[NXSTUDIO-DRUMMER]

By far, Danny has the best prices on his acoustic treatments offered.  https://gr-research.com/accessories/





This may benefit  newcomer's getting into the audiophile rabbit hole.

How to minimize the impact of your chair on sound quality for critical listening? 

To minimize the impact of your chair on sound quality for critical listening, consider these factors:

1. Chair Positioning and Sound Reflection:
Avoid placing your chair directly against walls. This can cause an uneven bass response.
Position your chair away from walls and aligned with the primary sound sources (speakers). This allows for better sound distribution.
Consider a symmetrical arrangement with your speakers and listening position. This helps create a balanced stereo image.
Experiment with distance from the back wall. Sitting too close can lead to excessive bass buildup.

2. Chair Design and Materials:
Low-back chairs are generally preferred for critical listening. This helps to prevent reflections from the chair back from interfering with the sound reaching your ears.
Opt for soft fabric upholstery over reflective materials like leather or vinyl. Fabric absorbs sound, while reflective surfaces can cause echoes.
Ensure the chair is comfortable for long listening sessions. While acoustic performance is important, comfort is also essential for focused listening.
 
3. Optimizing for Your Setup:
Adjust chair height to match tweeter height. Ideally, your ears should be on the same level as the speaker tweeters.
For multi-driver speakers, precise vertical positioning can be crucial. Experiment with chair height to find the sweet spot where the transitions between drivers disappear and the soundstage is best.
If you have multiple rows of seating, use risers to ensure an unobstructed sound path for everyone. This helps to maintain consistent sound quality throughout the listening area.

4. Considering Vibrations: 
Ensure the chair is stable and doesn't move easily. This helps maintain your optimal listening position.
If vibrations from the floor are an issue, consider vibration isolation pads or a thick rug under the chair. These can help to absorb and dampen vibrations.
In summary, by carefully considering chair placement, design, materials, and any potential vibration issues, you can minimize the chair's impact on sound quality and enhance your critical listening experience.


 

[Glady86]

I just removed my absorption panels from the first side wall reflection, so all I have are various diffuser  panels on the front wall behind the speakers and at the second sidewall reflecting points. It didn’t seem to hurt the imaging and overall I like the sound better, more lively and more mid and highs energy. Depending on your ears and personal preferences can be a good thing. I tried this after reading some speakers can sound better without using absorption panels.

I see rooms with absorption panels everywhere and I wonder if it sounds too dead or boring?

Anyway, I know sellers of these things will recommend having them all over your room, but best to start small and experiment, especially using diffusers instead of a bunch of absorption panels, at least in my experience with the open baffle NX Otica’s.

[Glady86]

Like I said experiment a lot, and sometimes something you thought shouldn’t work or makes no sense works. I noticed slight degradation in upper bass quality without the panels, so I laid them long ways on the floor a few inches from the wall, so far that’s the best use I got from them. The soundstage is expanded quite a bit compared to the recommended position and I  still have the bass performance.

[toocool4]

Glady86, I agree with you so many people over treat their rooms. If everything is setup correctly, with speakers and listening chair away from room boundaries most of the time little room treatment is needed, as long as you are not trying to fill the room with more sound than it can physically hold.

The biggest waste of money I have seen is those corner traps, they have little to no effect on sound.

[Tyson]

Room treatment is not that difficult.  But the key is you have to have your speaker and your listening position optimized first, before you do treatments.  Then, once that's done, 1 large absorption panel at the first reflection point and a 2nd larger absorption panel at the 90 degrees from the speaker reflection point.  Then the front wall will vary depending on the room and speakers.  Some front walls do best with absorption and others do best with diffusion.  You'll have to experiment and find out.

Lastly, get rid of any tall audio racks.  It's way better to have a low and wide audio rack and place it as close as possible to the front wall.  This really opens up the soundstage.

[NXSTUDIO-DRUMMER]

I agree with you Tyson regarding audio racks, being a lower profile. IMO they look better and more inconspicuous too. Plus my tube amps being lower to the floor, where the temperature is slightly cooler, is beneficial too.

I also meant to add this very important consideration with room acoustics and resonance issues.

Decoupling floors from bass extension from audio

Decoupling your audio system, particularly your subwoofers or bass cabinets, from the floor is a technique used to improve the overall bass performance and sound quality. It involves minimizing the transfer of vibrations from the speaker cabinet to the supporting surface, preventing unwanted resonances and improving the accuracy of the sound.

Why Decouple for Bass Extension?

Reduced Vibrations and Resonances: Speakers, especially subwoofers producing low frequencies, vibrate as the driver moves. When these vibrations transfer to the floor, it can cause the floor and other connected structures (walls, furniture) to resonate and re-radiate the sound, potentially coloring or muddying the bass.

Decoupling floors from bass extension from audio: By preventing the floor from adding its own resonance, decoupling can result in a tighter, more precise bass. This also allows the mid-range frequencies to come through more clearly, preventing the bass from overwhelming the rest of the sound.

Enhanced Soundstage: With reduced interference from floor vibrations, the stereo image can become clearer, allowing for better placement of instruments in the mix.
 
Methods for Decoupling:

Isolation Pads or Platforms: These are typically placed under the speaker or subwoofer to provide a buffer between the speaker and the floor. They often consist of a layer of dampening material like foam or elastomer, sometimes supporting a harder surface like wood or metal.

Decoupling Feet or Spikes: Replacing or adding specialized feet or spikes to the speaker cabinet can help isolate it from the floor. These can be made of various materials like rubber, elastomer, or even a combination of materials to effectively absorb or dissipate vibrations.

DIY Solutions: Creative and budget-friendly methods include using materials like thick foam pads, rubber mats, or even heavy wooden blocks placed under the speakers. A sandwich approach using dense materials like concrete slabs and elastic materials like rubber inner tubes or foam can also be effective.

Strategic Placement and Room Treatment: Placing subwoofers away from walls and corners can reduce the excitation of room modes and vibrations. Using rugs or other acoustic treatment can also help absorb sound waves and mitigate reflections from the floor.

Considerations:

Floor Type: The effectiveness of decoupling can depend on the type of floor. Decoupling is generally more beneficial for less rigid floors like suspended wooden floors, as they are more prone to vibrating. Coupling, which aims to make the speaker a part of the floor, may be a better option for very solid floors like concrete.

Speaker Design: Some speakers, especially those with down-firing subwoofers, may be designed to interact with the floor and might benefit from coupling rather than decoupling.

Personal Preference: Ultimately, the best approach can be subjective and depend on your individual preferences and listening environment. Experimentation and listening tests are recommended to determine the optimal solution for your setup.
By carefully considering and implementing appropriate decoupling techniques, you can significantly improve the bass extension and overall sound quality of your audio system, leading to a more accurate and enjoyable listening experience.   

[JLM]

Best to have your listening room in the basement (no windows and a rigid/non-vibrating concrete floor slab). 

My listening room was in the basement of the proper shape (Golden Greek rectangle ratios, 8ft x 13ft x 21ft) that took care of many of the potential problems.  It also served as my office in the back.  Size was limited by available ceiling height.  90% of the setups I see fail miserably in this regard and it's a shame considering the equipment investment.  IMO the room is the second most important "component" of the system, after speakers.

Insulate your room (walls and ceiling).  I used staggered stud walls.  Should have use a suspended ceiling but the builder refused to suspend drywall, because even with 12 inches of fiberglass batts in the ceiling space I could hear foot steps from above, it was still spooky quiet overall in the room.  Also used an insulated fiberglass door with weather seal and flexible/insulated/lined ductwork (could barely hear the furnace fan).  Insulating allows you to listen at lower levels for increased dynamics and long term hearing protection.

Speaker placement is critical.  I followed the Cardias Golden Greek ratios, 3ft from side walls and 5ft from the front wall.  Toe in to suit. 

I'm also a big fan of low equipment racks.  In fact at one point used just a shelf spiked to the floor for the entire rack.

As a final touch added 2ft x 4ft GIK 244 panels.  But they had minimal effect in this near perfect room however they worked wonders in lesser rooms.  BTW had tall bookcases on side walls as adjustable/low cost diffusors. 

As we were building the house at the time, the cost for all this was very minimal.

[Danny Richie]

Most of what people refer to as decoupling isn't really decoupling at all. If anything is sitting on something else then it really is coupled to it by the points of contact. What most of those devices really are is dampers.

[NXSTUDIO-DRUMMER]

I couldn't agree with you more Danny. For example, whenever I see a drummer set up his bass drum with just the rubber feet touching the floor surface, it resonates the floor more, than if they use the metal spikes on the bass drum leg supports. I use spikes on my subs, or any other equipment whenever possible, to minimize surface contact. Of course there are many other dampening products alternatives too, most of us are aware of. However, spikes are the most effective for my intended purposes.




FYI, a bass drum, also known as a kick drum, primarily plays in the low frequency range, generally between 50 Hz and 400 Hz. This range includes the fundamental note and also the upper harmonics.

Key Points:

Sub-bass: The very low end (20 Hz to 60 Hz) provides a deep, felt rumble.

Bass:  The main range for the bass drum (60 Hz to 250 Hz) gives it its primary fundamental frequencies and impact.

Harmonics: While the fundamental note is in the lower end, the bass drum also has harmonics that extend up to 4000 Hz or 5000 Hz, which contribute to its overall tone.

Attack: The initial impact or "click" of the beater hitting the drumhead can be emphasized by boosting frequencies in the 3-5 kHz range.

I thought I would submit a little segment on the drums, since some listeners, may want to know where the slam / attack frequencies land! 
This isn't even factoring in bass drum diameter size, drum head combinations, dampening on a kit, nor the drum tuning of choice used in a studio environment, versus live settings. These are all fundamentals of the actual drums, not mic'ed or mixed.

[NXSTUDIO-DRUMMER]

Best to have your listening room in the basement (no windows and a rigid/non-vibrating concrete floor slab). 

My listening room was in the basement of the proper shape (Golden Greek rectangle ratios, 8ft x 13ft x 21ft) that took care of many of the potential problems.  It also served as my office in the back.  Size was limited by available ceiling height.  90% of the setups I see fail miserably in this regard and it's a shame considering the equipment investment.  IMO the room is the second most important "component" of the system, after speakers.

Insulate your room (walls and ceiling).  I used staggered stud walls.  Should have use a suspended ceiling but the builder refused to suspend drywall, because even with 12 inches of fiberglass batts in the ceiling space I could hear foot steps from above, it was still spooky quiet overall in the room.  Also used an insulated fiberglass door with weather seal and flexible/insulated/lined ductwork (could barely hear the furnace fan).  Insulating allows you to listen at lower levels for increased dynamics and long term hearing protection.

Speaker placement is critical.  I followed the Cardias Golden Greek ratios, 3ft from side walls and 5ft from the front wall.  Toe in to suit. 

I'm also a big fan of low equipment racks.  In fact at one point used just a shelf spiked to the floor for the entire rack.

As a final touch added 2ft x 4ft GIK 244 panels.  But they had minimal effect in this near perfect room however they worked wonders in lesser rooms.  BTW had tall bookcases on side walls as adjustable/low cost diffusors. 

As we were building the house at the time, the cost for all this was very minimal.

A friend of mine had bookcases on both sides of his room too, like you. We experimented with shifting the books, pulling them out of bookcase shelf at different spacing, working like a diffusor. It actually worked better than anticipated.

[Early B.]

I couldn't agree with you more Danny.... That's why I use spikes on my subs, or any other equipment whenever possible, to minimize surface contact. Of course there are many other dampening products alternatives too, most of us are aware of. However, spikes are the most effective for my intended purposes.

I use spikes on my subs, but since they sit on a hardwood floor, I have discs underneath the spikes to protect the floor. Does the use of discs negate the decoupling effect?

[NXSTUDIO-DRUMMER]

I use spikes on my subs, but since they sit on a hardwood floor, I have discs underneath the spikes to protect the floor. Does the use of discs negate the decoupling effect?

I've used coins under my spikes with success on hardwood floors too, your fine. At this point, one would be splitting the atom.

Plus the sheer weight of your sub, more than likely, isn't going to shift on your hardwood flooring, with a dime underneath each spike. IMO, I don't see it causing any negating issues.
 

[Danny Richie]

My (somewhat) rule of thumb is that if the floor is concrete, spike it straight to the concrete. That concrete is solid and doesn't move. That is what you want for your speakers and gear.

If the floor is lossy (can move) then all of those dampers can really come into play.