Newbie question re: AV Receiver eliminating echo in room

[mbmast]

Hi. I just removed the acoustic ceilings from every room in my house and I also replaced all carpets with hard wood floors. Very nice, but the room in which I want to put my HT echoes a lot (lot, lot, lot, ...). I have no idea which AV receiver I'm going with, but the room is wired for 5.1 (not 7.1). I know there are plenty of AV receivers that come with a microphone whose purpose is to automatically adjust the surround settings, but do any of these AV receivers cancel unwanted echo in the room?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[mazersteven]

Hi. I just removed the acoustic ceilings from every room in my house and I also replaced all carpets with hard wood floors. Very nice, but the room in which I want to put my HT echoes a lot (lot, lot, lot, ...). I have no idea which AV receiver I'm going with, but the room is wired for 5.1 (not 7.1). I know there are plenty of AV receivers that come with a microphone whose purpose is to automatically adjust the surround settings, but do any of these AV receivers cancel unwanted echo in the room?

Thanks,

Mike

A receiver will not fix the echo problem.

Acoustic treatments will help and or fix this problem.

www.realtraps.com

 

[majorloser]

Accoustic Room Treatments

There are many companies that manufacture accoustic panels and room treatments. They are really not expensive and will do wonders for any room. A well treated room can make even inexpensive speakers sound great.

Here's a couple of reviews:
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/realtraps
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/gik-acoustics-244-absorption-panel-review
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/ready-acoustics-chameleon-bass-trap
http://www.audioholics.com/education/acoustics-principles/room-acoustics-acoustic-treatments
http://www.audioholics.com/education/acoustics-principles/getting-the-right-acoustics-for-your-listening-room

There are also many other things that can help the room. Some things as simple as throw rugs and carpet over the floor. Heavy curtains over windows can also help. Even a heavy carpet hung on the wall will act as an accoustic panel. Read the above articles and do some research on the forum. You find many write-ups from members using accoustic treatments and some who have made their own.

BTW: Welcome to Audioholics

 

[Davemcc]

My room is unlistenable without room treatment. I've made my own panels and the improvement is amazing. It doesn't have to be expensive, although the GIK panels are selling for almost what it would cost to build yourself.

 

[fmw]

You learned a good lesson and that is that room acoustics are by far the most important element in an audio system.

But take your time. Spend some time getting used to the added reverberation caused by the room. You may find that it really is better than what you had before. If you go to a concert hall with good acoustics you will see that these halls have quite a bit of reverberation. That is part of good acoustics. If, after giving it some time, you still want to reduce the reverb, then you dig into some treatments as others have mentioned.

My home theater is in a good sized wood floored room and it sounds spectacular and alive. My 2 channel stereo system is in a small, carpeted room that is quite dead acoustically. I listen near field. It is a little like listening with headphones without the binaural effect. There aren't any speakers made that can make that room sound better than the room in which I have my HT. I had some B&W Matrix 802 speakers in it for a while. Great speakers but a complete waste in that room.

Patience. Let yourself become really familiar with the reverb before you change anything.

 

[Warpdrv]

I agree.... a live room doesn't have to be completely tamed. A few treatments helped my room with a drastic improvement.... I have heard rooms that were totally dead, and I didn't care for it.

Before I put furniture and a few panels my room was a echo chamber with high ceilings, tons of drywall, and wood floors.... area rugs, acoustic panels, plants and other things can be a great improvement...

 

[mbmast]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'll give it a try first and then worry about echo if it actually is an issue. I thought these AV receivers with all their DSP capabilities would have supported echo cancellation to some extent. Seems to me to be a feature almost everyone would want.

Mike.

 

[mazersteven]

Seems to me to be a feature almost everyone would want.

Mike.

We just might be talking to the next multi-millionaire. Just remember me when you patent it.