Room treatments

The first step to problem solution is problem identification ... Can't measure it .. Can't mange it .. purchase a calibrated mic .. good outboard sound card and add REW to your lap top

Get familiar on how to measure your room and what the measurements mean ... then you can correctly and effectively treat the room

Your room behaves in two states .. above and below a transition point referred to as the Schroeder Frequency

Above the room's transition point frequencies act like Rays or Beam of light ... because their wave length's are shorter than the room's dimensions ... they will projecting from the speakers in a straight line until they strike a surface and are reflected ... you must apply traps at the point of contact to reduce the unwanted reflections

Below the room's transition point the wave lengths are to long to fit inside the room's dimension and they Pressurize the room unevenly instead of Beaming ... you must trap those at the points of highest pressurization in the room or in the 4 corners and the mid point of the walls where pressure is highest

There are plenty of traps designed as wall art from GIK and Acoustimate ... the room nee-dent look like House and Gardens meets Hell's kitchen 

@masterplan - another product I have used with great success are the 2' x 4' vinyl faced fiberglass ceiling tiles used in drop ceilings.

I created a 4" thick "brick" (about 6-7 tiles) with the vinyl sides facing out.
I covered the brick with black landscaping felt to prevent  the little glass fibers from falling out.

I placed the brick under the sofa and at the back of chairs (we had hardwood floors) but if you have carpet then they would probably not be required.

You can also use them behind canvas pictures for additional damping effect.

Just use a sharp carpet knife to cut them

Regards...

I spent a day listening to several rooms at the California Audio Show treated extensively with ASC tube traps.

The more treated, the more suck. Not an innuendo. They literally sucked the midrange out of the room, turned the bass into 1 note, and added treble glare.

I live with GIK, they do no such things.  These CAS rooms were awful.

And, shocked the hell out of me since their peeps are really knowledgeable and of course, the products are so expensive.

I used to think of GIK as the poor person's ASC, but between the improved effectiveness of the soffit traps, and the experience at the show this has utterly changed.

Best,


E

ASC is fine ... when used as directed in a program of regular professional care...

sounds like they weren't done properly - not surprising at an audio show

GIK is helpful over the internet; ASC is, or was, helpful in person

18 inches is not bad, but an absorbing panel right behind your head might be a good idea - you can put acoustical cloth on them so they look like an art print

are the side diffusors as big as a bookcase?

I foget when I bought my cal. mic but they run about $80

pics & dimensions needed

@erik_squires re your show experience with ASC I wonder if this is a case of correlation rather than causation. As I understand it Art makes him a stuff available to those who want to use it at shows, and what I guess happens is that folks with "problems" look to ASC to solve them whereas in fact the real cause of the problems are in the choice of equipment e.g. speakers too big for room, poor orientation etc (e.g. Setting up to give the maximum sweet spot for demo rather than the best sound, amazing how few rooms are set up on long wall orientation for example)

as @randy-11 observes when a room is designed around ASC gear, as any acoustic treatment, it can work very well but it's no panacea