Very nice summary!
I'm not sure i agree 100% with one or two items.
- Room problems with too much or too little absorption? Lack of imaging? Unsatisfactory spatial effects? Diffuse center image? Uneven bass across seating positions? Poorly measuring loudspeakers? Multichannel audio (5.1+ channels) solves everything...- Only go beyond 5.1 if you’re trying to optimize for multiple seating positions in a large room.
I'm assuming there are liberties with the exact words here specifically the phrase "solves everything".
Surround setups can help with imaging, poor centre dialogue, but uneven bass? bad non-linear speaker response? And only 5.1?
I've noticed a substantial difference in surround by going with 7.1 over 5.1. Uneven bass is slightly noticeable in our room as well and i plan on going to 7.2, something that Toole and the H/K group have long researched (2 is better than 1, 4 is best overall).
Nothing except a massive sound engineered sound board (maybe) can fix what bad speakers reproduce, not even 5.1 surround additions.
- Golden room ratios and room shape are more bunk than science because they make flawed assumptions more suited for test tones than music.
These ratios are theoretical and by math, are correct (sound follows the sciences of physics and math). However, for practical purposes, they are merely a starting point to designing a space.
Try using the golden ratio in a stereo setup in a basic rectangular room. It works quite well to define the sweet spot. I've tested that one out during very early blind listening tests. Again it is not exact down to say a millimetre, but puts you very much in the ballpark.
Some day i hope to have the time to read through all of his book as well, but WITH the figures!
