[lunego]

Hi, I'm new to AC.

After some time away from the audio madness, I couldn't resist any longer and just put together a simple system which I set up in the living room of the apartment I share with my wife… This time around I promised myself I would TRY and focus on acoustics and system setup instead of gear swapping so here I am.

I’m in my reading/brainstorming phase and it occurred to me… Is there any reason why I couldn't use freestanding absorptive panels alongside the speakers to “catch” indirect sound before it reaches the side reflection points? Sort of like recording gobos. And what about freestanding panels behind my listening couch to block reflections just before they reach my ears from behind? The idea of a listening area that could be quickly dismantled by moving the panels or putting them away is very interesting.

If this is a very stupid idea, please enlighten me after laughing!

Thanks,

[neekomax]

Hey man, welcome to AC.

I don't think the idea of putting acoustic panels on some kind of stands is a bad one, because it would make experimenting easier, and that's always fun. I think GIK sells panels this way, or maybe it's another company, I forget. 

As for the exact positioning you propose, I'm not sure that these spots will benefit your sound, but who knows? I think it depends on what 'problems' you're trying to fix. Is the room presenting sound in a way that's unpleasing to you? Slap echo? Uneven bass? Once you identify what it is that isn't working, then a strategy involving absorption and/or diffusion might become evident.

Someone with more experience and knowledge might be able to advise you better than me, and I imagine that in-room measurements/analysis will be involved if you do it right.

[Guy 13]

Hi lunego,
welcome to Audio Circle.
You are at the right place for audio help and more...

Guy 13 on planet Vietnam.
   

[Rob Babcock]

Welcome to AC, lunego!   I feel you can accomplish more with a thousand bucks worth of acoustic treatment than you can with ten thousand bucks worth of gear.  You've come to the right place to get started.

[JLM]

You're on the right path (researching room acoustics).  While most audiophiles have way too much gear for the crummy room they use, room size/shape is more important than treatments (band-aids on an open sore).  Isolation can be primary if your listening habits don't coincide with domestic partners or apartment neighbors, thus the interest in audio man caves (mine cost next to nothing, but was planned into our house 10 years ago).  Our brains/ears have acclimated to "typical" room sizes, shapes, decors, so the need to treat is less than most imagine (speaker/listener positioning is a bigger factor).

Recommend reading Floyd E. Toole's book "Sound Reproduction".  He worked for the Canadian Research Council (that did much of the world's acoustics work in the 80's and 90's) before moving to Harmon International (a major audio equipment manufacturing conglomerate).


The freestanding panels do have merit as long as you don't have pets and neither of you are clumsy.

[jk@home]

Are you going to buy or diy build your treatments? If the latter, make the frame substantial enough and all that is required is a "sled" board on the bottom ( I used oak board) . This panel isn't moved (unless vacuuming) but was built that way to sit in front of the window. In your case I would add handles to the sides.



For heavier stuff, you could do casters. This diffuser is moved quite often as it is in front of a closet door. I used old Sound Anchor stands for Maggie MMGs, and found casters that would screw into the threaded inserts originally for bottom spikes. Note the handles on the sides.



The other option would be get something light enough that you can just lean against the walls, and stack in a pile when not using. At one time acoustic bags were available, where you just stuff them with OC 703, and you were done.

And there are the ASC TubeTraps, which AFAIK, are free standing.

[Quiet Earth]

The idea of a listening area that could be quickly dismantled by moving the panels or putting them away is very interesting.

That's what I am doing at my house. Take a look at ClearSonic S4-2D. http://www.clearsonic.com/sorber.htm

Here is a typical online price for one : http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/401262-REG/ClearSonic_S4_2_S4_2_Dark_Grey_SORBER.html

Some friends and I have band practice in my garage about once a week. My garage has terrible acoustics, especially when I take the cars out to create the practice space. It's a hollow, boomy, metallic kind of slap back sound. Things get really bad when the volume goes up. Microphone feedback becomes a problem. But worst of all the drums are too loud to deal with. A few cheap carpets here and there, and some acoustic tiles on the ceiling helped a considerable amount. But not enough.

So, I bought 3 of the clearsonic S4-2 absorbers and placed them in front of the drum set. Huge improvement! Big smiles from everyone, not just me. Next, I bought 2 more of the tall absorbers (S5-2D) to put behind the drummer. Now we're getting somewhere! I bought a couple more S4s to go around my bass cab, the guitar amp, or wherever else we might need some help.

The point of all this is that these things work very well as an inexpensive and temporary solution. The panels are light weight and portable. You just pick them up and place them wherever you want. When we are finished with practice I lean them up in the extra storage space I have in the garage.

The only negative I will say about these free standing panels is that the tall one does not stand up as steadily as the short one. That's only because it is taller. No one has ever knocked anything over yet and we sometimes have lot of people navigating around them.

The panels might be a little bulky (wide?) for home interior use since your furniture will be a consideration. I tried one of them inside the house and it does seem like it's bigger than when it's in the garage. I was able to place it where I needed it though. I think If you were to place one S4 around (or near) each speaker and then place one or two S5s behind you, it would make a noticeable improvement. Just make sure that you have the space to store the panels when you are done using them. They fold up nicely but they are still kind of big.

Good luck with your search and please share anything that you discover. 

[lunego]

Hey! Thanks for the welcome everybody!

Yes, I believe that a proper listening space is key for quality music reproduction. And I agree that a lot of people tend to overlook it, some because they don’t know better but mostly because they have made concessions due to aesthetics, practicality or domestic peace. Sometimes while browsing system pictures I’ll see very expensive gear in terrible setups but well… everybody has their own priorities.
Flexibility for experimentation is the main reason I thought about these panels so I’m glad to know it can work and I’ll keep them in consideration.

In the meantime, I’m waiting for a calibrated microphone I ordered to arrive so I can take some baseline measurements and start working from there... I'll let you know how it goes.

JLM: Once upon a time I had my own man-cave and had free reign over my domains, but that hasn't been the case for a long time! Whenever I get the chance to settle down for several years you can bet I'll demand a man-cave. And a workshop. And a garage!   Thanks for the book recommendation, I'll look it up.

jk@home: I don’t have the space or tools for diy, so I’ll be buying. But I know there are several sources for what I need, so no problem there. BTW, the picture of the panel beside your LS50 is what I was thinking about, so thanks!

[InfernoSTi]

Recommend reading Floyd E. Toole's book "Sound Reproduction".  He worked for the Canadian Research Council (that did much of the world's acoustics work in the 80's and 90's) before moving to Harmon International (a major audio equipment manufacturing conglomerate).

I also recommend Master Handbook of Acoustics (just Google the title with "PDF" added after that perhaps)...

[FullRangeMan]

Lunego:
Do you mean by free standing panels by hang them from the ceiling with nylon line??
I figured it;

[Glenn Kuras]

Hey man, welcome to AC.

I don't think the idea of putting acoustic panels on some kind of stands is a bad one, because it would make experimenting easier, and that's always fun. I think GIK sells panels this way, or maybe it's another company, I forget. 

 

Yes you would be correct!  Actually when we have these at the audio shows, they are always the first to sell. Perfect for the person that needs to pull them in and out of the room and or put them in front of things like windows/doors and so on.
http://www.gikacoustics.com/product/freestand-acoustic-panel-gobo/
http://www.gikacoustics.com/product/freestand-bass-trap/