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Hi Bjorn,Is the OP setting up a mixing desk / studio or a 2 channel stereo listening room?If the later I'd generally be suggesting diffusion on the front wall (with traps in corners) and absorption directly behind the listener. Personally, I've had good results using diffusion at the 1st side wall reflection points as well - but that may be a matter of personal taste.
You can use diffusion on sidewalls if you prefer, but it will not be accurate. Areas like tonality, localization, clarity and intelligilibilty will suffer compared to attenuating reflections with absorption or redirection. Depends if you want your room to color or if you want to hear the recording/mix alone. Diffusion in the rear of the room is vital though. When one has done this properly, without overdampening, and have lateral diffuse energy, I would be surprised if many still want to have diffusors on sidewalls.
HiWhat about listening volume ? Does the volume you listen to music effect a treatment strategy? I do lots of late nite listening. Diffusing maybe more appropriate here on sidewalls?
Can't see that makes any difference to what I've already said. If anything, it's probably even more important to treat to enhance clarity and intelligibility when one is listening with low levels.
Respectively I have to disagree. I AB'd absorption vs. diffusion on sidewall (listening and measurements) and much preferred the later. I found that resolution, localisation and intelligibility all improved with diffusion though there was some cost on imaging.
No. Localisation is placement of instruments in a sound-stage. Image (used here) is the referencing the central image. Click on the globe under my name. It will take you to my virtual system where I explain my observations in some detail.
Hi Bjorn,If the later I'd generally be suggesting diffusion on the front wall (with traps in corners) and absorption directly behind the listener. Personally, I've had good results using diffusion at the 1st side wall reflection points as well - but that may be a matter of personal taste.
Yes, but very generally said. More spesific would be to say that one treats early reflections with either absorption or redirection and later arriving reflections from behind with diffusion if the distance permits it. One needs to take note that absorption should only be used at those spots that create early reflections in sweetspot. We don't want to use absorption (and especially not thin panels) unecessarily which can easily leave the room dead and dry. The goal is to create an RFZ (reflection free zone) and that can also be done by redirecting the reflections to the rear of the room where they will eventually be diffused. In most cases for instances, provided the rear of the room is properly treated, there's seldom a need to absorp high frequencied behind the speakers. Most speakers don't backfire high frequencies. Bass absorption is crucial though behind them. To find out exactly what do to, measuring and utilizing ETC is the key.
What if the wall behind the listening position is dozens of feet away and isn't a problem as far as reflected sound goes? For instance, my room is odd in that it is only 12 feet wide, but it's 45 feet long, and then "L's" into another section at the very back (behind the LP) of the room; it's a basement. Anyway, would it be best to adsorb the lateral first reflections or diffuse them in a room that narrow? I plan to to widen it at some point, but I have to leave it as is for now.
First of all it depends on your goal. If you want an accurate listening environment as possible, one wouldn't use diffusion to treat early reflections. I'm well aware of Toole's researches, but they are not about accuracy alone and they really raise more questions then answers any. That's another discussion.When it comes to your rear walls, it can still cause high gain reflections even with a room with your length. 45 feet isn't really that big when it comes to acoustics. But I can't quite picture how you room looks, so difficult to say anything for sure. Measurements would give the answer whether you have late arriving detrimental reflections or not. If you don't have any and they just die out, you avoid certain problems but you may end up with a pretty dead and dry sound. A reflective backwave from diffusors is beneficial and brings a feeling of envelopment and liveliness that you will lack. Something you could consider is setting up angled wall dividers that will redirect the energy to rear sidewalls where you have diffusors but will still pass the bass through.
I attached a (crappy) picture. The DVD rack has since been moved, but other than that the layout is the same. Obviously I am limited in what I can do, but the speakers fire down the long dimension and are about 7.5 feet apart (flanked by dual subs) and just over 2 feet from the side walls; they are 4 feet from the wall behind them. The listening position is 10.5 feet from the speakers. As you can see I have a first reflection absorption panel at the lateral walls, and a pair of bass traps in the corners. The room isn't dedicated and extends well beyond the couch (passed where I was standing when I took the picture), which then becomes the children's play area (lots of toy boxes, toys and various kiddy stuff everywhere). The room then L's around and open to another 12x15 section (complete opposite end of the TV and speaker system). Obviously it's not an ideal setup, and my plan is to expand the right wall another 5 feet (the laundry room is way too big), and perhaps use wall dividers like you mentioned behind the listening position.Anyway, do you have an suggestions? And yes, I want an accurate listening environment (as much as I can get with this crappy room). My apologies to the OP - don't mean to hijack the thread. I didn't want to start another one, though, since I am pondering adding diffusion myself. Thanks for letting me post in your thread.
