2. tech-talk
  3. 1126477848

room setup

I have read several articles including Cardas and the audio perfectionist about room/speaker setup. After many hours of trial an error I have come up with an optimum placement of the speakers.

Practicality dictates that my TV be setup between my speakers about 2 feet behind the front of the speakers. As we all know practicality simply goes out the window with our affliction. It seems to me that not only threoretically but in reality the TV becomes a reflective surface producing negetive imaging, etc. I will probably start experimenting, but its really not easy to move the 32 inch TV and the cabinet that it sits on. Any one want to weigh in on this?
kyneo
ozfly
887 posts
 
Robm, I didn't see anything suggesting that low frequencies are a problem. Nsgarch calculated that only higher frequencies than about 200 Hz would be affected. The issue, I believe, is potentially one of soundstage and a bit of higher end distortion if the same music is hitting your ears at different times. Of course, that always happens but it's best when controlled through good room design and speaker placement. It's one of the reasons first reflection points are often damped or diffused.
tgrisham
1,291 posts
 
It is not an issue of low frequencies. It is only an issue of high mid and high frequencies. They have shorter wavelengths and bounce around, affecting the sound image that reaches our brains. Absorption of high frequency reflections is a good thing, to a point. Nobody likes an anechoic room, but too much reflection is a bad thing.
c5150
115 posts
 
part 2

Ok ....everybody including me thought it would be reflective.After hitting my instrument ,it turned out to be ...absorbing the sound ,just lke a matress or bed would.It is therefore a huge issue with low frequencies ,because it acts like a bass trap + overall absorber...hope it helps....It is after all a big hollow box!!
robm321
932 posts
 
Sorry, I did read the post backwards. It makes sense now. I'm with everyone else. A blanket works good (thick) for listening sessions. Although, I tend to accept the lack of soundstage in order to watch tv while listening sometimes.
jlambrick
138 posts
 
In my old room (a dedicated LEDE room) I had some Infinity Prelude MTS set up and sounding amazing. The depth is something I'm still trying to acheive in my new room. Anyway, we decided to add a 36" Sony WEGA HDTV monitor to turn it into a theater. The monitor was placed between the speakers and the imaging went to hell. I tried experiments with draping a big heavy blanket over the monitor to try to get the imaging back and was only marginally successful. Then I had an idea to create a "stealth shroud" around the monitor. I took a pair of window screens that were close the the side dimensions of the monitor and glued Sonex foam to them. Then attached them to each other using some 3/8" dowels across the top of the monitor (turning it into a sort of cage around the monitor). I put a few Sonex panels on top of the dowels but left enough space on top and at the bottom of the screens so that air could still flow. This improved the imaging immensely. It wasn't quite like the monitor wasn't there but it was close.
More to discover