[ebag4]

Hi Terry,
I am also in a small room, 10.5'x12.5', I am running open baffle speakers.  In my opinion OB bass is the best way to get clean, non-boomy bass in a small space.  I have found a mix of absorption and diffusion to work the best.  Here is my layout:




Best,
Ed

[terry parr]

hello, ed.  thanks for the layout picture.  it looks like we're both in about the same boat, as far as our listening rooms.  (but, so are some other people here on the board, too.)   

 i also got the same advice that you just gave me earlier in the thread from Hipper who talked about diffusion and absorption. (and treating that window).  it looks like in your diagram that you don't have a window (and traffic noise) to deal with. 

open baffle speakers like you and others have mentioned came up pretty quick in the thread (first by Tyson.)

i really do appreciate everybody sharing what's been working for them, as far as making a smaller room work.  i think i almost could've subtitled this thread with that phrase.  there seems to be more of us here making adjustments in getting a smaller space to sound better than i thought. 

home builders and contractors usually don't consider such things.  the dimensions of the room, power supply, thinness of the walls, the minimum of insulation between the walls, hollow doors, reflecting window glass, etc.   it seems like as long as they do enough to meet code and pass inspection, then that's all they do.  ("well, of course!") o.k. sure.  but, why are certain minimum codes so low to start with?  another question for another day, i guess.  it just seems that with modern home construction, "they ain't building 'em like they used to."  (back when a wall was a wall, and a door was a door!)   

and like you ed, as well as some others like me, we're not dealing with the best room dimensions, either.  a 10 x 12 room is a little bit longer than it is wide, but not by much.  people like us are pretty much trying to make a square box "work" better  for sound and music reproduction.  and sometimes we don't have the luxury of more than one set-up (if we consider where the power outlets are, and if we want to keep our cable and wire runs as short as possible).  lots of things to consider.

everybodys' comments here have given me a couple more things to research and consider for possibly making this room sound even a bit better than i've been able to do on my own.  so, a bit more fine-tuning will yield results that i'll probably like (as my budget will allow right now).  any more changes will have to come a bit later.

right now, i'm just enjoying the very noticeable difference between (at least some) sound treatment and absolutely none.  which is a big difference.       

[Bob in St. Louis]

I agree.
Modern residential building codes should take audio and home theater into consideration more than they do.
It's really a shame. It is.

Bob

[Glenn Kuras]

Terry,

Great to see another believer.  Here is a test I did with and without treatment. Granted the room was bare but really this is how bad it is when untreated.
http://www.gikacoustics.com/audio-examples-treated-vs-untreated-room/

[versus rider]

Just today I put some panels in my new room, it's 10' x 7' with a vaulted ceiling, two 4' x 2' x 2" thick panels behind the sofa and one the same size in first reflection point by the right speaker. The left speaker is adjacent to a glass door so I have kilo serge wool curtains there. The difference is amazing, better bass, clean airy sound, it's like the band is there right in front of me. Before it sounded muddled, a flat soundstage, now it's much deeper. I just propped the panels against the wall but will fix them off the floor and put another panel horizontally across the top of the two behind the sofa angled away from the wall and fixed to the ceiling. I will probably fix the last panel on the ceiling above the speakers and I have 4 corner bass traps to site. As I understand it diffusers should be at least 10' from the listening position to be effective, so no use to me. At £250 it's the cheapest upgrade ever.

[versus rider]

I have fixed this panel flat to the wall since this photo

[versus rider]

not easy to photograph in such a small room, the two vertical panels with the horizontal panel angled away from the wall and fixed to the ceiling.

[versus rider]

Speakers are obviously diy and unfinished since my attempt at veneering went very wrong. Even though I haven't finished the treatment the sound is amazing. Its the first time in a long time I have been able to enjoy heavy metal and rock as the sound is not muddled and drums and vocals stand out.  Been enjoying Rush, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, etc on spotify radio, everything that came on sounded great,

[jk@home]

Speakers are obviously diy and unfinished since my attempt at veneering went very wrong. Even though I haven't finished the treatment the sound is amazing. Its the first time in a long time I have been able to enjoy heavy metal and rock as the sound is not muddled and drums and vocals stand out.  Been enjoying Rush, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, etc on spotify radio, everything that came on sounded great,

A little off topic, but I also don't have good luck when it comes to finishing diy projects such as that. One excellent product I found that is easy to apply and very "forgiving" is Duratex speaker cabinet coating. You can just roll it on with a mini roller, and by doing enough coats it will get a textured finished that looks very profession. Water clean up and no fumes so you can do it right in the room. Kinda gives that spray on truck bed liner look, but without the mess and fumes.

http://store.acrytech.com/Speaker-Cabinet-Coating-DuraTex-Roller-Grade-Black.html

[versus rider]

A lack of planning and trial run on something else was the cause of the mess you can see. I now have the other pair I built and finished in white two pack paint back from France this weekend in use so will be working on these. Sanding and then flow coating, followed by paint, a mate has given me some black with fine rainbow flake in. Will paint my new tt plinth in it also. Back on topic, I fixed a panel to the ceiling, hanging on chains and the first reflection panel flush to the wall. Everything I throw at them sounds fantastic, heavy metal and rock doesn't sound  muddled anymore, drums are crisp, bass  drums hit me in the chest, bass lines are clean, guitar has crunch. In the past I played things like Jennifer warnes, Paul Simon and other such stuff as reference for changes, listening for subtle changes after changing kit and shuffling speakers around. Now really busy music just jumps out at me, crisp, clean smooth bass. I now think moving speakers around is just trying to lose those reflections by luck. By having a very small room it's made me try room treatment as a last resort, I just wished I had tried it years ago.