concrete vs. wood listening room

Hi Pardales,

We`ve exchanged e-mails in the past where you gave me excellent advice on purchasing used, modded electronics. I`d concider panneling the listening room even tho it`s a rental.

My primary concern is that speakers on spikes and electronics on spiked platforms would not be able to dissipate excess energy enough when coupled to a concrete deck. Moving is not an option as I`m tied in with a lease. Any ideas?

Dick

update....just talked to Bobby P. of merlin fame and he loves concrete coupled with some proper room tuning. :)

I was simply offering the link as a different pespective. You have to take seriously the realities of your situation. I would take a recommendation from a person who really knows my speakers any day. Good luck,

Just in case you see this again was thinking about how muiscians seek out old wood paneled room where classics have been recorded and even though gear is way more sensitive now back in 50's you still heard tha magic of a particul;ar RCA hall or another label.It's not just pannleing but type,how it's attached to wall behind it,etc.Some counties have real problems because of type of construction they use.Lived in Isreal for a year and that's a place wher all houses ar stone and would need treatment on that basis or have speakers that sound good with hard walls.Some show demos sound terrible (or holmes and folks can't igure it out) because of false drop cielings (again prevelnt in some countries like England I think.Plus housing in Europe and japan is usually smaller so problems an solutions can be specific to smaller enviorments others universal and need addressing.you can use carpest or drapes as opposed to expensiove acou tic tiles and traps.But here and www.audiosylukm.com will have comments,links,help in general to do your fix.I fould Robert Hartley's book on high end to have a good section on room acoustics (where i got tip about getting mylar (or move mirrors if large enough say on a chair) to put on walls and you put a lamp where you sit and that's where waves just like light are going to hit and you can just apply fix to narrow strip of area to deaden "standiong wave affect" (where end of note collide with beginning of next.This happens in side your speakers to that's why many have desigened them now to not be traditional box but more curved (again to break up standing waves).That's why you see in in a an anechoic chamber (where room is dead and loudness measuremen\ts or anything,a lawn mover maybe. is done because those soft material pyramids are designed to break up waves wuickly instead of refelctoing off a 90 degree sidewall etc.
Good luck.
chazzbo

In my last (late, lamented) home I had a dedicated listening room w/carpet over concrete floor and framed walls. This is the best combo I've found. In a prior home, I had two concrete walls with a concrete floor. The floor is great, particularly w/a turntable. The walls were more problematic.

To deal with the wall issues, you may wish to follow the process I followed:

Pick up a whole bunch of absorbtive wall treatment (there are a lot of options out there and many are reasonably priced; e.g. area rugs) and experiment. Cover most of the wall surface to begin with and then incrementally reduce the treated area. Leave the first reflection surfaces covered throughout. You may want corner bass traps to complement. At some point, you'll find your best mix.

Good luck.

Marty