# Less than ideal distance to wall behind me -> diffuse or absorb



## bennorz (Aug 9, 2014)

Hey HT shack,

I'm forced to listen in a less than perfect position. The rear wall is only ~4' behind my ears.

Usually I would diffuse the area behind me, but since 4' (or even 5') isn't enough distance for effective diffusion, I thought it might be better to use some 8" broadband absorbers instead.


Am I right on this or is there anything else I can do?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

How far you sit from a diffuser is dependent on the lowest frequency at which the diffuser will function. 4 ft is a tad close for something that is say 6" thick but borderline. Also, those 'restrictions' tend to only really be a huge impact for typical well type diffusers. Polycylindrical types do not suffer from the odd phasey issues that the well types do and you can sit closer.


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## bennorz (Aug 9, 2014)

Thanks for the reply, Bryan.

So somethink like GIK's Evo Polyfuser would be my best bet? (With the additional advantage of diffusing AND absorbing)


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Yes - exactly. Some bass control and diffusion over a wider range than a well type.


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## Babak (Mar 20, 2009)

Hi 

I think 4-5 feet should work for diffusors.
On the back that distance is less critical than from the side as our hearing is worse at extracting details from sound that is coming from the back than from sind2 coming from the front orne sides. 

That distance also delays the reflections enough so they do not interfere with the first wave front (Precedence Effect) 

I would not recommend using absorbers in the back. 
That makes the sound flat. 

A good diffusor is a book shelve with the books arranged irregularly at the front edge of the shelves and with about 4 inches distance between the top of the books and the shelve above.

Cheers


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