Hello fellow Axiomites,
I have been tweaking and tweaking and I finally got a pretty flat response from the room. I still have to add a few reflection panels and maybe a bass trap but it is REALLY sounding nice.
I have had the Axioms in this new room for about two years but I never took the time to study room acoustics and speaker placement vs. image and response. After visiting a friend who is building his own speakers and studio, I came to realize the importance of the room layout. I downloaded some test tones and went to work.
In short, or is that even possible, here is what I did so far.
1) Move the sub to the right front so that it fires towards an open part of the back wall minimizing bass reflection on the rear corner.
2) Spread out the front mains to form a nearly equilateral triangle to the center listening position.
3) Experimented to find the right amount of toe.
4) Adjusted crossover points, speaker distances from the back wall, sub distance in the Onkyo, and sub volume to get all the test tones as flat and even as possible (by ear I found alot of cold and hot spots and virtually eliminated them or moved them out of the sweet spot)
5) Listened to lots of different music, Jazz, Orchestra, Rush R30 Live DVD, and other stuff.
4)Again
5)Again
4)Again
5)Again.....
I have to say the system sounds so smooth right now. My wife can tolerate so much more volume than before. The sound stage is unbelievable! The dynamic range of these speakers is simply stunning. I can hear breathing violin bows contact the strings as if I were sitting on the stage. Snare and bass drums are tight and deep at the same time.
Here are a few photos of the setup before I started tweaking. The room is 8'H x 23'W x 18'D. I think the wideness of the room really works to create a nice soundstage.
I have (8) 2'x4'x2" rigid 703 fiberglass panels that I am going to experiment with soon. Any suggestions for placement and good use of the panels?
Thanks -Dave
