[bigshot]

I think it's interesting how internet forums put a magnifying glass to people's true nature, even if they're hiding behind an anonymous screen name. I read through posts and it's very easy to spot the people who are really interested in the subject and enjoy talking about it, and even easier to spot the people who are just using the topic as an excuse for self-aggrandizement. I spend a lot of time on forums myself, but I'm not basing my self-worth on a fake image I present there. I'm just me, and my life is off in the real world. This is just something I do for fun. But every forum I stumble across seems to have its own resident armchair expert who takes up residence and tries to buffalo everyone else into paying attention to him. They must have had a French revolution in Hydrogen and AVS and sent Ubu Roi out on a rail covered in tar and feathers. Now we are fortunate to inherit their one eyed King-in-Exile.

 

[Argyris]

I sometimes wonder what that magnifying glass says about my nature. Probably that I'm prematurely curmudgeonly and tend to rag on the tiniest little flaws and inconsistencies (at least over on Android Police). Thinking over it, it does seem to me that I complain more than I praise. But then, I'm a rabid perfectionist, and I tend to hold the rest of the world to the same standard as I do anything I do or make myself, so at least I'm consistent. Mostly, it's just fun and mildly therapeutic to blow off steam—it's not like any of the things I comment on turn into long-standing vendettas.

I think when it comes to forum-going, the important thing is to never take the subject matter, the other posters, or yourself too seriously. At the end of the day we're a bunch of enthusiasts yakking about whatever the subject of the forum is. Nothing said on these sites will go on to significantly impact the world, no uncorrected mistake or innocuous misinformation* will unseat the balance of the universe. It's just not worth investing too much of yourself into. With a few exceptions over the years, I've managed to stick to this. Now excuse me while I go over to AP and rant about Google changing the color of another UI element in Android.

*There's a difference between somebody getting a technical detail wrong and, say, telling somebody who clearly doesn't like an expensive headphone they just bought that buying additional equipment will solve their problem. The former is innocuous; the latter is costly misinformation that can turn people off the audio hobby entirely, or worse, convince them that they now like something that, in their heart of hearts, they know they still dislike but don't want to admit it because of how much they've now invested in it.

 

[JaeYoon]

I sometimes wonder what that magnifying glass says about my nature. Probably that I'm prematurely curmudgeonly and tend to rag on the tiniest little flaws and inconsistencies (at least over on Android Police). Thinking over it, it does seem to me that I complain more than I praise. But then, I'm a rabid perfectionist, and I tend to hold the rest of the world to the same standard as I do anything I do or make myself, so at least I'm consistent. Mostly, it's just fun and mildly therapeutic to blow off steam—it's not like any of the things I comment on turn into long-standing vendettas.

I think when it comes to forum-going, the important thing is to never take the subject matter, the other posters, or yourself too seriously. At the end of the day we're a bunch of enthusiasts yakking about whatever the subject of the forum is. Nothing said on these sites will go on to significantly impact the world, no uncorrected mistake or innocuous misinformation* will unseat the balance of the universe. It's just not worth investing too much of yourself into. With a few exceptions over the years, I've managed to stick to this. Now excuse me while I go over to AP and rant about Google changing the color of another UI element in Android.

*There's a difference between somebody getting a technical detail wrong and, say, telling somebody who clearly doesn't like an expensive headphone they just bought that buying additional equipment will solve their problem. The former is innocuous; the latter is costly misinformation that can turn people off the audio hobby entirely, or worse, convince them that they now like something that, in their heart of hearts, they know they still dislike but don't want to admit it because of how much they've now invested in it.

Dammit google!! Another color change in android >:c

 

[sonitus mirus]

Went on a bit of a spending spree to update the sound system in my office, a 14ftx11ft (4.2m x 3.3m) room on the 2nd floor (top) with a left to right upward sloping ceiling that is 8ft (2.4m) at the left side (by the window) rising to 11ft (3.35m) at the right side with the basic outline shown in the attached image.

I am replacing my KRK Rokit 8 G3 powered speakers using balanced inputs from my Teac UD-301 DAC with either an optical or USB source. (Laptop or Desktop PC)

My new speakers are passive, so I have to get an amp. The best thing about that is I only have a single power cable now instead of separate cables for each speaker.

Speakers: Klipsch RP-280F (walnut)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075JMC15D

Amp: Marantz MM7025 (black)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003R7KMSS

The speakers will sit on these pads, to give them a slight lift to get the tweeters in the sweet spot.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00COVEJ1E

The amp is far too large to comfortably sit on my desk, so I will put it on the floor at my feet sitting on this little stand.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FU3ZLZG

I will continue to use my Teac UD-301 with balance outputs to the amp.

I grabbed a pair of 12AWG speaker cables.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CYGMDL6

Probably all a bit of an overkill for such a small room with a less than ideal acoustic setting, but I am excited and had to share the news with a group of people that wouldn't think I am too crazy.

 

[bigshot]

Nice speakers! It should sound good. Do you have a comfy chair out in front of the desk?

 

[sonitus mirus]

Nice speakers! It should sound good. Do you have a comfy chair out in front of the desk?

Very comfy chair, I don't stand, I just didn't add all of the furniture.

I have a chest along the wall between the door and right speaker. My desk is already a foot away from the back wall. I will be moving the desk back an additional 1.5 to 2 feet depending on how much I can get away with and not block access around it. The speakers will be about 6-7 feet apart and slightly toed inward. There will probably be too much bass for such a small room, but I prefer a tad more bass over accuracy, so I should be ok.

 

[castleofargh]

I love banana plugs. if I had a say in how gears are made, or some skills with my hands, I'd have banana everything. and then go crazy on those plugs where you can enlarge the male plug with a screw(don't know if they have a specific name?). ok I'm trippin' about the most irrelevant stuff in the list, sorry.


@soni do you plan to measure/calibrate those big boys? if so, using what?

 

[sonitus mirus]

I love banana plugs. if I had a say in how gears are made, or some skills with my hands, I'd have banana everything. and then go crazy on those plugs where you can enlarge the male plug with a screw(don't know if they have a specific name?). ok I'm trippin' about the most irrelevant stuff in the list, sorry.


@soni do you plan to measure/calibrate those big boys? if so, using what?

Ha! The most important part of any music system is the banana plugs.

I do have a big 31-band stereo equalizer that takes balanced inputs and I have used Dirac in the past to measure various rooms. I could insert the EQ between the DAC and amp, but you know, I'm not convinced it ever made a huge difference to me. I'll never be able to correct the most egregious issues, and I'm listening to a ton of different types of music. It will never be perfect.

I'm sure that my curiosity will force me to measure the room and EQ for a flat response at some point. Initially, I do not have any plans to correct the room. I did use some 3M spray adhesive and attached some sound absorbing material in strategic places in an attempt to get a flatter response. There was very little measurable difference, and in some cases it was measurably worse, so I gave up. I even glued nine 1 foot square pieces together to make a 3x3 foot panel and tried comparing before and after, and there was not a huge difference no matter what position I placed my absorption material.

 

[Zapp_Fan]

. I even glued nine 1 foot square pieces together to make a 3x3 foot panel and tried comparing before and after, and there was not a huge difference no matter what position I placed my absorption material.

Depending on furniture, you would need to use a lot more foam than that to get a noticeable difference. Rough rule of thumb is 20-30% of wall/ceiling surface area, so your starting point would need to be more like 90sqft than 9. Don't give up on acoustic treatment. EQ can't compensate for nulls in the room.

 

[sonitus mirus]

Depending on furniture, you would need to use a lot more foam than that to get a noticeable difference. Rough rule of thumb is 20-30% of wall/ceiling surface area, so your starting point would need to be more like 90sqft than 9. Don't give up on acoustic treatment. EQ can't compensate for nulls in the room.

I have 96 12" square panels. It may seem like a lot, but it doesn't cover as much as some might think. I used the 3x3 square to see if I could find an ideal spot.

 

[bigshot]

When I hired a home theater installer to put my system in, he pulled out a huge bag full of banana plugs and adapters, and I looked at them with a skeptical expression. He said, "Trust me, these will make things MUCH easier." He was right! I'm a banana convert too.

My theory on tweaking the room is that it's better to start by moving furniture around and see what sounds best from a room layout perspective first. Then worry about the EQ and treatment. If you can get the furniture in the room in a way where it helps and doesn't hurt the sound, you're halfway there.

Unfortunately, my screening room has late 40s knotty pine panelling over the walls and ceiling. I'm not about to cover that up with acoustic panels. So I arranged the furniture to be completely open in the middle and put heavy upholstered furniture or big bookcases full of books at the primary reflection points. It works fine.

 

[sonitus mirus]

I considered rearranging the entire furniture layout. The best thing about my setup is that I only have to worry about a tiny area for the best sound. I'm not trying to fill a large room with wonderful sound, I basically sit in one spot.

 

[bigshot]

If you put the desk in front of the window and the stereo and TV against the opposite wall, you could listen well at the desk and put the comfy chair towards the center of the room. (not exact center for acoustics) It would probably be nice to have the light from the window behind you at the desk, and you could turn and look out if you were tired of working. The slanted room going that direction would probably help with reflections. Going the way you have it there one speaker would get more reflection from above than the other. That's just theory though. You'd have to try it in practice. If the window presents a reflection problem behind you, you could pull drapes.

 

[castleofargh]

did we find our rallying banner? instead of science or objectivism, what really units us is that "we love bananas!".

 

[bigshot]

DBX AND BANNANA PLUGS!