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Help w/ beginner s room treatment

I am going to be moving into a new house soon and I have a room that is about 16*14 that I'm going to be using for music and movies.

I've never done ANYTHING to "treat" a room for resonance’s, reflections, etc. I know how to place the sub to minimize boominess, and I'm aware that keeping speakers from back and walls can help with smearing. However, where are the most important areas to put up sound-dampening materials (for mid/hi frequencies, and low bass frequencies). I've heard it is the wall behind the speakers and that wall opposite of the speakers, but people have also said that side wall treatment eliminates smearing of sound.

As for low frequencies, I will have a sectional sofa around the back wall opposite the speakers (and on some of the side wall, too). I think this may help as a "bass trap."

So -- can you start from square one about which walls are the most important to treat/address? I'd like to "fix" those first and my wife will still want things to look good. The room is a family room that can't accommodate big book cases and such all over the place, and the sofa will be backed up against the wall (sorry, but it has to be that way). Much of the rear wall (the one opposite the speakers) is taken up by two large (reflective!) windows. I was thinking some drapes might help here?

Any advice/education would help. I'm at the point where I want to make the best use of my equipment by fixing my room, and not just keep buying better stuff for the same flawed listening area...
128x128felthove
sean
6,229 posts
 
Fiberglass is about as good as it gets in terms of sound absorption unless you want to start spending big cash. Like anything else though, due to varying densities and overall thickness, the attenuation / absorption ratio may not be linear across the band. As such, ANY type of "sound panel" or "absorber" can create a tonal imbalance due to only working on a specific section in the audio spectrum.

The problem with fiberglass is that it is literally a fiber. As such, some people are afraid of the fibers "floating" into the room and imbedding in their lungs ( not to mention pets ). A simple "trick" that is mentioned in several of the "DIY" bass trap designs is to wrap the finished product in Polyester batting and then cover that in some type of coarse fabric. Most mention Burlap in that it is non-reflective, relatively cost effective and can be dyed easily to match an interior. The batting acts as a filter to the fiberglass and the covering material lends a professional look to the finished product. Covering the ends of the tube trap with some type of finished wood also looks quite nice.

For some good DIY projects ( acoustics, cables, tweaks, etc...) try checking out this site:

http://members.nbci.com/Jon_Risch/index.htm

Hope this helps some of you out while keeping a few bucks in your pocket. Sean
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john_l
782 posts
 
Great posts everyone. You sound like quite a bit more than a beginner to me too. Something I have found to be beneficial is to put plants and trees in the corners of the room. This has high WAF too. Also, if you have a coffee table, try to cover it with some non-reflective material, or make it easily movable. Lastly, if it is practical for you, move your speakers out into the room for serious listening & mark their location. Moving your speakers out into the room can solve quite a few imaging and bass boom problems.
abstract7
541 posts
 
Dekay--looks like Sean beat me to answering your question--and I agree with his comments. I have used fiberglass in a built in bass trap, and it works well. Since it's built in, I have less of a problem with fibers getting into the room.
dekay's avatar
dekay
2,959 posts
 
Thanks: Yes, the fibers would be a major problem if released into our household. If I build one, I will place it in a plastic bag and rough it up a little to see how well the batting performs.
felthove's avatar
felthove OP
30 posts
 
Thanks to all for your responses (especially Abstract). I do, however, have a couple of clarifying questions:

1) what's the difference between and absorber and a diffuser (both in purpose and in the actual item one would use)

2) what does it mean to say that the Radio Shack SPL meter is "not linear" and that I need to make corrections?

3) What do ASC and WAF stand for?

Thanks again!
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