Great insight into what it takes to go from 'good' sound in a room to 'as good as it can get' in a room.
Very dependent on the room and the exact needs of that room. Figuring that out is half the battle I would assume. Takes a very thorough understanding to get it right. That is my goal here, to help advance the understanding which just may motivate those who want the best experience possible in their audio rooms.
When you factor in that an audio room is responsible for at least half of what you hear in your music, it should be a top priority when obviously people are concerned about how good their equipment sounds to them. That will either be a positive influence reinforced by the room itself, or a very bad influence which will falsely lead one to believe that the equipment is subpar. Nothing else could be further from the truth concerning the latter in most cases.
It all comes down to one very simple and honest conclusion. If you understand that a bad acoustic environment is going to make your system sound just as bad, then why would one continue to listen in that environment, ignoring the reality of the core problem, and just keep looking for more expensive upgrades to the equipment instead? There is an extreme lack of rationale there, completely void of logic.
I believe that what it takes, is to lead by example, and prove just how critical the room's influence is, and why it is so very important to make room acoustics top priority if one truly wants to experience what a good system can actually reveal.
There is absolutely zero doubt in my mind that if I allowed some of these individuals who ignore acoustics as something to consider, to listen in my room now ( and that includes using their own equipment if they like), this would be the very thing that would motivate a change in their own direction concerning acoustics. It would truly become a revelation within their understanding. We all know that experience makes everything crystal clear and absolute.
What I would expect to hear from them would be comments such as:
"I just can't believe what I am not only hearing, but actually feeling in this room"....and perhaps,"
I had no idea that my system could sound this great! I am hearing vast amounts of detail , clarity, and separation within the music that I never knew existed". Or perhaps another likely comment would be, "
The room itself just seems to be so much larger, that it is as if the room didn't even exist. The spatial qualities are at a level which goes way beyond the imagination. And finally, one may comment in a final conclusion that with this new experience,
it would become very difficult to go back and listen to the system in a poor acoustic environment as before.And of course, I like to see someone take a look around the room, as if
searching for phantom sources of sound projection, not only wide to the sides, but extended way beyond from behind the listening position. That is what real holographic imagery is all about. You will never experience the reality of this openness with bad room acoustics, that is the cold hard fact! You might think that you are, but just one listen in a well balanced audio room, and you will quickly understand the difference. Once that you have, it is very doubtful that you would want to return to a substandard alternative when it can be avoided.
Oh, and did I mention the quality and magnitude of low frequency information which suddenly just reveals itself at levels of pure amazement? No, but you would marvel at what transpires in this regard once the room acoustics are within balance.
The effect of room modes absolutely destroys the quality of music perception! The degree of well defined accurate bass response is one thing that you will gain in a very significant manner. If you lack bass in your music, then perhaps you might want to do something about it. If you are swimming in a space full of frequency cancellations and bloating due to peaks and nulls, (and I can almost guarantee this is your situation in a smaller room), there is only one thing that can correct this. I am showing how this is done. Either believe in the paramount foundation of acoustic control in which will grant you the very thing you are searching for, or just flat out ignore it. You are the one to benefit from this, not me.
Now it is understood that some people simply can't modify their listening room due to certain circumstances. It is also understood that people do not want to accept that room acoustics could possibly make enough difference to make it worth their time. Really doesn't matter what the case is, acoustics matter more than anything else. If you are going to keep investing thousands in upgrades to the system in hope that somehow this will fix everything, well, that is going to be a very long and disappointing journey.
Words simply can not justify how critical this is, and no matter what I say here, it will never have the impact as a game changer that a live listening experience will most definitely convey.
Just because someone thinks they have treated a room good enough, one has to ask, was it the right choice to correct what actually needed attention, or perhaps, could this have actually had a negative impact on acoustics rather than doing what was expected? One of the biggest mistakes people make out of ignorance to the science of acoustics, is to overuse absorption tactics without the strict compliance of keeping the room ambience alive with the proper degree of reflection, and the correct use of diffusion techniques.
Yes, you are very correct, it does take a great deal of experience and knowledge to make acoustics work well in the audio room. The end result is a direct reflection of what these acoustic measures actually are. Just because someone throws thousands of dollars into various acoustic devices, then haphazardly places them around the room, does that guarantee a perfect outcome? I doubt it, not unless these devices were well planned and created precisely to counter the problems at hand. No two rooms are the same. Each and every listening room have their own particular unique problems. What works well in one particular situation does not necessarily become the thing to do in another situation.
Large listening spaces require completely different measures than what small audio rooms must undergo to be worthwhile. It is far more difficult to make a smaller room sound as good as a larger room, especially when that larger space is built with ideal dimensions which conform to the golden ratio aspect. There is a proper tool for every job. You don't use a screwdriver to remove a bolt! Every situation requires a targeted approach in order to identify the actual problem, and what it actually takes to correct that problem. I make this very clear concerning diffusion techniques. Prime number quadratic residue diffusers are the first choice in a large space. They are a poor choice in a small room. The design of binary diffusion tactics was developed as an improved alternative to use in smaller rooms. If you truly understand the science behind these designs, then there will be absolutely no doubt as to the reality of this proof.
If you can afford to invest that much money in acoustic products which are completely overpriced for what they actually are, then great, that is the easy route. At least you are doing something about a very bad situation. But for those on a budget who just can't spend endless amounts of cash on toys, but simply want a cost effective way to solve their acoustic problems, then the d.i.y approach makes perfect sense.
Sure, not everyone has a shop or the tools to get this done, but most people have friends that will help them do this at a reasonable cost. And of course, there are those that simply do not want to build these devices. Sure, there are many reasons to buy from a commercial outlet, but that comes at a huge price! You may not be able to get that premium device which would be perfect for your situation, but you can still compromise and come up with a lesser form of rectification which fits your means respectively. For the actual investment, if you are armed with the proper degree of knowledge, and posses the ability to create these designs yourself, then you are going to get a much greater return on your investment when you compare how much more you can get for a fraction of the price. If that is not a factor of concern, then by all means, go retail. Just make sure you actually know what you are buying and that this is the proper choice for your needs.
If you buy the wrong devices, you are in for a very expensive lesson in failure. Just remember, a snake oil salesman will sell you anything that will be the "cure all" for your needs according to his sales pitch. He has something to gain from convincing you to part with your money. Someone who gives advice from a logical approach, yet has zero expectation of profit, is most likely the direction which will guide you to success. This source of advice usually stems from honesty and experience.
It is very difficult to get things exactly as they should be. So naturally, it is expected that mistakes will be made, and changes will be required. When you have very little investment in a failure, it is easy to overcome. It is hard to rationalize failure when the cost factor becomes a devastating reminder of how true this really is.
That is something to strongly consider.
Your comments here reinforce exactly what I just covered. I just expanded upon the very things that you indicated.
Whatever choice you make concerning acoustics, just do your homework and get an A on the final exam!
And of course, there is plenty more to come here.