If you have a nice system why do you really need room treatments?

There is something out there that will get rid of almost all room problems, It's called the Townshend podiums they isolate vibration down to three Hertz, as soon as I put them underneath my speakers all that thumpy bass that was going into the floor disappeared and same with the side walls and the improvement was as if I had upgraded to much more expensive electronics they're not cheap but a lot cheaper than putting up room treatments and making your room look god-awful.

@Emergingsoul, I am sorry to hear about your condition. That said, you could publish details of your system in a post on this thread. I’m sure it will require a word count less than many of your posts.

As regards the substance of your post, acoustic treatment can take many forms that do not require the use of dedicated treatment devices. But those devices, used appropriately do have an important role to play. I’ve come across many instances of people with expensive systems placed in bad sounding rooms, where their investment in equipment was effectively wasted and where a much more modest system combined with correct room treatment would have sounded better for less expenditure overall.

The room doesn‘t have to look awful.  Corner traps and diffusers come in some artistic looking designs.  Balance is the key.  Too much and the music will sound lifeless.  Furniture also makes for good absorbers.  And the room looks less lonely than a single chair in the center.

@emergingsoul 

Just when I think I've read the most ridiculous post yet, you go and prove me wrong again.

If you listen in the near field at low to moderate volume and your loudspeakers don't produce deep bass, then you don't really need room acoustic treatments.  Otherwise you probably would benefit from some form of acoustic treatment.  However, there is an alternative path where you get loudspeakers that are designed to interact minimally with a room.  The Swedish manufacturer Gradient did much work along these lines, but there are others.