Small Home cinema

[loupy31]

Hi All,
I have a small room, about 14 feet x 10 feet x 8 foot(cealing), I am using DIY main towers, center and sub, the sub has the XLS peerless 12 driver and passive, the towers and center have Vifa 6.5 inch drivers and 1 inch tweeters in MTM config..........The surrounds are the boston Accoustic X575 first model THX dipole they produced.
My problem is , not being able to get a good full sound, I have moved the sub to just about all location in the room and still unable to get a smooth bottom end happening, the mains are about 2 feet out from the side and front walls center about 1 foot out, the surrounds are to the side but are about 1.5 feet from the back wall, so I am not really getting much difution, the front and side wall are covered with a thin carpet like material to stop any reflections, the back wall is wood panels but has a huge thick rug on it to stop refection front the front, the sitting area Is a single couch about 2 foot from the back wall...................it sound like I am not getting to hear the range of sound between 60 hz and 200 hz, tried phase switching on the sub but still no improvement.........I am hoping some one has some ideas about setting up small rooms.

Regards Peter

[alan monro]

Peter . Gooday , try changing the phase of your sub and see what happens . If no differance gives a yell . Kind regards Alan .

[alan monro]

Sorry peter , when i read it i must have had a brain block .I ment check all the phase connections on your spkrs . then gives ayell if no go .

[loupy31]

Hi Alan,
thanks for your replyAll phase is correct, have also tried 0 -180 degrees on sub.
I have been experimenting with this for some time now, I am coming to the horrible feeling it is my room or my equipment and speakers are just not suited for a small room.
Regards Peter

[alan monro]

Peter . You should be able to get good sound from a room that size . Have you checked the room for frequency response using a sound pressure meter and test disk ? I am wondering how you are definite on those frequencies . alan

[loupy31]

I have a sound meter, when i do a one third octave test tones, the is substansual drop around those frequencies.

peter

[Prof.]

Hi peter,

Do you have any other treatments like bass traps or acoustic panels at first reflection points?
You mentioned that you have a carpet like material on the walls..This may not be the right type of wall treatment..
Also ,what do you have on the floor..bare boards, carpet or a rug?

My theatre room is 10' x 15', and my mains are probably smaller than yours, but I get a good balance of sound through most of the spectrum..so I don't think it's your equipment that's the problem, providing that you have set the levels with a SPL meter..

[loupy31]

Its and indoor outdoor carpet, not quite a thick as normal carpet, covers floor to ceiling on the side and front walls, front wall is mainly taken up by a 92" screen..........

[Prof.]

I know the stuff...It's definitely too dense..
You really don't need all that..just some acoustic panels at the appropriate points..and bass traps..

[Rodny Alvarez]

Hey Peter can you post some pictures of the room?

[alan monro]

loupy 31 . I was thinking about it the other day and I tend to think it is your main speakers . When you test the response of your speakers the signal passes through the spkrs and if there is a drop in the spkrs , or the crossovers it will show . Is it possible to beg borrow or steal other spkr to test them . It is not the size of the room , or the carpet on the walls , the carpet would tend to attenuate the treble to middle mid range , not the higher bass . please let us know how you go . Kind regards , Alan .

[loupy31]

Hi alan, I have tried other mains over the last few years, but I can quite seem the get the system to work right, I am not quite sure what you are refering to regarding the signal through the mains, are you talking about the calibration tones or something else.
Regards Peter

[alan monro]

Peter . Gooday again . I was refering to when you tested with the test tones and SPM . I still tend to think it is the speakers . Have you measured the room with with other speakers? Alan

[loupy31]

Alan, I tried a pair of Krix speakers, they were different but they are also more sensitive, which means I just adjust the Spm to read 75 db same as i do on my original speakers..........you mentioned the cross over, do you think it be at fault or not allowing certan frequencies through properly. Peter

[alan monro]

It is very hard to say , What are the details of the xovrs. . What area do you live?

[loupy31]

I should mention my sub is 42.8 ltrs peerless xls 12 and matching passive Radiator.......
Just thought I would mention that.

[loupy31]

mains on there own is stereo mode sound resonably ok but cant quite seem to get that huge cinema sound when adding the sub.........which I think may be the problem but not sure, maybe the sub is too big for the room .....

[alan monro]

What crossover freq is the amp set to for the sub?. no such thing as too large sub . the bigger the better .

[loupy31]

its set to 80 hz on the processor and bypast on the sub,

I have also been giving some thought to connecting the sub in a different way, dont use the sub out on the processor and connect the left and right main pre outs to the sub and use the subs crossover.also rum my mains in large mode of course...on my Denon amp the mains have the own bult in amp but also have pre out, just a thought

[alan monro]

Give it a go . It could possibly be the amp crossover point ? Please let me know . AlanM