You used the word perfect (in one form or another) six times :-)
Obsessed with room acoustics
I've been involved in audio for perhaps twenty five years now, could be described as an audiophool for the last ten. In all these years I have never had an issue that has consumed me more than the room acoustics in my present dedicated listening room.
Specifically, a number of years ago I became aware of a channel inbalance, essentially more air and spaciousness in one channel vs. the other. I determined this channel inbalance was due to room asymetry after both trying different equipment and reversing channels.
Over the years I tried to adjust for this asymetry through endless experimentation with acoustic treatments (RPG, Echobusters), both diffusion and absorption. While there was definite improvement, I only became more frustrated and obsessed with the remaining inbalance, at least part of every listening session involved readjusting acoustic treatments.
Finally, the frustration drove me over the edge, I determined the only way to rid myself of the inbalance was to treat the source, in other words, redesign the room. I recently tore out all the walls that created the room aysmetry, I even went to the extreme of perfectly balancing out room furnishings. Of course, the acoustic treatments are perfectly balanced as well!
Finally, I have nearly perfectly balanced soundstaging and imaging. Nearly perfect I say, there still remains some asymetry on the rear wall :-)
I guess the point I'm trying to make is how amazed I am by this obession, no other parameter of sound (perhaps bass boom) has managed to obsess me so. I guess I'm jealous of those who can listen contendly in environments much less conducive to the perfect soundstaging and imaging I now require.
I too, listened contendly for years in much lesser rooms, it seems the psycholgical needs of a perfectionist audiophool displaced normal listening behavior. While I am now content with my listening, perhaps another issue may arise, any audiophile doctors in the house?
Now that I think of it, has anyone ever heard of psychologists that treat audiophilia :-)
Specifically, a number of years ago I became aware of a channel inbalance, essentially more air and spaciousness in one channel vs. the other. I determined this channel inbalance was due to room asymetry after both trying different equipment and reversing channels.
Over the years I tried to adjust for this asymetry through endless experimentation with acoustic treatments (RPG, Echobusters), both diffusion and absorption. While there was definite improvement, I only became more frustrated and obsessed with the remaining inbalance, at least part of every listening session involved readjusting acoustic treatments.
Finally, the frustration drove me over the edge, I determined the only way to rid myself of the inbalance was to treat the source, in other words, redesign the room. I recently tore out all the walls that created the room aysmetry, I even went to the extreme of perfectly balancing out room furnishings. Of course, the acoustic treatments are perfectly balanced as well!
Finally, I have nearly perfectly balanced soundstaging and imaging. Nearly perfect I say, there still remains some asymetry on the rear wall :-)
I guess the point I'm trying to make is how amazed I am by this obession, no other parameter of sound (perhaps bass boom) has managed to obsess me so. I guess I'm jealous of those who can listen contendly in environments much less conducive to the perfect soundstaging and imaging I now require.
I too, listened contendly for years in much lesser rooms, it seems the psycholgical needs of a perfectionist audiophool displaced normal listening behavior. While I am now content with my listening, perhaps another issue may arise, any audiophile doctors in the house?
Now that I think of it, has anyone ever heard of psychologists that treat audiophilia :-)
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- 16 posts total
- 16 posts total