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Replaced carpet with hardwood floor in my listening room


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Room is approx. 13x17. Speakers are on the short wall.  The room is not enclosed; it opens to other areas on two sides.  The room has been carpeted and I liked the sound absorbing qualities of the carpet and am now considering room treatments that will counter the reflective characteristics of the hardwood.  We do plan to get a large area rug that will hopefully soften the texture of the room somewhat.  We also plan to add some partial window treatments that will mitigate the hardness and reflections of a large picture window.  Hoping to regain some of damping qualities of the carpet. Any tips or advice?  This is the first time my listening room has not been carpeted so I don't have any comparisons.  Are there sonic benefits to wood floors that I am overlooking?  BTW, the furniture is leather.  No overstuffed sofas or chairs to soak up echos and reflections.  Thanks for your input.

 

Randy

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Wow 😉 so cool and inviting vibe…..

We have 2 pairs of Vandy on hardwood. The Treo CT are on engineered hardwood w sound mat under on top of wood floor substructure that has a lightweight concrete layer. I believe the Treo grill MAY control dispersion more than your beautiful Quattro…. wow…that veneer ,,,,, !

we do have a fairly absorptive area rug between speakers and listening chair and rug under the chair. I have hidden about 8 square feet of 1” absorber behind art. We also have a pretty sheer set of Hunter Douglas blinds on the windows. My RT60 in that room w blinds down is .65… the standard for a mixing / mastering control room is .62 if memory serves.  9’ ceilings help. I think  you are on right track…my suggestions would be RPG style wood diffusers, many Vandersteen dealers use them, Advanced in Tacoma and Rutan in NJ come to mind. Plants and the “ clutter of life “ also help…

Our 7’s live in a much different room w nailed short board oak over a suspended floor. i have a 50-60 hz mode, so i use max cut, but the system is otherwise very flat w minimal adjustment, including at 20 hz.

That room is roughly 15’ x 18’ but w odd ceiling to 16’ at peak and 3 large openings to other spaces and loft hallway above. Here i use brick a brack, area rugs, etc…. I could use more plants…but i can kill even a plastic plant… we have some window coverings coming….hopefully they will help cure part of an approx 1 db channel imbalance…

Hopefully RV will weigh in this import thread…i suspect he may…may advise playing w toe in…also….

Best to you.

Jim

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1 hour ago, randyhat said:

Room is approx. 13x17. Speakers are on the short wall.  The room is not enclosed; it opens to other areas on two sides.  The room has been carpeted and I liked the sound absorbing qualities of the carpet and am now considering room treatments that will counter the reflective characteristics of the hardwood.  We do plan to get a large area rug that will hopefully soften the texture of the room somewhat.  We also plan to add some partial window treatments that will mitigate the hardness and reflections of a large picture window.  Hoping to regain some of damping qualities of the carpet. Any tips or advice?  This is the first time my listening room has not been carpeted so I don't have any comparisons.  Are there sonic benefits to wood floors that I am overlooking?  BTW, the furniture is leather.  No overstuffed sofas or chairs to soak up echos and reflections.  Thanks for your input.

 

Randy

new1a.jpg

Randy there is no advantage to wood floors, but they are easy to live with.  Doing your windows may help something else (imaging and center balance) but it will have no effect on the change removing the carpet made.  First install the large area rug you intend to use before doing anything else.  Sound travels in straight lines and reflects just like light does.  For people that have pets and prefer no rugs the ceiling could be treated with absorption as only one surface needs to be treated to stop the ring.  This is true everywhere except around the speakers where symmetry is optimum.  Go slow and treat the specific problems as they show up because many over treat their rooms which can kill life and dynamics.  RV 

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@randyhat

+1 on an area rug.

Putting on my 'designer hat'

Your room will look much better with the area rug and some window treatment. If you like, I can ask my friend to give his take on what to use on the windows.

@TomicTime,

That is a nice collection of bottle corks...

Though I really wish you would keep all that direct sun off the furniture. (I always wondered why the old houses of the Gold Coast of Long Island looked so dark, but when I saw how much damage sunlight could do, I finally understood). And, drapery can be cool. Remember Miss Sue Ellen's paniers in Gone With the Wind?-Especially Carol Burnett's take on it?😜

Bob

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I agree.  We are going to put in a 10'x14' rug and will put up some partial drapes on the windows.  Actually I am enjoying the liveliness of the sound of the room without the rug though it can get a bit echoey at times.  I am hoping the rug will dampen the room enough to tame the reflections but keep some of the liveliness.  The drapes will not cover the entire window but hopefully cover enough to mitigate the reflections off the glass at least somewhat.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 8/18/2022 at 10:49 PM, ctsooner said:

I like Richards suggestion. Just do the rug first as you said you were doing. Go from there. I’ve heard most treated rooms OSU d dead. Quiet for sure,  but dead sounding. 

@randyhat could chucking a blanket on a curtain rod possibly help to allow some quick testing, before committing fully?
 

And does any know if those vertical window blinds act as a bit of a diffuser, on the wall behind the speakers?

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