Room Treatments - 8th Nerve and RealTraps

Mags · « **on:** 3 Jan 2006, 05:38 pm »

I'm moving to the next stage of tweaking, which for me is the room. I'm looking for some input regarding how best to tame the peaks and valleys I'm seeing. My room is 25x15x8, and is fairly well-furnished, but I'm seeing ~10-15dB peaks at 70Hz, 113Hz, 226Hz and smaller ones in between, with accompanying suckouts. In reading up on the options, I'm leaning toward the RealTraps Stand Traps for the bass (4 feet high), and Eighth nerve tri-corner traps for the reverb and echo in the mids and highs. The Stand Traps are the only bass traps I get WAF for, since they can be easily disguised as corner plant stands, plus they seem to have much higher low bass absorption than any other product I've seen. The Eighth Nerve stuff is relatively unobtrusive as well, which is why I'm leaning toward their tri-corner Adapt product for the mids and highs. I may also place a few OC703 fabric covered panels around the room as a finishing touch, if I can get fabric the wife likes. Anyone using this combination? Any comments on the plan?

BTW - I also posted this over at AA, but no results so far.

zybar · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Jan 2006, 08:43 pm »

Mags,

I use a combination of 8 MiniTraps + products from the older 8th Nerve Line (seams and echo) with great results.

Using my TacT preamp I was able to measure the impact that the MiniTraps had in terms of smoothing out measured frequency response. Luckily, the measured results manifested in a positive fashion on the listening front as well. As things smoothed out, detail, dynamics, sound stage, all improved.

While I didn't do measured tests with the 8th Nerve products, simple echo and clap tests improved as well.

Both companies offer excellent customer service and will do all they can to improve your room (with and without their products).

I think this is a very good path you are heading down and you will be rewarded with a much improved sound.

Good luck.

George

bpape · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Jan 2006, 03:10 pm »

I certainly undestand the WAF issues. What I'm curious about is why the Real Traps are not being utilized in the tri-corners - either high or low to get the most broadband bass absorbtion out of them. I've not used the 8th Nerve so I can't say but I'm sure they are mid/high absorbant only - especially in relation to the Real Traps - just by makeup and size and the known characteristics of the Real Traps.

I'm sure the 8th Nerve products to a good job for what they're designed to do. My thought would be to put the Real Traps down closer to the floor if WAF prevents them from being at the ceiling and then use the strips and tri-corners up high. I think this will yield a better absorbtion scheme. At this point with the Real Traps 4' up, you're only getting primarily the length and width and not the height covered as much.

Just a thought if it's workable.

Bryan

ctviggen · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Jan 2006, 03:17 pm »

Bryan, the stand traps (a type of soffit trap) being discussed by Mags are shown here:

http://www.realtraps.com/products.htm#soffittraps

They are four feett tall and sit on the floor. So, if Mags uses these, he'll be doing exactly as you state. I have two stand traps, two mondo traps, two HF minitraps, and two microtraps. I also have two substands from ASC. This weekend, I wanted to use ETF (a room analysis tool) data with and without the various traps. Unfortunately, I ran out of time this past weekend (I borrowed a laptop, which had issues including a virus; by the time I got the issues fixed, more than a day had passed, and I lacked enough time to take everything out/put it back in, etc.).

bpape · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Jan 2006, 07:38 pm »

Gotcha. Sorry. I was thinking Mini-Traps on stands that were pushing them up the wall vertically.

Mags · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 Jan 2006, 04:15 pm »

I've been out of town the last couple days so I didn't reply myself. Last night I played around with sub placement and was able to smooth out the response from 20-50 Hz to a large extent (+/- 2 dB!) so I'm very happy with that, but I will need absorption for the BIG peak and dip starting at 70Hz (floor to ceiling standing wave). The sub is crossed at 50Hz, so the 70 Hz peak is coming from the Zu Druids - since the bass comes out of the bottom of the speaker, this is exactly the worst possible scenario for a floor/ceiling interaction; a true test for the traps. I'll post results when I get them (it will be at least a month from now, though).