Room treatment using plants.
Posted by: CharlieP on 10 November 2015
I posted this on HH's "socks" thread, but thought it worthy of a tangent discussion. I am curious to know if others have tried this.
Spurred by one of Huge's room treatment threads, and a discussion with joerand, I got to thinking about acoustic room treatment to address an issue with the sound of my system. In this thread I am not talking about bass issues or room modes, but higher frequencies where midrange and treble reflections can compete with first arrival sound. My speakers sit out in the room, 63 inches (1.6m) from the back wall and 54 inches (0.61m) from the fireplace. The first reflection off the fireplace is delayed about 7 to 8 m-sec. (close to Haas effect limit). I felt I needed to absorb or diffuse the first reflection from the speakers off the brick fireplace behind.
As a quick experiment, I grabbed three bed pillows and hung them from the mantel. This did not look so good, but my wonderful wife tolerated them temporarily as an experiment. The improvement in sound was not profound, but it was significant enough that i did not want to remove the pillows. They remained for a few weeks, and were in place when I hosted a local forum gathering. Finally, I had to replace them with something more aesthetically pleasing, but what?
I placed tall plants between each speaker and the fireplace, so as to diffuse the sound which would otherwise reflect towards the listener, as you can see in the photo:
To my delight, the plants were even more effective than the pillows. These were quickly relocated from elsewhere in the room, so I plan to replace the one on the right with another palm to approach symmetry. But I consider this to be a very affordable "acoustic room treatment" which noticeably improves the sound field. I hear notes decay into the recorded venue more clearly, as if some muddling "noise" were removed. I recommend this approach as an affordable and domestically acceptable approach to room treatment for taming mid-to-treble reflections.
Charlie
I find a few cannabis sativa plants certainly make music more enjoyable to listen to.
So, tonym, you work on perception enhancement instead of acoustic diffusion. 
I find a few cannabis sativa plants certainly make music more enjoyable to listen to.
So, tonym, you work on perception enhancement instead of acoustic diffusion.
Christmas trees? Really? That's a great idea! Someone was selling glass jars of pebbles a while ago, at ridiculous prices, which if suitably placed, would transform your listening experiences. Allegedly.
That plants have an impact must be undeniable, just think how they are planted near noisy roads, and how it sounds when one is in the woods. I think it's a lovely idea, and so much nicer than horrid acoustic panels.
With my wall hugging speakers plants are not an option, other than ivy I suppose.
A time to be merry!
Hi Charlie.
Even if it doesn't really work, it really looks cool. And who said that ' the new green is white' eh? Enjoy Peter
Hi Charlie.
Even if it doesn't really work, it really looks cool. And who said that ' the new green is white' eh? Enjoy Peter
Thanks Peter. The acoustic effect is pleasant to my ears, if somewhat subtle. I have avoided thinking about panels, but we have always had many plants in our house and as you say it looks and feels comfortable.
Charlie
I find a few cannabis sativa plants certainly make music more enjoyable to listen to.
Tony and John Nobbs have been using this for many years.
I used potted plants on top of the bass traps I made. I must confess although I hoped the pots and plants would provide some diffusion they were as much for aesthetic reasons as anything. They also conceal green (naim like) uplighters for mood lighting.
I actually started a thread about the acoustic effects of a Christmas tree some years ago
Assuming that the tree absorbs and the balls reflect how much large the tree and how many balls?
(assuming a serious question) The tree was 5 or 6 feet in diameter at base and maybe 8 feet tall. I think that the acoustic effect is more from diffusion that absorption, but would need to make measurements to confirm that.
I have often heard the muddling effect of having hard surfaces, hard furniture or equipment between and behind speakers. But clearly the presence of foliage is beneficial to the sound.
Charlie
Was just kidding
What you say is right.
Matter is we risk to open a debate on what's the best plant to buy.
Hi-fi shops infested by begonias or tulips!
Rivers of reviews on ficus feauters!
You started something!
Nice looking bass traps, sheffieldgraham. The plants are a nice touch.
But of course, as Steve J observes, Tony has taken the idea of potted plants to the next level.
Charlie
Gianluigi, I thought you might be kidding, but I am ever the serious one...
Charlie
I did try plants as well.
Was good!
Hi Charlie,
The plants are acting as diffusers, dispersing some of the sound waves that would have been reflected chaotically from the wall behind the speakers. But there is a better way to deal with these reflections, by correcting the phase of the reflected waves and returning them coherently to the listener. Look up the Daisy Reflector panel from Dupuy Acoustics.
The panel works on frequencies from 300 to 1000 Hz. It must be placed precisely between the speakers and aligned with the acoustic centres of the drivers covering that frequency range (generally, at the dust cap or the coil of the driver).
The effect of the Daisy panel is far from subtle. The reflector truly gives the impression of being in front of large electrostatic panel, with a solid and stable stereo image between the speakers, even when listening off axis. There are substantial gains in definition of the attack and extinction of notes.
It's not the most aesthetic device, but the designers are working on a transparent model that can be folded away when not required.
No snake oil in this one, just sound use of acoustic principles to deal with an often ignored source of reflections.
Jan