Room Treatments


I don't really know anything about room treatments. I have done some reading but still confused. I guess my main question is how does one know if they need absorption or diffusion? I have a tv hanging on the wall behind my speakers how does that effect things. Am I better off going with traditional panels and traps, or should I be looking at resonator devices?
128x128kclone
Room tuners for hire and others who model a room should do away with as many ninty degree intersections as they can. I have seen many store bought rooms displayed on these pages and on 6 Moons that are overtreated and overcorrected when in fact the basic geometry is still overlooked. These flaws include soffits that house mechanicals in retangular enclosures hanging overhead and running around the room to give the appearance of a tray ceiling. These trays inhibit the airflow in the room and cause major frequency and phase aberrations. If they were simply addressed with an angle that would redirect the flow of air gracefully at the listener then less restrictive foam and fiberglass need apply. Would you put a ninty degree bend in a tuned header of a race car.
Tom
Theaudiotweak - I agree that round and angled serfaces help keep the audio energy within the room and in the former case act as diffusion, minus the temporal affects. I've found the round hemi-cylindrical diffusers within my room a nice touch and effective at mid/high frequency diffusion over about a 120degree arc and bass trapping too. I'm in the current process of hangin long planks on the side walls (about 5 vertical feet worth) and pulling the bottom edge out from the wall so that sounds hitting it get reflected upwards to avoid 2 hard parallel surfaces.

I think the tray ceilings etc are a biproduct of retrofitting a typtical domestic room into a music/HT room and that every design has compromises and WAF too. I think what you speak of is for a net new room yet to be built. Having said that, there is still reason for some absorption at least for the low frequencies and likely mid/higher ones too so that the RT30/60 falls within the "right" range of values.

Kclone - you've been silent since Jan 7th - 10 days and counting . . . are you still following this thread? Any feedback on people's ideas?
Kevin
Using about a 30 degree downward angle at the ceiling on these soffits many which are enclosures for heating and air feeds. Can actually be made into an acoustic benefit instead of a liability. 30 degrees works well on all wall ceiling intersections and looks really cool especially with a drywall finisher who can use a trough to blend the angles so they flow into each other..a gentle bend. I have removed all soft materials [sheeps wool] from the walls and have recently added a so simple geometric device that works wonders. Tom
Tom .. you mentioned a small geometric device that works wonders , it might be just what i'm looking for , can you share with us what it is . Thanks in advance .
Tim