71Challenger
Super Member
Think "Tapestries"... 
Listen Impossible: A Stone Cellar
- Thread starter jonnyz123
- Start date
Bingo! I have picked up some interested textiles at church sales and yard sales -Think "Tapestries"...
use some fishing link to sew through them and wrap around a dowel to use as hanging tapestries.
I even have a couple old mexican style blankets I hung on larger dowels for absorbtion panels ...
The right kind of woven artworks are always an interesting to way to break up hard wall surfaces -
doesn't HAVE to be velvet Elvis to make the room better - unless you just like them!
You can also get screen printed movie posters or artwork that can be the cover of absorption panels
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43483
Nice space BTW
Search for diy absorption panels- many ways to make them nice.
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43483
Nice space BTW
Search for diy absorption panels- many ways to make them nice.
The hard floor/ceiling and the brick/stone walls create an acoustically live environment with a long decay time for echo. You can verify this simply by clapping your hands. A reverberation time of a second or more is too long - typically a time of 0.6 sec is aimed for.
I am not sure exactly how you are thinking of arranging the listening position and the location of the loudspeakers. From the initial description and pictures, it looks like you aim to place them on one side of the brick arches and sit along that axis on the same side. Not sure about the dimensions of that section but it looks a bit narrow.
In general, what you want to do is have no early reflections, and that means you don't want the loudspeakers to energize the corners behind them or the wall you are looking at when looking at them. You also don't want to have reflections from the walls to the sides of the speakers.
You can achieve this with absorbing pads or by very heavy velour drapes. They will need to be placed around the wall behind and to the sides of the speakers. But they must not be straight, rather they need to be curled, like use 3ft of cloth for 1ft of running length, at least. That way they create a heavy barrier and absorb. You should also consider using diffusers, especially in the back wall from the listening position. The reflections from that wall would be diffused and generate a sense of spaciousness rather than cause modes to cancel or boom bass notes depending on where you stand or sit.
I am not sure exactly how you are thinking of arranging the listening position and the location of the loudspeakers. From the initial description and pictures, it looks like you aim to place them on one side of the brick arches and sit along that axis on the same side. Not sure about the dimensions of that section but it looks a bit narrow.
In general, what you want to do is have no early reflections, and that means you don't want the loudspeakers to energize the corners behind them or the wall you are looking at when looking at them. You also don't want to have reflections from the walls to the sides of the speakers.
You can achieve this with absorbing pads or by very heavy velour drapes. They will need to be placed around the wall behind and to the sides of the speakers. But they must not be straight, rather they need to be curled, like use 3ft of cloth for 1ft of running length, at least. That way they create a heavy barrier and absorb. You should also consider using diffusers, especially in the back wall from the listening position. The reflections from that wall would be diffused and generate a sense of spaciousness rather than cause modes to cancel or boom bass notes depending on where you stand or sit.
quiet
Addicted Member
I'm simple so I only see simple solutions. I see you sitting on the long white wall with that wall softly decorated to taste. Makes for bigger and better seating. Then the speakers moving around as needed in and out of the arches with the back side of the arches and the wall behind them decorated to soft taste as well. As a necessity I see the room containing the table being blocked off with a wall and door. Then light also done according to taste. I would not decorate the facing side of those beautiful arches. Now I see a great sounding drop dead gorgeous room with character to beat the band.
jonnyz123
Member
Thanks for the ideas! Luckily, I can pretty much green light this myself.
jonnyz123
Member
Thanks for the thoughts. I was thinking about possibly positioning the speakers within arches, but that would obstruct people walking around more than the position of the speakers shown in the photos, where people need to walk less often.
jonnyz123
Member
Very cool looking diffusor! I could not read the whole article without a subscription, but will try and search it out from another source. Thank you!
jonnyz123
Member
Awww. Thanks. It was the first project after moving in, and one of my favorite rooms. The rest of the house is more old-school wooden mouldings and that sort of detailing. Beautiful in their own way, but I like the rawness of the cellar.
jonnyz123
Member
Really helpful. Thank you! I was thinking curtains too for a while, but now I'm thinking DIY panels (painted by local artists) or cool looking carpets. I will be looking into some measuring equipment and software to get that reverb time. Any suggestions on doing that sort of thing on a budget?
El Pee
Super Member
Definitely a great looking space, I am jealous... my listening 'area' is a third of the kids' playroom behind a paper shoji screen... Funky artwork too.
I'd start by going to a home store and getting heavy drapes, hung on a track from the ceiling to cover the walls and area rungs on the floor. Maybe a diffuser in a corner or something soft hanging from the ceiling. Also, a big upholstered couch will be useful, for naps and sound-deadening...
I'd start by going to a home store and getting heavy drapes, hung on a track from the ceiling to cover the walls and area rungs on the floor. Maybe a diffuser in a corner or something soft hanging from the ceiling. Also, a big upholstered couch will be useful, for naps and sound-deadening...
@udi0$lave
New Member
My basement looks like something out of Silence Of The Lambs.
Fitero
Active Member
I lived in stone houses for years and suffered the same thing your are going through acoustically. My answer was to make Owens Corning 703 and 705 panels, wrap them with cloth and hang them throughout the room. It works great.
In your case, you could cover the whole ceiling and not disrupt the aesthetics at all. I did the same thing to the ceiling in my buddy's living room. These 2 pictures should give you an idea.
In your case, you could cover the whole ceiling and not disrupt the aesthetics at all. I did the same thing to the ceiling in my buddy's living room. These 2 pictures should give you an idea.
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OutlawSun
Well-Known Member
Personally I think I'd reorient your setup and have this lined up along the white wall to the right next to where you're looking to place your equipment (get them some nice spacing) and have the area behind the arches be a walk through. Plus you could have a little bar setup back there. I'd say get some sound deadening paint and paint the walls. Plus I think doing a good paint job other than that white would be good for the space and you probably should do new paint on that shelving space to cut down on flaking (honestly it would be a great spot for records if setup right if you didn't use it for gear). Plus get some panels designed to cut down reverb and echo. Get a nice big rug or rugs to help deaden the floor especially in front of the speakers. If you can find some nice but inexpensive furniture pieces to make the space functional and cozy. Plus having some furniture pieces may also help to cut some of the echo it's like a room before you move in vs a room after. It's a lot to suggest but I think would would be worth taking a look how you want to use the space in a broad sense too it's a fantastic space with potential. Plus you could really set that space up for entertaining guests.
sum of sand
Active Member
Why not use the other adjoining area
Not much going on over there
Its narrow but if you could do it up the way it should be done
You only lose what you may not be using and leave the larger room open for everything else
Drapes only do so much
Carpeting has to to be the right materials or it can be reflective
You could make large bass bins shaped to fit the 2 arches in the rear which could just slip out and be placed along wall when not in use
Put em on wheels.
That absorbs bass and broadband
Absorber on opposite wall.
Diffuser panel on facing wall behind speakers
Ceiling cloud.
Carpet remnant on floor
Back could be drapes you pull across just to enclose the space
Or
Make a wall of more bass trap. Roll it away when not in use.
Only 7' wide but you dont have giant speakers. Toe-in
Id think high end small speakers would be a better fit. Very narrow towers. Simple open baffle as suggested.
Something neutral
Ribbon tweeters to minimize reflections to begin with
Open baffle bass with dipole ribbon
It may work out best and easier all around if not going full out in the larger area
Long cables arent a problem but for turntable afaik. Put the gear wherever
Not much going on over there
Its narrow but if you could do it up the way it should be done
You only lose what you may not be using and leave the larger room open for everything else
Drapes only do so much
Carpeting has to to be the right materials or it can be reflective
You could make large bass bins shaped to fit the 2 arches in the rear which could just slip out and be placed along wall when not in use
Put em on wheels.
That absorbs bass and broadband
Absorber on opposite wall.
Diffuser panel on facing wall behind speakers
Ceiling cloud.
Carpet remnant on floor
Back could be drapes you pull across just to enclose the space
Or
Make a wall of more bass trap. Roll it away when not in use.
Only 7' wide but you dont have giant speakers. Toe-in
Id think high end small speakers would be a better fit. Very narrow towers. Simple open baffle as suggested.
Something neutral
Ribbon tweeters to minimize reflections to begin with
Open baffle bass with dipole ribbon
It may work out best and easier all around if not going full out in the larger area
Long cables arent a problem but for turntable afaik. Put the gear wherever
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beatcomber
AK Member
It looks like the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool!
