Live room vs Dead room

you should be aiming for a diffuse field reverb time of around 0.3 seconds

I noticed a big difference when we took out carpets and fitted solid wood flooring. I was worried about it at first, too much reflected energy going on. But I now prefer it.  

Going back to having the room fully carpeted, if it was possible, I would imagine feeling underwhelmed with everything sounding dull. Although probably not long for the ear/brain to reconsider virtues.

hauling a complete system into another room is difficult, moving it to another building more so. So many variables going on, especially if it's a complex system with a lot of cables and mains powering. Different floor construction. Different wall construction. Different mains points and quality.

eazyryder posted:

 I decided to haul the whole of my hi fi system to my brothers home to demonstrate the value of a good hi fi system.

He lives in a relatively small bungalow.

 Setting everything up and anxious to wow him with my system I started the first track "paul weller Out of the sinking". This track has always been a favourite to play for friends listening to my system at home.

In a word my system sounded "DULL"

It was as if someone has sucked the life out of the track , closed in with little soundstage at all, the issue continued track after track until finally I gave up and packed my system away.It was even starting to bore me!.

I knew then that the listening room at my brothers was a "Dead room" and my brother wasn't impressed at all, I tried to explain my system sounded completely different at my home, with a much more open staged lively sound but he found that hard to believe.

I have encountered this problem before auditioning my speakers with my current nait xs2 at a poorly setup hi fi store, the situation nearly put me off the amp.

Obviously now I understand I prefer a more live sounding room with my particular system.

Do any other forum members have a preference of live vs dead room or is it a matter of just acoustical room treatments?.

 

Wouldn't it have been easier to invite him to yours. Particularly as it's obviously optimised for your system.

Shows the value/need to do a home audition before purchasing any audio system. Questionable value in dragging your system to your brothers.

sheffieldgraham posted

Wouldn't it have been easier to invite him to yours. Particularly as it's obviously optimised for your system.

Shows the value/need to do a home audition before purchasing any audio system. Questionable value in dragging your system to your brothers.

Unfortunately my brother lives quite some distance from me, and he has never bothered with his driving test as he works from home.

"Dragging my system" was to show my brother the value of expensive hi fi vs run of the mill stuff.

It was a one off that I had been planning for some time and since I had the day off I decided to make the trip, my system was well repackaged in its original boxes before transit.

Plus it is always good to spread the good word about Naim

eazyryder posted:

sheffieldgraham posted

Wouldn't it have been easier to invite him to yours. Particularly as it's obviously optimised for your system.

Shows the value/need to do a home audition before purchasing any audio system. Questionable value in dragging your system to your brothers.

Unfortunately my brother lives quite some distance from me, and he has never bothered with his driving test as he works from home.

"Dragging my system" was to show my brother the value of expensive hi fi vs run of the mill stuff.

It was a one off that I had been planning for some time and since I had the day off I decided to make the trip, my system was well repackaged in its original boxes before transit.

Plus it is always good to spread the good word about Naim

OK. Understand the driving issue, but if you want to spread the good word of Naim wouldn't it have been better to bring him to yours. 20/20 vision I know. The end result seems to have had the opossite effect.

With a friend, maybe. But with a brother, no way. That way lies trouble.

C.

sheffieldgraham posted:

OK. Understand the driving issue, but if you want to spread the good word of Naim wouldn't it have been better to bring him to yours. 20/20 vision I know. The end result seems to have had the opossite effect.

Your quite right and now and don't think he would be interested in a second audition at my house.

eazyryder posted:

sheffieldgraham posted:

OK. Understand the driving issue, but if you want to spread the good word of Naim wouldn't it have been better to bring him to yours. 20/20 vision I know. The end result seems to have had the opossite effect.

Your quite right and now and don't think he would be interested in a second audition at my house.

Maybe you could tempt him with a good meal and drink + good music. 

That's quite a normal thing.

Last night we rehearsed in a different studio with my band. It was an old film / recording studio from 1970s.  Old wooden floors, professional panels on the walls. Wow!!! Fantastic, tight sound, delicate and well controlled reverbations.

If a live band can sound different in a different studio, imagine what happens with a hi-fi system in different domestic environments, which are not acoustically treated.

I have issues as my room was created via merging 2 former rooms, which needed 2 x 10'' RSJs to be installed, which sit below the ceiling line and have been boxed in with plasterboard. End result, one part of the room sounds 'dead(er)' and the other side is 'live'   -   a simple clap hands test serves to show this. I ended up switching the room around so the speakers fire out from the dead zone.

Those who have been to hi-fi shows at hotels can attest to the variability of sound in rooms. Things look the same but...

I also wonder if the house wiring could be a contributor?

Sorry to go off topic, but every time I see the heading of this thread my mind goes Live/Dead (Grateful Dead)

Clive

Purely in response to the core question: a dead room is great for surround where the purpose is to put you where the action is. You want as little of the room signature as possible for that.

But from personal experience it sounds naff for stereo. Which makes sense because the intent is the opposite of surround. Stereo is about placing the performers in your room. To do that, some signature from the room is needed. Otherwise you just feel like you are trapped inside giant headphones.

How 'live' the room is, is of course a matter of balance. 

I had spent a lot of money and time once building sound proof and dead home cinema rooms and they sounded great as long as you were watching movies. Music in stereo was awful.

Back on topic;  I went through 5 days listening with a bare floor - fully fitted carpet replacement was the wrong one - we temporarily refitted most of the furniture & lived with it,  but talk about a difference !!!!    The new carpet was installed & sanity returned.     I know fitted carpets - or a lot of carpet - is a very British thing,  but having experienced a no carpet room that once it always surprises me when I see some of the rooms in System Pics.   

I have a similar experience with my system recently. The floor rug had to be removed for temporary cleaning and I though it sounded better that way!

I seem the only one interested in this but, Eazy, how much of this about acoustics and how much is it about sibling rivalry?

C.

*is* about

Christopher_M posted:

I seem the only one interested in this but, Eazy, how much of this about acoustics and how much is it about sibling rivalry?

C.

Of course it's all about the acoustics 

Is this a little also about speaker design? English speakers are built assuming homes will be carpeted, and walls will be brick (or however english homes are built) - OTOH, american speakers are built to sound better in walls built out of cardboard 

Little boxes, on the hillside...

Cdb posted:

Sorry to go off topic, but every time I see the heading of this thread my mind goes Live/Dead (Grateful Dead)

Clive

The heading of this topic mades me think of this album ; )

A truism seems to be that you can make a live room dead but you can't bring a dead room back to life!

i agree with an earlier poster who suggested that in a room with a live end and a dead end, the best results are with the speakers in the dead end.

Chris

Maybe a balance is needed between the two, and paying particular attention to control any bass trap that may occur in the room corners. 

My room is nicely damped with fitted carpet, curtains, and wallpaper.

A few years ago i redecorated - removed all the wallpaper and left the wall plaster painted with matt emulsion, but this made the audio/music sound far too bright and with undesirable reflection problems, tried hanging a rug on the wall to compensate but it didn't work. I redecorated the room again with nice new thick paintable wall paper + matt emulsion, and this returned the sound back to it's enjoyable state again.

They should sell anaglypta wallpaper in audio shops : )  

Debs

I decorated my house with anaglypta once, she was particularly good at cutting in 

I learned a new word today (anaglypta) - thanks - much appreciated.

As a painter and decorator and hifi nut and a room with some reflective problems I have considered using embossed lining paper but the visual impact it would have on my living room would not be acceptable to me. I hate all embossed papers (If I ever get my hands on the man who invented chip paper i will ******** him!)  You will have gathered I far prefer smooth surfaces so have had to live with my acoustic problems though I have hung as many pictures as is possible and have as big a rug as is physically possible (I have a hard wood floor) so I have managed to tame my room quite a lot.  Any bass traps would also not be acceptable so later this year I intend to put my home on the market and move on to a house with a better/normal shaped room (I have a angled and raised ceiling).