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  3. 1202554738

Room Acoustics overkill or worse?

Would acoustically treating the ENTIRE back wall behind the speakers be overkill? This is mainly for aesthetic reasons. What I would like to do is to break up the back wall into 9 4’x3’x3” (WxHxD) modules and treat with Jon Risch’s design but flush with the wall. I have some questions regarding materials:

1. Can one substitute the fiberglass with poly bat entirely
2. Can anyone tell me if it’s a bad idea to use 1”, 40 grade foam sheet or a 1” coir sheet rather than the rockwool panel for the back.
3. Instead of burlap can I use raw silk. (wife’s suggestion)

For now I just have foam in different densities stacked behind the speaker (total thickness about 3”) and it made a huge difference. I also ‘stole’ 4 of my wife’s cushions and stuffed them with poly fill and have those in the corner which improved things even further. I would be happy if I got the same effect from the above design.

Thanks in advance for any comments/suggestions.
keroo1099

Showing 2 responses by dcstep

dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Maybe, maybe not. I looked for your Virtual System and you have nothing posted; therefore, we have no idea if you're using dipoles, rear ported, front ported, omnis or whatever. Also, we have no idea of the room size and reflectiveness of the remaining walls.

Generally, assuming the room is otherwise relatively lively, this will not be a problem. I take it your wife wants to cover the wall with silk fabric. Normally that's done over a light batting and would not be a problem. If you start adding thick absorbing material behind the silk, then you'll really deaden the room a lot.

Of course, you should look into LEDE technology. That's live-end-dead-end. This is used in some studios and demonstration room. The speakers are at the dead end of the room. It takes a powerful bass speaker to overcome the lost bass reinforcement. If you've got low ceilings and a narrow long room and need to place the speakers on a short wall, then this can be a good solution.

Anyway, generally, so long as you don't get carried away with absorbing material behind the silk, you'll be ok and that'll be a very nice listening room. Yes, you may need to move your speakers back a little closer to the wall, but that's no big deal. Any significant room changes will demand re-setting of the speakers.

Dave
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Great, your description is a BIG help. Yes, your room, particularly with 15" subs, can probably use a ton of damping. Have at it. You could make the speaker end almost totally dead and it wouldn't be a problem. As it is, I can't imagine that the speakers are not overpowering the room. Thankfully the walls, floor and ceiling are sturdy, so you can probably get a quite nice result deadening one end.

Here's very important advice from someone married almost 40-years, et the wife get the silk. ;-)

Dave
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