Drapes not Allowed

[Ralf11]

I have a difficult room treatment problem, and the room effects on the dipole speakers are non-symmetrical.

 

These are maggie 1.5 QRs, tho I am likely to upgrade them to the 1.7i - unless someone can convince me to some cones in a box will work a lot better in this setup for about the same cost ($2,000).

 

The RH speaker back dipole lobe can fire back into that empty corner, but for the LH speaker there is the glass form the two picture windows, and the speaker is close to the window and wall too. I know Magneplanar would like me to sit the thing 10 ft. away from a wall but that won't work in the room.

 

Another issue is that the RH side has that large opening to essentially empty space, while on the LH side the wall continues where the window is.

 

The good thing is that the room extends a great distance behind the listening position (the main room is 25+ ft. long, with a small dogleg into more space beyond that).

 

There is a fireplace and large chimney (for a 2nd fireplace below this floor) immediately to the RH side of the listening point. Behind that there is another opening into a hallway on the RH side.

 

A rug usually goes in front of the listening position but was removed to redo the floors. Right now, all the furniture is out of the room and hand claps give a lot of reverb return but with little delay. (unfortunately, the furniture is out because a ductless heat pump dripped water on the hickory floor, ruining it).

 

Now, the ceilings.... The ceilings are fir boards running sideways across the room. They are high - 9.5+ ft at the front wall and angled up to a cathedral line at about the listening point, then slanting back down to the rear wall about 20 ft. back.

 

I'm interested in any ideas to use room treatments, computerized corrections, ...or even going away form the fast non-energy-storing Maggies.... to improve the sound in the room.

[semente]

Could you try to hang a heavy blanket over the window for a few hours and see if you like the results?

 

If you can't move the TV and speakers to the long wall then I really don't see how you can work around this problem...

 

You could also try to borrow some conventional box speakers and give those a try in the current listening position.

 

R

[esldude]

Is there no option to re-arrange the room layout at all? I get living rooms aren't just listening rooms and serve many functions.

 

Were I just positioning speakers, I would turn the system 90 degrees to your left. Put the Maggies far apart and if must be close to the rear wall. Put your seat fairly close. Angled inward a bit more than usual this can work with panels. The extra angle lets the sound bounce away instead of back toward the speaker, and you.

 

Where you have them I haven't ever gotten panels (and I have had quite a few panels over the years) to work well that close to the wall, much less with all the asymmetry between sides. Moving closer and angling them in more might help some.

 

I would think some good cone and box speakers might all things considered be better in your situation.

 

Hopefully some more creative people than myself will have some good ideas.

[Ralf11]

can't use the long wall as the fireplace would be useless then - it would also put both speakers right on top of two picture windows

[sdolezalek]

Not sure where the fireplace is in your diagram, but I might try the setting depicted below. The kitchen already gives the left speaker the rear wave room it wants. By putting sound absorption behind the right speaker along that wall you can try to equalize the effect and not have to move the speakers as far into the room. You might also try a combinatiuon of absorption/reflection behind the right speaker.

[Ralf11]

the chimney is about where you put the darker sound absorber rectangle

 

blocking off access to the rest of the house is not going to work - the speakers need to stay about where they are now

[ecrimjr]

Since your room has beautiful wood trim I would suggest fitting real wood blinds over the Windows they look beautiful and add both absorption and diffusion. I use Maggie's myself but those seem too close together creating a really narrow stage. So the big problem with that room is not just the windows but also the size of the space. You have to try to deal with all of the first order reflections and the corners of the space. The spaces where the walls and ceilings meet and the walls and floors meet need some absorption material.!!but given that it's a living room I wood suggest considering cones in a box but book shelves with a sub. Bowers and Wilkins CM 6 are in that 2 k price range. The tweeter on top gives some of the freedom of a box less speaker. A small sub would improve the bass and have a small footprint. B&W 608. Has a great musical sound. Another great speaker that you could find on the used market for that space is the Thiel 1.6. They looked sleek. And were time aligned so the distance between the wall and the listening position was perfect for them. They also had really great off axis response. So they would sound great anywhere in that room.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

[Ralf11]

Thanks, I have great respect for B&W and for Thiel (pre-sale Thiel anyway). I am just wondering if I can give up the lack of energy storage in the Maggie drivers, and its consequent SQ...

 

That's why I was hoping somebody would tell me the DEQX-arootie box can selectively alter the trebe on the LH so it won't reflect back and will sound like the RH side (not that I hear a difference).

 

I may do some comparisons... The last comparison speaker test I did lasted several months tho. I finally sold my Vandersteens and kept the Maggies.

 

PS - I put all that wood trim up myself after taking off the el cheap "sanitary trim" painted rounded cheap wood. It was very easy to do with just a prybar and a small nail gun.

[Kal Rubinson]

Thanks, I have great respect for B&W and for Thiel (pre-sale Thiel anyway). I am just wondering if I can give up the lack of energy storage in the Maggie drivers, and its consequent SQ...

 

That's why I was hoping somebody would tell me the DEQX-arootie box can selectively alter the trebe on the LH so it won't reflect back and will sound like the RH side (not that I hear a difference).

I suggest you contact DEQX. They offer guided setup which is fairly specific for individual speakers and it is possible they have relevant experience with Maggies.