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I bought some Owens Corning 703. Now what?

I'm investigating the acoustics of my room. I have been doing REW scans and analyzing them with the help of a member here. I've played with sub and speaker positioning and settings to see how this affects measurement and what it sounds like. I've reached out to GIK Acoustics to get their advice.

But, because I wanted to just try some experiments before (possibly) spending a lot with GIK and/or other companies, I bought 6 OC 703 panels (2" x 24" x 48") to try, temporarily around my room, singly or in combination. I might even make my own panels if that seems worthwhile.

My question is: What are some useful experiments to do with the panels and where in the measurements might I see some changes?

Again, this is not to replace getting expert help; this is a way for me to start to learn by interactive experience how my room is affecting the sound. So, good things to try?
hilde45
chorus
976 posts
 
Sorry I did not read all the above suggestions so the may be a duplication. I too bought a dozen pack of the exact same material,
assembled a frame and wrapped with a soft fabric color keyed to the wall colors. The immediate improvement was dramatic.
Positions to try: Ceiling reflection spots between speaker & seating.
As you have no side reflections that eliminates the 1st ones otherwise needed. If there is a wall behind you add a couple there.
Same for the area between the speakers. Glass surfaces are bad and benefit from attention as well. How many you need will in total will depend on the amount of existing absorption material in the room. You have carpet so that is very good. 
Smart question. Good luck!
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,217 posts
 
@amtprod It’s a good question, but what is not evident from the diagram is that the right speaker, nearest the bathroom wall, actually fires into the entrance way which forms part of the front wall. In other words, there is no first reflection point (as revealed by the mirror test) on that wall.

I went and measured differences in the room. In actuality, my right speaker is 12’6" from the right wall and my left speaker is 15’ 3" from the left wall. I’m not sure that the difference there (3’3") is enough to cause a big difference. Both are far enough way to not be able to smear the direct speaker sound reaching my ear from about 8 feet away.

I will try your test. Yesterday, I did put my panels along that bathroom wall just to see what changed, and there was no apparent difference. Again, because there is no first reflection point there, so that is probably the reason.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,217 posts
 
@chorus Thanks for your suggestion. Ceiling seems crucial!
amtprod's avatar
amtprod
123 posts
 
@hilde45  Oh I see.  Yeah from these measurements maybe there isn't much if any reverb/cancelling/smearing from the asymmetrical room layout (to some extent).  Try the test anyway, just to see and maybe it will help identify other sonic issues as well. 
rego
378 posts
 
Hey @hilde45, good post ... the first report-post shows that you have identified two symptomatic areas in the mid to high frequency range.
As another experiment you could double-up panels (2 x thick etc. gives double the bandwidth, roughly) and extend absorption lower. 
The ceiling should be a deep panel (example 5 inch depth), with long narrow panels-spaced at different lengths apart to gain a baffle effect.
400 - 4000 wavelength range (3 feet - 3 inches) will likely need the most attention other than bass.
A Tube Trap(ASC) would go a long way to tame bass and help with mid to high frequency.


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