Article: A New Listening Room Part Two: Acoustics, Speakers, DSP

[Jud]

As long as you're looking in, @mitchco  -

 

I have Vandersteens, which have linear phase crossovers. I also use linear phase filters when I do sample rate conversion. It seems to me this helps keep things time-and-phase aligned and thus helps with imaging.

 

I was wondering whether there is DSP that would maintain this linear phase characteristic.

[Jud]

What are the materials in these panels?

 

It strikes me that with the availability of photos printed on fabric, if these panels use non-exotic materials and we have a few members who know how to design them, decor- and wallet-friendly acoustic panels might be a very nice DIY project.

[Jud]

40 minutes ago, Richard Dale said:

GIK use rockwool in their panels, and they don't cost all that much. I think you'll find if you work out how much a DIY panel would cost compared with the GIK panels it wouldn't save all that much and probably wouldn't look as good.

 

Vicoustic and Artnovion have a higher standard of finish than GIK (although GIK are pretty excellent), and the Cherry wood in my Vicoustic Super Bass Extremes looks lovely - unless you are some kind of cabinet maker by trade I can't see how you could get anywhere near that standard of finish with a DIY project.

 

I have a couple of neighbors with reasonably extensive home wood shops. And if the fabric is photo printed, then that becomes the highlight and you can pull it over the wood frame.

[Jud]

12 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Photo printed similar to this?

 

 

 

That's what I was thinking of, but mine would more likely look like this:

 

 

[Jud]

Just now, The Computer Audiophile said:

So awesome!

 

She (our Chocolate Lab) is 10 years old and her personality hasn't changed a bit. 🙂

[Jud]

2 hours ago, Temporal_Dissident said:

Great piece, @The Computer Audiophile. I am about 6mos in with my new system (Roon>dCS>Parasound>Wilson Yvette). I love it, but it is *deeply* compromised by my room.
 

I know many of you referance “wife acceptance factor” or some such when it comes to listening rooms and system design, but in my case it is extreme.
 

We do not have a dedicated listening room, so the system lives in our main living room. Nothing about the architecture or construction of our old house would be considered acoustically advantageous. My wonderful wife is an architect and designer who is perfectly content listening to music on her iPhone’s speaker (🤮). She has furnished/decorated the room beautifully, but again, with zero consideration for acoustics. After all of that, I was able to come in and drop my dream system into this hostile environment. 
 

The system sounds,....(insert adjective). Of course this depends. If, like most people I know, you love the sound of Spotify through SONOS, our system sounds freaking incredible. On the other hand, if you set this system up in an ideal acoustic environment, I think it could sound twice as good. I know that, I hear that, and it bugs me. What to do? 
 

I love this article and, on Chris’ advice, am happy to now be working with @mitchco. But I know I am still dealing with some severe, non-negotiable constraints. 
 

Maybe, just maybe, I can sneak some acoustic treatments into the room. But for now, DSP is my best hope as it is a truly “invisible hand” that does not impact room aesthetics. 
 

Thoughts, suggestions, jokes, or thrown tomatoes welcome....

 

 

Hoo boy, lovely room, but I bet the speakers firing at the sides of the sofas is part of what’s non-negotiable, isn’t it?