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Your Desktop Audio Setup?

My messy desktop, with a pair of JBL 305Ps on stands, an RME ADI-2 DAC fs driving them via balanced outs. A WiiM Pro as the primary source, with my home-grown Allmusic.com -> Tidal -> WiiM Pro as the primary UI. Another home-grown display on the RME to show what's currently playing through the WiiM. The USB input to the RME is sourced from my ASUS ChromeBox for YooToob and the like.

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kemmler3D said:
I'm thinking of putting together a setup very similar to this, down to the binary diffusers on the ceiling. Right now I have no acoustic treatment, and you can kinda hear the spikes in the waterfall, so to speak. How have you found the different treatments you have up in terms of subjective change to the sound?

My setup isn't photo-worthy yet, I have a lot of cable re-routing to do, I want to get a new monitor, no treatments, etc. But someday!
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The treatments made more of a subjective improvement than I was expecting on my stereo system. I would 100% get them again if I was starting over. I'm currently building out a "sound proofed" music room and home theater in my basement, and there is no question I'll be taking a similar approach with treatment.

I'll also say for me it's not just for listening to my audio system, but also because I'm on zoom multiple times per day for work (software eng). The softening impact the treatments have on the sound of my own voice to my ears is more than worth it on it's own. We don't normally talk loudly to ourselves in a small 10x10 room, but let me tell you my room was harsh and my own voice grated on me until I got the treatments. My wife's home office is across the hall, and after she borrowed my office for a few days and heard the effect of the acoustic treatments in my office for zoom calls, she insisted I did the same for her, and she doesn't care about audio. It was worth it to her just for the "zoom effect."
 
I am halfway through my study refit. I have ripped out the old desk and shelving and I'm at the filling holes in the walls and woodwork in preparation for painting stage. The new standing desk is looking good though....

IMG_20240607_200835198 (Medium).jpg


@anotherhobby - How did you decide which room treatments to use? My room is even smaller than yours, only 6'6" x 9' (plus a 32" deep bay window), so I don't have space for lots of panels. The ceiling height is only 7'6", so not my space above my head for treatment there either.
 
Berwhale said:
@anotherhobby - How did you decide which room treatments to use? My room is even smaller than yours, only 6'6" x 9' (plus a 32" deep bay window), so I don't have space for lots of panels. The ceiling height is only 7'6", so not my space above my head for treatment there either.
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My reasoning wasn't super scientific, especially since I'm no expert. I know a somewhat common treatment layout is absorbers on the front/side walls and diffusion/scatter on the rear walls. I guess the idea is to deaden the front wall and to scatter the rear for some "air" and "space" behind me (same for the ceiling). I found this to be true when I tried absorbers on the rear wall and it sounded terrible.

I chose ATS absorbers for front/side based solely on total price with shipping and the fact they they offer suede fabric, since I learned my cats love to shred FR701 GOM fabric. I went with 4" because that's as thick as I could go while remainig practical.

I chose GIK panels for the ceiling/rear because I've read that the scatter plates like on the GIK panels are better at close range than quadratic diffusors (or sound less odd or whatever), so that's why I went with those in my small office, plus they offer additional absorbing. I do not know how true that statement is, but I'm quite happy with their performance so I don't care. I started with four 4" panels on the rear wall before I did the ceiling. When I did the ceiling I got a pair of 6" panels that I put on the rear wall, and moved two of the rear 4" panels to the ceiling.

I also went with very heavy "acoustic" curtains on my large 6'x6' side window, which are surprisinly effective.

I recommend getting this thickest panels that are practical for you. I started wtih 2" panels that I had made myself, and noticed that the 4" panels are noticibly more effective.

I think any of my assumptions/choices above are debatable, but I must say that I am quite happy with the end result.
 
It's a bit of a ghetto setup, a pair of Tangent Evo E4 that I bought years ago, connected to a three channel TPA3116 board with built in DSP in a custom 3D-printed case that's also connected to a 6" tapped horn (THAM6) under the desk that plays seriously good and loud bass considering the size of the driver. With some PEQing it all sounds extremely good considering what it is and how little I payed for it all.
DSC05929-Enhanced-NR_1600.jpg
 
TheBatsEar said:
Nice LSD worm. But why has the Thinkpad been flattened?
View attachment 373986
Click to expand...
The LSD worm is art from John Speaker, he makes nice stuff!
I have a bit wonky (but nice) setup, so the Thinkpad is flattened because I use it as a Parsec client to connect to my desktop computer that's in another room with just one screen connected to it, so the Thinkpad is just used for keyboard and then I display everything on the big screen and I ignore the laptop screen.
 
Dell 7090 desktop to Schitt Modi 2, to Harmon Kardon 330B (complete recap and upgrades a few years back) to Infinity Reference One bookshelf speakers. All files are FLAC, and Music Bee handles the playback. Suits me fine.
 
Berwhale said:
Well I could fit something on the wall behind the desk, but I have my eye on a couple of the 600x600 GIK absorber/diffuser panels to go behind the MTMs...
Click to expand...

Buy a single 600mm x 1200mm and hang it like I have on my fireplace wall,it’ll work out cheaper than buying two of the small ones and it’ll be easier to hang

50933084102_42e2c839ab_b.jpg
 
Berwhale said:
Well I could fit something on the wall behind the desk, but I have my eye on a couple of the 600x600 GIK absorber/diffuser panels to go behind the MTMs...

View attachment 382641
Click to expand...

I have some GIK panels behind my desk set-up:

1722421490852.png


All the clutter on the desk has been carefully placed for sonic improvements according to complex mathematical calculations - honest. :D
 
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