Call Michael at Echobusters. This is what I have. Reasonable. Looks good. Can mount on stands. Excellent products. Can do room for around $1000.00. You can fax him a scetch and he will design for you. www.echobusters.com. Tell him Rick Davis from Virginia referred you.
Acoustic Treatment
I'm in need of some acoustic treatment for my room. I've looked at everything from RPG's line, Auralex, Silentsource's stock, ASC, room lenses, etc. and nothing is what I'm looking for (it would be nice if three room lenses would do the job, but I'm a little skeptical). The idea of foaming 60%+ of the room isn't appealing. The RPG studio line is more in the ballpark (I like the looks), but expensive. Does anyone have any experience with DIY diffuser/resonaters similar to the ones on decware's website (similar to the RPG studio line), if not those exact ones? I'm needing a full room treatment, but really don't want to spend thousands, nor do I really want to cover the whole room. But I'll do what I have too to get right sooner or later. I haven't given any specifics on my room, only because I'm moving in three months (which means the wisest thing to do is probably endure 'til then). Nonetheless, I'm guessing that there is still a certain level of universality in acoustic treatment that is applicable in all rooms. The only reason I'm obsessing over this all is that the room is holding back the performance of the system greatly. The loudspeakers and associated electronics are wonderfully engineered and I really feel that there is a whole new layer I'm missing out on. I was getting better soundstaging with the little Thiel's I owned a while back (of course that was the only thing they were doing better). However, my new speakers may not be soundstaging as well simply because thier off-axis output is "higher" and I'm getting a greater intensity of reflected energy. I did cover 70%+ of the room with acoustic fabric several months ago and that made a noticeable improvement, but I believe there is a better solution. Any advice would be appreciated.
7 responses Add your response
I just added 4 Tower Cube Traps to my room, and a large panel to absorb a first reflection from a fireplace. It made a big improvement in the articulation of the bass, and made me a believer that no matter how much "foam" or diffusors you put in a room, that treating the room resonant modes with bass traps is a good place to start. I have seem DYI instructions before for bass traps, but it's pretty complex. I felt like the bucks for a finished product were a good investment, in the context of the cost of an entire system. Even if you don't want to drop the dough now, I'd certainly put bass traps on my short list for future options. |
I agree with Rsuminsby. Bass traps are the way to go. I have had great success with ASC tube traps. The trick ( and the expensive part) is to get ones with a large enough diameter to effectively damp the lower frequencies which inevitably cause the mid and upper frequencies to be muddied. I have yet to completely treat my room, but have decided that a step-wise approach (secondary to budget constraints) is still the best way for me to proceed. Filling your room with foam with only give you a dead sounding room that still has booming bass and muddied trnasients. Go to tubetrap.com (as it sound like you already have). Call Chris at ASC, as he had told me he does not keep up with email as well. He should be able to help you. I hope this helps. Regards and happy listening. |
I have 8 single-spaced pages on how to build three RPG-type diffusors. I use Styrofoam, which is lighter (by far) than wood or medite, say, and easy to mount, and even looks nice. You need a table waw to make it, though. You could get a millwork place to cut pieces for you, possibly. Glueing together and painting is slowish but easy. Email me if you're seriously interested: [email protected]. (You may need bass treatment too: RPG diffusors are for about 300Hz up. Look at F. Alton Everest, "Sound Studio Construction on a Budget". At perforated panel resonators, in particular. |
Go for the room lens even if you have to fabricate one! its great! it works and its not ugly! I cant believe what this thing did to my system! Soundstage was defininitely more concrete, solid, layering is very very precise, separation of instruments are very clear, midrange is a little bit now forward, decay of instruments is more pronounce, and my bass boominess improved a little (to medium). Overall, super stuff! |