Room acoustics analysis & treatment

[Paul Heroy]

I'm looking for suggestions on room acoustics analysis for my HT which is in a living room, and has never made me happy especially for music. I think especially the front part of the room could benefit from some treatments. But how to get guidance on what could help, and what are the biggest issues to solve etc?

It's a 26' x 18' room with a 15' peak vaulted ceiling. 6 openings, 2 of which are 40-48" and no door, the other 4 have doors. No windows but 2 skylights. This'll likely be a struggle with the better half over aesthetics, so it has to be something attractive as an end result since, you know, "Living Room". 

Music is a pretty small % of my usage as I have a separate and better set up dedicated 2 channel system that I use for most music listening, so it isn't directly a huge priority. But as we all know - you improve the sound for music and better theater sound comes along for the ride.

[DLCPhoto]

I'm looking for suggestions on room acoustics analysis for my HT which is in a living room, and has never made me happy especially for music. I think especially the front part of the room could benefit from some treatments. But how to get guidance on what could help, and what are the biggest issues to solve etc?

It's a 26' x 18' room with a 15' peak vaulted ceiling. 6 openings, 2 of which are 40-48" and no door, the other 4 have doors. No windows but 2 skylights. This'll likely be a struggle with the better half over aesthetics, so it has to be something attractive as an end result since, you know, "Living Room".

Music is a pretty small % of my usage as I have a separate and better set up dedicated 2 channel system that I use for most music listening, so it isn't directly a huge priority. But as we all know - you improve the sound for music and better theater sound comes along for the ride.

I faced a somewhat similar situation a couple of years ago, and went to both GIK and Vicoustics for help. I supplied photos of the room, dimensions, etc., and they did an analysis, with recommendations for what treatment to use, where it should be placed, etc.

I went with GIK, primarily because their panels would be much easier to install on my cathedral ceiling. Recommendations from both were quite similar.

The improvement was significant. I had received great advice from 'audioguy' on AVS, that I should do room correction as much as allowable, before considering new speakers, electronics, etc. The acoustic treatment alone did make a difference, and when I then did the other upgrades, the combination has provided a pretty dramatic improvement.

[Paul Heroy]

Thanks, Don. I'll put GIK & Vicoustics on my list to contact. I also checked in locally with Audio Advice but their room acoustics guy is currently out of the country so I'll have to catch up later.

You mentioned a cathedral ceiling so it seems at least somewhat similar to what I have. I might give you a ring just to see what you did as a point of reference.

[SRW1000]

I went the DIY route for my treatments, but consulted GIK afterward most of it was complete to see if there was something I should do.

They were complimentary of the work that I had put into it and what they suggested were things that were already on my to-do list.

If you're interested in the whats and whys, I recommend reading Floyd Toole's Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms.  While highly detailed, it's easily accessible for casual readers.

There's also a free resource culled from that book, posted to his publisher's site dealing with home theater design, with an emphasis on existing multi-purpose rooms.  He also talks about your speaker's design being part of the equation when deciding on what treatments to use.  I found it valuable when weighing various sound treatment options:

Sound Reproduction

It's well worth reading and reviewing and might give you additional insight into the recommendations from the companies you consult.

Good luck!

[David Vaughn]

I went with GIK back in the day before I dropped the ceiling in my room (it was formerly a cathedral ceiling). I wrote an article on the experience:  https://www.soundandvision.com/content/atmos-makeover-space-odyssey-part-1

Second time around I did it DIY and sent my results to GIK. When they looked at my REW information they honestly told me that I had done everything possible to get the most out of the room and there was no help they could provide. That made me extremely happy!

[Craig Peer]

I went with GIK too. Took their advise, and later added more bass traps with scatter plates. GIK makes panels that can blend in or compliment a room. I of course went with black, but I wanted to make our theater darker.

[Paul Heroy]

Scott - great suggestion. I actually have Dr. Toole's book, got it several years ago but have only lightly skimmed it in the past. I also recently finished a switch to Revel speakers all around, with F208 / C208 in the fronts. After having Mirage bipolar / omnipolar speakers for decades before that, it's a pretty different design and I think a better fit for my room too. So his book should be even more applicable given I have one of his "babies"!

David, nice to hear more recommendation for GIK. Maybe I'll even start taking a look at REW as I know it offers a ton and there is a wealth of information and threads out there about it.

[bmoney]

The WAF is definitely gonna be your biggest obstacle. But tasteful treatments can be done. But your room alone is gonna be challenging. Minimize echo is your main concern. A perfect ReW isn’t going to happen without significant treatments. Best of luck

[Paul Heroy]

Yep, early reflections / echo are an obvious issue. The Mirages were really bouncing stuff all over the place, which was fun for a "big" sound in the 5.1 days for movies but unnecessary or problematic now with Atmos and having 7.4.2 for 11 speakers!

[SRW1000]

Yep, early reflections / echo are an obvious issue. The Mirages were really bouncing stuff all over the place, which was fun for a "big" sound in the 5.1 days for movies but unnecessary or problematic now with Atmos and having 7.4.2 for 11 speakers!

I actually left my first reflections untreated just to allow for a wider expansion of the front soundstage, but I have absorbed the contralateral reflections.  For my speaker in my room, I've found those first reflections beneficial, especially for stereo music, but movie mixes have benefitted as well.

If we ever get to the point where studios start making greater use of wides, I may change things up, but for now it helps fill in gaps and widen the front soundstage.  But this is all highly dependent on the room, speakers, and listener preferences.