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Leave it Open or Close it Off: A Listening/ Living Room Dilemma

We are doing a bit of remodeling and I have the option to add a pocket door to close off an open hallway in the rear left of the room. My setup is 2qty floor standers and 2qty REL S/510 subs. The room is 15x20 with an 8' ceiling. My speakers aim down the long wall. The room has a TV but it's mostly a listening room with minimal furnishings: 1 normal sofa and 1 end table behind the listening position. 

Here's what I'm thinking: if a 40hz soundwave is 28ft, wouldn't it be better to leave the hallway open so that the soundwave has more room to do its thing?

On the other hand I'm thinking having a decently sealed 3' wide solid-wood pocket door there instead of an open hallway might pressurize the room better?

Has anyone been in this situation or have enough knowledge about acoustics/ physics to know which would be the better choice? 

 

 

veerossi
seanheis1
623 posts
 

when i leave the door open behind my listening position...the bass is more even as confirmed by my measurement mic. It's effectively a free full range bass trap. 

veerossi OP
169 posts
 

@kokomo I tried the Spectrum app, but I prefer the Decibel X app more. 

@bolong hardwood floors with some thick padding and a deep shag rug that covers more than 1/2 the room. 

@seanheis1 That's what I was afraid of: paying to make these changes to the room and then finding out it was better without it. I'd be pretty disappointed wasting the money on it.

awise1961
47 posts
 

I have a dedicated listening room which is about 21 feet by 25 feet with a vaulted ceiling. It has a double door entry way with two steps leading down into the room. I prefer to close those doors during listening sessions as I feel it improves the overall sound quality. The room also has it's own separate bath room and I even close that door.

kokomo
10 posts
 

I had a DM question regarding the Spectrum RTA app I use on my iPhone, as there are many apps that use the word Spectrum in their names. The app is called Audio Spectrum Analyzer Pro. Here's the web page for it. Looks like it's also available for Android.

bolong
599 posts
 

Cornwall 4 Train Wreck

This video has always stood out to me for what happens when the room is ignored. Basically, the speakers were placed in a cement basement. The owner then proceeds to Dynamat the horns into oblivion as a "countermeasure."

I suspect that by now he has been persuaded to tackle the room itself.

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