SQ and nice new laminate flooring............

Hiya,

Wonder if you may be able to help?

The laminate is down (carpet gone) the sofa is in, the stereo and tv is in.

There is a bit of an echo, we have yet to get the book cases in (if at all) and the nice rug to go in the middle of the floor.

I have purched the spikes of the speakers on 1"x1" off cuts of pine to save the floor

The tv stand with the amps on has carpet feet to save the floor.

I'm noticing a lack of clarity, I have to concentrate to try and hear things clearly (top end), and the bass seems to be slightly more boomy and louder than before drowning out the voices a tad........

One is hoping this is due to the echo effect and that it can be sorted with putting more stuff in the room ?

Please, any input appreciated

 

Putting book cases in isn't going to help the slap echo between floor and ceiling, though it can help that between parallel walls.

The addition of a big and thick rug will bring the most improvement, but I'm sorry to say you are unlikely to ever get back where you were in terms of sound quality when you had a thick wall to wall carpet.

The only thing that would do it is to add some acoustic treatments. You could put some diffusors on the ceiling where they would be out of the way, and a good absorber behind the listening position would help a lot with the reverb time too.

 

alternatively - buy a rug...maybe a few throws against a wall

 

Oh bugger

Still at least there is some hope with rugs/throws/book cases
Cheers!

May pop back once the above is done for any more tips, cheers

 

Scatter cushions-bigguns and lots of 'em(plus the rug and bcases).A place by me (so in most town centres probably) called BM stores do some bland ie non hideous ones @2 for a tenner-I spent £70 and it's the best system upgrade I ever made.

 

I have a few words of encouragement that say it can be every bit as good as before, but perhaps different.

Look at it this way: the sound of your SO's voice in that room probably looks totally different now if you put it through a spectrum analyser, but you have no problem recognising the voice. In fact, you don't notice the difference. To a large extent your brain is discounting the acoustic as it gets used to the constant factors.

Scandinavia and many other countries live with parquet or laminate floors, but all the hi-fi buffs haven't committed suicide (though that might account for the reputation ). When they've got the usual amount of furnishing in, it isn't a desperate problem, especially if rugs, bookcases etc. are placed at first reflection points, and a little judicious acoustic treatment is used, perhaps.

 

hmm given me an idea, huge bean bags..?? maybe, to sit on, with scatter cushions to lean against the wall, in our bay window
Cheers

 

Wonderfull
Will be checking out those first reflection points

I may even prefer 'different' once its sorted who knows

 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but beanbags are unlikely to do much as they use expanded polystyrene as filler, which doesn't absorb sound.

 

As more encouragement, I recently visited a very well known Japanese High End valve manufacturer whose demonstration facility was floor to ceiling wood. Sounded reasonable.

Remember you can overdamp a room quite easily, and a stategically placed rug at the floor reflection point will will work quite well.

 

try coins

eg penny pieces


(I know not every one agrees with me here on this.........but its hardly an expensive up grade. Easily reversed!)

 

I'll sway towards big comfortable cushions then if the subject of bean bags comes up maybe one or two would not hurt if the misses is kept happy

Cheers for the tip.

Thumbs up for the rug
These reflection points, I guess they just go from ear to floor or wall, to driver cone, as if a mirror was reflecting off the floor/wall. So from ear to bottom driver then to top tweeter would roughtly give the minimum width of rug .. yes?

Nice cheap possible solution, no worries about borrowing 8 pence from the piggy bank
Will give that ago!


Thoughts Appreciated, cheers!!