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With all the recent threads relating to whether amps or power cords make a difference, I thought I'd post a thread to encourage some thought/discussion around a recent upgrade I made, that we could all (make that should all) take the time to look into... room treatments. I would guess that the underlying reason for the "popularity" 
of the type of threads mentioned above (other than having a good fight!!) is that we all want to get the best out of our systems, and are prepared to investigate things that can help us squeeze the last bit of performance out of our costly investments.
I recently had a acoustic professional come around to my place to assess my room. Like most, I don't have a dedicated space and therefore have to work around a room which is undoubtedly compromised from an optimal audio performance viewpoint. After a relaxed consultation (a bit of measurement, a bit of listening) the recommendation was for an absorption panel behind each speaker (set up is 2 channel) and a combination of absorption & mid range diffusion on the wall the speakers fire onto. Just for information... a flutter echo across my listening position (the brick walls in this area are parallel & rendered in smooth plaster & are therefore highly reflective) was the biggest problem I had indentified, LF build up is not a problem in my room so no bass trapping was required.
My biggest concern was over damping the room & producing that characteristic lifeless, dry, unnatural sound quality, so I spent a lot of time over the space of a week & a half trying various combinations of panels, turns out I needn't have bothered to a large extent, the original suggestions were spot on anyway.
Briefly, here is a list (in no specific order) of the improvements I've heard so far:
1) Intelligibility of speech has improved (both audio & actual conversation)
2) Bass notes are decidedly more articulate and seem slightly more extended with much greater impact.
3) Stereo images are more holographic & soundstaging has improved in all 3 dimensions.
In short the overall sound seems more focussed, and I have a sense of being left with only the "good stuff" now that all the muck (I.E reflections and the colourations they result in) has been removed.
So, while amp/power cord type threads are more difficult to resolve, and the conclusions not always so clear... this is something I would confidently recommend to anyone who's serious about getting the most out of their system. I no longer consider room treatment a "tweak", but rather an essential component in the playback chain, which is unfortunately often overlooked.
One wonders how many expensive equipment upgrades are done in the misguided hopes of rectifying a problem inherent to the room, not the electronics. If you have identified any serious acoustic problems in your room that have not yet been addressed, you might find, like me, that the benefits of sorting the room out far outstrip any of the other similar cost "tweaks" out there. Well worth investigating! :T
of the type of threads mentioned above (other than having a good fight!!) is that we all want to get the best out of our systems, and are prepared to investigate things that can help us squeeze the last bit of performance out of our costly investments.I recently had a acoustic professional come around to my place to assess my room. Like most, I don't have a dedicated space and therefore have to work around a room which is undoubtedly compromised from an optimal audio performance viewpoint. After a relaxed consultation (a bit of measurement, a bit of listening) the recommendation was for an absorption panel behind each speaker (set up is 2 channel) and a combination of absorption & mid range diffusion on the wall the speakers fire onto. Just for information... a flutter echo across my listening position (the brick walls in this area are parallel & rendered in smooth plaster & are therefore highly reflective) was the biggest problem I had indentified, LF build up is not a problem in my room so no bass trapping was required.
My biggest concern was over damping the room & producing that characteristic lifeless, dry, unnatural sound quality, so I spent a lot of time over the space of a week & a half trying various combinations of panels, turns out I needn't have bothered to a large extent, the original suggestions were spot on anyway.
Briefly, here is a list (in no specific order) of the improvements I've heard so far:
1) Intelligibility of speech has improved (both audio & actual conversation)
2) Bass notes are decidedly more articulate and seem slightly more extended with much greater impact.
3) Stereo images are more holographic & soundstaging has improved in all 3 dimensions.
In short the overall sound seems more focussed, and I have a sense of being left with only the "good stuff" now that all the muck (I.E reflections and the colourations they result in) has been removed.
So, while amp/power cord type threads are more difficult to resolve, and the conclusions not always so clear... this is something I would confidently recommend to anyone who's serious about getting the most out of their system. I no longer consider room treatment a "tweak", but rather an essential component in the playback chain, which is unfortunately often overlooked.
One wonders how many expensive equipment upgrades are done in the misguided hopes of rectifying a problem inherent to the room, not the electronics. If you have identified any serious acoustic problems in your room that have not yet been addressed, you might find, like me, that the benefits of sorting the room out far outstrip any of the other similar cost "tweaks" out there. Well worth investigating! :T
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