2. amps-preamps
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Room treatment success story

A couple of months ago I asked the forum for advice about what may make the best upgrade for my system (e.g., better amp, sub woofer, etc.) One of the responses was to focus on room treatment/room acoustics. While I had seen mention of the importance of room treatment, this was not originally on my list of possible upgrades. However, it got me thinking and doing more research.

A few days ago I took delivery of 5 GIK Acoustic 244 bass trap panels. WOW, WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I knew my room had a little too much slap echo (e.g., clap of hands echoed a little too long than it should), but I was not prepared for the dramatic change that the bass trap panels made. They not only took care of the slap echo problem, but the bass in the Magnepans have completely come to life.

A few of the very noticable differences:

-- Bass lines are much more prominent and it is much easier to distinguish individual notes (rather than low notes that sound more the same).

-- Vocals are clearer and more focused. For example, Mark Knopfler's vocals on the Get Lucky CD are now much more easily understandable and clearer.

-- Listening to Keb Mo's Slow Down CD, I realized that there were certain guitar notes that without the traps would seem to disappear or have such a lower volume as to almost not there, but now I am hearing notes that I simply could not hear before.

-- Some of my rock CDs that I thought were simply very poorly recorded (and perhaps are) are now much more listenable and actually sound pretty decent.

Before getting the bass trap panels, I had borrowed a REL sub from a friend for a couple of weeks. It sounded great. However, the roughly $400 spend on these bass trap panels made a MUCH more significant difference in the bass in my room than this $1,500 REL subwoofer. (Again, the REL sounded great, but I now realize that I was not able to hear what it or the Magnepans were truly capable of.)

GIK Acoustics was great to deal and was very patient in answering my questions. I am in no way affiliated with them, just a satisfied customer.

So thanks to Lenny_zwik for pushing me in the direction of improving my room acoustics!

By the way, I would still like to get a better amp and a sub woofer, but I plan on my next purchase to be a rug for hard wood floors and a few more bass trap panels (I have a large room).
edge22

Showing 3 responses by edge22

edge22 OP
31 posts
 
Schipo,

You asked about where I put the panels.

The short answer is that I put all 5 on the back wall (that is, the wall behind me when I am seated).

Here is the longer answer: When I talked with the folks at GIK Acoustics, they originally recommended 8 of the 244s based on my room size (about 25 x 23 x 9 foot ceilings) and seeing pictures (lots of bare walls and hard wood floors).

I decided to start with 5 of the 244s based on (1) I came up with a design idea using 5 on the back wall that my wife liked, and (2) I was somewhat skeptical about how much an improvement room treatment would make in the first place. I am now a convert after hearing the "before" and "after."

In talking to GIK Acoustics about my idea of using 5 on the same wall, they suggested that the back wall would be better for this. This was at least in part because the Magnepan speakers that I have are dipoles (that is, sound comes from both the front and the back of the speaker). Because of the design of the Magnepans, putting too much absorption behind them would cause them to lose some of benefits of this design.

What they suggested for my "next" step is to have some absorption closer to the center of the front wall and to have diffusion behind the Magnepan speakers.

What kind of RPG treatment did you get?
edge22 OP
31 posts
 
Kclone,

One way to get some professional advice on your particular room (and the type of speakers you have, etc.) for free is to contact GIK Acoustics. I spoke with them over the phone, emailed them pictures of the room, dimensions, etc. for a "no obligation" recommendation. I did not get a hard sell at all, it was very low key. Frank was also very patient with my many follow-up questions and also very knowledgable. They also have a good return policy. I believe that other companies will also do this, I just happen to have ended up using GIK, primarily because of their reasonable prices and very good service before I even bought anything.

While I think learning on your own through the internet or books is very helpful, I would consider emailing them (or someone else) pictures to at least see what they have to say about your particular situation.
edge22 OP
31 posts
 
Moonguy,

The 5 panels are all on the back wall (that is, the wall behind me). I have them hanging on the wall -- similar to how you would hang a picture. They can be straddled in the corner. However, in talking with the folks at GIK, they suggested hanging on the wall. I think this may have been in part because my room is very large, and a large room generally has fewer bass issues than a small room.

My next step will be to follow GIK's recommendation and put diffusion behind the maggies (with a little absorption on the center of the front wall, but not directly behind the maggies).
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