GIK Vicoustic and others

I'm in the middle of  a project treating a room exactly the same size as yours.

I went DIY for a couple of reasons.  Delayed shipping from vendors, mostly.  There's a lot of info on YouTube regarding treating mastering rooms/studios.  All the same applies to 2-channel.

Basically, use as much broad-band absoption in the room as you can reasonably fit.  Maybe diffusion on the front wall between the speakers.

Place your speakers on the short wall (short wall is front and back, long wall on the sides).

Do the bass traps first.  Front corners, wall to ceiling.

I purchased Owens Corning 703 and 705 directly from an insulation company.  Arrived in two days.

Stuff the ceiling joists.  I used 9" R-30.  Took about $250 to do the ceiling.  I covered the ceiling with natural cotton canvas (painters drop cloth).

For cloth, I can't recommend Guileford of Maine enough.  It's expensive, but it does not wrinkle (no ironing...).  Has a great hand and is easy to work with.

Do your own research and plan well.  Lots of info out there.  You can spend $10k easily in that room if you follow someone like Denis Foley (Acoustic Fields).  I checked them out.  I'm sure the pro stuff works, but I'm a low-budget guy.  My system is only worth $10k or so, I can't afford to double it for room treatments.

Hello,

Years ago I was in the same boat. I researched insulation for audio with rock wool. Try to leave a 2” gap between the Rockwool and the space above it. It is better than stuffing the whole space with the insulation. Please call the companies about a referral of what to get. As said above try not to have skyline defuse panels behind you if you are close. It sounds really weird. First reflection points first. You can try this out with a small blanket or towel pined on the wall. I love the idea of the bass traps but you are very limited do to room size. In most cases you are going to have the speakers on a short wall so you can get some space in the front and back. Otherwise you will be dealing with slap back from the rear wall. Since you are doing this from scratch I know their are ways to do some of this by actually using the wall and ceiling cavity. I know plywood is so expensive but I am thinking of doing a plywood room/ drilling holes and maybe using some carbon fill. Great for bass control. Then, worry about reflection points. I want to do the carbon fill in my room since I have a 12” raised platform for stadium seating. Just to let you know. After you get the room done you can control the rest with power cables. I would call Straightwire and get their recommendations for cables. One your room and gear is in. Anything you need to tweak or correct the sound they can help. Most people would be surprised by how good even their affordable lines cost. If you are doing subs please stick to sealed box with good brands like JL Audio, Rel, and a few others that are more specialized but are designed for two channel. I hope this and one of these acoustic companies can make your room great. 

I’ve been a GIK customer for several years. As expressed to others on the Gon, they had QC issues pre pandemic. For instance, poor build quality; peeling surfaces; sloppy folding of fabrics; and rectangular enclosures with obtuse angles. They were responsive to my complaints, and the replacements met expectations. I’d recommend them if your expectations are lowered for speed and quality. 

As well stated above, you are doomed without sufficient bass trapping. That’s where the $ needs to go first. All 4 corners 12-16” diameter for the lowest fundamentals and to tame the standing waves, eliminate nulls. 

If you are handy and want to DIY some acoustic panels here is an excellent video:

IMO if you have a limited budget for listening room sound treatment you will be better off spending your funds on in-room treatments (absorbers, diffusers, bass traps) than on extra layers of drywall and insulation. I've heard several standard construction listening rooms that sound great, including mine, and if you sell your house someday you will not not recover the audio related construction expense.