Tweaking

Posted by: Naheed on 23 March 2003

Was round a non-naim friends the other day - having a laugh at his system, although he thinks mine (or naim gear in general) is poop.

Anyway i was interested as to his decor, more in terms of rugs on walls - behind his rack and speakers, and other bits and bobs of i'm told expensive sound absorbtion gear. He swore by this approach and even rambled on about waves/etc...

He convinced to give it a try. So I managed to source some plain relatively thick cotton, and hung this on the wall in between my speakers, and also stuck a piece behind the racks.

Settling down and hitting the play button, i was immediately struck by how much louder my system sounded (i leave it fixed at around 9 on the dial), the whole soundstage seems so solid, bass was so much deeper with all the more refinement, and at the same time i could actually here some more finer detail.

The improvement wasn't huge, but its one of them tweaks that just seems to take your system that bit further.

Well worth a try if you have'nt already...

naheed. . .
Posted on: 23 March 2003 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly
This may be because with no absorbtion behind the speakers, there will be a reflection of the sound produced by the speakers. This will have the effect of reinforcing or reducing the sound wave ( I knew that my A level physics messing about with ripple tanks would come in useful someday....) which may explain the effects Naheed reports.

Reducing the echo will lead to a purer wavefront arriving at your ears and so a more realistic, accurate sound.

I think.

Bloody hell, I am going to have to put a cold flannel over my forehead now..

Regards

Mike
Posted on: 23 March 2003 by Martin Payne
Naheed,

this is my experience - *if* you need some room damping (not everyone does) then between/behind the speakers is a good place to try first.

Damping the side walls between speakers & listener may have more mixed results, tending to make the sound duller.

cheers, Martin

E-mail:- MartinPayne at Dial.Pipex.com
Posted on: 23 March 2003 by Tim Jones
Ripple tanks. Ahh those were the days.

Does anyone make anything that looks a bit more refined than just bunging a rug on your wall?

Tim

PS Mike: v2=u2+2as!
Posted on: 24 March 2003 by i am simon 2
Before I started working in property, I did a Masters in Textilacoustical Applied Physics.

The notion that differnt fibre weaves and thread counts effect the dispertion of sound waves through a fluid medium is very important to the design of such items as car interriors (for road noise reduction) and also the carpet in very large confrence halls etc.

The latent tension in the weave of a fabric is determined by the speed at which the noggin on a power loom passes across the lay of the strands in a longitudanl plain. The faster it makes its passes, the greater the tension.

It is the tension that has the most profound effect on the "voice" of a given fabric, that is not to say that the fibres used (cotton, wool, amide etc.)do not impact upon the voice as well.
The nature of the yarn will determine its density, and this determines the level of reflection and absorbtion of sound that the fabric will cause. However it is the latent tension that will determine at what frequencis, the fabric responds to sound waves.

High tension will respond to higher frequencies and vice versa.

By using a specified mix of yarns and setting the tension to a predetermined level, (obviouly this is dependent on the elasticity of the yarn), one can achive a specified voice for the fabric.

A passive cross over is a good analogy of how it works.

Without knowing how the material is made, there is no point sharing observations about different types of fabric, ie. wool vs cotton.

I hope the above is of help.

Simon
Posted on: 24 March 2003 by Jez Quigley
Oh no, I can see it now - the NAR 01 (Naim Audio Rug) at £1000 a square foot.

"All systems are perfectly designed to get the results they get."
Posted on: 24 March 2003 by NB
and not forgetting Mana grippers Razz
Posted on: 24 March 2003 by Mick P
Chaps

You are all wrong.

Evidently, you drop a pile of decomposing chickens mounted on Mana between the speakers.

Personally I could be tempted to stuff a decomposing Pig on the Mana but I must learn to control my vitriol.

Regards

Mick
Posted on: 24 March 2003 by Arye_Gur
quote:
Originally posted by Jez Quigley:

"All systems are perfectly designed to get the results they get."


This sentence reminds me about a girl who was with me at the army. These times, when someone finished serving the army, he/she got a paper with some words about him/her.

This girl showed me with a lot of proud the paper she got and it was written there – “ This woman was doing everything at the army for the best satisfaction of herself”.

Arye
Posted on: 24 March 2003 by Greg Beatty
...a little more specific about what you do, try this:

Spreadsheet with Absorbing Properties Info

Read carefully to see how it works. My room has an upper emphasis in the lower mids on down, so bass traps would be called for.

Dozens of materials and their absorbing properties across the frequency range are also listed.

- GregB

Insert Witty Signature Line Here
Posted on: 27 March 2003 by shinpad
quote:
Originally posted by mike lacey:
Bloody hell, I am going to have to put a cold flannel over my forehead now..


ah, but have you tried one between the speakers??? Big Grin Big Grin

Graham