[morganc]

Need help with my room........Overall here is what I am experiencing with my system:
1.  Everything sounds great at low volumes......
2.  At higher volumes, increased high pitched "distortion" for lack of a better word....
3.  Muddiness in the mid range at higher volumes....
4.  Good bass throughout.....
5.  Soundstage leans to the right no matter how I toe in the speakers.....
6.  Soundstage is a bit recessed......


Current System:
Zu Essence
Melody Essence
Tranquility DAC
2010 Mac Mini Server

Music I Prefer:
-Jazz
-Female Vocalist like Norah Jones, Morcheeba, Feist
-Electronica
-Rock

Room:
13 feet wide x 50 feet long.....main listening position at say 10-12 feet.  Bay window behind speakers, hardwood floors with rug. 

Pending Improvements:[/u]
1.  Placing a plant or two next to the amp and rack next to the speakers.
2.  Removing the metallic blinds from the window and replacing with either a fabric or a natural blinds....
3. Bought a Behringer ECM 8000 but did not know that I needed alot more equipment to go with it...thought I could plug it in to my computer.......thoughts?

Here are photos:

http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=38250[/img]]



Thanks for the input......I guess what I would love to know is: 
1.  What are the changes or treatments that would be produce the greatest level of improvement?
2.  What else do I need to use the Behringer properly? 
3.  Would a curtain placed behind the listening position (between the living and dining area) produce a significant improvement?
 
We must keep in mind that the WAF is very important here of course

Thanks
Morgan

[davidrs]

Hi Morgan,

I think you mean Melody I2A3... though they are sublime and offer up an Essence of music that is very enjoyable.

"Current System:
Zu Essence
Melody Essence
Tranquility DAC
2010 Mac Mini Server"


?Cabling? ?Power Conditioning?  That is, your issues with sonic performance may not only be a room issue. Component/system synergy may be an/the issue. Changes in one pair of ICs made for a significant improvement in my system. Same in terms of a new Digital cable, i.e. significant improvement.


Since I notice Asian art work in your room, have you considered wooden privacy screens? Range from replicas made inexpensively or the real deal - handcrafted or better yet, antique from all parts of Asia.

-  Tall enough to work.
-  Have hinges, will fit around the three to five angled window/wall surface. 
-  Can be folded and stored.
-  Easily placed elsewhere when not in audio duty.
-  Very decorative and high WAF.

- David.

[Ethan Winer]

1.  Everything sounds great at low volumes......
2.  At higher volumes, increased high pitched "distortion" for lack of a better word....
3.  Muddiness in the mid range at higher volumes....
4.  Good bass throughout.....
5.  Soundstage leans to the right no matter how I toe in the speakers.....
6.  Soundstage is a bit recessed......

That's a large room and it's probably not practical to treat all of it acoustically. But from looking at the photos it's clear that acoustic treatment is the best first step. Even a few mid/high frequency absorber panels at the side-wall reflection points will make a big improvement in clarity, harshness, and imaging.

There's no real need to measure your room, though it's never bad to see the problems graphically. This article explains what you need to measure a room using your Behringer microphone:

Room Measuring Primer

--Ethan

[John Casler]

Hi Morgan,

Is it an "optical illusion" or were those two photos taken during different speaker set ups?

It appears in the listening position photo that the left speaker is further away from the listener. (off the end of the rug) While the right is in advance of the rug.

But in the left speaker photo, it appears the rug is further from the wall and the left speaker moved forward.

In any event, your complaint that the right speaker is dominant, might be partially caused by the "clear path" floor bounce reflections of the right speaker.

[Quiet Earth]

Have you tried placing the speakers along one of the walls instead of in front of the windows? This is free of charge and something you should try even if you think you know the outcome. Tell your wife (and yourself) that you want to live with it for a week and you can easily put it all back.

Does your system exhibit any of those unwanted traits in another room? This is something you need to know before you spend money on acoustic treatment.

[youngho]

13 feet wide x 50 feet long.....main listening position at say 10-12 feet.  Bay window behind speakers, hardwood floors with rug. 

Pending Improvements:[/u]
1.  Placing a plant or two next to the amp and rack next to the speakers.
2.  Removing the metallic blinds from the window and replacing with either a fabric or a natural blinds....
3. Bought a Behringer ECM 8000 but did not know that I needed alot more equipment to go with it...thought I could plug it in to my computer.......thoughts?

and

1.  What are the changes or treatments that would be produce the greatest level of improvement?
2.  What else do I need to use the Behringer properly? 
3.  Would a curtain placed behind the listening position (between the living and dining area) produce a significant improvement?

New blinds should help a little. Consider a product like Hunter Douglas modern Roman shades (http://www.hunterdouglas.com/our-products-detail.jsp?id=3) or double- or triple-cell honeycomb shades (http://www.hunterdouglas.com/our-products.jsp?so=tn#/P_6/), which would look better than what you have now. If your wife would allow curtains on these windows, then thick velour curtains pleated to half of their original width would be better. Better yet would be movable acoustic panels, but these tend to have low WAF.

Consider a product like GIK ArtPanels (http://www.gikacoustics.com/gik_artpanel.html) or Auralex SonicPrint (http://www.auralex.com/sonicprint/) if you're looking for sidewall absorption. A curtain behind you can help with late reflections, but it should be at the bottom of your priority list.

It seems a little strange that your soundstage leans right, since it looks like both you and the left speaker are closer to the left wall than you and the right speaker are to the right wall, and the bay is left of center.

[morganc]

Yes....Melody I2A3

I am working on making some upgrades and taking your suggestions....so thank you all....will post photos as improvements are made.....thanks again and Happy holidays to you all......

[NekoAudio]

I'm also in the add room treatments camp. Although if the highs are fatiguing, that may also be a function of the initial sound instead of the reflections. Fabric blinds may help a little with the high frequencies, the thicker and heavier the better. You could also put down a thicker or heavier rug. I also agree with the suggestion of artwork acoustic panels, placed at the sidewall first reflection points.

[morganc]

I made some corrections in the speaker toe in and my listening position and now the sound stage is central in location. 

The highs are still fatiguing though:(.  I will work on the curtains or blinds and the Gik panels look great.   

Thanks for the help.
Morgan