"02-04-15: Mesch
I do agree with much of ZD posts, however I cant help but believe that regardless of what you do with the rest of your system some dampening of the room via use of carpet and pad, curtains, and some acoustic panels at primary reflection points wont improve the treble. A bare room is simply to alive IMO. You might look into ATS acoustics of Piper City, Illinois. They sell factory made acoustic panels and DIY supplies. There web site is good."
You do have a point about improving SQ with room treatments. A lot can be done to improve focus and imaging, take care of echoes, and all sorts of similar issues. If you are talking about an issue like sibilance and other HF related problems, its just so hard to deal with the problem when the frequencies are very directional and have a direct line of sight to your ears. For me personally, its a big issue. I've been working with this problem for many years and it seems like the only way deal with it is in a very direct way. And that's making changes with the gear itself.
That said, I absolutely agree that room acoustics should be looked at. Its a win/win situation. Even if you are not able to fix the HF issue, you're still going to make your system sound better. Also, to add to the end of Mesch's post, a while back, The Audio Perfectionist Journal did an article on how to make your own room treatments. Basically, the most common material used to treat acoustics are made out of fibre glass. Its a very simple process. All you need to do is buy the rectangular fibreglass panels they sell at your average home improvement store, and cover them with a fabric that matches the room. The cost is very low and they work very well. Unfortunately, I don't have the article or I would post it.
