|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
74.103.206.167
Our living room has been couch less for a couple of days while we are waiting to get our new one delivered. Todasy, just for the hell of it, I played my stereo in the living room and my jaw almost hit the floor! The system sounds sooooo much better without the couch in the room. The system played much louder and the dynamic swings were unbelieveable. I always knew that the couch absorbed some of the sound, but never thought they would soak up so much of it.I jokeingly asked my wife if we could not put the couch back in the living room which whe said was out of the question. I can't move anything around in the living room and the speakers face the couch where I sit to listen. Any ideas?? The picture is my view from sitting on the couch. Please note the speakers are now sitting on cones on top of a granite plinth as this is an older picture.
Bob
I throw my windows open wide and call to you across the sky.
Edits: 08/08/12Follow Ups:
How you considered a new wife? An audiophile of course. LOL
Place speakers further apart and toe in slightly
The presence or absence of very absorptive items can, as you've discovered, have a pronounced effect on the acoustics of a room, particularly a small room where they add a significant amount of sabines. Heck, in a smallish bathroom, even the presence or absence of a bath towel on a wall mounted bar makes a noticeable difference.Add to that the fact that your speakers are directly facing the couch, and you've got a recipe for absorbing a lot of sound energy before it ever has a chance to start bouncing around the room. And let's not forget your carpeting.
As a trumpet player, it's sometimes fun to practice in different parts of the room, or even just point the horn in a different direction, and observe how the sound changes. This sort of thing fascinates me ('course, I'm easily amused by shiny objects, too). Microphone placement takes on a whole new importance when a person realizes how the sound can vary so much from one point to another in a room, and on how the source is placed. Which brings us back to your situation.
When you consider that your speakers are aimed almost directly at very absorptive objects (the sofa AND you and your girlfriend), and that a large percentage of the sound is absorbed before it even has a chance to "unfold" into the room, it should come as no surprise that the sofa has a very noticeable impact on the sound of your system.
As far as suggestions go... lose the sofa and replace it with "director chairs". Kidding. But in all seriousness, a leather-covered sofa will have a very different effect at mid/upper frequencies than a fabric-covered one, so keep that option in mind. I would suggest tilting the speakers back so that more sound has an opportunity to fill the room before it's swallowed up, but it would be a little difficult to do that with your setup. You might try toe-ing them in so that their axis isn't pointed directly at the "absorbers". You might also try replacing the carpet with stone or wood or terrazo. Fewer sabines of absorption means more sound bouncing around the room. You might also try hanging a few large glass-covered art pieces, just to liven up the room a bit.
Basically, what you've got is a cross between a studio control room (where we like things dead-ish in order to more easily focus on the direct sound) and a living room (where we want the sound to envelope us and bring us closer to the rapture).
It's too bad that many speakers aren't designed to play well with many home living rooms. This is actually one of my pet peeves... Some speakers are better for some rooms than for others, yet, even "audiophiles" generally refuse to acknowledge that reality.
hth
Edits: 08/09/12
Never in my wildest dreams did I think a sofa could have such a pronounced effect on the sound. The new one just got delivered and I am planning on listening to the system for a couple of hours. I would have gone with leather but the cat would have wrecked it. We went for a material that is durable and hopefully will keep the cat away.
I throw my windows open wide and call to you across the sky.
"I would have gone with leather but the cat would have wrecked it."
Yet another reason why cats belong in the wild and not in the house.
:)
agreed. However, it's our son's cat and he couldn't take it to his apartment so we had to adopt it.
I throw my windows open wide and call to you across the sky.
So, now it's YOUR cat, to do with as you please. Children need to grow up at some point.
Just sayin'.
;)
Have him inject a few puddles on the couch.
A cat maybe? But it might cause collateral damage to the speakers too.
This is the lastest rage in the town of Bedrock, and she can have one.
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: