my interesting setup

[grue2cesig2]

i thought i'd throw this out there. but here is my setup. the shade from grey to white represents an open ceiling from 8ft high (grey) to 20ft  high(white). and actuallly, there is a "floor" that goes from the edge of the stairs top/bottom on this diagram. that floor is 8ft to the ceiling.  the white space on the bottom behind the couch is bathroom/bedroom etc. and there is a loft that the stairs go up to. but the loft does not extend more than 3ft to the left of the stairs in this drawing. the angled wall goes up almost all the way to the 20ft height.

the red dots are my speakers. they are about 38" from wall to tweeter. the speakers are 9ft apart outside edge to outside edge and my head is 9 to 10ft from the center of the two speakers.

the blue spaces are 6ft wide patio doors.

obviously my listening chair is the black dot facing them.  the other long thing black is my tv cabinet with flat screen on top. and the long / wider is my couch.  the very long wall i'm not sure how long it is, but 40ft maybe?   the space  where i watch tv is about 13.5ft wide.

i have 2 2x4ft 2" thick rockwool panels behind my listening chair next to the patio door. and 2 panels between the speakers.

i really need to get something to absorb on the wall lbehind my couch and end-walls (the 40ft apart) to get rid of  a wonderful slap echo. i mean wow.   some day i'd like to build a bookshelf behind my left speaker - on that distant wall.  oh and yeah, i think i need to get a double-thick curtain to hang over the patio door right next to me ugh. i wish i could brace the glass somehow too ha.

the sloped ceiling i think needs some treatment also.  i have not even begun to guess where 1st reflections are coming from!

 

[GdnrBob]

Wow, that is what I call a 'Toughie'.

My main concern is the reflection from the glass patio doors.

Bob

[grue2cesig2]

2 hours ago, GdnrBob said:

Wow, that is what I call a 'Toughie'.

My main concern is the reflection from the glass patio doors.

Bob

yep. i have to figure something out for that.  some heavy fabric or something like a moveable rack i could drape a carpet over.  the fact that it can vibrate with bass too gets me. but i can slide foward or backward a few feet and bass really changes.   which kind of shows how bass nodes peaks or valleys can happen anywhere not just near corners or boundaries.

[stratocaster]

This is the kind of room that would keep me constantly preoccupied on how I can overcome the  sonic challenges. In one of my prior homes that I have lived in, I used to hang a cork roll on the patio doors during extended listening sessions which surprisingly made a huge difference in the sound. Due to some vents in the ceiling and a ceiling fan, the roll would gently move depending on the intensity of the air flow. I discovered that the sonic signature was quite fluid(similar to curtains). https://www.amcork.com/collections/cork-underlayment

Aesthetically the roll can be an eyesore and you can look at cork tiles too that you get at HD/Lowes.

[Steve Edwards]

There are definitely some challenges with your room; but also probably a few solutions that won't break the bank.  Have you thought of starting out with some indoor plants?  Artificial are easier to care for and  would provide some diffusion  .............

[BKDad]

Headphones!

Oh, wait...

[grue2cesig2]

you know for as aware as i am of diffusion, i never thought of that in front of my patio door to my left. i think i can definitely use absorption and diffuse as i look around now.  on that far wall to the left, i'd like to do a built-in book case shelving setup. loads of books really do a number on acoustics. and would help with bass that makes it's way down there and out again.  above the patio door immediately to my left is that sloping ceiling. man im sure something is going on there. i could do some diffusion and absorption up there.  i think that's going to be my first priority.

it's all not too horrible though.

ha, i love my hd600 headphones. i mean i really like them.  for years i had hd550s and loved those. but they were stolen at a break-in at work, i got full replacement cost then added some money to get the 600's. i never thought it would be that big of a difference but wow.  i used to prefer them but now being able to fully enjoy my vandys...  so sonically things are going good for me :)

[ctsooner]

Some Empire Ear Odin's for your late night critical listening maybe?  lol.  BK, you made me laugh and I'm recovering today from my second shot!  Thanks.  Needed that, lol.  

What a tough set up. I though mine was brutal.  I hate talking to companies who make the room devices as every room I've ever heard that folks paid consulting fees to are way over damped.  The advice that you guys are giving makes plenty of sense.  I assume you hit one thing at a time?  I'd take care of those glass doors first and then see how it sounds.  
Get used to that and then work on your second glaring issue and go down the line.  

Too many rabbit holes you can go down.  I'm sure doing a second and then third treatment will also effect the ones before it.  Learning a lot from this thread and other things I read.  This is where every Vandersteen dealer I've met is really good at.  They know how to use house hold items in a real world situation and augmenting with a diffuser on the rear or dampening on first reflection etc...  

[andrewtgt]

This space is large and thus you don't have to fix that many bass issues which are by far the hardest to solve with acoustic treatment. So don't be discouraged at all.

As for reducing slap echo you need to cover enough of wall area with absorption, there's no alternative to that.

The patio door does seem to be the main offender, so my first question is, how much does the sound change if you open it? What about if you cover it with one of those large rockwool panels? If you happen to have a foam mattress lying close that's also a great sound absorbing object to test with.

The geometry of this space is quite complicated, so if you want optimal treatment I'd at first advise measuring the room response from your listening position. This will show you what needs fixing most and thus save you time from guessing.

Edited April 2, 2021 by andrewtgt

[grue2cesig2]

i've done some more listening and i have to say it's just not so bad.  maybe precisely b/c it's such a complicated room.   there definitely are bass nodes around my listening position. i can move fore and aft and left/right and hear that change on something like grateful dead's terrapin station song.  but where i ended up is quite satisfying.  some of the positions i moved to are like "woa that's like a car stereo" ha. so i think i'm in a good spot.

i'm also noticing a difference overall when i turn up the volume to perhaps a really rockin sound level. i'll have to measure and see what that is. but things seem to focus more in the sound stage/image when it's a little louder.  i really am leaning towards sound is flying all over the place so much that it's ultimately diffused and doesn't detract from what's in front of me.  i mean, since i raised the speakers up, i've never heard them more transparent.  it's just 'where is that sound coming from" or "i've got to move those boxes b/c they are in the way" ha!

i will go ahead and mess with the patio door. i have some thicker rockwool that i'm going to bring up stairs and lean them up against the patio door this weekend.  i feel i've done enough listening now to be used to how it sounds now.