Should audiophiles be disappointed?...

The proper use of acoustic treatments can only add to the reproduction capabilities of a set of loudspeakers. Their use can result in smoother bass, tighter imaging and a better defined soundstage. It's not a defect in a speaker design that acoustic treatments can have these effects. It's been my experience that careful setup, not absolute equipment quality, is the greatest determinate of a system's overall sound quality.

Any number of manufacturers make or have made speakers that were designed to have specific interactions with the room. The Vandersteen 5s and some newer Infinity models have built in bass equalization. The NHT 3.3s have a unique shape and require positioning very close to the rear wall in order for the woofers to "see" a room corner. The new B&O flagship speakers have built in full spectrum digital room correction. The Klipschorns required corner placement for proper bass response. The list goes on.

Slappy makes a good point. It probably is more cost effective to buy $15k speakers and spend another $10k on room treatments than it is to just buy a $25k speaker and place them in an untreated room.

Read up on Dynaudio DDC. 2nd paragraph of this link gives a brief description. I believe the product brochure has a more detailed explaination.

http://www.dynaudiousa.com/products/confidence/c2/c2ovr.htm

Vedric

The room is in some respects an extension of the speaker. The speaker moves air, and the boundaries of the room affect the air in one way or another. You need the room interaction or you would not have the kinetic energy of the speaker--i.e. most speakers don't sound too good out in a corn field. However, untreated or poorly designed rooms with bad modal response in the bass region will lead to disaster, and what's worse, is that typically the better the speaker the greater the sound degredation from the room. We think of the room as the invisible component--the first thing you start with and the last thing most people think about. The only speaker that won't have interaction with the room is the one that doesn't move air in the room--basically that leaves you with headphones.

We were in 7 rooms at CES and THE Show and it was predominantly the speaker manufacturers that invited us to be there, knowing full well that the room would take away what they had intended for their design to deliver. Keep in mind, room treatment including devices like our PARC are not compensating for speakers or for electronics. They are compensating for the room--to create positive interaction with the room rather than negative--thus allowing the equipment to perform as it should.

You might want to visit our website. Rives Audio There is an educational section that has quite a bit of information on different types of room interaction and solutions.

Hey Elizabeth!!!

Im sure you have heared of those poor bastards who get hit my lightning twice?
I wonder if they have ANY faith in the direction of thier luck and play lottery.

hahahahaha

I jump in on the office pool every now and then. Just cause i KNOW i wont win, but i would be pissed if i diddnt play one day and they all DID win. And im sure it will be the one time i dont play.

hahahahahaha

The only thing i think is dumber than playing the lottory is those people you see at slot machines. Pump in a buck, press a dollar. pump in another buck. press a button.

I know where my luck lies. No point in me gambling. hahaha