Hardwood floors vs Carpet

Imagine a Stradivarius playing in the center of your speakers. Would it sound more like a Strad with or without carpet? Obviously it would sound like a Strad with or without carpet in your room. Whether or not you liked it one way or the other is a matter of taste. Imagine your speakers are perfect transducers of Stradivarius violins. The room treatment similarly becomes optional and preferential. ERGO, the more imperfect your system's transduction the LESS preference and option you have in your room treatment. The obvious corollary is that the more room treatment you see, the less perfect the system's transduction is to the ear of the beholder. Maybe you wouldn't like the sound of a Stradivarius in your room in the first place.

Khrys: Give it up.

I had to "throw" down a throw rug ( that why they calls em "throw" rugs ya know ) in between my listening seat and the speakers to calm it down a bit. It kind of defeats the idea of installing a nice hardwood floor but it works. I also added some foam treatments to the first reflection points on the ceiling and side walls. All is well now. Dale

Didn't read the above posts, however a hardwood floor will cause reflections from your speakers, if you like it or not. This will change your imaging and the definition of instruments. Try it. If you like it, fine... if not, you'll have to use the dampening effect of a rug at the critical spots.