[lonewolfny42]

I actually manufacture a wool padding that is used under carpeting.  I plan on trying to use this on the walls as a dampener of sorts.  I hope these will serve as a good substitute for the commercial products that are out there.

What ways do you know about that are inexpensive?

James

PeteG's project....take a look.....

[warnerwh]

The thickness of the under lay material will greatly determine what frequencies will be affected. My guess not knowing is it's less than 1 inch which isn't enough to do much good except in the treble.  Mids and lows will not be improved at all.

I'm surprised nobody has tried to educate you on an issue you have dealing with a room having 2 dimensions the same.  This will double the problems in the bass area. We all have them to one degree or another but two dimensions being the same doubles the peaks/dips and will greatly affect the mids/highs.

The cheapest and effective way I know is to stack 3 rolls of fiberglass insulation on top of each other and cover it with what you want. You need one in every corner.  There's also bags of insulation that are pretty good size, about 4ft tall and over a foot in diameter. The diy absorbers in lonewolfny42 link are inexpensive and very effective. They need to be at least 3 inches thick. 2x4's are 3.5"s thick.  Many many diy treatments all over the internet. Btw rigid fiberglass panels are best.

Acoustics have a huge affect on the sound quality of your system. A 5k system in a good room can sound much better than a 50k system in a bad room.  That is a fact. 

Audiocircle has an Acoustics circle where you'll find a ton of knowledge from other audiophiles as well as manufacturers. Read read read.

I've been in this hobby since 71. The first thing to consider is the room acoustics. Many others will feel the same. It's that important. I'd go so far as to say you're wasting money if you don't put bass traps in as part of your budget.

[cloudbaseracer]

Anyone manufacture a open baffle speaker that is small enough for a room this size?  As I have said in the beginning I really love the open baffle sound.  To me it is hard to imagine going back to a box!  I know I know - my room is a box but that is a different story.  I will definitely work out the acoustic treatments.

I may ask on the open baffle forum as well about any small speakers.  It would be so cool if we could have a miniature CS2!!

Thanks,

James

[TomS]

Have you looked at the AV123 X-Statik and X-Voce?  GR designed, OB MTM on top, sealed woofers.

[TRADERXFAN]

Guys,

I am looking for help finding a great speaker setup for my theater room.  It is small at roughly 12' X 12' but I would like to get get the best sound I can from the system.  I currently use Emerald Physics CS2 for my 2 channel setup (living room) but I fear these would drastically overpower this small room.  The problem that this causes is that I am accustomed to the excellent sound I get from the CS2 speakers and want something that can approximate this in my small theater room.  Am I just out of luck getting good sound from such as small room? 

If you have cs2's and want the 'cs2 sound' there, why not give them a try in the room? What do you see as the limiting factor that make the cs2's "too much"?  -Just trying to understand your concerns/limitations better.

As I understood it, the CS2 system had settings for different positions relative to the front wall. If you feel that you would have to put them too close to the front wall due to space constraints,  you probably cannot use any OB speaker here. But you may want to try and see if you can make them work closer than the min. recommended distance (3 feet?) of the wall by applying a thick damping covering over most of the front wall.   -and depending on how close to the back wall you would sit, you would need more damping material behind you to tame those reflections.

If that doesn't work, then I would suggest that if you like the waveguide sound of the CS2, then take a look at the designs of Dr. Geddes from http://www.gedlee.com/Summa.htm . These should give you a similarly directionally controlled response you have been getting (and possibly better?) in the 1000hz up range. Then for similar bass response, try an OB sub, (or pair of them, depending on your needs) from gr research. You should be able to get this small enclosure to work, even with limited space, further out into the room, and integrate it using the amp controls to merge the sound.
 
This combination would not have that diffuse ob sound that you are looking for, though. But if the circumstances restrict you from bringing them out from the wall far enough, it doesn't sound like any speaker will allow you to have that, in this particular room.  But you may be very happy with the trade off.

-Tony

[tex-amp]

Have you considered Ascend Sierra-1s for this?

[cloudbaseracer]

Have you considered Ascend Sierra-1s for this?

Tex-amp,

No, I have never heard of them.  Thanks for the tip, I will research them.  Are you familiar with them and the sound? 

Thanks,

James

 

[cloudbaseracer]

Guys,

I am looking for help finding a great speaker setup for my theater room.  It is small at roughly 12' X 12' but I would like to get get the best sound I can from the system.  I currently use Emerald Physics CS2 for my 2 channel setup (living room) but I fear these would drastically overpower this small room.  The problem that this causes is that I am accustomed to the excellent sound I get from the CS2 speakers and want something that can approximate this in my small theater room.  Am I just out of luck getting good sound from such as small room? 

If you have cs2's and want the 'cs2 sound' there, why not give them a try in the room? What do you see as the limiting factor that make the cs2's "too much"?  -Just trying to understand your concerns/limitations better.

As I understood it, the CS2 system had settings for different positions relative to the front wall. If you feel that you would have to put them too close to the front wall due to space constraints,  you probably cannot use any OB speaker here. But you may want to try and see if you can make them work closer than the min. recommended distance (3 feet?) of the wall by applying a thick damping covering over most of the front wall.   -and depending on how close to the back wall you would sit, you would need more damping material behind you to tame those reflections.

If that doesn't work, then I would suggest that if you like the waveguide sound of the CS2, then take a look at the designs of Dr. Geddes from http://www.gedlee.com/Summa.htm . These should give you a similarly directionally controlled response you have been getting (and possibly better?) in the 1000hz up range. Then for similar bass response, try an OB sub, (or pair of them, depending on your needs) from gr research. You should be able to get this small enclosure to work, even with limited space, further out into the room, and integrate it using the amp controls to merge the sound.
 
This combination would not have that diffuse ob sound that you are looking for, though. But if the circumstances restrict you from bringing them out from the wall far enough, it doesn't sound like any speaker will allow you to have that, in this particular room.  But you may be very happy with the trade off.

-Tony

I plan on trying the CS2's in the room.  I know they are amazing in larger rooms but I am just concerned they will overpower this small room. The CS2 sound is hard to beat and I just wonder if great sound is "almost" the exclusive realm of larger speakers?  I sure hope not.  It may be that the open baffle configuration only works in a larger physical speaker? 

Thanks,

James