Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Room acoustics

Hey guys, I think my living room is inherently pretty poor for sound, but would like to hear some of your opinions. I have B&W DM602s and a Marantz 5002 AVR, and have been playing cds through a phillips dvd player. The sound seems to really be lacking in fullness, and after trying a few different receivers, I think it's really due to the room. It's big and has lots of hard surfaces. My ears hurt after listening for more than 15 minutes at moderate volumes. I'm wondering if anyone can give me some tips on what to do.....here's a pic of the room and setup:

Barkeep, assuming that by "moderate volume" you mean an average level no higher than about 80dB, you should be able to listen for hours without fatigue(or permanent hearing damage). If the room is causing the highs to be too prominent, turning down the treble control should help. Room treatments such as carpets on the floor, drapes on the windows, wall hangings, etc., can help tame the highs.

I do have a carpet between the entertainment center and couch. I forgot to draw that in. The windows have drapes too, but they're generally opened. The treble is at -1 right now. I'll try turning it down further, but I guess I thought one was supposed to use the receiver without adjusting the bass or treble too much, in order to get the true sound of the source.

Tone controls are meant to be used when the frequency response is skewed for some reason. Speakers are typically voiced by manufacturers so as to be pleasing in typically furnished home listening rooms. If a room is significantly more "live" or "dead" acoustically than what was contemplated, the sound won't be what was intended. Another factor is that much "pop" music is poorly recorded with boosted upper mid/lower treble frequencies so as to sound more impressive on mediocre equipment. This also calls for not being afraid to use the tone controls. Unless you're listening at dangerously high levels(have you measured?), extended listening, certainly far beyond 15 minutes, should be pleasant(unless the music itself is unpleasant).

Interesting response, thanks. Do you think it would be worth my time to try to isolate the back concrete walls, to maybe dampen the brightness? I also wonder why there seems to be a lack of full sound. The B&W DM602s are heralded as excellent speakers, and the Marantz should be able to give them enough juice, with 90 watts and a pretty hefty transformer inside. But, I'm just starting out in audio, and have a lot to learn

If the picture is drawn to scale, it appears that your couch is in the middle of the room. Perhaps you are sitting in a null area. Have you tried moving the couch back about 4 or 5 feet?

No I haven't moved the couch, but I've stood back behind the couch a few feet, and it seems the same. Is it maybe a problem that the speaker setup is on the right side of the room, instead of centralized?

The worst place is exact center, but that is more for low frequencies. I was going to say putting a throw rug between you and the speakers, but looks like you have done that. Keep in mind that reflections off the side walls and ceiling arrive at your ears a very short time after the direct sound arrives. Sometimes this can skew the sound. Some is good, but to much is not good.

Some think the home environment is different than recording studios, this is not true. If you ask any recording or engineering studio, they will say the home environment can benefit from "First Reflection Zone" treatments, just like a recording studio. Home furnishings can help like furniture, large decorative fake plants, wall hangings.

Most people don't want to hang actual treatments on their walls, but some can be very decorative, with the right fabric color.

Have you tried slightly towing in your speakers a bit so they aim a few feet behind your head?

Also, not sure what receiver you have, but if it has Audyssey setup, I personally highly recommend you use it, it WILL account for your room problems and flatten out the frequency response.

Consider swapping the cabinet and the audio and turn your couch towards that wall. You have very unbalanced side reflections that will hurt imaging and your couch is mid-room. Rotating should change the boundary issues. Given the equipment, it is a room issue so this change my be the least dramatic change in terms of cost.

Test run it with a just the AVR and speakers to see if it is better.