# Room Treatment Odyssey



## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

I Completed my basement home theater some months ago. It is a dedicated space with a front projector and a 119" screen, and took me 9 months to complete. I am now proceeding with room treatments from GIK acoustics, with Brian Pape's kind assistance. I'm doing it in stages, and have installed the front corner bass traps, and I thought it might be useful to others to report my impressions as the the project unfolds.
I am greatly impressed with the results to this point. The bass is tighter, more even, more nuanced and more powerful. I thought it might mainly effect low bass, but it seems better across the board. It's amazing how much this has added to the theatrical experience in my space. Yes, I spent $600 thus far, but no component upgrade has done as much for me. I will continue to report my impressions with each addition. Next, I'll be installing a trap in the rear corner (the remaining corner opens into the snack area in an abbreviated "L" and doesn't require trapping) and will report my findings. Hope others find this useful.

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## Talley (Dec 8, 2010)

Good acoustics demand expert assistance and $. Seems like your on the right track for both lol.

Keep it up, you'll have an amazing sounding system before too long.


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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

Thanks for the encouragement! Looking forward to further improvements.

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## jb5200 (Aug 20, 2010)

Cool,

I am at that stage in my room right now and want to find out more about how to go about it. I would also have to do it in stages b/c I spent all of my budget on new equip. - speakers, prepro, amp, cable, etc.


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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

jb5200 said:


> Cool, I am at that stage in my room right now and want to find out more about how to go about it. I would also have to do it in stages b/c I spent all of my budget on new equip. - speakers, prepro, amp, cable, etc.


 I would contact GIK, they offer a free room analysis and offer some of the lowest prices on effective treatments. I started with the front corners, because that can have the greatest impact. You'll want to go floor to ceiling (2 traps each corner,around 4 ft each, the top trap had to be custom trimmed on mine, because my ceilings are just short of 7 feet). Best of luck!

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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

There is allot of great information on this site that will allow you to build your own treatments. Purchasing treatments can get expensive & you can get great results with DIY.

Just me 2 cents


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

vidiot33 said:


> I Completed my basement home theater some months ago. It is a dedicated space with a front projector and a 119" screen, and took me 9 months to complete. I am now proceeding with room treatments from GIK acoustics, with Brian Pape's kind assistance. I'm doing it in stages, and have installed the front corner bass traps, and I thought it might be useful to others to report my impressions as the the project unfolds. I am greatly impressed with the results to this point. The bass is tighter, more even, more nuanced and more powerful. I thought it might mainly effect low bass, but it seems better across the board. It's amazing how much this has added to the theatrical experience in my space. Yes, I spent $600 thus far, but no component upgrade has done as much for me. I will continue to report my impressions with each addition. Next, I'll be installing a trap in the rear corner (the remaining corner opens into the snack area in an abbreviated "L" and doesn't require trapping) and will report my findings. Hope others find this useful. Sent from my iPhone using HTShack


Quite the effort, congrats! As for acoustics, you already know you're in good hands. Here's wishing you the best, and really looking forward to your progress!

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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

Thanks for the kind words. Room treatments are an under appreciated aspect of good theater sound. Too many enthusiasts chase after better sound through expensive new components and exotic wire, while largely ignoring the huge role the room plays in sound reproduction. Many simply trust that Audyssey will correct for everything, which it cannot possibly do. I get that many have limitations with budgets and spouses, etc, but for those who want to optimize their space, they should be considering room treatments.

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## mpednault (Dec 20, 2012)

That's encouraging to read your impressions on the improvements the corner traps have made. I plan on doing all for corners of my room and then do more prescriptive treatments for the rest of the space. I've got DIY movie theater poster panels I'm building for first reflections too. I'm curious if it's worth it to hang a panel on the ceiling. Wonder why you don't see a lot of that done?


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

mpednault said:


> That's encouraging to read your impressions on the improvements the corner traps have made. I plan on doing all for corners of my room and then do more prescriptive treatments for the rest of the space. I've got DIY movie theater poster panels I'm building for first reflections too. I'm curious if it's worth it to hang a panel on the ceiling. Wonder why you don't see a lot of that done?


Upper frequency drivers " beam" more than woofers do. With typical speaker positioning, the " beam" pattern is most likely to reflect off the walls before the ceiling. Smearing effects from ceiling reflections are not as pronounced, especially with stucco patterns which naturally diffract sound.

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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

mpednault said:


> That's encouraging to read your impressions on the improvements the corner traps have made. I plan on doing all for corners of my room and then do more prescriptive treatments for the rest of the space. I've got DIY movie theater poster panels I'm building for first reflections too. I'm curious if it's worth it to hang a panel on the ceiling. Wonder why you don't see a lot of that done?


I think there is a benefit to hanging ceiling panels directly over the listening position. But that's also where the Dolby Atmos speakers are supposed to go, so I'm going to consult with Bryan about this and see if it would work in my space. The priority is the corners, but first reflection sides and the front and back of the room are also important.

Mon, 06 Apr 2015 12:06:29 GMT


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

vidiot33 said:


> I think there is a benefit to hanging ceiling panels directly over the listening position. But that's also where the Dolby Atmos speakers are supposed to go, so I'm going to consult with Bryan about this and see if it would work in my space. The priority is the corners, but first reflection sides and the front and back of the room are also important.
> 
> Mon, 06 Apr 2015 12:06:29 GMT


I'm guessing directly overhead, IF the panel is large enough to catch the first reflection point? Is there another reason for hanging the ceiling panel directly over the LP? Sorry if I'm splitting hairs on this. And yes, corners are the highest priority--floor to ceiling in the front corners first, then rear corners. For two channel listening, a bass trap centered between the speakers works wonders for soundstage depth. Few of us can fit that into our room layouts though.


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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

BlueRockinLou said:


> I'm guessing directly overhead, IF the panel is large enough to catch the first reflection point? Is there another reason for hanging the ceiling panel directly over the LP? Sorry if I'm splitting hairs on this. And yes, corners are the highest priority--floor to ceiling in the front corners first, then rear corners. For two channel listening, a bass trap centered between the speakers works wonders for soundstage depth. Few of us can fit that into our room layouts though.


I would check with GIK or Bryan about more specific information. There's also some YouTube videos that address this. The fact that you don't see overhead treatments used extensively speaks to the fact that they're not a game changer, but I'm going to consider them anyway.

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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

vidiot33 said:


> I would check with GIK or Bryan about more specific information. There's also some YouTube videos that address this. The fact that you don't see overhead treatments used extensively speaks to the fact that they're not a game changer, but I'm going to consider them anyway.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using HTShack


The *GIK site* does have a wealth of info on this page and this page; so much it's easy to get derailed! Thanks, I'll be sure to check it out. And to take the ceiling panel issue a little further, I'd recommended crossing i's and dotting t's before hanging. Probably goes without saying, but nobody wants to move them once they're up.


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## mpednault (Dec 20, 2012)

Brian is certainly a great resource person to have here on HTS. He answered some of my questions early on in my build even though I was DIYing all of my treatments. It just goes to show that he's passionate about his work and the field of audio in general. Working with someone like that, you know you're getting a great product and end results because of his dedication to the "hobby".


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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

Phase 2 is now complete, though it was a relatively minor addition. I added a third bass trap to the rear right corner, and at Bryan's suggestion, added the range limiter. It's not a night and day difference, but the bass especially does seems somewhat tauter and more uniform. All in all, it's as though the bass has taken on an organic, living, energetic quality that vibrates within your gut: I really like this visceral connection to the movies, and judging from all the interest in subwoofers, I'm not the only one.

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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

Since I was fortunate enough to win the $750 GIK/HTS giveaway, I can now resume the treatment odyssey. Many thanks to GIK and HTS! I used the credit to get 6 244 panels for the sidewalls and a stack of 2 Tri Traps for the far left corner. I received them Monday, and mounted them earlier today. I used the mirror technique on the walls, which was surprisingly time consuming. Mounting the panels was fairly straightforward, and I arranged them at ear level and centered over where the front 3 speakers came into view from the listening position. Tomorrow I will recalibrate all the speakers and the 2 subwoofers with the DS Peaker software.
I will then watch Iron Man or Tron, or something bass heavy and report my findings. I attached some pix of the corner bass trap, the 2 sidewalls where the 244's are mounted, and a view of the theater from the front. This is exciting stuff!

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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

Doesn't seem to be any interest in this topic, but if anyone would care to respond to this thread, I'd be happy to report the differences these new room treatments made.

post_username


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

vidiot33 said:


> I think there is a benefit to hanging ceiling panels directly over the listening position. But that's also where the Dolby Atmos speakers are supposed to go, so I'm going to consult with Bryan about this and see if it would work in my space. The priority is the corners, but first reflection sides and the front and back of the room are also important.
> 
> Mon, 06 Apr 2015 12:06:29 GMT


in our HT I did first reflection sound panels on the ceiling, and i lined them up with my side panels. We went about a foot from the side walls with the panels. I am thinking of covering the whole ceiling with empty panels, and down the road conceal Atmos/DTS-Xx speakers in them.


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## vidiot33 (Dec 12, 2013)

ellisr63 said:


> in our HT I did first reflection sound panels on the ceiling, and i lined them up with my side panels. We went about a foot from the side walls with the panels. I am thinking of covering the whole ceiling with empty panels, and down the road conceal Atmos/DTS-Xx speakers in them.


 Bryan nixed ceiling panels in my space, I believe because my ceiling is only slightly more than 7 feet in height. Obviously if your ceiling height can support them, it could well be worth doing.

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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

vidiot33 said:


> Bryan nixed ceiling panels in my space, I believe because my ceiling is only slightly more than 7 feet in height. Obviously if your ceiling height can support them, it could well be worth doing.
> 
> <TTStyledTextFrame: 0x17d18680>


Bryan knows his stuff! Our room came out excellent too.:T:T


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