The radial arm saw has come to be an invaluable tool for Chariot updates and rekindled my desire to have access to a complete maintenance shop. I spent the last 8 months converting my garage into a very versatile work center. I built, among other things, diffusers for the Chariot.
I posted about the P1312 diffuser build here.
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1607031346Since the build, the forty P1312's were stacked flat(live edge serving no purpose but stability) on a side wall of the Chariot.
I received over a hundred LPs from my son-in-law this past spring and got the urge to give the vinyl a whirl. After about going through half of the albums, it dawned on me to make use of the diffusers to see if there is an ultimate position in placement. I proceeded over the last month positioning the diffusers at various locations in the room. It turns out that some placements had little effect on the sound while others profound. This exercise gave me more insight on the workings of the room with sound.
The construction of the walls in the Chariot aids in the softness of the room except the front wall which is backed by concrete block. The ceiling for the most part aids to the warmth except the middle third which has metal duct work above. The concrete floor with thin carpet and pad adds to the hardness of the room.
The placement of eight 1312s flanking the first side reflections toward the sweet spot increased intimacy with vocals and broadens the sound stage somewhat. This placement also added detail for the high end of the home theater system.
Stacking the remaining thirty two 1312's two feet out from the front wall basically did nothing. Maybe increased the sound stage a little.
![](https://i.ibb.co/2kpC8KM/20210107-074409.jpg)
Moving the diffusers onto the floor in the area below the ceiling created more mid/low bass to the point of not needing sub augmentation with the Jordan speakers. This also made more apparent the transmission line configuration of the speaker system which reinforced my desire of moving to open baffle.
![](https://i.ibb.co/bWcmHLw/20210107-074526.jpg)
Moving six diffusers from the floor to directly behind the sweet spot was the most profound to date! This increased the soundstage wide and far. Detail increased to the point of unveiling information. For example, Holly Cole's version of "The Tennessee Waltz" on the "Don't Smoke In Bed" CD always struck me having a flaw about a minute into the track. Where she sings "my friend". Turns out after my placement of the 1312s, the phrase is a second dub of her singing at a slight delay. Maybe still a flaw or her heated subconscious of the situation.
![](https://i.ibb.co/0t5vqLN/20210107-074224.jpg)
The use of the 1312s is giving me great insight of the workings of the Chariot. I am now formulating a plan to completely finish the sound treatment of the room using mostly materials laying around. Including shavings from planing oak! Stay tuned.
Comments?
John