That is the fantasy. Let's deal with reality.
Very rare is it the case that one has this kind of dedicated space, and sound for that matter. Big rooms have problems too. Namely standing waves. But reflections can be problematic too, especially if the room is untreated and has lots of hard surfaces.
The reality for many of us is quite different. The average listening room is about 15 feet by 12 feet with 8-10 foot ceilings. Not small, but not large either. The margin for error in listener and speaker placement is smaller. We have been told either directly or inferred through reading reviews, etc. that we need 8 feet of space between our speakers and ten feet of space between our listening position and speakers. Following this information in smaller rooms places the speakers and the listener near the room boundaries, creating all sorts of room modes, and reflection issues. This may look good, or fit into our assumptions of what should sound good, but are you getting the best listening experience? Probably not.
The reality of our listening room size often looks more like this.
What a situation like this calls for is defined by the recording industry as mid-field listening. Mid-field listening is done at distances of 6-12 feet from the speakers.
It takes more work perhaps, but a mid-field listening setup can produce a visceral, holographic and tonally even listening experience with less amplifier, less speaker, and fewer acoustic treatments. By work I mean careful speaker placement. Really nailing down the best place for your speakers and the best place for your seating is critical.
Speaking of that. New Record Day has another excellent video covering speaker setup in small rooms. I highly recommend watching it.
Ultimately, we will be creating what I call a "bubble" with properly set up speakers and listening spot, acoustic treatments, and a tweak or two to really dial in the holographic experience.
The Bubble
Step 1: Speaker Placement
See the video above.
Step 3: Acoustic Treatments
Above: The Stillpoints Aperture II is in our opinion,
the highest quality acoustic treatment one can buy.
In this example, we will be using 4 acoustic treatments. These will form an area in front of, behind and to the sides of our listening area.
I recommend at least one, and preferably 4 Stillpoints Aperture II panels if you can afford it. Why? Out of all of the treatments I have experimented with, the Aperture II's allow my system to sound the best. The Aperture II's also take a little guesswork out of what type of treatment to place where. They absorb, diffuse and have a little bit of bass trap built in. They keep the sound and soundstage lively, balanced and intact. One can use a combination of absorbers, diffusers and bass traps from other manufacturers if that's what you have on hand.
I place the panels as follows:
* If you can only afford one Aperture, place it centered between the loudspeakers with the main area centered at listening height. The other recommendations below are if you buy 4, but you can also substitute an acoustic diffuser for the side placement, and an absorber, or absorbers for placement behind the listening chair.
* One (Aperture or diffuser) on either side of the listening position at the first reflection points.
* One (Aperture or absorber) centered behind the main listening seat
The listening "bubble" with 4 acoustic treatments. As mentioned, we recommend Stillpoints Apertures, but this can be a combination of absorption or diffusion.
Alternative Acoustic Treatments
So you can't afford the Apertures? No problem, you can use different products from manufacturers like Vicoustic (which we carry, and are the best made for the money), or even Ikea. Just keep the following in mind:
* Diffusion is usually preferred over absorption on the side wall first reflection points.
* Absorption is preferred behind your listening chair
* If you can only use a minimum of panels, placing them at ear level is the starting point, and will produce the most benefit.
* If you want a more diffuse center image and soundstage, diffusion may be the best choice for the treatment centered behind the speakers. For more focus, absorption.
* Hybrid diffusion/absorption panels may be a good compromise when in doubt.
Above: Vicoustic makes some very cool,
and audiophile grade acoustic products.
I like the mid field approach for several reasons
* It gives every critical component (speakers and your listening chair) acoustical space from room boundaries. This can help with bass response and will help with any early reflection issues.
* Like near field listening, it takes much more of the room out of the equation. Unlike near field listening, the additional distance between listener and speakers allows the sound from the speakers to become more cohesive, and is just less "in your face" as some nearfield setups can be (without the help of my room tweaks :)).
What The Bubble Can And Cannot Do
The "Bubble" will open up your soundstage, improve depth, imaging and detail. How? Most of the sound you will hear from your system will be what is directly radiated from the speakers. Reflected sound, which tends to blur detail and smear the detail, will be greatly reduced. If you have severe bass issues, you may need bass traps or something like the PSI Audio AVAA active bass traps for frequencies below 50Hz. Bass is more of a sound pressure issue than a sound wave issue. The pressure can be a function of the volume and shape of your room, and on some occasions speaker placement can only minimize this issue, not eliminate it.
Step 4: Finishing Touches To Enhance Resolution & Soundstage
Into The Twilight Zone... Below I will break down products that will make your space appear to be sonically larger than it physically is. They also have the added benefit of enhancing resolution and detail as well. All without adding brightness or artificially altering the tone.
The Stein Harmonizers are our longest standing favorite tweak. Stereophile recommended them over 10 years ago, and we fickle audiophiles have long since forgotten their value in favor of the newer, shinier thing. They still work the same magic in rooms as they did many years ago. The Harmonizer H2 system is $2995.
Above: The Stein Harmonizer
Above: Our recommended Stein Harmonizer placement.
QSA AC Receptacle - Yep, that's right. If you want a bigger soundstage, and a more 3D presentation, the QSA AC receptacles will take you there like no other AC receptacle can. I recommend the Red level or above. Even if you have a power conditioner or distributor downstream, the QSA power outlet installed in the wall will make a huge sonic improvement regardless of your listening room size.
Bybee V2 Plus - This small black box has an effect similar to the Harmonizer system, but at a lower price. Adding resolution, richness, air, space, liquidity with a little more warmth and low end than the Harmonizers. Very helpful in creating the perception of the walls disappearing. Priced at $499 each, the Plus version will give you more power to the device, increasing it's effectiveness over the standard V2, and a replaceable battery (which the standard V2 does not have).
Above: A Bybee V2 Plus placement for a wide
soundstage with a focused center image.
Combining The Bybee and Stein
This combination yields a very immersive, detailed, balanced 3 dimensional listening space that will knock your socks off.
Above: The Combination of the acoustic treatments,
Stein Harmonizers, and Bybee V2 Plus can create
the "Ultimate Listening Bubble".
As you can see, the placement of the treatments, Stein, and Bybee encircle the listening chair. This is my reference setup, creating the most natural, immersive sound field I have ever heard.
Bottom Line
* Really work on optimizing the placement of your speakers and seating.
* With a few acoustic treatments, create a "bubble" of sound where the energy that your ears pick up is the direct, radiated from the speakers.
* With your system now hitting new heights, widths and depths try out some room enhancing tweaks to see if they do indeed take things further by making the walls in your room disappear.
Thanks for reading this far and as always, if you have questions please don't hesitate to call or email.
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