Appreciate some opinions on how to improve acoustics in theater room

[Rambo4]

Hey guys. I am attaching a top down view of my HT setup, and would like anyone of knowledge to give a few tips in regards to placement of subs, etc. to best take advantage of the room I have, to get the best low frequency response. Any opinions on soundproofing? Making the doors airtight, more absorbtion, or install some diffusion? Anything along those lines, if I am missing something that is glaringly obvious, I would be grateful.

If it looks great then even better!

Thanks

[bpape]

If the room is already built, it's too late for soundproofing other than a solid core door with seals, and adding a 2nd layer of drywall with Green Glue. But, if you didn't do your outlets and can lighting in isolation, it's not worth it.

As for treating the INSIDE of the room to make it sound better, address the following:

- Broadband bass control, at least some corners
- Kill the front wall 100%
- Hit the side wall reflection points
- Measure and see if you're getting nulls off the rear wall and address if necessary.

Sub position is different in every room. Leave yourself options as to where it goes so you can play with it. Keep it out of the corners most likely.

Bryan

[Rambo4]

Thanks Bryan, its quite a hit or miss with the subs. Soundproofing the room doesn't look like it will happen, no matter how much I wish I would have now. I thought about the blown in insulation in the ceiling, to isolate the noise from going up above. But as I have a heat pump with forced air, the sound just travels through the duct work anyhow.

I did find that my subs sound best along the side walls. I got this from placing the sub at the seating area and crawling around the room. I have also tried, since the largest driver in my speakers is 6.5 inches and my subwoofer driver is 15 inches, that I would try to get the midrange stronger by attaching an 8 inch powered subwoofer as well to the LFE channel in the other corner. Crazy idea maybe, but I thought it would give me more punch in the mid bass, opposed to boom and shatter of low bass. And everything would sound balanced. That's my logic for doing it.

I do have Auralex corner bass traps that are roughly 4 X 1 foot and 2 inches in depth in all four corners. The Auralex sound absorbers for the wall, are the same except they are 1 inch in depth and I have them spaced @ 1 inch from the wall. It has helped some. May be just a need to equalize some of the frequencies to go any further.

I have weather-stripped the door to the rec room to keep the light out in the day time. Everything is "tight" now with the exception of behind the rack where all the wires come in.

Don't get me wrong the sound is better than I have ever had it, but I feel some midbass lacking punch.

[bpape]

The foam is OK for reflections. Sorry, but 2" of anything, much less foam, isn't going to do diddly below 100Hz - much less tame a sub. Just trying to be honest. You might be surprised if you put up some good bass control, you might get a much better balanced bass output and not need that little sub.

Treat the problem, not the symptom...

Bryan

[LewisCobb]

Hey Rambo4 - it's not often I see a post from someone close to me so I thought I would just say hi from over here in Frdericton, NB

Lewis