Following the various advice I got from my earlier post, this is an update.
Woofers on the outside = great imaging.
Most of the hotness issues I noted earlier are, as I anticipated, melting away with break-in.
Tweeters are turned back to about 12 o'clock.
I tried covering the wall behind and alongside with 2" acoustic foam. I could no longer hear the speakers because my spousal unit was yelling at me so loudly.
3M super 77, normally one of my favourite products, seems to hold foam for only about 24-36 hours. So every morning a dozen or so tiles were on the floor. When they were all up, it sounded pretty good (and my itty bitty audiophile mind kept saying "if 60 sf is this good, how about 120?"). But between the glue and my spouse, I got the message. Down came the foam.
So, I put the rugs back up directly behind each speaker. But this time, behind each rug, I put up 2 inches of heavy cotton upholstery batting. Spouse approves. Sound good.
The rack, being slabs of solid rock and between (but behind) the speakers was a problem. So I covered it with acoustic foam. Spousal unit says it looks OK. Sigh of relief.
Behind the rack I also put up another rug (actually a camel bag). I was able to stuff some foam in the bag.
And I was able to fully and thoroughly insulate the floor under the room. To check, I played music fairly loudly and went to the utility room to hear if there were any gaps. After two weekends I finally had one spot I couldn't quite figure out, until I realized that the sound was going out through a (closed) window in the hifi room and back in through the (closed) casement window in the utility room. OK. Done!
So far, it sounds really good. No, make that really really good.
Next I need to start fussing with the side walls. I'll use the remaining acoustic foam there - there is a very noticeable reflection off of each wall. This time I've bought double sided tape to glue 'em up. And I need curtains on the windows.
I should note that I'm renovating the house and Big B got me sidetracked with this hifi stuff. This room is not yet renovated, so whatever I do now is just a beta version. And while I was discussing this with my spousal unit just a few minutes ago, she suggested that maybe I should damp the one end of the room and cover it with fabric. Sometimes life is good!
