Need Help on Dedicated Listening Room


I searched the forum, but no specific info to my problem.
So here is my scenerio.
Room Size: 13' x 11.5' with 10' ceiling.
Speakers: Infinity Composition Model P-FR.
(expect to upgrade to Martin Logan Ascent, Aeon, or Scenario)
Type of Music: Female Vocal like Jacintha, Patricia Kraas, Diana Krall, and I don't listen to loud music.
I have a budget about $2K to tune the room.
My questions:
1) Is the room too small for the present and future speakers?
2) Can I do it with $2K budget?
3) Do you have any suggestion?
Thank You:
Alan
atranz
First get F. Alton Everest, "Sound Studio Construction on a Budget" (covers all kinds of listening/recording rooms) or his "Master Handbook of Acoustics, 4th Edition". You'll then be able to analyze your room's main resonant modes and see what's needed to overcome its shortcomings. There are lots of commercial and DIY room treatment devices discussed too. This book is a real bible for audiophiles interested in more than just the components of a stereo system, and it's safe to say that nothing matters more than the room. If you're interested, I have emailable DIY designs for Argent Room Lens clones and RPG-style diffusors you can make yourself, assuming at least a minimal home workship.
If you don't upgrade your speakers, $2000 is fine for a nice integrated and cd if you buy used. You may even get into something like the classe integrated with cd. Then, just blow $150 on a rotel tuner. You won't even spend much on cables if you go with the all-in-one route.
Is your room a "closed-in" 11.5 X 13 X 10?
If it is, you will most certainly be challenged by unavoidable bass modal problems as your first obstacle to deal with. Set up will be critical for best speaker to speaker location, including seating possition(s). There will be trade-offs, also depending on your set-up(long wall vs. Short wall) set up, etc.)
MIGHT I STRONGLY SUGGEST a speaker sellection scenario(in addition to careful speaker and seating possitioning) where you can BIAMP, AND EQ your bass woofer separate from your midrange/hi-freq drivers!!!! IN a room that small, you'll have to overcome some bass anomolies which will keep you in that "small-room-boom" and or "peaky", bumpy, small room sonic signature(which you're trying to overcome ideally).
As it is right now, your Prelude P-FR's(which I used to own by the way) are definitely giving you that "one-note" boomy bass with little pitch definition, speed, and that unavoidable small room sonic signature unfortunately.
I say this and I'm not even in your room!...but I know what's going on there mostly.
In that small room however, if you can get a good Parametric EQ on your bass woofers, and leave your upper frequencies untouched. you can potentially get a tremendously balanced frequency response, while maintaining your sonic purity and integrity in the midrange on up!!!
For a lot of full range speaker situations in small rooms, this is often a tremendously good solution.
Keep in mind, speaker and seating locations as a foundation are still of utmost importance from a starting point. (as you can't overcome bass "nulls", for one.)
After you get your speaker set up for proper response, you can then concentrate on treating reverb, reflections, and other acoustic challenges in the room. Just be careful not to over-dampen your small room. As it's easy to get a DEAD SOUNDIng room easily in small room situations I find.
Yes, indeed, there are lots of books and articles to suggest sound treatments for rooms. But in the end, you'll have to experiment, and try for yourself to know what's doing what! (it will take time and experimentation on your own..otherwise it takes money and professional help!)
Another route you could consider would be smaller satalites and subwoofer combinations. There's more latitude with sub placement vs. satalite placement, since the two usually don't ideally work as good in the same exact location overall! This lets you place the woofer(s) in their best possitions, and the upper frequency units to be possitioned in theirs. Also, you can EASILY EQ a powered subwoofer for ultimate performance!

Books to go through: F. Alton Everest's "Master Handbook of Acoustics(2-3rd addition, as 4th addition has many mathematical errors!!!!); F.A. Everest's "Studio Construction on Budget"; Robert Harley's, "Complete Guide to HIgh End Audio";Back issues of Stereophile Guide To Home Theater's "Home Theater Architect" article(1999-now!)
Or search the net for more acoustics related.

Good luck!