[MickyR]

Hello All,

It has been a while since I last posted.  I'm still enjoying my SongTowers and SongCenter (every day).   This post is a little off topic, but I trust the folks here and hope you'll tolerate this diversion.

In my pursuit of audio improvement, I think the next logical step is to apply some acoustical treatment to my living room. ( -hard floor, vaulted ceiling, 2 large entryways...a difficult room.)

I've read many forums and articles, but I'm still uncertain about how much treatment to use and where to apply it.  To make things even more difficult, based on what I've seen in some articles I don't think an "all out" solution would pass the WAF in my house.  After all, it is a living room, not a dedicated listening room.  So my question is would you recommend I hire someone or is it possible through trial and error to make my own treatments and just experiment?  I might be willing to part with up to $2k for a total solution (services and products) if I thought it would make a significant difference.

What did you do?

Thanks!

[Nuance]

Micky -

If you have some time on your hands, grab some thick blankets and maybe some pillows and hand two behind the front speakers, one on each side wall at the reflection points and two behind the listening position.  If possible and depending on the ceiling material, creating an "acoustic" cloud with blankets will help as well, but it's not always doable. 

Honestly, if I had the money I'd hire and Acoustician.  They might surprise you and tell you you only need a mild amount of treatment installed.

Good luck!

[zybar]

Work with Ethan at www.realtraps.com or Bryan at www.gikacoustics.com

Both will help you put together packages that will absolutely help improve your sound.

George

[randybessinger]

Honestly, if I had the money I'd hire and Acoustician.  They might surprise you and tell you you only need a mild amount of treatment installed.

Good luck!

Very true.  I recently attended the HAA level 2 class and I was surprised at how good a room can sound with a modicum amount of treatment (depending of course on the room)

[Big Red Machine]

True.  Hit the major pain points first and much of the ugliness goes away.

[fluke242]

I had a great experience with ATS Acoustics and they even have a calculator online to help determine how many panels you might need. 

I also deal with the WAF and was able to blend-in 56sq feet of their 2" thick panels.  Very happy with the results and affordable.

ATS Homepage: www.atsacoustics.com
Room Calculator: www.atsacoustics.com/page--Free-Online-Room-Acoustics-Analysis--ora.html