[Jonathan]

Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks. To begin with, I bought an Adire Audio Rava sub. I have to say, I was expecting to like it, but in truth I love it. My system sounds so much fuller and warmer but I still have the detail I always have (I'm running the De Capos full range and the sub is crossed over just a bit above 40 Hz). I always thought the De Capos did bottom end very well, especially for their size, but the Rava really adds a whole new dimension to the sound of the system.  

On top of that, I put three sheets of 2 inch 6.5' x 2.5' egg crate type  foam on the wall behind the speakers, as well as one sheet on the right side wall just in front of the right speaker. Wow, what an improvement. The side to side image literally extends from one corner of the wall behind the speakers to the other, and the location of everything in the mix is amazingly locked into postion now. I knew that my hard, empty room was a problem before, but I now realize just how smeared things sounded because of it.  Now I have to figure out how to convert this ugly black foam into something aesthetically pleasing before my wife kicks me and my damned hi fi out of the house.

Finally, I took a $9.00 Radio Shack 'Audio Center' (basically a three input, one output box) and had an amp guru I know put a volume pot in it so that I can now switch sources and control the volume of my Mac 2100 amp more easily.

Bottom line is that my system has never sounded so good. The only problem now is that I can't make it through more than a minute of any CD before I start thinking about another one I want to hear in this new setup.

Life is good...

[Red Dragon Audio]

Hey Jon,

We've been emailing about the Rava sub.  There is one on Audiogon I might pick up to replace my cheaper ported subs.  Then I will get a second one so I can have that stereo pair I like having.

Anyway, I might have a suggestion for your room treatments that will both look and function better than basic egg crate foam.

Just use compressed fiberglass boards of 1"-2" thick from Owens-Corning. You can cover them very easily in any fabric your wife likes and they outperform the egg crate foam in all aspects.  

Here is an article from Ethan Winer who designs acoustic room treatments:
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

We just moved and we're going to move again so I haven't really done anything yet as I don't know what colors my wife will want ultimately and I don't feel like doing them over again.  So I will wait...or will I?

[mcrespo71]

I'm glad to hear it, Jonathan!!!!!  The DCI's are really great speakers, but boy do they take A LOT of work to optimize.  Glad you've been able to experience them properly.

Michael

[Jonathan]

Just use compressed fiberglass boards of 1"-2" thick from Owens-Corning. You can cover them very easily in any fabric your wife likes  and they outperform the egg crate foam in all aspects.

Hey, Ryan. You know that's a really good idea. I know that the studio I was just playing at had some nice looking panels (covered in a neutral colored fabric) hanging at various spots throughout the room. I'm pretty sure the guy I was working with told me they were made of compressed fiberglass. I guess I'll have to do a run to Home Depot this weekend. Thanks for the advice.

Jon

[Red Dragon Audio]

Jon,

I was at Home Depot today and they don't carry compressed fiberglass panels.  From reading Ethan Winer's article, he suggested the best place to start is by looking in the yellow pages under insulation and start making phone calls.

Knauf and some other companies also make panels just like Owens-Corning and for less money too I think.

Time to break out the old yellow pages...

[Jonathan]

If you have any luck finding it, let us (me   ) know where.  I'll do the same.

Jon