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Home theater add-on: 2nd sub or Room treatment?

3K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  elbonsaikid 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi everyone - first post here. This is a great place by the way and I have learned a ton by just reading various posts.

I have a dedicated hometheater using a 20'Lx20'Wx9'H bonus room (above garage). I have approx $1000 for improvement and wondering where it would be best spent. I have Klipsch's Rf-62 II for RF, LF, and center (RC-62 II), and pair of RS-42 IIs for the surrounds. Im using a single SVS-PB12-NSD sub and a new Onkyo TX-NR818 that supports Audyssey xt32. The Onkyo is still sitting in a box which I will setup shortly to replace a 12 year old Denon.

I will run audyssey as soon as the receiver is setup. I guess the setup is used 70% for movies and 30% for music listening.

The question becomes...would I be better off buying 4-6 corner bass traps and 4 broadband acoustic panels or investing in a second matching sub instead to improve low frequency distribution? The SVS sub, which I love and recently replaced an old boomy 15" Def-Tech, produces enough energy for me based on my volume levels and preferences. My setup sounds pretty good even though i know that i have uneven bass response as i walk around the various seating postions (my room being square and all). I have carpeted floors and a large window along one side and rear that are covered with curtains (not too heavy). Looking forward to your input. Thx!
 
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#2 ·
Welcome to HTS! :wave:

I would go the room treatment route. The room is probably the single most important factor in realizing good sound. If you decide to go this route, I would definitely check out the Acoustics forum - lots of great info there and Bryan from GIK really helped me get my room all treated.
 
#3 ·
Hello and welcome to HTS. I have a setup almost exactly as yours the only difference being the front L/R. That really is a tough call and I think you would be happy going either direction. Before I made the decision I would setup the new Onkyo and run Auddysey. You may be surprised by the improvement that alone nets you.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the responses gents! I will run audyssey and listen to the differences from multiple seating locations. If i decide to invest in improving the sound any further post EQ I'll drop some cash on the treatment.

JBrax - did you consider or bi-amp the Klipsch front/LR using the Onkyo?

ALM - if I go room treatment can I expect to hear a difference with one corner bass trap 48h"x24w"x17d" in each corner and 4 acoustic panels at reflection points? How far did you have to treat before you noticed a difference?
 
#7 ·

A problem in any room, especially one with symmetrical dimensions, is that bass is strongest at the room boundaries, and has a “dead zone” in the dead center of the room. You can hear (and/or measure with a SLM) the difference in volume with a pink noise test tone as you move from a wall towards the center of the room.

I’ve never used them, but my understanding is that bass traps is about the only remedy for this situation, and even them might not eliminate it entirely. Regardless, I expect it would be more effective than adding additional subs. Additional subs are often used to deliver more consistent frequency response from one location to the next, but I doubt they’ll do anything for the “hot boundary/dead zone” situation.

Regards,
Wayne
 
#8 ·
+1 on the bass trap suggestion. I have a 12x20x8 room with 4 HSU ULS-15 subs and all Klipsch Heritage for the main and surround channels. The traps made a huge difference in overall frequency response and "speed" of the subs. By speed, I mean that transient sounds, like bass drum whacks on music or special effects on movies, like gunshots or explosions, are more defined with less ringing added by the room.

Many of our members DIY their traps. If you prefer ready-made, the GIK Monster traps are what I use and they perform very well.
 
#9 ·
Thanks all for the input. I ran audyssey and noticed an improvement in the sound especially when playing movies near reference - good bye harshness. Originally I preferred hearing my CDs in pure audio mode but since Audyssey some of the other sound modes sound just as good with stereo mode sounding a bit fuller to me.

I have decided to add some treatment to my room nonetheless. I know ignorance is bliss but understand that treatment will only make my room sound better. I have since ordered 8 corner bass traps to cover the four corners and 6 acoustic panels (24"x48"x2) for the mids and highs.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I guess you are looking for my impressions after the treatment to compare with the current untreated room with Audyssey XT32 calibrated environment?

I can do that but it will be a subjective impression since I will not perform any sound measurements due to recent room investments including the 1600.00 just spent on acoustics (would need to purchase sound card, etc). I like what audyssey XT32 did with my room pre-treatment. It definitely did away with a lot of the bass peaks as far as i can tell. Can't tell definitively if it fixed alot of my nulls however. Pre-EQ, I had a hard time listening to my movies at anything above -12db reference due to harshness perhaps from a combination of bright untreated room, articulate and sensitive Klipsch speakers, and/or soundtracks that were recorded for treated large spaces. I can now watch my movies at -5db without issues and my bass seems improved as well. My kids and wife commented on the sound when watching the Green Lantern recently. The bass never became a distraction but definitely had its impact on various scenes.

Music wise, (CD audio on my OPPO-93 player and Pandora via Onkyo) I preferred the Pure audio mode of my RCVR over every other sound mode. Post EQ I like the stereo mode slightly better and especially enjoy the Prologic II music sound mode. Pure audio now sounds slightly muffled in comparison. I also hate to be tied to a center location for stereo imaging especially since my kids enjoy to sit and listen with me. But now, Prologic II sound mode appears more "open", provides better envelopment and physically anchors the image to the center speaker providing consistent imaging for all of us and freeing me from sitting in the center sweet spot. The rear surrounds come into play but isnt obnoxiously present like it is in 5 channel stereo mode. However, I did have to tone down the bass a tad in prologic II mode since the sound mode boosted it more than felt natural.

I will also give my impressions when the acoustics are setup. The bass traps and panels have recently shipped.
 
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