Tweakers' Asylum Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ.

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Re: Absorption/Diffusion...?

Posted by David Aiken (A) on October 25, 2006 at 00:25:23

In Reply to: Absorption/Diffusion...? posted by tpcarter on October 24, 2006 at 23:30:46:

Without having any experience with Echobusters or your room, I'll try some general comments:

>>1) Would using EchoBuster's CornerBusters AND NOTHING ELSE have a significant impact?<<

Bass trapping will always have an impact. Whether or not it's significant depends on how much you use and how effective the traps are. I get very useful benefit from DIY trapping in 2 corners of my room but traps in all corners would definitely be better. Floor to ceiling definitely works better than half height.

>>2) If I were to put something on the wall behind the listening position, what would be the differences between diffusion/absorption panels and solely absorption?<<

Diffusion takes space in which to develop. The closer you are to a diffuser, the less chance the reflected sound has had to scatter and also the more concentrated it is, therefore the effect as you get closer to a diffuser is like getting closer to a reflective surface. 2'-3' is not enough space in which to develop diffusion.

Diffusion also produces different effects to absorption. Diffusion is a reflective process whereas absorption is absorptive. Reducing the early reflection from the rear wall may very well help the sound (see next comment re live end/dead end) and both absorption and diffusion can do that, but absorption won't do it in 2'-3-. You would need to be further away for diffusion to help if this is what you are trying to do. Absorption is the only option for effectively reducing reflection strength if the wall is close to the listening position.

There are 2 approaches to having a live end/dead end room. The original approach, developed in recording studios, places the dead or absorptive end behind the speakers and the live end behind the listener. This tends to give precise imaging and to help if you're trying to hear exactly what's going on in the mix, which is what recording engineers want. Many people, such as those at Rives Acoustics, recommend that the live end be behind the speakers and the dead end behind the listener. This helps develop the sound at the front of the room and provide a less detailed soundstage. I think there is a listening preference involved here and that neither approach is inherently superior for music listening, but individual listeners will definitely prefer one or the other.

If you are someone who will prefer the dead end behind you, placing absorption behind you will definitely be preferable. If you prefer the live end behind you, you may have a preference for diffusion behind you, but the difference between diffusion and a bare wall may be very slight due to your proximity to the wall, and the performance of the diffusors you use will be critical. It is possible that some diffusors may make it worse for you.

3) What about placing aborption or diffusion/absorption panels behind the speakers?

See comments above re live end/dead end. Whether or not you like one or the other is going to be partly a matter of your own personal listening preferences and partly determined by the effectiveness of the absorption or diffusion and the distance between it and you.

4) The only other options I have are the quarter round BassBuster in the corner to the right of the listening position and/or one in the corner near the REL.

See initial comments about the effectiveness of bass trapping.

David Aiken

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