Possible disappointment with new setup?

[Timcognito]

So... Wiim or Umik-1 before moving on?

Both, as WiiM gives you streaming and internet radio which gives more choices in music selection and music discovery, augmenting vinyl with breadth of selection and ease of use, at small cost. Check out WiiM devices in the Review Index upper left.

The mic and REW allows one to find and fix many problems with the room and enhance the sound of any and all speakers of the room.s sound robbing effects unless you are one of the very few the have a concert hall as a music room. It can be a lot of work and you will hear benefits right away but it will never be perfect

My best advice: Don't panic, Don't hurry, Educate yourself, Ask questions, Sleep on any Purchase, you have the budget to get something very good it seems, and are new to the game. Many helpful people hang out here

 

[Mikig]

the only thing i would do is move the system to the side where you have the window, and place the listening point at the head of the table on that side. You have the window, it's true, but a window behind the speakers is better than a table in front. Try it, since he's doing tests. At most you can correct with EQ if it's too bright, but you should be able to fit the system better. At most, if you can, move the table a few centimeters to the opposite side, to free up space.

 

[TheZebraKilledDarwin]

If you can't acoustically treat the room, do you really want to listen in a bad sounding room, which is like an echo chamber? If you are an active listener, you will never be happy, because you will never hear any details, because the room is masking everything.

Have you considered to go the (professional) headphone route? Headphone equalization has become standard and is easy and costs nothing.
Recently there have been significant improvements in the sound quality of binauralization. Even Atmos mixing on headphones has become possible, because the localization has become good enough. Even Genelec now offers a headphone mixing solution. So you even could have surround and immersive sound for movies at reference level, if you want that.

 

[Keith_W]

Those are both symptoms of the first reflections arriving too early and being too strong.

You might look into speakers with narrower radiation patterns, and position them to minimize the strength and maximize the delay of the first reflections.

Pay attention to this reply. Muddy sound is due to time smearing.

To expand what Duke said: what you hear is the direct sound from the loudspeakers and reflections. It is the timing and amplitude of the reflections which is critical. Reflections that arrive within 20ms of the direct sound (the Haas fusion window) will have the effect of smearing the direct sound if it is loud enough, producing the muddiness that you describe. Sounds that arrive later still (20ms - 200ms) are perceived as ambience, and sounds that arrive even later (> 200ms) are perceived as a separate event, or echoes.

In your case, your room is 5.1m x 4.3m with your speakers set up against the long wall. You indicated that the listening position is 3m from the speakers, meaning that your listening position is right up close against the rear wall. This would produce copious early and loud reflections coming from behind you. Adding to the problem is the large coffee table.

The solutions are: (1) find a bigger room, (2) reposition the listening position so that it is further from the wall, (3) consider room treatment for the wall behind the listening position.

As a quick experiment, you have a window on the right side of the room. Try positioning one speaker at the window and point it outside. Then go outside and listen. The muddiness should disappear. If it does not, then the problem might lie elsewhere.

 

[Thomas_A]

With respect to the table it seels rather large and may cause a reflectiion. Use a mirror and place it on the table. If you can see the speakers in the mirror at listening position you get a reflection in the direction from the speakers. If so try reposition the table.

The biggest problem however will be the bass region so measure and use a PEQ. I don’t know which unit but you will need either an analogue variant or an ADC to do it digitally. Your seating position will enhance bass in peaks and muddy the sound.

 

[JeremyFife]

Thanks for the input.
If I understand correctly in order to better understand the room, I should get an UMIK-1 and measure before anything else.
Maybe take those results to a hifi store in order to see what my options are...

That would be ideal.

If you find a hifi store that understands your measurements and is actually prepared to discuss them with you ... stay with them, always!

I'd be amazed if found one though (members here who work in retail excepted!).
Hi-fi retail and evidence based assessment of your sound are generally strangers - there's little profit in it.

Post your measurements here (as well). You'll get free, expert advice. There will be contradictions too, but that's part of learning.

Your turntable is fine btw.
You have active speakers - good decision - why not look at active upgrades too? Your budget takes you to Genelec 8030 territory, Neumanns too - these are fabulous.
Add a WiiM mini (£90 GBP) for a digital source to rule out the TT as the problem.