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Swapped long wall to short wall and now I am having some big issues

I have a 14.5 x 27 ft x 8' room (it is narrower at 12 ft (the last 6 ft on the end where I have the speakers)


I had my system aligned on the long wall with the rack in between the speakers.

The speakers were 9' offset from listening position and the side wall were so far away (and had two record cabinets) that they were out of the equation.  I had real traps mondo bass traps in the corners and GIK art panels to handle slap echo.

The sound was excellent - great tonality, dynamics, imaging. The only issues I had were a limited listening area and not back enough for full speaker driver integration.


After listening to a friends system in a 12x23 room - old home with wood construction I was a gasp. His system was short wall and there was great integration with easily 2 rows of 3 people could sit and listen. It was a very relaxing and engaging experience.


Fast forward. I made the move. knocked out a closet in the corner. Removed one of 2 floor to ceiling record racks, a Wurlitzer jukebox, and Victrola.  I placed the equipment racks on the opposite side wall.  The speakers were set up 2 feet from the walls in front of the two corner bass traps. The sound was dreadful.  The once luscious mids were thin and highs (1.2-3khz) were bright and cymbals were brittle, hard strumming acoustic guitars and brass sounded terrible as well.  If the music got dynamic - it sounded terrible.


The vinyl was bad - cd atrocious.


I went ahead and took all the acoustic panels out except the GIK art panels.


I did some research and bought some GIK Impression 2' 2" panels for first reflection  and GIK Impression 1' 4" diffuser/bass panels for the front corners allowing absorption from the back.  This was much better but still way off.  I moved the speakers out from the wall and then the instrument subtle details snapped into place - at 6 ft this was most apparent however it developed a very bloated mid bass.


I am looking for ways to tame the high end and mid bass but bring out the mid range,  I do not want to over treat.

This in incredibly frustrating as I had my sound very refined and the short wall setup should theoretically produced better results.  I would be interested in your comments and suggestions.


Thank You

128x128audiotomb
mikethehunterguy
50 posts
 
I would seriously consider setting up your system across a corner. I was forced into an asymmetrical setup in my basement listening room (20×30×10), and tried short and long wall setups. After seeing the genius Rodger Sanders' setup at AXPONA., I went cross corner. Simply amazing. No diffusion or absorption at first reflection points, as the reflections occur at an oblique angle. Bass tends to smooth out because the long and short wall modes average better. You might consider corner damping (next step for me) to eliminate any horn effects. Although I haven't noticed any issues.  
I have measured the room in all the setups I've tried.  The corner setup is BY FAR the best measuring yet. Try it, you might like it.
audiotomb's avatar
audiotomb OP
1,112 posts
 

thanks Mike

That was one of my next steps

(but I won't be moving any racks initially)

My room is narrower at 12' at the shortest end

14.5 in the middle and 27ft long

There would be a doorway right behind the couch

onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,227 posts
 
I'm guessing, but I think the closet you removed effectively functioned as a bass trap which mirrored the kitchen entrance on the other side of the room.  Whether by design or not the combination worked.  I don't know how you would now fix it.


Alternatively, just give the short wall more time to break-in.
audiotomb's avatar
audiotomb OP
1,112 posts
 

I do have a partition or cabinet I can put in that area where the closet was. It did have a bass trap in the corner on the backside of the closet.  I now have the treated but a more direct path to the doorway to the next room. With the closet and the front wall in place that width was only 9.5 ft wide. not ideal.

The sound is much more opened up now.

flynnrd
41 posts
 
I don’t want to say this... 
But is it possible that removing the closet eliminated a natural bass trap in the room  that is now causing standing waves and making the mids and highs to go funky? 
I did almost the exact opposite a year back: speakers were on the short wall, but the front room corners were 90 degree angles that were very close to the speakers, which were set as close together as possible. Had tons of boom, resulting in mid and high degradation. Treatments did little.
Against all “best practices,” I moved the system to the long wall where they were far from the corners, which - in this situation - has 45 degree angles to them, backed by concrete block, built in to the design of the house. I believe these natural traps were the reason for the “cure” I experienced. Which is to say - the best sound I’ve had in any room with mostly the same equipment. Ever... 
 Just a thought... 
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