My new dedicated room sound like crap,please help.


Hi there:i just moved my system to a small 11x9x9 room,the ceiling is wood and the floor is tile w/an area rug on it all it has in it is the system and a very confortable chair,needless to say it sounds like crap it used to sound way better in a larger florida room w/windows all around and all tile floor,will appreciate suggestions on how to get rid off the echoes,smearing,lack of details and other nasties i'm getting at a reasonable price,thanks so much in advance.Al
my system:
resolution audio digital source
simaudio moon i-5 integrated
paradigm ref v-40II on target stands internally rewired.
tad bybee power purifier
omega mikro ic's and p/c's
dh labs q-10 biwired speaker cable.
alfred
As Sean indicated your room is dangerously close to square. I would start with corner bass traps to get control of the peaks and valleys in the bass waves and because all sound waves tend to pile up in the corners. with the smaller room your first reflections will hit your ears sooner and appear to be an integral part of the signal (after a certain time period your ears recognize reflections as such and don't integrate them into the signal) and creates smearing. Room lenses may also work here but i'd build them ala john risch designs since their diffussion capabilities are much more important than the action of the helmholtz resonator properties of the stuffed tubes.
I use a dedicated room that is 7.5x10x8. Bass traps made a huge difference. Of course, a Tact Room Correction System can do wonders as well.
The book Tom Nice talks about sounds useful. Also his comment about resonant modes reminds me of this Cardas Sweep LP I have. Certain tracks on the LP will pump out pure sine waves at fixed frequencies. By moving your head around the room while playing these tracks you can tell where frequencies are being canceled out and adjust room acoustics accordingly. I'm sure similar CD's exist as well.
To track down such CD's and how to use them properly I'd try calling Audio Advisor, Needle Doctor, or Music Direct.
I hate to be pessimistic, but you have ALOT of obstacles to overcome. While the above suggestions will probably all help, an extremely small room with wood ceilings and tile floor is a heinous combo for listening (especially at loud levels).

I think the hardest thing for you to deal with is a low wood ceiling. Almost everything sounds different in a wood ceiling room. Ceilings are just as important (if not more) than any other room aspect. One of the overlooked reasons for why equipment usually sounds better at a dealer location is the high acoustic ceiling tiles that are common in business office space.

On top of that, your small room probably does not let the speakers breathe and you can't get far enough from the speakers to let the sound properly integrate.

Instead of spending a fortune to correct that room, I advise moving your system to another room and throw a Henry Kloss Model 1 mono radio in that small room.