The Red Bladder wrote:Hugh Robjohns wrote: either a replay system is accurate or it isn't. Either it can play different bass notes or it can't. Either the mid-range detail is clear or it is masked by LF distortions...
THIS! - and with knobs on!
Here are some facts about speaker systems and hearing in general and in no special order -
We can hear frequencies down to about 2Hz but below c.a. 30Hz we progressively do this with our balance organs which are also in the ear. Exciting the balance organs triggers a whole range of emotional responses.
The best mid-range clarity and response times are achieved (logically) by relatively small speaker drivers. Small drivers are poor at reproducing bass and for this reason, anything below about 100Hz is best handed over to a third driver designed for bass.
Bass sounds are most effectively and uniformly reproduced from one position in a room. Where that position is best tested before any trapping is installed and in an empty room. That way you get to find where the greatest problems will occur.
Bass trapping is always required if a uniform bass is to be achieved in any listening environment. We have about 15m or 16m of bass trapping set into the corners of our post-prod and projection room. The measured effect has been to smoothen out the bass by about 20dB and in some spots in the room, there was no bass audible whatsoever prior to the installation of bass traps (tested at 10Hz and 20Hz using R&S test rig).
The best traps are the ones you build yourself. Nearly all those foam wedge things, yes, even the expensive ones, are not that great. Cardboard filled with acoustic Rockwool and covered with some attractive soft material works far, far better (and cheaper!) than those foam things, most of which are made from the wrong type of foam anyway!
Thin wall-mounted bass traps are less effective than something set into all the corners of a room. Some wall-mounted units seem to do nothing at all! They still cost money though!
If you use those less than good foam wege things, you will still have to spend about £50 per meter, so our room would have cost £800 for a less than satisfactory installation.
If you have just one sub, you will still need a controller if the sub does not have one built-in. Sometimes it is just easier cheaper and better to have two subs side-by-side!
I agree about across the board accuracy, but bass trapping is out, just not practical.
I think whatever happens I'm looking at something big, everyone seems to think that sub-woofers aren't a good idea though.