Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Learning about room acoustics

Hey Guys, thanks for all the responses. Much appreciated. This is turning into quite the interesting hobby. I starting thinking about getting new amplifiers ( my NAD post from a few weeks ago..) but bailed on that. I realized i was just guessing and band aiding in anticipation of new a larger space. In addition to that , introducing new amps would change my " reference point for sound " so im better off to just move in with my very modest system and get comfy and go from there with upgrades and comparisions so I can judge how each change impacts the quality and the space.

I've heard so many times about how important the room is. So i figure i'll start there, hence my deepish dive into room acoustics and treatment. I had a feeling that Dennis was a bit un conventional, some of the products seem too good to be true. I'll check out the guys you suggested Trev. But some of his videos certainly got me thinking and looking into how acoustics work in room, the research and learning will continue, along with all of your guys' wonderful insights. ( Thanks Mojo for the knowledge there as well.)

I will post some photos and a spec sheet of the 2 spaces I have to work with.

Dedicated 2 channel space: This one space is our " great room ", it's not massive but its pretty big. 12 foot ceilings in main living room then drops down to 9 feet for kitchen and dining. 7400 cubed feet. Its open to upstair well and foyer too. This space will need to be aesthetic so i will have to be clever and discrete with any treatments. We have purchased heavy curtains to go over all the glass and windows. We went with the full 12 foot curtains in the living room and full 9 foot height in dining room. Theres 2 large skinny windows that flank to center position, those will also have cutains at full height.

Theatre Space or dedicated listening space for anything really: This space is fully below grade concrete basement. The concrete is insulated with 2 inch rigid insulation all the way around. Floor is concrete too. It is the same footprint as the great room / kitchen / dining. ( It's directly below the great room....) so same square feet but 7 foot ceilings. I'll have freedom down there to do absolutley whatever i want, the only drawback is the 7 foot ceilings and perhaps the concrete, im not sure if that s good or bad. Maybe both? But its a big space to work with and i'm hoping i can make something special down there. I can keep it wide open or make it smaller too, whatever goes.

I'll see if i can figure out how to post some pics and diagrams to share. I'm very stoked to share this with you guys as I know you get the excitement of all things audio.

Here's a photo of the room spec. This is a test to see if my photo link works too.....hopefully.

[img]http://https://www.flickr.com/photos/80455676@N06/50970298293/in/dateposted-public/[/img]

trying again....

I have no clue how to post a photo up. Shouldn't be so complicated.....I thought it was just put the link in and it should work.

You need to direct link to a file. Like .jpg or .png

Anyway, looks like you are at the exciting time of your build. Ramboard on floor so hardwood? Kitchen millwork going in. Getting close.

I will take a proper look later on the computer. We have 2 builds like yours on the go right now. -Living backing onto kitchen. Each with Axiom in wall surround setups. One Atmos.

Too late to cancel heavy curtains? Honeycomb blinds may be better. In archers windows too. Then you can hang a light tapestry on other wall for balance. Doesn’t have to be padded out panels. If heavy curtains, going to need acoustically similar on opposing surface. Trickier to hide heavy treatments to suit.

Having heavy absorption on one side and not other is not ideal.

Sounds like the basement is clean slate, so aim high there. Fully treat if you want. Start ground up with drawings.

Will get you speaker locations tomorrow. Going to be on the computer for taxes anyhow.

Canes are you referring to the alcove on the front right in your room?

Hey Trev, thanks for having a look. Yeah its a pretty exciting time. Those photos are from about a month ago. We move in a couple weeks.
Yes, hard wood floors thru out on the main floor, carpet upstairs. We're planning some large throw carpets / rugs for the living room too and a wood stove along the blank wall.
The curtains are already here and are what my wife really wants in the house. She is not into having blinds anymore, they are a pain to clean. It could be possible to have a set of cutains for the other wall simply to mirror the acoustics of the other side......just leave em tied back as an aesthetic thing and then pull em closed when going for symmetry for listening. Not sure how that would look to be honest! ha! We'll see....maybe a freestanding setup when i want it and just store it elsewhere when not in use.
We're doing a walk thru this week, i'll get some current photos of what it all looks like. I'll work on how to post a pic properly, ( eye roll, embarrassing...)

Another question for everybody, do I manage the acoustics of the room first with my current gear or do I do my upgrade of system first then manage the acoustics with that system in the room? Or maybe it's a little bit of both, basic damping of the room with normal room things ( furniture , curtains rugs etc...) see how that goes. Then go from there with the current gear.

I gotta admit, when i saw that room I wanted the house even more because of its size and shape and acoustic potential! And the freedom the basement provides too was very enticing. Can't wait!

PS. Yes, the basement is a total clean slate and i'll have total freedom down there to do as I please. So the acoustic managment down there will only be limited by free time and budget. I want to do that space correctly from the start. I'm in no rush to hurry into a build down there. I want to do it right. I was thinking a 5.2 system down there eventually with a good 2.2 channel capable L/R as part of it.

Yeah, im rambling but im just stoked! And I know you guys get it. The only other person I know that could actually get the excitment level is my brother but he's 3 hours away.

Dont buy anything before you try what you have first. Wait till its furnished and go from there.

Agreed! I’m just spinning ideas right now.

The curtains are going in for sure. That’s non negotiable and so is at least one large throw rug in living room. That’s also non negotiable. She’s open minded and into symmetry and balanced look of things so that works in my favour in the living room for sure.

When you say archer windows do you mean the 2 long / tall windows flanking the center position?

Any idea how the transition in ceiling height from 12 feet to 9 feet will effect things?

The ceiling transition won't create audible effects unless you're flying high.

Curtains bad...which is why my neighbors have a free show.