Working on your room acoustics is probably one of the most important things you can do to improve the sound of your system. It also allows you to better evaluate every change in components and is simply one of the best bangs for the buck around.
A good place to start is the Room Acoustics Forum (sponsored by Rives) over on Audio Asylum. In addition to the Rives site mentioned above, be certain to check out Ethan Winer's sites where he provides a lot of solid and practical informtion on the topic. Jon Rische's site also provides some good info.
There are a lot of DIY projects for bass traps and absorbers that can produce excellent results for not much money. Some are as quick and simple as Jon's "down and dirty" bass traps which is essentially stacking bags of rolled insulation in the corners of the room - they're quick and easy to do and gives you a hint of what is possible. I have built custom bass traps based on information from Ethan's site using Owenings Corning 700 series products of rigid fiberglass and other materials. Have also made absorbers for the first reflection points and a few other devices. The finished products are professional looking and have made a dramatic improvement in the sound.
The cost is relatively cheap if you have some basic skills and access to a shop. I made four 2'x8' bass traps (one for each room corner, four absorbers (walls and ceiling) for the first reflection points, and a couple of other bass traps for under $700. Depending on what your final covering material is, you can spend a little less or a little more.
You can also look at doing some rough measurements of the room acoustics using the Radio Shack analog SPL meter and the Rives Audio Test CD. Total cost for the two items is about $75. While still a course measurement, it gives you some of idea of what is happening in the room as you make changes.
Lot's more to discuss, but hopefully this will encourage you to try a few things.
A good place to start is the Room Acoustics Forum (sponsored by Rives) over on Audio Asylum. In addition to the Rives site mentioned above, be certain to check out Ethan Winer's sites where he provides a lot of solid and practical informtion on the topic. Jon Rische's site also provides some good info.
There are a lot of DIY projects for bass traps and absorbers that can produce excellent results for not much money. Some are as quick and simple as Jon's "down and dirty" bass traps which is essentially stacking bags of rolled insulation in the corners of the room - they're quick and easy to do and gives you a hint of what is possible. I have built custom bass traps based on information from Ethan's site using Owenings Corning 700 series products of rigid fiberglass and other materials. Have also made absorbers for the first reflection points and a few other devices. The finished products are professional looking and have made a dramatic improvement in the sound.
The cost is relatively cheap if you have some basic skills and access to a shop. I made four 2'x8' bass traps (one for each room corner, four absorbers (walls and ceiling) for the first reflection points, and a couple of other bass traps for under $700. Depending on what your final covering material is, you can spend a little less or a little more.
You can also look at doing some rough measurements of the room acoustics using the Radio Shack analog SPL meter and the Rives Audio Test CD. Total cost for the two items is about $75. While still a course measurement, it gives you some of idea of what is happening in the room as you make changes.
Lot's more to discuss, but hopefully this will encourage you to try a few things.