HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

We have not got round to buying a new sofa but have made a change to the room lay out, at the instigation of my other half, which provides a clear view of the Christmas tree. The sofa at one side of the speakers, with its back to an empty space, has now been moved to the other side with its back to a wall and window. The effect on SQ has been beneficial with more precise imaging, with no real change to the frequency response. I put this down to more sound being absorbed and not reflected. Previously the sound was a bit better with the curtains drawn. The sofa will not be going back when the tree is put away.

A friend of mine had a very interesting experience when moving house. (He wasn't short of pennies). His system was to die for. The acoustics in his original house were immaculate. Good balance, excellent detail, stunning imaging, it played music and it was a very enjoyable experience.

He moved to a refurbished house and set up his system in a similar but smaller room. He couldn't get the balance right. It sounded like the cables needed run in. The imaging was nowhere and the sound balance was poor. He asked me what I thought. I just couldn't get my head round it.

What he eventually found was that his wife had put a large coffee table between the listening seat and the speakers. He moved it and "hey presto" all was back as it should be.

Room acoustics are a black art. If you find something you are happy with, sit back and enjoy the music. Like CN, I've had experiences like his and learned from them. Try Googling Audio Physik speaker placement. It works for me.

CN211276 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2019 1:41 pm The sofa will not be going back when the tree is put away.

What happens if it’s the Xmas tree causing the positive effect

It'll be Christmas all year round

A lot of plants may be a good thing in a listening room. Humidity and ions and that. Plus it will make you feel more relaxed and able to enjoy the moosic.

karatestu wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2019 9:28 pm A lot of plants may be a good thing in a listening room. Humidity and ions and that. Plus it will make you feel more relaxed and able to enjoy the moosic.

It is an artificial tree. The flashing lights on it are good for the listening room, a bit like a rock concert. Usually have flowers in the room and also alavera which is brought inside in winter.

I'd say this was essential listening then....

CN211276 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2019 1:41 pm We have not got round to buying a new sofa but have made a change to the room lay out, at the instigation of my other half, which provides a clear view of the Christmas tree. The sofa at one side of the speakers, with its back to an empty space, has now been moved to the other side with its back to a wall and window. The effect on SQ has been beneficial with more precise imaging, with no real change to the frequency response. I put this down to more sound being absorbed and not reflected. Previously the sound was a bit better with the curtains drawn. The sofa will not be going back when the tree is put away.

The new sofa took over six months to arrive, a combination of dsf slowness and the lockdown. We decided on another leather one so I was not expecting much if any change to the sound. This was not the case as the frequency balance changed, subtle but very noticable. The higher frequencies were now more prominent. When I changed the filter setting on the Qutest from Incisive Neutral to Warm the sound was as it was before. The setting has remained on Warm.

Not sure why there was such a change in room acoustics. The new sofa is better quality leather than the knackered old one and could be less absorbent. Although not as wide as the old one it is significantly higher. It is similar to the one today posted by Savy in his blog, but with a far higher back. As the listening position is now higher I think this is also having an effect.

Ours is a very small room approx 3.5m x 3.

I couldn't get away with big speakers in there.

The acoustics are actually pretty good. There is quite a lot of soft furnishings which I think help.

To be fair I've positioned my rig in the optimal position (firing down the length of the room).l

I would love a dedicated listening room one day but being honest a lot of the appeal of music for me is listening with my mrs so the setup we have now works pretty well.