The Room

It's good to know that I'm not the only one who have noted the importance of room acoustics and the subsequent influence it would have on most systems. I think the major issue regarding room treatments is that most folks do not have a dedicated room and that would have compromised on their usage. Furthermore, I share the same opinion in that most people don't really care or put effort into experimenting as they may have the notion that room treatments are not necessary or ideal for some leisure listening in living rooms or lounge areas. Moreover, aesthetics play a huge part and I admit some products just don't cut it and can look awkward when placed on walls or in any part of the room. I'm fortunate to have a dedicated room for my rig and for a more critical listening environment I believe it's necessary not to neglect the room acoustics.

Reviews would be still useful in giving a general description of any particular component, but it's almost not applicable when tested in a different listening environment even with the same equipment and speakers. Different tastes and listening preferences are another story altogether.

If you feel the N804's are aggressive on top in comparison to your JM Labs Electra 926, then I think the JM Labs would be a much warmer pair of speakers. When I had the N805's, contrary to most comments on these speakers I find them to be on the warm side of things. In fact I was looking for more transparency and dynamics and that is the sole reason I've considered other speakers. It got to be the electronics then. Since you have the luxury to do a direct comparison between the two speakers, I do not doubt your findings that the tweeter in the Electras is more refined than the B&W's.

So you've had good success with Corning 703's bass traps. Interesting to note that they affect the imaging and midrange as well. All I know is that they do bring substantial improvements to the room acoustics in controlling the bass.

Rives- thanks for the link. Your comment on the sound quality being attributed to the room coincides with my experience. 50% is quite substantial though, but I may concur if I had my room covered with 50-75% of treatments! I'll leave the ceiling bare as for now.

I wouldn't say the 926 is a "much warmer" speaker than the N804 although it does put out noticibly more bass despite the same rated frequency extension. This reduced bass output in the N804 goes a long way to improving resolution and perceived detail but it also tends to leave the treble high and dry. I sold them to a friend who has them in a smaller room (11x12 instead of 14x13) and they work perfectly in it. The room filled in the bass for better extension which makes the entire speaker sound more balanced and coherent. Once again, a case where mating the speaker to the room is critical.

Room treatments are like everything else in the world: you can overdo it. I have a friend who had tons of room treatment and his soundstage and liveliness suffered. He ended up removing some of it and was surprised at how open the sound became. I once heard a speaker playing in an anechoic chamber and the music sounded terrible! No "live" effect at all. It was pretty much dead - as dead as the room. So in the end, you have to strike a balance.

A

By the same token, one can spend a large some of money on the room, and if poorly designed, end up with a poor sounding or even unlistenable room. Then you're in the same position of essentially chasing the right gear to make up for the bad room. Hostage negotiations with a bad room can get a bit costly, not to mention frustrating. So if you're going to do it yourself, or hire someone, make sure it is done right. Up front. Primum non nocere. And since I'm in a Latin mood, caveat emptor.

Ryder:

The ceiling is actually quite important. There was a group of Dutch researchers that showed the ceiling had the single biggest effect on sound quality (this was for a typical rectangular room). It makes sense because the ceiling is almost always the largest bare flat surface. Dealing with 1st refection points and using either pre-fab (RPG skylines or other) or self made diffusion for the ceiling can have a huge effect.