[whubbard]

I have a very simple and straight forward question, yet I don't think the answer is simple at all.

How much do room treatments matter for OB speakers?

I will personally be using Orions, but it is in an odd room. 25'L x 20'W x 10'H. But... there is a bed in the room, actually a bunk bed. I would remove it but it is actually built into the wall, so it is not practical to do so at this time. Also, there is a loft. It has a very open railing. The lofts ceiling is about 8 feet, so the total height is around 19 feet. The ceiling is also slanted from about 9' up, to about 8 feet from the back wall. The best way I can describe it, is when looking from the side, a square with part of a corner chopped off.

Does my setup add any complications that need to be addressed?

Thanks!

[bpape]

Where to start....

Yes - the odd room adds some challenges, but also will help break up SOME of the typical room issues.  It doesn't help any that one dimension is exactly double the other.

Whie OB's help minimize size to side bass issues DIRECTLY to the sides of the speakers, they do nothing different in terms of changing room modal problems, overly long decay times, etc.  They simply restrict what we can do somewhat on the wall behind them in terms of how we fix those issues.

Bryan

[dewar]

I find they matter as much as with monopoles. Like Linkwitz, I prefer a LEDE approach with the wall behind me the dead end and behind the speakers the live end. I have however put a small amount of absorption behind the speakers at the point of first reflection, found it to tighten focus without killing back wave. Symmetry also very important of course, as is space behind the speakers.

 

[Anglo]

Hi

I've played around quite a bit with room acoustics and tuning my OBs in accordance.

The major improvement points, to me:

1-)Releasing the side walls.  I had read quite a bit on having the side walls absorbed for OBs.  I had velour curtains made with ripples.
This seemed o.k. but it wasn't.

I covered the entire room in russian birchply.  The room woke up and became alive.  The echo fluuter and energy absorption of sheetrock was gone and instead I had energy.

So, russian birchply on the walls, good for me.

2-)ABsorbing the 3 first reflections with different variables in terms of DBs.  My first one absorbs 4DBs.  The second is just a velour curtain over my screen i.e front wall and the 3rd is on the ceiling at 3dbs.  Personally, I'll have to remeasure but to my ear the third one made an incredible change.  I just think that the RT60 will be have to be adjusted through this one depending on my music listening.  Opera and classical music sing like --- but the decay in rock type music suffers a bit.  More work and understanding needed here!

3-)I put the velour curtains behind me and then put this furniture piece with deep sepoerators which in turn diffuses and absorbs.

4-)Corner bass traps.

Every adjustment made, made me have to reposition my speakers to be able to appreicate the sonic benefits.  SO make sure you tune this aspects after doing a room treatment because often you will dismiss the tretament as being "bad" if you don't readjust.

Hope this helps,

Steve

[whubbard]

Thanks for the replies.
I know with my room, things will be complicated, but I'm going to do what I can to but traps in all the corners I can, and something at the first 3 reflection points.
I'm going to use John Risch's DIY panels and traps, hopefully they will do the job well.

-West