[marcus263]

I have a small room where I usually do my work, the room has 5.1 surround sound so I'll sit here and listen to music. The problem I'm trying to improve the sound quality, i.e. reduce noise but diffuse the sound to make it seem like a larger room. I'm not sure where I would place my absorbers and diffusers. I've heard of the mirror trick, but not sure how it works.

I understand this is a highly subjective topic, but any advice on where to begin would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

[amioa]

hello

can you change the layout of the room to have the speakers firing down the room?

on the layout you have, diffusors behind and at the front ceiling mirror point, the side walls are far enough away to also benefit from diffusion, though some form of combination tool would also work well as would some absorption

[marcus263]

Originally Posted by amioa

hello

can you change the layout of the room to have the speakers firing down the room?

on the layout you have, diffusors behind and at the front ceiling mirror point, the side walls are far enough away to also benefit from diffusion, though some form of combination tool would also work well as would some absorption

I'm not sure what you mean Amioa. Do you mean that I should place the speakers on the ceiling, if so my mirror points would be on the ground?

[amioa]

sorry, i mean have the speakers and screen on the narrow wall facing down the room..

[j0hn]

ive moved my speakers from the narrow wall to the long wall. They sound great! m&k with svs sub. I dont see why the OP needs to move his stuff? can you maybe explain please?

[amioa]

have a read of this
Positioning Loudspeakers in the Room

[j0hn]

well sorry but im not going to bother reading that as like I said I moved my speakers to the same way the OP posted and they sound fine. I was really after a much simpler answer than having to read an essay thanks. maybe something I could listen for, but in all honesty sound is good from where im sat

[amioa]

Originally Posted by j0hn

well sorry but im not going to bother reading that as like I said I moved my speakers to the same way the OP posted and they sound fine. I was really after a much simpler answer than having to read an essay thanks. maybe something I could listen for, but in all honesty sound is good from where im sat

ok well short version then

Staging, the distance from speakers to walls at the sides can have an effect on teh sound reproduction, if the reflection is too long you get an echo tht interfers with the sound and muddies it

Modes, shorter distance from speaker to wall can create more problems with modes and standing wave buildup.

that said, if you have better sound now, then thats fine, every room and setup is different and sometimes the accepted methods dont always work best.

[AndyST]

Where's the door/window(s) and seating position?

Are you intending to build/buy acoustic treatments or just work with what you have?

j0hn like it or not there's a whole lot of science behind AV and the correct way to set things up. There's a reason THX engineers and the like have to go through extensive training to be able to do what they do. It's pretty much impossible to learn how to get the best out of your setup without delving into some of it.

The mirror trick is basically to have you sit in your listening position and have someone else place a mirror flat against the side walls/ceiling/floor. Where you can see your speakers in the mirror is a first reflection point, and this is where you need to look first to apply some acoustic treatment.

[Ashmanuk]

Originally Posted by AndyST

Where's the door/window(s) and seating position?

Are you intending to build/buy acoustic treatments or just work with what you have?

j0hn like it or not there's a whole lot of science behind AV and the correct way to set things up. There's a reason THX engineers and the like have to go through extensive training to be able to do what they do. It's pretty much impossible to learn how to get the best out of your setup without delving into some of it.

The mirror trick is basically to have you sit in your listening position and have someone else place a mirror flat against the side walls/ceiling/floor. Where you can see your speakers in the mirror is a first reflection point, and this is where you need to look first to apply some acoustic treatment.

Well said, I have just completed my room and have long parallel walls and the sound was very bad indeed, I have built 4 Absorbing boards located at mirror points relative to seating position "WOW what a difference" If you can do this in your room please give a go it will be like a major upgrade of your equipment its that good.
I bought the High Density Slabs from Wickes 1200mm X 600mm put 2" X 1" wood frames around them I also made holes down all the sides to make it more broadband, then bought some curtain,s "was cheaper" to rap around boards you can see them if you click on my Sig....

[j0hn]

Originally Posted by AndyST

Where's the door/window(s) and seating position?

Are you intending to build/buy acoustic treatments or just work with what you have?

j0hn like it or not there's a whole lot of science behind AV and the correct way to set things up. There's a reason THX engineers and the like have to go through extensive training to be able to do what they do. It's pretty much impossible to learn how to get the best out of your setup without delving into some of it.

The mirror trick is basically to have you sit in your listening position and have someone else place a mirror flat against the side walls/ceiling/floor. Where you can see your speakers in the mirror is a first reflection point, and this is where you need to look first to apply some acoustic treatment.

Science or no science I get better sound in this room as per the op's diagram

[AndyST]

If that's working for you then great, every room is different and it may indeed sound better in your room. Various objects will be reflecting, absorbing and scattering sounds in different ways and the frequency response may be better at your listening position with that orientation.

If you're willing to treat the room to get the absolute maximum out of your kit though, there is almost always an optimum way to do it. The OP sounds like he wants to head down this road, so hopefully we can give him some useful advice.

Get it wrong in this area and you can make the room sound worse. Get it right and the improvements will far outweigh any equipment upgrades for the price.

Pictures of the room are always helpful.