what is the better room of these two options acousticaly?

Todd smith · 05-10-2004, 01:36 PM

I can either do 22'l x 12w x 6.5-7'h or I can reduce the length to 17' x 12w x 6.5-7'h. I prefer the longer room, but I was curious which one would be better acousticaly and how much better would it be? Would putting on (22') or taking off the 5' (17') be a huge difference either way? My ceiling has two air ducts that run lengthwise across the whole ceiling on each side. Each air duct is 3' feet wide and the height from floor to ceiling at this point is 6.5 feet. The remaining 6' of width inbetween the two ducts on the ceiling is 7' in height. I would prefer to put the room at 22' in length, but if it will be that much better acousticaly at 17' in length considering the other dimensions I might consider doing that. What are some opinions on this?

Roy Brooks · 05-10-2004, 03:19 PM

I'm in the same position, similar diamensions etc. I 'm going to use a 19' room with a 4' wall behind the front wall, instead of the 23' long room. It will give me some storage area and will help since the there is a window and the electrical panel in that 4' area. I was also considering puting the componentes in the front wall with acess from the 4' area but have since decided against as it would really be crowded within 8' wide screen. Ht is always a compromise, for me the WAF was higher with this setup so that will be the way it starts. It's only one wall and if I decide I really don't like the acoustics and want to change it to 23' I 'll just redo the screen wall. I would like to say I'll let you know how it works out but I figure on not being done for atleast 6mths.

Rex Overbey · 05-10-2004, 04:01 PM

I found this for you....

Rex Overbey · 05-10-2004, 04:02 PM

I found this for you....

http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/a...om_sizing3.htm

Rex Overbey · 05-10-2004, 04:04 PM

Add the WWW with a dot in front of that.

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Todd smith · 05-10-2004, 10:16 PM

Thanks for the help guys. I will probably go with the 22' in length unless I find a significant advantage to doing only 17' with my other dimensions which are not variable.

Ethan Winer · 05-11-2004, 11:15 AM

Todd,

If you reduce the length to 17 feet you'll have a much more even mode distribution than if it's 22 feet. That said, your convenience and comfort are important too, and all else being equal, a larger room is better than a smaller one. But if you simply want a Yes/No answer, the shorter length is better.

--Ethan

Todd smith · 05-11-2004, 05:48 PM

Thanks for your input Ethan. How much better would the mode distribution be do you think? Would there be a noticable real world difference between the two? The one plus of going with the short room is I dont have to rip out a closet. My number one goal is to obtain the best sound possible. Do you think shorter room might be best in my case? Thanks again for your opinion and help.

Ethan Winer · 05-12-2004, 10:26 AM

Todd,

> How much better would the mode distribution be do you think? <

"How much better" is difficult to say. If you haven't yet seen my Acoustics FAQ, you'll find it second in the list on my Articles page:

ethanwiner.com/articles.html

(You'll have to add the "www" yourself as the forum software won't let me enter a link.)

In particular, read the section about room modes, and also the sidebar that describes the room mode calculator program you can download for free. If you run the program you'll be able to enter both dimensions and see the difference in the mode graph at the bottom of the screen.

> My number one goal is to obtain the best sound possible. <

If you can't change the width or height, you'll get a flatter low end response with the shorter length. But you can get great results with the longer length too. You'll want bass traps in either case (all rooms benefit from bass traps), so just plan for a few more to help counter the poorer mode spacing.

As important as mode spacing is, if I were faced with this dillema I'd go with the longer length just to have the additional space in the room.

--Ethan



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