echo.....echo....echo.....echo....

[scottyule]

All

Having just received my new lush leather sofas, I have instantly noticed a rather harsh echo in my living room.
I did a short 'clap' test and there is a definite difference now I have the new furniture, with a 'slapping' sound coming from pretty much every area of the room.
Having just redecorated, I can't really do anything to the walls, so was wondering if there are a few things I could do to minimise the problem.

I have heard that a rug hung on the wall can have an affect, but I think the only affect it will have on me will be an unhappy girlfriend who may refuse to do my washing.

Any advice please.

Room is about 4x3m with currently just the mission speakers but hoping to upgrade to a 5.1 set of Miller Kreisels soon.

Cheers

[miceri]

I also have a 'clap-happy' living room. This is what i have done to attempt to combat it:

I have placed 1 main rug just in front of the sofa (fabric), under the coffe table. And 2 circular rugs mid-point between the 2 fronts and the main seating position to eliminate reflections from the 1st reflection point on the floor.

(PS - I have wooden floors, and lots of glass doors ).

The (side)wall that is almost entirely glass doors / windows, reaching from practically the floor to the celing I have hung a triple rail set of panel curtains with relatively soft fabrics. Looks pretty good, and you can move the panels around to compensate quite easily.

Beside the main seating position, I have a bookcase, it helps to diffuse the sound coming at you (Although not directly).

I also have a 'lumpy' oil painting on the opposite side walls, that actually helps quite alot to break up the sound and minimise 'clap echos'.

Its not as bad as it once was, there is still a corner of my room that is very lively, but I might get a potted plant!

I am thinking of room acoustic treatments such as bass / mid-range traps etc. Even the wife is up for it . But right know I don't have the time, I would love to have some SW for the laptop and a sound meter to experiment with this sort of thing in the future...



Let us know what you have done / are planning to do, good luck.

[mattym]

rugs, plants, bookcases and scatter cushions all make a difference, or of course you can go to the powerbuys and look at the acoustic treatments

[scottyule]

Guys.
Superb info. many thanks.

I have a large rectangular rug in the centre of the room at the moment, which is between the tv and the 3 seater sofa. This is being replaced soon, as whilst chewing a bone, one of the dogs inadvertantly chewed a corner of it...! The new one will be the same size, but maybe a bit thicker to combat the slapping.

If you are sat on the 3 seater looking at the tv, the 2 seater is slightly infront and to your left, with a chimney breast to the right, and the (open plan) entrance to the room right alongside the right hand edge of the 3 seater.
Directly to the left of the 3 seater is the window, with heavy curtains, so this should help.
I am refusing to let the missus get cushions for the sofa as I wanted the room to be fairly minimal with just the sofas and the tele.

Will definitely think about getting a couple of large prints to go on the walls (abviously not in glass frames), but I am slightly limited here too as the room not only has a dado rail, but a picture rail too.

Will I have even more problems when I do set up the surround sound? Will I have sounds going all over the place?

Cheers

[mattym]

depends on the room and the speakers

if your pictures on the wall are too hard they wont make a lot of difference, soft is better!

[scottyule]

So canvas pics then?

[scottyule]

Was thinking of getting a set of M&K K5's.
Either that or the Acoustic Energy Ageo T system.

[mattym]

cancas wont really do that much, sort of a floppy bass trap, but not a very good one! Stuff the canvas our with wadding, see if that makes a difference