Auralex Metro Lenrds

[anamorphic96]

I have decided to go with the Auralex Metro Lenrds to take care of the bass issues in my room. Mainly due to cost and the fact I can walk three blocks to Guitar Center and pick them up.

However im not sure how many to start with and where to place them.

I have read the bass traps article here but it only suggests using traps in or near corners. It also states the more you use the tighter the bass gets. This is great but is there general rule on how many to start with. Should I use them in all corners or just the ones behind the speaker or the corners in front of the speakers ?

My room is 12' x 12' x 8'. I have the room mode calcualtor and think I understand where the problems are but im hoping someone can give me some more guidance on how to get started.

Thanks,
Glenn

 

[bpape]

Just understand that when you put 'soft' absorbtion in the corners, they're going to absorb EVERYTHING - not just bass. That's not a bad thing - just a fact that needs to be considered. You can play with location somewhat if you want. For instance, if you want to leave the primary height mode alone but deal more with the 2nd height but still do ALL of the length and width, you would put the absorbers half way up the wall in the front or rear corners.

Are you going to be mounting these across the corners or flat on a wall? You really probably won't go wrong with 1 in each front tri-corner for starters. You could probably use more but seeing as you're getting them locally, it's easy enough to get more. Realistically, you're probably OK doing all 4 tri-corners.

 

[Ethan Winer]

BP,

> Realistically, you're probably OK doing all 4 tri-corners. <

With dimensions of 12 by 12 by 8 he'll probably need a lot more absorption than just that. Especially at 47, 94, and 141 Hz where the modes overlap and reinforce each other.

--Ethan

 

[anamorphic96]

I probably should have added more detail. The wall in front of the speakers has my bed in one corner which I sit on the the end of to listen. The corner to my right has my computer desk.


Are you going to be mounting these across the corners or flat on a wall?

Not sure. I was thinking of using 4 traps up the left rear corner behind the left speaker. There is an efficiency kitchen on the right that is recessed into the wall which makes that rear corner diffiult. However I could get two traps mounted horizontal on the ceiling above the kitchen.

I was also thinking of using two traps above my computer in the right front corner and two more above my bed in the left corner. This would come out to a total of 10 traps. Will this be too much ?

Could you elaborate on what you mean by tri - corner.

I hope my added info makes sense. Please let me know if more detail is needed.

Thanks for the help fellas.

 

[bpape]

I agree Ethan - I just try to never jump right to hitting all the corners fully right off the bat without doing the calcs, knowing more about the rest of the room, etc.

 

[Ethan Winer]

BP,

> I just try to never jump right to hitting all the corners fully right off the bat without doing the calcs, knowing more about the rest of the room, etc. <

This is the crux of it. So in what situation would a room not need as much absorption as possible below, say, 300 Hz?

--Ethan

 

[anamorphic96]

That was helpful !!! I did give more info.

 

[Ethan Winer]

Ana,

> I did give more info. <

Sorry. To answer your specific quesiton, a tri-corner is where two walls and the ceiling all meet, or two walls and the floor. Corners are best for placing bass traps, and likewise tri-corners are also good. For the best results you'll want to treat all the corners and all the tri-corners. That's what I did in my living room / home theater, and the low end is extremely tight, clear, and full. Though I don't use foam.

--Ethan

 

[anamorphic96]

Thank You Ethan. My main reason for the Auralex is the price and location. At 30.00 each I can get a couple each pay day without affecting my pocket book to much. I'm sure there are better products and the Real Traps seem like something I will try in the future when I have to deal with the WAF.

Thanks again. I will post again when I get things in place. A technician I work with was just given the the Ivie RT 60 system for work and he is willing to come over and analyze my room which will help.

http://www.ivie.com/

 

[bpape]

Yes. The corners are the most efficient place.

As for when you might not want as much as possible below 300Hz, how about a room that has been done with Linacoustic or 703 along the entire permiter of the room up to ear level and batting above? In that case, SOFT absorbtion in all the remaining corners floor to ceiling MIGHT yield too much absorbtion ABOVE 300Hz where something like a panel trap would not. Like I said, without knowing specifically about the room, it's issues, surfaces, furnishings, usage, etc., it's hard to always say 'use as much as you can.'

For the poster, as I said previously, doing the 4 tri-corners (where the both walls and the ceiling meet), is likely not going to be too much but it WILL also absorb other frequencies rather than just bass. If you don't have a lot of other absorbtion in the room, it's not likely going to be a problem.

However, with a 12x12x8 room, there will be a lot of very strong overalp at certain frequencies as Ethan alluded to. In order to really tame those without overdoing other frequencies, soft absorbtion might not be the best overall answer for ALL of your bass trapping needs.

 

[anamorphic96]

The only other thing I have used is a Roominator kit from Auralex to help with the first reflection points and the wall in front of the speakers. This helped a good bit. Being the bass traps will absorb other frequencies this might help since I could use a little more in the upper frequencies.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Ethan Winer]

BP,

> how about a room that has been done with Linacoustic or 703 along the entire permiter of the room up to ear level and batting above? <

If someone called me with that dillema I'd suggest they remove at least half of the rigid fiberglass. And then put in as much bass trapping as possible.

--Ethan

 

[bpape]

Agreed. Unfortunately, many times in these forums, we don't get all the information up front. That's why I try to do it in stages rather than just jumping in whole hog.

Anamorphic,

Sounds like you've just already done the basics - nothing overkill. Have you looked at their ATOM-12 setup? You could certainly emulate that by doing a bit at a time.

Or, If you want to cut corners slightly, you can get just the LENRD's, mount them vertically in the front corners and use another at the intersection of front wall and ceiling at the midpoint - Same thing on the sides though depending on what you need, 1/3 points might be more appropriate.

 

[Ethan Winer]

BP,

> Agreed. Unfortunately, many times in these forums, we don't get all the information up front. That's why I try to do it in stages rather than just jumping in whole hog. <

I understand, and you and I don't really disagree much, if at all, on the basics.

--Ethan