Help with HUGE room treatments

jcsprankle

jcsprankle

Audioholic
Hi all. I'm planning the upgrade of my home theater system and I've started thinking about room treatments. Attached is a floorplan drawing of the room where my system must sit.

The TV will rest against the wall at the top of the drawing, just left of the window. I currently have in-ceiling rears about 2/3 of the way back from the top wall. I am concerned because there is really no back wall. The space is open to the kitchen, breakfast area, and hallway into the foyer.

You can see my current setup in my sig. I plan on upgrading my mains and center with Axiom M60s or Paradigm Monitor 11s. I will also be upgrading the receiver to either a Denon 3806 or Yammy 2600.

The family room is all carpet and the kitchen, breakfast area, and foyer are all ceramic tile.

Any suggestions on how I can make the room sound as good as possible?

FamilyRoom.jpg
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
jcsprankle said:
Hi all. I'm planning the upgrade of my home theater system and I've started thinking about room treatments. Attached is a floorplan drawing of the room where my system must sit.

The TV will rest against the wall at the top of the drawing, just left of the window. I currently have in-ceiling rears about 2/3 of the way back from the top wall. I am concerned because there is really no back wall. The space is open to the kitchen, breakfast area, and hallway into the foyer.

You can see my current setup in my sig. I plan on upgrading my mains and center with Axiom M60s or Paradigm Monitor 11s. I will also be upgrading the receiver to either a Denon 3806 or Yammy 2600.

The family room is all carpet and the kitchen, breakfast area, and foyer are all ceramic tile.

Any suggestions on how I can make the room sound as good as possible?

View attachment 2854
You have a big room, multi purpose. I don't see too much without alienating everyone. But, the carpet is a huge plus. the tile areas should not be an issue in this case. Some acoustic treatments behind the speakers up front and the the side walls on on either side, between the fire place and the upper wall and the opposite wall, if possible. Not sure what or how much you want to do the ceiling at that same locations, near the speakers.
 
jcsprankle

jcsprankle

Audioholic
mtrycrafts said:
Some acoustic treatments behind the speakers up front and the the side walls on on either side, between the fire place and the upper wall and the opposite wall, if possible. Not sure what or how much you want to do the ceiling at that same locations, near the speakers.
If this for reducing reflections from the main speakers? I've been an audio/video lover for quite some time but I'm relatively new to room treatments.
 
J

Johnd

Audioholic Samurai
Reflection may be part of the problem. You did not post any measurements. From the looks of your floor plan, the space is HUGE! Worse if you have cathedral or 9'+ ceilings. It's just not an acoustical room...it looks so big. It's like being outside. I'd go big with the speakers as well. The M60's or Monitor 11's are a good starting point to "fill" that space with sound.
 

Buckle-meister

Audioholic Field Marshall
Eh?

mtrycrafts said:
...the carpet is a huge plus...
It is? The sheer area of carpet'll absorb a significant amount of the upper frequencies without impacting upon the lower, tending to make the room sound overly muted which isn't what anyone wants. Better to have a bare floor with strategically placed rugs to tackle early reflections whilst retaining a live sound.
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
Buckle-meister said:
It is? The sheer area of carpet'll absorb a significant amount of the upper frequencies without impacting upon the lower, tending to make the room sound overly muted which isn't what anyone wants. Better to have a bare floor with strategically placed rugs to tackle early reflections whilst retaining a live sound.

He has enough reflective surfaces that it will be far from being muted.
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
jcsprankle said:
If this for reducing reflections from the main speakers? I've been an audio/video lover for quite some time but I'm relatively new to room treatments.

Yes, for those early reflection points. You could tell where by sitting in your listening position and a helper with a big enough mirror goes around those areas and when you can see the speakers, that is where you would use the absorbers. Part of a live-end, behind the listener and dead-end in front, around the speakers.
 
Rock&Roll Ninja

Rock&Roll Ninja

Audioholic Field Marshall
Welcome to the hell of "bad room design". No matter what you do, it will always be a sub-optimal room. I'm sorry, and I feel your pain, I have a similarly designed bad room (similar in "bad", the designs are faily different).

For best results you'll seriosuly want to consider building a basement or garage surround-sound room. It may seem like a crule joke after spending tens of thousands (or hundreds in Cali.) on a house, but they obviously aren't designed for proper TV usage. Or you could take-up collecting headphones.
 
jcsprankle

jcsprankle

Audioholic
Rock&Roll Ninja said:
For best results you'll seriosuly want to consider building a basement or garage surround-sound room. It may seem like a crule joke after spending tens of thousands (or hundreds in Cali.) on a house, but they obviously aren't designed for proper TV usage. Or you could take-up collecting headphones.
I was reaching this same conclusion. Unfortunately, this will have to wait until my next house I suppose. I live in Houston and there are no basements (water table too high). My garage is out too as that is my work area (maybe we'll even park a car in it one day :cool: ) so the only place for the HT is this room.

I can investigate the use of absorbing materials at the early reflections points but it sounds like that will be of minimal benefit to me. Unless I build a wall between the family room and the kitchen ("yeah, right", my wife says), I'll have to live with it.

This will be one of the items on my growing list for my next home. Thanks everyone!
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
jcsprankle said:
I can investigate the use of absorbing materials at the early reflections points but it sounds like that will be of minimal benefit to me. Unless I build a wall between the family room and the kitchen ("yeah, right", my wife says), I'll have to live with it.

I am sure you can do some nice looking panels that will double as a picture, or something theaters have on walls?
You don't have much other choices.
 

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