Best Speaker "Flooring" Material for the house ?


I have been reading some different things and might call Rives or someone, but what is the best floor to have in your listening room?
-For example you start with a concrete slab, Do you Pad and carpet...
-Or first lay some floor boards(Plywood, Mdf?) and lay the pad and carpet.
-Also have heard about CORK being used and most effective, if so How?
-Pergo/Floating fake floors?
-Hardwood?
-Mainly I have heard most rooms that I like with bass fairly heavy, mostly thick carpeting, but what is the best way?
-Just comment on how you would build from scratch a dedicated room floor the layers, order, and materials used.
Thanks
matrix
Oh and also you can include moving your speakers from one type floor environment to another in the past and your impressions, opinions.. Thanks again

I think this topic could be important as it seems this would be one of the most overlooked and effective measures of acoustic treatment.
Concrete subfloors, both slab-on-grade and slab-above-grade(*) return more energy to the room, especially bass, since they cannot be deformed (flexed) by the sound waves in the air (which uses up energy.) For this reason you might want to do broadloom (wall to wall) or area rugs if you have boomy/tubby problems. A couple of tips:

1. Wool is the best sound absorber (as far as carpet goes) and acrylic the worst.
2. Cut pile better than looped pile.
3. Thin pads with wall to wall, or no pads with area rugs, are better than thick pads. If you need to protect the backside of a very expensive wool oriental rug, use the non-slip rubber netting instead of a pad.

Joisted wood floors tend to absorb sound energy if they have a lot of bounce; especially if they are older, when codes allowed lighter framing than they do now. Unless there are other non-acoustical reasons, I would avoid wall-to-wall carpeting over joisted floors. However, placing thick, cut-pile, wool area rugs in strategic places can be very helpful. These include the floor area behind the speakers, especially with dipoles. The floor area right in front of the speakers if 1.) the woofers are quite close to the floor (or you want to tame a boomy sub) and/or 2.) your listening position ("nearfield" listening) is quite close to the speakers (less than 12 feet).

As for flooring material, unless there is a reason for wall to wall, I always recommend wood to my clients regardless of whether its over a wood or concrete structure. The exception might be an old slab-on-grade with questionable waterproofing under it, but even that cand be dealt with in all but the boggiest conditions.


(*) This applies to high rise steel and concrete construction. It does not include concrete subfloors which are actually just a 2" thin concrete topping over wood construction, as installed in many low-rise condos and apartments to comply with sound control codes.

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Concrete floors are good...an un-like surface area in relation to whats usually up top...drywall ceiling.

Concrete also offers much better isolation from vibration of components caused by deep bass, or people... (kids).

Carpet or wood flooring over concrete is probably a toss up...carpet has no effect on "deep bass" although carpet or a few rugs over wood floors does tame reflections of higher freqs so is usefull.

Trying to build a floor thats a bass trap would seem a very costly undertaking...ie, a floor with flex...but still solid. Building better walls and ceiling would be a better investment of your money...double wall construction comes to mind as one thing.

My floor...Concrete. I took treated 2x4's and laid them on their side...glued and nailed down with 24" spacing between rows...this raised the floor 1 1/2 inches.

I placed 24" wide and 1 1/2" thick foam panals between studs...this made a flat flush floor across the room. I then used 3/4 T&G flooring on top...pad and carpet over that.

The real idea behind my plan was warmth in the long cold Michigan winters and not sound...thought I'd mention it anyway. The floor is extreamly solid regardless of the number of kids jumping around.

BTW, I did do double wall construction along with 5/8's drywall...16 foot sheets, very heavy on my old back!

Dave
Here is what I did to my Dali Grand speakers to control the bass. My bass is now rock solid, tight , deep and fast. I tried many things and this worked like a dream.

- buy those 2 inch thick concrete pavers you can find at the Depot or many other places. Mine are 18X24 and have a marbled look. $10 each!
- get Mapleshade heavy brass footers under your speakers pointing onto the concrete pavers.

Like a dream folks in my room.

Bill