Extremely disgusting acoustics. I have to make a change.

[F1308]

Wood and books are great for a good sound.
Have a try.

 

[LTig]

Wood and books are great for a good sound.
Have a try.

Yeah, we have 3 systems in our flat (2 x 2.1, 1 x 2.0). All rooms are heavily furnitured with book shelves and carpets and they all sound very good.

Once I removed the carpet in the big room to prevent it getting spilled with red wine during a festivity. I was too lazy to put it back afterward, but when I listened to the 2.1 system the next morning it sounded so horrible (reflections on very hard stone floor) that I had to put it back within a minute.

 

[JayGilb]

Wood and books are great for a good sound.
Have a try.

Great advice and one cannot have too many books.

Before investing in acoustic panels, just try and temporarily hang a few blankets in various places to reduce what must be a bad slap echo in your room. That will give a basic idea of what can be tamed and than invest in some real panels. Also try some basic repositioning of the table and sub to see what effect that has.

 

[Katji]

Ok, I saw the pics, I understand better.
It looks nice. Yes, put curtains and get better speakers. And speakers on the desk like that is making it worse. And I think you will have a bed there, it makes a big difference.
The window is small, mine is about 4m or 3.8 across. That's why the curtains stay closed. I can't wear sunglasses inside.



.......PS: That's a bit cold. 8--15. Maybe rain. (I had to google, didn't know how it can be in winter. ...I should check how is it in summer, I think June--August not a good time to visit...)

 

[EdTice]

added some pics - feel free
my room acoustics sucks booty

I am apparently the minority opinion here and will likely draw some sharp responses but here we go. Acoustics are probably the least of your problems. As has already been mentioned, curtains are nice for non-audio reasons. The thing that I've seen help the most in a room like this is a couch! You probably don't need more than that. Put it against that back wall.

It would be nice to bring the tweeters up to ear level although that might result in more reflection from the back wall and not increase satisfaction (at least until you get that nice couch) What are you playing via the rears? Are you using an up-sampling like PLIIx?

Finally, silicone isolation feet aren't very expensive. (US $20 for a pack of four). Don't buy fancier stuff. Isolating the subwoofer from the floor helps but bass tends to travel along the floor. So it's not clear that you can avoid the table rattling unless you add isolation pads under the table as well!

Also some isolation pads for those front speakers might help. I know you think its the subwoofer rattling the desk but we haven't proven that. It could be the desktop speakers especially if you are sending them the full range of signal. They might be rattling while producing bass that you can't hear.

Finally, as has been mentioned, some room EQ will go a long way.

 

[EdTice]

Ok, I saw the pics, I understand better.
It looks nice. Yes, put curtains and get better speakers. And speakers on the desk like that is making it worse. And I think you will have a bed there, it makes a big difference.

I had suggested a couch but yeah a bed would be similar. Goes much further than some tiny panels.

 

[Bling Guy McSqueezy]

Ok, I saw the pics, I understand better.
It looks nice. Yes, put curtains and get better speakers. And speakers on the desk like that is making it worse. And I think you will have a bed there, it makes a big difference.
The window is small, mine is about 4m or 3.8 across. That's why the curtains stay closed. I can't wear sunglasses inside.



.......PS: That's a bit cold. 8--15. Maybe rain. (I had to google, didn't know how it can be in winter. ...I should check how is it in summer, I think June--August not a good time to visit...)

what is your audio setup mate? and it is only my office where i can work and chill after hard coding.
i sleep in another room

I am apparently the minority opinion here and will likely draw some sharp responses but here we go. Acoustics are probably the least of your problems. As has already been mentioned, curtains are nice for non-audio reasons. The thing that I've seen help the most in a room like this is a couch! You probably don't need more than that. Put it against that back wall.

It would be nice to bring the tweeters up to ear level although that might result in more reflection from the back wall and not increase satisfaction (at least until you get that nice couch) What are you playing via the rears? Are you using an up-sampling like PLIIx?

Finally, silicone isolation feet aren't very expensive. (US $20 for a pack of four). Don't buy fancier stuff. Isolating the subwoofer from the floor helps but bass tends to travel along the floor. So it's not clear that you can avoid the table rattling unless you add isolation pads under the table as well!

Also some isolation pads for those front speakers might help. I know you think its the subwoofer rattling the desk but we haven't proven that. It could be the desktop speakers especially if you are sending them the full range of signal. They might be rattling while producing bass that you can't hear.

Finally, as has been mentioned, some room EQ will go a long way.

thanks for your reply buddy.
usually I use the z906 in 5.1 mode while everything is playing at the same time.
listening to rock(dire straits,deep purple, metallica) and hip hop and rap.
the center channel is 100% volume now and rears also 100% up. as some people here suggested I went to stereo only and put the sub level to 20%. about tilting the L & R speaker toward my ears - they are naturally tilted at an angle of 20 i think or something close to it, pointed to the center of my ears.

about the couch - it could be nice - but I usually just listen to music while coding sometimes through speakers and sometimes through headphones ( the 6xx will replace the amazing pc38x for music and pc38x for gaming ). I'm about to get the schiit modius and asgard 3 to amp my 6xxs in the near future though. can any pair of 2.0/2.1 benefit from the modius? i thought maybe order the :

SYS​

VOLUME CONTROL AND 2-INPUT SWITCH

to switch on the go between amping and dacing the 6xx and the speakers.

what do you think?

 

[anotherhobby]

My room is similar in size to yours (10.5 sq/meters), and with some effort and expense, it sounds very good. Here is a list of things that all contribute to making that happen. Several of these have been mentioned, but here ya go...

The room:

• The room is carpeted, which helps a ton. Even a rug with a thick pad would go a long way.
• I put acoustic absorption panels between my desk and the wall it's up against (pic here)
• I have a chair in the corner behind me and two large plants along the back wall that helps break up noise
• I have not put diffusion panels on my back wall behind me, but that's next

Dealing with bass:

• I'm running 2 smaller 8" sub woofers to get a much more even room response than you can get with one bigger one
• I'm using a crossover between my mains and my sub so I'm not producing extra bass (main's have a high pass at 70 Hz)
• I'm running EQ to correct my room response. Not fancy room correction, but around 30 bands of targeted EQ on my computer that I carefully made and confirmed using measurements with REW and a UMIK-1

Main speakers:

• I have them on IsoAcoustics stands to help lift them up to ear level, and to decouple from the desk
• having the acoustic panels specifically directly behind them really helped tame a lot of room harshness

Of these things, which were all done one item at a time, the biggest impact on sound was treating the room to absorb/diffuse reflections, and then secondly by getting the bass under control by using 2 subs combined with measurement driven EQ. So, get some soft things to absorb reflections, get some other stuff to break up the sound waves along the back wall, and get your bass under control with EQ and a measurement mic. That's my 2 cents.

 

[Bling Guy McSqueezy]

My room is similar in size to yours (10.5 sq/meters), and with some effort and expense, it sounds very good. Here is a list of things that all contribute to making that happen. Several of these have been mentioned, but here ya go...

The room:

• The room is carpeted, which helps a ton. Even a rug with a thick pad would go a long way.
• I put acoustic absorption panels between my desk and the wall it's up against (pic here)
• I have a chair in the corner behind me and two large plants along the back wall that helps break up noise
• I have not put diffusion panels on my back wall behind me, but that's next

Dealing with bass:

• I'm running 2 smaller 8" sub woofers to get a much more even room response than you can get with one bigger one
• I'm using a crossover between my mains and my sub so I'm not producing extra bass (main's have a high pass at 70 Hz)
• I'm running EQ to correct my room response. Not fancy room correction, but around 30 bands of targeted EQ on my computer that I carefully made and confirmed using measurements with REW and a UMIK-1

Main speakers:

• I have them on IsoAcoustics stands to help lift them up to ear level, and to decouple from the desk
• having the acoustic panels specifically directly behind them really helped tame a lot of room harshness

Of these things, which were all done one item at a time, the biggest impact on sound was treating the room to absorb/diffuse reflections, and then secondly by getting the bass under control by using 2 subs combined with measurement driven EQ. So, get some soft things to absorb reflections, get some other stuff to break up the sound waves along the back wall, and get your bass under control with EQ and a measurement mic. That's my 2 cents.

Amazing information brother and u have a very nice and cozy room

 

[Bling Guy McSqueezy]

Amazing information brother and u have a very nice and cozy room

What are these speakers?

 

[anotherhobby]

What are these speakers?

My mains are Revel M105's. I got them based on the review here on ASR. For listening near field, smooth off axis response is huge so that you can get good EQ without having to keep your head in a vise, and the Revel M105's deliver very well on that. The little 8" subs I built myself.

 

[Galliardist]

Some of those Logitech setups (I've not checked the one you have here for specs) cross over to the sub at way too high a frequency for music, and the sub may not be doing much at very low frequencies. Bear those things in mind if trying some of the tests suggested here.

The fronts look like typical Logitech design (some others like the Bose desktop speakers are similar) so should be left on the desk rather than raised or isolated. they use the desk to reinforce mid bass, which makes their use hit and miss in practice even before you get to the room. The angle is such that they really only work at a particular distance as you have to get your ear height in the right spot. Sometimes they also need to be either right back against the wall or further away from it, to get the right amount of reinforcement: do experiment with that.

My experience is that the sub should be turned well down with these Logitech sets and you should accept limited bass as a compromise for a better overall sound.

And if all that makes you think you should upgrade the speakers, you're pretty much right. But improving the setup can allow you to get the furnishings sorted out before the speaker upgrade. I've used the bookshelf behind the listening position a lot, for what it's worth, as well as rugs and curtains.

 

[EdTice]

what do you think?

I think you are missing the point here. Nobody is suggesting a bed or couch to sleep or sit upon. How much absorptive material is in an acoustic panel? Now how much is in a bed or a couch? None of us are interior designers. The reason that such furniture is suggested is that it absorbs a lot of reflected sound.

With speakers, early reflections are quite nice as they give a fuller sound and can help reduce any imperfections. But later reflections just muddy things up. (Sorry to those who cringe at my oversimplification). In a moderate sized room, by the time sound has reflected a few times, it's lost enough energy to not be nearly as loud as the direct sound and so it's not quite an issue. The smaller the space, the more you have to be aware of those later reflections. Acoustic paneling is what an inch thick? A couch is like three feet deep and would cover the whole back wall. You aren't required to sit on it!

 

[EdTice]

Some of those Logitech setups (I've not checked the one you have here for specs) cross over to the sub at way too high a frequency for music, and the sub may not be doing much at very low frequencies. Bear those things in mind if trying some of the tests suggested here.

The fronts look like typical Logitech design (some others like the Bose desktop speakers are similar) so should be left on the desk rather than raised or isolated. they use the desk to reinforce mid bass, which makes their use hit and miss in practice even before you get to the room. The angle is such that they really only work at a particular distance as you have to get your ear height in the right spot. Sometimes they also need to be either right back against the wall or further away from it, to get the right amount of reinforcement: do experiment with that.

My experience is that the sub should be turned well down with these Logitech sets and you should accept limited bass as a compromise for a better overall sound.

And if all that makes you think you should upgrade the speakers, you're pretty much right. But improving the setup can allow you to get the furnishings sorted out before the speaker upgrade. I've used the bookshelf behind the listening position a lot, for what it's worth, as well as rugs and curtains.

This is a great point and also might be a contributing factor to the desk rattling. Setting the crossover correctly might stop the desk from rattling.

 

[EdTice]

usually I use the z906 in 5.1 mode while everything is playing at the same time.

This looks like a 4.1 setup. You can get all speakers playing music by using multi-channel stereo where the rears are essentially playing the same thing as the fronts. Cue the drama about comb-filtering. But you can also use better up-mixers which will not duplicate the mains into the rears but you will get sound out of them. The advantage of that is you won't get as much strange interference between the two sets of speakers. I particularly like the pro-logic multi-channel up-mixing. That probably means that some purists will decide that I lack a soul. You should try it because in a small space it might give much better results than the multi-channel stereo.

 

[RayDunzl]

A possibly useful example:

 

[UCrazyKid]

One word, damping. You need more “stuff” in the room to break up or absorb sound reflections. Surround sound, for music, is rarely better than stereo. Use the settings in your sound card to just use 2.1. Experiment with that and go from there.

Your English is just fine. Much better than half the kids these day where English is their first language but they express themselves in text message gibberish.

Glad to have you here. We all started somewhere.

 

[Galliardist]

I'm about to get the schiit modius and asgard 3 to amp my 6xxs in the near future though. can any pair of 2.0/2.1 benefit from the modius?

After playing with some desktop and portable amps down the years (avoid the Dragonflys!) - I recently had to buy a new desktop and now find that the built in DAC (a Realtek at that) is quiet, well behaved and up to driving moderately difficult phones. Unless you use your phones very heavily and have a noise issue, I'd save the money and up the speaker (or furniture!) budget, you'll find fixing what really doesn't work to be the best use of a limited budget.

 

[Galliardist]

I looked up (googled) the Z906 setup. They are 5.1. The speakers may look like the desktop type ones. but apparently are better with all five satellites wall mounted than on desks (a surprise since they are sold as computer speakers in a lot of places).

The manual is not downloadable. That usually puts products like this on my don't buy list. The crossover frequencies aren't specified either, another no-no in my opinion.

Frequency range is listed as 35-20kHz, but that's all so I'd assume +/- 6dB for that. Not so bad for what they are.

I found a What HiFi review, describing them as having a "fun" sound signature which is often reviewer-code for "inaccurate" (when they bother to type "entertaining", that's when to seriously avoid!). Apparently you can switch them to 2.1 and if you keep them for a while, you might find that that helps for stereo music.

Have you run any proper surround music through these?

 

[DanielT]

If you can not do much about the acoustics in your room, there is the possibility of line speakers. This reduces floor and ceiling reflections. But then they have to go all the way from the floor up to the ceiling. However, of course, not something for everyone to have. In addition, the shorter the distance between them and the listener, the more difficult it becomes to put together a sensible FR. EQ is needed then. Maybe teweeter with a pretty high sensitivity.But 500 USD and a couple of sensible such line speakers, hm it will probably be difficult to get together.

Have you not thought about these because you mention IKEA? I wonder if a pair of speakers hanging on your wall would not be a solution for you given your room? They hang on the wall, should somehow reduce floors and ceiling reflections a little better? What do you others think?

IKEA has a Sound absorbing curtain, see

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sound-hifi-related-products-from-ikea.29763/

Ikea SYMFONISK Picture Frame Speaker Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Ikea SYMFONISK picture frame speaker designed by Sonos. I purchased it a couple of days ago from Ikea store for US $199. Their website said they had 42 in stock so they are planning to sell a lot of them. That said, there was not a single...

audiosciencereview.com

Edit:
If you fix a rug (as many have suggested) and it gets dirty, you can wash it, right? Vacuum it often?

To break up the sound, more furniture, maybe a bookshelf. Yes, why not a bookshelf where you place your speakers?