Acoustical Treatment

[GW1800]

I think I'm like most of you in that I knew about acoustical treatments but did not really have any personal experience how they can really transform the listening experience. We all have rooms that unless built for audio specifically are always a compromise. I also think with ML speakers (Electrostatic) particularly if you can't get them as far away from the front wall to be ideal will cause additional issues. For all of us familiar with subs it can be so frustrating to place them were they are needed sonically yet still fit in the room and look OK. PBK helps to a large extent but even that alone is not enough. All this has to do with our individual rooms and how we listen to sound as it bounces around our room. Those with glass windows, hard floors, second story Vs a basement cement floor etc. have even more challenges. Yet we go to shows looking for the latest new equipment to hopefully make our sound we hear sound better. Some of the equipment we long for can be lots of $$'s but there is another way to improve your present system if you can do some treatments.

I started with treatments behind the CLX's and first reflection walls. My CLX's are closer then recommended yet I could do nothing in my room to increase it. The ones behind are Abfusers in that they absorb and reflect. I noticed an immediate change in soundstage, instrument placement and focus. Although that helped the total sound the bass was still a concern. Yes I used the PBK which was very helpful (just select to turn it off to hear what it sounds like without it) yet the tightness although there was not as good as I thought it could be. Adding additional panels in the back I thought could be the answer. So for a total of about $3,000 worth of panels (total front, side and rear) it made a tremendous impact on the sound in my room. I was very much concerned to keep this room to look pleasing even after treatment. You can see and read in the members system under #503 more about this. Give it a try you will be impressed.

 

[JonFo]

Absolutely, treatments are one of the best 'bang-for-the-buck' audio investment, and for ESL setups, a must. I cringe when I see some of the setups depicted on the systems page. Super-reflective surfaces everywhere, asymmetrical positioning, and on and on. Some might not have a choice, but many are in dedicated rooms, and there's no excuse other than lack of knowledge there.

I also suffered from that lack of knowledge at one point, even though I'd owned ESL's for 7 years, I designed and built my custom home theater around my Monolith/Sequel II, so all the room dimensions were as idealized as I could figure at the time, but it was one big reflective (except for carpet on the floor) rectangular box. I did add some treatment in the first month, but it was insufficient and the room 'rang' at various frequencies, including some high frequencies that would limit the max spl I could use.

After my long saga in 2007 on acoustic treatments I learned a lot more and got cracking on adding a LOT more treatments to the room. Then followed that up with a part 2 on acoustic treatments with a ML-themed 14'-long custom sidewall treatment.

With all of that in there now, the room now lets the true qualities of the MartinLogans really shine. I can now crank it up to pretty high levels and no ringing, image focus is very precise, and the 'sweet-spot' is actually fairly wide now.

Everyone should seriously think about how they can apply good acoustic treatment principles to their set-ups, you will love the results.

 

[twich54]

Jonathan, I hear 'ya loud and clear !

 

[GW1800]

Absolutely, treatments are one of the best 'bang-for-the-buck' audio investment, and for ESL setups, a must. I cringe when I see some of the setups depicted on the systems page. Super-reflective surfaces everywhere, asymmetrical positioning, and on and on. Some might not have a choice, but many are in dedicated rooms, and there's no excuse other than lack of knowledge there.

I also suffered from that lack of knowledge at one point, even though I'd owned ESL's for 7 years, I designed and built my custom home theater around my Monolith/Sequel II, so all the room dimensions were as idealized as I could figure at the time, but it was one big reflective (except for carpet on the floor) rectangular box. I did add some treatment in the first month, but it was insufficient and the room 'rang' at various frequencies, including some high frequencies that would limit the max spl I could use.

After my long saga in 2007 on acoustic treatments I learned a lot more and got cracking on adding a LOT more treatments to the room. Then followed that up with a part 2 on acoustic treatments with a ML-themed 14'-long custom sidewall treatment.

With all of that in there now, the room now lets the true qualities of the MartinLogans really shine. I can now crank it up to pretty high levels and no ringing, image focus is very precise, and the 'sweet-spot' is actually fairly wide now.

Everyone should seriously think about how they can apply good acoustic treatment principles to their set-ups, you will love the results.

Well you sure took the scientific method! I don't quite understand all you did but I did like your process. I took a more unscientific method just playing with various materials and locations over time. I think your method if applied to my room most likely would further enhance what I have done to date.