Best sound when sitting in the kitchen!

I have an open plan rectangular living room of approx 5 x 10 mtr the greater part being the sitting room. The rest is for the dinner table and kitchen. My speakers are placed before the front wall - mainly French glass doors. Distance speakers from that wall is about 80cms. My listening chair is approx. in the middle of the room. At the other end I can enter the room, and I must say that the SQ over there is much better. I do sit there once in a while, but it is not a great place for a stationary chair… My question: is there any acoustic solution to have the bass/SQ improve and have it develop more forward into the room?

Are you running a subwoofer?

Regardless, would it be feasible to place an appropriately-sized subwoofer close to, if not precisely, in the area where you noted the better SQ.

Just a thought inspired by “the subwoofer crawl”:

SVS Link: The Art of Subwoofer Placement

Good luck.

I sympathise. My room is roughly rectangular, approx 9m * 6m (only 8’ ceiling height). I’ve masses of damping and some seriously large bass traps. Where I want to sit seems to be a bit of a null zone bass wise. If I go through some french doors into the kitchen and stand by the kitchen window the bass is lovely (not cancelled). Off of my main room there’s a doorway leading to a utilty room and loo. If I leave that door open I can hear, on one track in particular, a very low powerful note (the track is 7 years by Lukas Graham, the low note is at about 3mins 15secs) - that’s the only track that I’ve encountered where with the door closed I hear no low note, with it open it’s very powerful.

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Lyngdorf room perfect is great solves many placement issues. You do have to keep furnishings consistent and doors the same open or clised after calibration. McIntosh has a RP tool as stand alone. There are earlier Lyngdorf versions in a pre. Also McIntosh HT pre pro has. Been using it since 2013. Improves more with more room treatments does not affect the highs. All lyngdorf stuff as recent is in integrateds except Their HT stuff or steinway collaborations. I have an interated but like McIntosh separates better. Also look into line array solution not as susceptible to nulls.

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Hi Scott1,
No I do not yet run a subwoofer. Although seriously investigating my options (apart from WAF…). I think it must be a serious investment to start with two sub or try my luck first with some acoustic panels or such. The lucious 3D sound in the kitchen contains all I like to hear in my favorite listening chair/position to hear. I will read your SVS link: perhaps one sub in the kitchen may be an other option.

And/Or, as @Vmax suggested, do some research on DSP Room/Speaker correction options. In my opinion, there is a lot of misunderstanding and misuse of DSP out there in audiophile land. So do your homework.

Lot’s of differing opinions and experience…but I don’t subscribe to the notion that all DSP is bad. For example, I have extensive experience with Anthem’s ARC (Anthem Room Correction) software and I think it works wonderfully. IMO, it is “audiophile worthy” all the way. More info. here/FYI:

Part 1 of Two-part Detailed ARC Review (This is an old review and the Anthem kit/software has been improved upon since; but it should give you a good sense of the product.)

I would focus on speaker placement and listening position adjustments as much as practicable first, then play with some room tuning (acoustic panels/bass traps if feasible) and then use DSP as a finishing touch if you have the budget for it. On the other hand, some DSP might get you most of the way there without triggering WAF factors (room treatments can be a challenge to pull of aesthetically at a reasonable cost).

Have fun chasing down the improvements.

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If you want a truly interesting listening experience that has nothing to do with where you are in the house, cup your hands behind your ears and feel free to share what you observe. Including the kitchen. I’ve even seen, I forgot where, an advertisement for clip on ear cups to enhance the listening experience.
Suggested for your amusement with a smile on my face and my hands cupped behind my ears.
:slight_smile:

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I know many people who are really struggling with their room, spending a fortune of money, time and aggravation. And many times they don’t fix what’s bothering them and to them I say, headphones.

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Listening position in the center of the room is the absolute worst spot. Do you have any flexibility for seating position (and speaker to listening position)?

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@vsopking: One more suggestion for you, so you can get more suggestions…:slight_smile:

Check out Get Better Sound (the biggest bang for the buck tweak I have ever purchased):

Link to Jim Smith’s “Get Better Sound” Web Site

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Hi Kitdog; flexibility - perhaps - but I thought that the distance from speakers should be approx the same as the distance between the speakers… In practice I can sit further away and enjoy indeed better SQ. Moving the speakers more back into the room is unpractical and not welcomed by my spouse.

You are right! The approximate distance for speaker distance between to
listener position is an equilateral triangle (though I stretch my
triangle a bit - by moving my set back a 1 to 1 1/2 feet). However, my
speakers are 7 1/2 feet from the back wall in a 23.3 foot room. So I’m
roughly splitting the room long ways by thirds - my speakers are roughly
1/3 from the front wall and my seat is 1/3 from the back wall. If you
don’t have that option that’s okay, just move the seat back from the
middle a few feet toward the back wall (even if you have to reposition
chair before and after listening - or use a movable chair while
listening). It may not be the idea triangle or spot but it will
definitely get you out of the worst “void” in the room. And then enjoy!

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“Dinner’s served”…music to my ears… :sunglasses: :+1:

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Seems to be a reason do to a summer overhaul of the living room :sweat_smile:

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I too get a much “better” (louder, but it sounds smoother too) just outside the listening room door, or even just inside at standing head height, I had always assumed greater distance gives the waveform longer to “develop” (note this is non technical so probably rubbish). At least, I had assumed that as it is similar at the other endi if the extension to the listening room, again, greater distance.
As an aside heavy roct stuff sounds best when turned up a bit too loud, when I retreat to the kitchen. Again probably subjective, but who knows :slight_smile:
Every room is different of course so difficult to make generalisations.

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There goes all theory out of the window…

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In the kitch a sammy 6se tab with teeny tiny atmos quad speakers gives allows
me to hear my tunes well enough…light enough to tote around the house…

Main system is always jealous for my attention :innocent:…can’t therefore use it to do chores… :grinning:

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Luckily my wife doesn’t read your comment…

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Now why would that be? :innocent:

She would be happy to buy me a tablet; the main rig in the living room is constantly referred to as ‘his stuff blocking the way…’ :blush:

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