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Room treatment

A very discerning audiophile here on Audiogon recently recommended that I deal with room treatment first and foremost before considering more upgrades. This is an area I neglected because of my limited understanding of acoustics for 2 channel listening. But I have to be clear, I love my room and don't want to clutter it. Therefore maybe adding white ceiling panels could be an architectural thoughtful yet an effective way of integrating some room treatment inconspicuously. Does anyone have any knowledge with these companies?

Primacoustic Stratus Studio: which is a 2" thick glass wool panel that is effective for frequencies between 100Hz -20kHz (most effective 400Hz)

GIK Acoustics: offer 4" and 6" fiberglass core panels that control frequencies between 60Hz-20kHz. I don't like the mounting hardware offered.

The Quiet Room Acoustic Box Cloud: offer 3" and 6" thick felt panels where the 6" panels control frequencies between 50Hz - 20kHz. These panels are beautiful and more aesthetically pleasing but are costly. 

Hopefully I'll find the right balance of effective acoustic and aesthetics. 

fire_water
fire_water's avatar
fire_water OP
238 posts
 

@wswright20

 I'm glad to hear that properly neasuring a room helps. I'm going to buy locally or from an authorized dealer in Canada so that I don't have to deal with an the unknown tariffs, duties,  ridiculous shipping fees etc. I'm not kidding about FedEx! See below. And this is for only 10 normal panels!

Subtotal: $1,546.91

Shipping: $1,330.00 via Shipping to ON

Total: $2,876.91

*taxes and tariffs are extra!

I can get Primacoustic from local Canadian dealers. They have actual studio panels.  There's a Canadian company called the Quiet Room that makes gorgeous felt panels but I'm not sure how effective they are for a music room. And there's a reputable hifi store that's local that deals with Vicoustic but you have to buy a box of any one panel so if you only need 1 panel you have to buy a box of two, four or six panels...strange!

wswright20
85 posts
 

@fire_water

You may already have seen it but GIK's site has a room calculator for RT60 that you can use as another reference.  Enter the room information and respective panels/treatments you are considering for an estimate.

wswright20
85 posts
 

@fire_water 

Sry, just saw your response, your approach is certainly what I would do!

Regarding the different panels, the sound performance data are key to achieving the desired benefit in the desired ranges.  After that it’s a question of aesthetics.  From my travels a blend of absorption and diffusion treatments is almost always best.  Too much absorption can really make for a lifeless sounding room. 

fire_water's avatar
fire_water OP
238 posts
 

And that's why I like GIK because they offer a scatter plate hidden under abortion which is pretty cool.  Unfortunately shipping with FedEx is a concern. I'll hire an engineer before I do anything else . Let's see what the frequency numbers look like

 

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
6,179 posts
 

@fire_water 

On a different subject, I noticed Eames lounge chair in your room. Since Eames sits quite low (15” or so) compared to many conventional chairs, do you find this chair optimal for listening music.  Ideally, your ears should be level with (or slightly below) the tweeters. If your speakers are tall and you sit too low, you may lose proper imaging.

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