"First reflection"...what it means, why it's important, how to find it

Yes - and in a round about way that thread lead me to this one ... and got me to thinking about my ongoing frustration with this room.

On the other hand... "First World Problems" - right?

Also - didn't mean to hi-jack this thread... :D

Thanks again

You ever make any progress with this...or did the little Pioneers create a distraction? :thmbsp:
 
Wow... I was actually referencing this thread for another one... and realized I never answered you.

Nope - have not done anything with that at all - Life gets in the way as you know.

We're probably going to sell the house soon - so all my tinkering is non-room related at the moment.
 
What do you do when your speakers are folded back loaded corner horns?

I am sure that reflection points can be addressed, but what about bass traps?

028_zps00211d9b.jpg
 
^^^
And don't forget the corners formed by the front wall, side walls and ceiling....lot's of LF loading up there. So though you can't go floor to ceiling in the front corners, you can go half-way up the wall to the ceiling. Oh, and though I haven't tried them, I hear soffit traps (located where the wall and ceiling meet) yield excellent results.

http://gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-soffit-bass-trap/

They're ridiculously easy and affordable to make from cardboard boxes and pink fluffy insulation. I have them in four corners (floor to ceiling) where I can't put superchunks (room has five corners) and they worked like a charm.
 
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Hey Tomlinmgt!

Just wanted to say thanks! I recognize the picture with your beautiful dog and had to let you know your info really helped me out a few months ago when I was researching reflections.
 
So I was researching acoustic panels and came across this thread. I have been thinking about some Auralex paneling and would like to know what you guys think about my current treatments vs Auralex. Cosmetics not so important as function since this is my dedicated listening room(10.5'X13.5' 8'celing). All my current treatment cost me around $20 USD and time. For the walls I have 12"x12" egg crates and mattress topper foam and for the ceiling I have 18"x18" carpet tiles and egg crates covered in 500count cotton sheet material.
 

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Mattress topper and egg crate foam are closed cell, meaning sound cannot make its way inside the foam and be absorbed. Auralex and other acoustic foams are open cell and will work much better. Auralex is an expensive brand name; there are generic versions that are much cheaper.
 
What does the rev think about this method?
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U8C4mcleE5U

That's a good method, but if you hang a nested panel (absorption medium inside the frame) on the wall you're compromising its performance. Some airspace between the wall and the panel increases absorption in the mid and upper bass region. A non-nested panel is built like this...

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=445703

....and when hung on the wall still provides some airspace between the wall and absorption medium. Ideally there should be 12-18" of airspace between the panel and wall. The construction method in the video is great if you can get it off the wall....like on stands.
 
This seems like a good rule of thumb, but don't different speakers have different dispersion patterns? The mirror method would say every speaker will reflect at the same point, but different drivers and box designs will throw narrower or wider sound fields, and therefore reflect at spots closer to or further away from the listener.

Different dispersion pattern speakers don't change reflection points on walls, floor, and ceiling. However, they change the quantity and quality of reflected sounds. The directional speakers are much less dependent from acoustic situation of the room. The directional speaker sounds much more focused and controllable than wide dispersion speakers.

Usually, directional speakers are horn speakers with soundwave guides. The physical energy of sound is dissipated and disappeared when the sound hits the soundwave guide. Acoustic energy bounces from soundwave guide which is 1st reflection point. Walls and ceiling are 2nd reflection points. (**The acoustic energy becomes 1/2 when it bounces.) So, sounds of 2nd reflection points from walls has very little influence to the sound listener hears and they are easy to control.

Many directional speakers offer only high freq soundwave guide. This will make unbalance between high, mid, and low freq. Those bring a headache, tiredness, and “listener fatigue" quickly. Be sure to find perfect balanced directional speakers such as Wavetouch GT speaker. Wavetouch GT spkr INFO

Wavetouch / AK vendor
 
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Directionality is still very frequency dependent. Music spans a frequency range that includes both highly directional frequencies and almost completely non-directional frequencies. The type of speaker can't change that.

I don't understand what you mean by "2nd reflection." That's not a term I've encountered before.
 
Different dispersion pattern speakers don't change reflection points on walls, floor, and ceiling.
Wavetouch / AK vendor

Sure they do. Surely you're familiar with the cardiod horizontal dispersion and practically nonexistent vertical dispersion of a line source dipole.
 
Sure they do. Surely you're familiar with the cardiod horizontal dispersion and practically nonexistent vertical dispersion of a line source dipole.
I can see how that would change the amplitude, but to assuage my own curiosity, the actual reflection point would remain the same, correct? Do you forgo the mirror technique with different dispersion types and have to figure out a different 1st reflection point location in a different way?
 
Unless the speaker somehow puts English on the sound wave, the reflection point will be the same for any sound source.
 
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