# Acoustics for Family Room



## robsong (Apr 3, 2010)

Hi guys,
I need some input about bass traps and sound treatment for my family room/HT room. The problem I've got is the family room opens to my kitchen and the opening is 8'wx7'h. I'm trying to see if I can improve the sound in my family room if possible with some sound treatment. :help:


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Hi John,

Please post a sketch/diagram of your room.

Thanks.


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## robsong (Apr 3, 2010)

Will it be better if I post pictures of the room.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Either one will give us a better idea of what you are working with.


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## robsong (Apr 3, 2010)

Here are the pictures. As you can see I've got a sliding door one side and the garage door. Then the opening to kitchen. I'm going to remove the blue couch and that's the Pioneer vsx 1120 that got replaced by the Denon 4310CI.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Have you taken any measurements/notice any problems now or are you just looking for general treatment advice?


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## robsong (Apr 3, 2010)

I looking for general treatment advice for the room. My speakers are the NHT VT1.2 towers, VS1.2 satellites,VSa2a for center and superzeros for front heights. The towers are toe in towards the sweet spot in the room. Also I'm using a velodyne CT150.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

So, I'd say that, as that blue couch will be leaving, get your speakers symmetrical in the room. Put a bass trap in each of the front 2 corners. Put broadband absorption over as much of the front wall as possible, you don't want anything coming from your front stage that isn't supposed to be there. If that blue curtain over the sliding door is somewhat absorptive, match that absorption on the opposite wall, once again, with the goal of keeping the room as acoustically symmetrical as possible.


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## robsong (Apr 3, 2010)

Do you think I need to keep my two fronts toe in. I was thinking about adding bass traps to the corners in the front.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

No hard and fast rule on Toe-in, there are a lot of factors. Experimentation, measurement, or a combination of both is all you can do.

I personally think that, regardless of off-axis speaker response, toe-in is always a good idea. Especially with minimal absorption on the side walls. People experiment with aiming tweeters directly at the listening position (my go to), aiming in front of the listener, behind, and perpendicular to the front wall. Find a friend to help you with positioning and trust your ears.


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## robsong (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm going to put bass traps on bottom front two corners. Should I put broadband absorption behind the center channel along the whole wall and sides. On the corners how high should I go with the bass traps. The other side wall I'll put broadband absorption and how many. What about the coffee table keep or remove.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

It's all a question of how much effort/cost vs. return. If you're the no holds barred type, then yes, 2" over the entire front wall including behind all the speakers would be ideal, as would bass trap all the way to the ceiling. I heard it often quoted, and never met with much resistance, that there is no such thing as too much bass-trapping (mid-high reflective, low-absorptive).

For the opposite wall, once again, it depends on your acoustic symmetry. I'd go for a heavy curtain designed to be acoustically absorptive over the door and 1" on the opposite wall to balance it out, though I guess just hanging the same curtain on the opposite wall would be ideal.

For the coffee table, anything reflective should go. It looks like you have a covering over it though which will help, and I understand the need to have somewhere to put your drinks/food. End tables would be preferable though.


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