread.


charles

[Letitroll98]

  Last evening I put a cloth blanket over my leather listening chairs back. To my surprise the music was better focused. Today will be looking for cloth chair. Yes that much of a difference. Thanks for this thread.


charles

I put a heavy throw over the back of my faux leather recliner, which definitely works.  And there a difference with the two throws I've used.  One is a very heavy, tight weave cloth that doesn't sound as good as the lighter open weave one.  That's the opposite of what I expected, so I have some confidence in my impressions.

[Hipper]

The logic behind me starting this thread is that firstly we all recognise that the room and its contents have an effect on the sound after it leaves the speakers and travels to our ears. I appreciate there can be lots of variables, including positioning and type of speakers but the basic premise still exists.

We then ask if this room interference with the sound is desirable. For most people it is not. Some argue some of the room effects are desirable, but I now prefer to minimise all room effects. This can be translated as the headphone experience but with a soundstage that comes from the stereo recording only. This is what John Casler describes in the links above.

There are three ways to achieve this headphone with soundstage experience.

1. You can employ room treatment around the room.
2. You can make an acoustic shell around your listening chair plus treatment on the front wall, as John has done. I would suggest you also need bass traps in all the corners.
3. You can use treatment around the speaker so only direct sound comes from it; the rest is absorbed. This would I suppose include using speakers with as direct sound emissions as possible.

[Letitroll98]

My thought is the damage from early reflections has already happened by the time it reaches the chair surrounded by absorption, so that would be useless.  Absorption at the speaker robs the room of any beneficial ambiance, but could work better than the chair idea.  This has been my experience as well.

[rollo]

  The blanket helped over my chair no doubt. However when a room is measured by an Acoustical Engineer and then treated according to the data the difference is night and day. The big issue is the expense of Engineering service and the purchase of treatments for the average listener. So we try all kinds of homemade solutions to achieve what our ears tell us. Good start however measurements tell all. That is what we do at shows. Measure and conquer the room.


charles