[Early B.]

Many of us realize the need for room treatment, but our setup is in a family room or area where the wife won't appreciate acoustic panels on the walls. I've tried temporary measures such as hanging panels when I'm critically listening, then removing them when I'm done, but that's a huge hassle.

Just wanted to get some thoughts and ideas on what others in a similar situation have tried that works...  And if there's no reasonable option, what did you do to optimize your space without adding sound treatment such as furniture, rugs, curtains, etc.?

[John Casler]

What brand and model speakers?

[Tyson]

GIK does wall art panels like this -

[jonbee]

I've got a difficult room but for domestic reasons can't do much to treat it.
Recently I added a WIIM Pro plus to my otherwise excellent system for ~$200 and it transformed the sound by virtue of its built in room correction. I was not prepared for the improvement from such a modest device.
Might not work in your situation. I only use the correction, otherwise just passing the signal through, not using built in DAC. YMMV.

[Early B.]

What brand and model speakers?

DIY speakers -- a horn tweeter and 12" midwoofer sitting on top of GR Research dual servo subs. Room is 13x20x8.

[Early B.]

I've got a difficult room but for domestic reasons can't do much to treat it.
Recently I added a WIIM Pro plus to my otherwise excellent system for ~$200 and it transformed the sound by virtue of its built in room correction. I was not prepared for the improvement from such a modest device.
Might not work in your situation. I only use the correction, otherwise just passing the signal through, not using built in DAC. YMMV.

I hadn't considered the built-in room correction in my Eversolo T8. I'll check it out. 

[AllanS]

Do you know what you’re trying to treat / correct?

[Early B.]

Do you know what you’re trying to treat / correct?

I have no idea. I believe I need to reduce the brightness a bit because there's a slight echo in my room (wood walls and wood floor). Is the first step to get my room measured?? If so, I would likely need to find a professional or a highly experienced techno-audiophile to do it. I'm not going to spend the time to learn REW.   

[Early B.]

Below are pics of the room:

Front wall:


Rear Wall:


Left side wall:


Right side wall:

[Rocket_Ronny]

I would put big, tall, bushy, fake plants in the back corners and a throw rug on the floor to start.

What I want to know is your mid/high setup?

Rocket Ronny

[Early B.]

I would put big, tall, bushy, fake plants in the back corners

I can put a fake plant in the right corner (my wife would like that), but do you notice the door on the left side of the second image? Well, that door stays open, so I can't put anything in the left corner. I also can't hang anything on the back wall because the sliding door is always open.   

The left wall has a window at or near the first reflection point. Perhaps thick curtains will work better than the shades (?).

There's not much I can do with the front wall. Over the years, I've tried several methods to cover the TV in the middle of the speakers, but none of them improved the sound. For context, the speakers are about 4 feet from the front wall.

I hadn't really thought about it, but I can imagine the sound bouncing off those wooden walls could be a bit harsh. Except for the sofa and chair, there's nothing else in the room that's absorbing the sound. The throw rug probably isn't doing much.   

[Mike-48]

DSP is the most obvious answer. It can help tame highs and bass peaks, but of course can't work miracles. Though it can do enough of value that I've been using it for 20+ years.

Measuring is especially good for getting the bass EQ right, and repeated measurement helps. If you are a Windows user, the Dayton OmniMic system is a possibility. It's got a shallower learning curve than REW. Although the latest model is more expensive than the older one was, I expect it still will be cheaper than hiring a pro to do it.