[guest48077]

Hello All.

I decided to move my Stereo down stairs into the small space of my pool room because I found I wasn't listening to my record player enough while it was in the living room. This way, while I play pool I can listen to my albums, it is working out perfectly and I don't think the stereo will be moving elsewhere.

I am looking for some advice on Room Treatment for my Listening /Pool Room. The room size is the minimum size for my Billiard table size (16 by 11 feet). Any room treatment would have to be minimal.

The stereo still sounds great but the speakers have to be tight against the wall. Seems when I pull the speakers out from the wall a few feet I find I get a deeper sound stage etc as I had in my living room before.

Would a baffle in between the speakers do anything?????????????

I have the materials and knowledge to make baffles but do not know what the room would need.
Looking for you guys for some help
Any advice is appreciated
See the pics below

[Red Dragon Audio]

Perhaps consider acoustic soffits around the perimeter of the room's ceiling.
For the walls you could get acoustic artwork panels (http://www.gikacoustics.com/gik_artpanel.html)
I'm not sure about a baffle between the speakers - I figure just a long acoustic panel in that spot.
Maybe as a final touch a few square acoustic panels on the ceiling.

[guest48077]

Thank for all your effort, the visuals you supplied are great!!. By baffle I really meant panel and you drew it out perfectly. I don't think I want to get into bass traps or panels on the ceiling. The room is already small and want to keep it open.

I don't have much experience with room treatment, what would the panel between the speakers and at the first reflection point do exactly?

Thanks again

[Audiosmoot]

Cool to see another Billiard Player/Audiophile on here!

[richidoo]

You can get 1" thin absorbers to knock down the midrange echo. You can get fabric covering on them to match almost any paint color. Music, conversation, even billiard breaks will sound better.

Normally, the panels between speakers and on side walls (and ceiling) absorb the first reflections of sound from the speakers that would do the most damage to the spatial imaging illusion when listening in the sweet spot. If thick enough, they can also be potent bass controllers because they are very close to the speakers. But since your pool table is in the sweet spot, and you will not be doing super critical listening down there then the panels in those locations only serve to reduce room echo in general.

A friend of mine has a pool table in his basement, with all concrete walls and floor. The echo is so bad it is hard to have a conversation, much less yuk it up with beers and pool. I told him about acoustic treatment, he looked at me like I was from Mars.

[guest48077]

I forgot to mention. When the basement was redone by the previous owner, she had a basement apartment. She sound proofed the basement. Right no there is no echo and it sound pretty good over all.
I am really trying to get the "spacial imaging" I once had upstairs when the speakers where a few feet from the wall. Maybe a middle panel and a side panel would do that. Your right if the sweet spot is gone, maybe there is not point. ...............Maybe I will try anyways, it is going to be DIY 

[InfernoSTi]

Cool room.  You've got art on the walls.  These acoustic panels can have artwork on them...stock art or you can supply your own art/photos.  I have used ATS and have been really happy with the results. GIK has a good program, as well.  Other companies have similar programs. So think of this as both acoustic treatments and interior decoration that can match the art you already have.

John

Links:

http://www.atsacoustics.com/art-acoustic-panels.html

http://www.gikacoustics.com/gik_artpanel.html

[Hipper]

Throwing panels of all types all over the place seems to me guesswork. It MAY work of course but from reading your initial post you can already get the sound you want in this room (all over the room I presume) if you pull the speakers away from the wall.

As this is not practical because of the pool table, have you considered other possibilities on those lines? For example, is it possible to mount the speakers on wall brackets that can come away from the wall, or even attached to the ceiling?

[Red Dragon Audio]

If you are a handy DIY type fellow, I would suggest buying an 8 pack of 2" thick 3lb density Bonded Acoustic Cotton.  It's very safe/easy to work with, comes in a variety of colors and performs very well (better than typical foam and perhaps marginally better than fiberglass).  Another advantage is that it doesn't deform like fiberglass if you lean against it or bang it (which is bound to happen in a pool room).  The cotton simply springs back to shape.  The price works out to $44 per 2ft x 4ft panel (plus whatever shipping costs or premium colors).  Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Acoustical Surfaces - I have used their products in theaters and audio rooms with great success.



If you have a table saw you can get special blade to cut the panels into sizes that would fit different areas of your room.  A little chamfer/bevel around the edges of the panels would make them visually more attractive.

[bpape]

I would also look to extend the absorption behind the speakers completely and definitely directly to the side of the left speaker.  Boundary interactions can have nasty consequences. 

Bryan

[guest48077]

Throwing panels of all types all over the place seems to me guesswork. It MAY work of course but from reading your initial post you can already get the sound you want in this room (all over the room I presume) if you pull the speakers away from the wall.

As this is not practical because of the pool table, have you considered other possibilities on those lines? For example, is it possible to mount the speakers on wall brackets that can come away from the wall, or even attached to the ceiling?

Thanks for the reply,

I though about hanging the speakers from the ceiling. I didn't really want to get into that as I have DIY sand filled speaker stands that I really love. I also assumed that speakers from the ceiling would not sound as good as my speakers on the stands, maybe the ceiling would resonate?

I think I am going to go with a large panel between the speakers a panel behind each speaker and 1 panel on the left wall.

 

[mcoaggie]

Don't want to hijack the thread but noone mentioned treating this box area...


His area looks to be pretty small and only 1 wall but what kind of treatments would you use here?  My listening room has this about 18" X 18" all the way around the ceiling and walls.

[richidoo]

The spatial illusion of depth and panning requires being in the sweet spot so your ears are equal distance from the tweeters. But good music listening doesn't require that. You could always sit on the pool table? 

[jimdgoulding]

Nice reply, Red.