Room treatment is necessary, and I know it equals the sum of its individual components. Acoustics are not as atrocious as they look. One side is open to the kitchen and the hallway. It's not the ideal room setup. But the upside is that there is no neighbor on that side of the house and no one in the back for 300 feet. With double-pain windows, I have no limit to how loud I want to play. The limiting factor is the eardrums.
Thank you @linnie01 OLED. i almost bought a substantially smaller one. But got tipped off that the space should have a bigger unit. As you can see I went for it.
@OP Thanks for the comment. Regarding acoustic treatment, alcoves can be problematic so that is probably a first starting point. After that, it will be first refection points on the sidewalls and the bass trapping in the rear corners. Gik are very helpful, so if you send them details of you room, they will make recommendations. Regarding software, you can do a lot with a set of test tones and an SPL meter. I would start there rather than diving into something more complicated. If you have room in your cabinet, the XP32 will sound better if the two amplification channels are not stacked with the PSU/Control box. The sonic character of the XP27 is very similar to the XP 32 - which is a very good thing.
Pulled the amps forward a few inches. Good suggestion. Obviously I should’ve done it sometime ago. Moved the subwoofers forward 10” and maybe 3” from the side. I can get more inches by moving cabinet forward. There are over 30+ cables and numerous of them are Audioquest which are stiff. Moving forward 3-8” is doable but I want to make sure I do not get into trouble shooting mode because of move. So thats for another day.
Speakers spacing is pretty much set. Sound stage is excellent. Space between speakers and sitting position is locked in.
Does the forward move make a sound differences? Oh yeah. Can not stop listening. I am not one to articulate everything i hear. But it did lower the low frequencies impact from the wall. Aside from moving my gear forward, is adjusting subwoofers controls.
Will report back about my progress. Will update photo of change.
Guys, thanks for continuing to bring up the room treatment. I knew it was an issue. It seems foolish to go this far in the game and stop before a major component is in place. It's the best bang for your buck, too.
As for the fireplace, I lucked out. I do not use it, and the position of speakers helps create an excellent soundstage. Except for the bass, I'm limited to that space.
I'm going the GIK Acoustics route and see how that plays out. I should get an acoustics analysis app first and not worry about installing it yet. One step at a time
Will move subs out as suggested. Do some a/b testing. Also, consider removing them entirely from the corners and stacking to the side.
@yoyoyaya I'm glad I went with the photo amp. Had ordered and received a PS audio unit. Did not open the box. Thought about it for a week or two. It appears to be a good photo amp at its price point, but I wanted to step up my game. Bought it used.
Congratulations on your system - same amplification and phono stage as my own. Properly treating my room was the best investment I made in my system and was also the least expensive. You will not regret it - guaranteed.
Appreciate all your comments. As for the room treatment, I'm aware it's an essential element missing, and I'm shortchanging myself by not doing it. @mammothguy54 , you're right that I should move on it. I have three excuses for not doing it at this time. 1. There is a 20% chance I may sell the house next year. 2. I have paused putting any money into the system. 3. I want to have a professional acoustics company analyze and install. Just do not have a contractor available. Once I pull the trigger to move forward with the professional route, excuse 1 or 2 goes away. I'd rather be patient and go the professional route.
That is a fabulous system, and so nicely put together. I can't stress enough about how much more you will get from it by adding a proper setup of room treatments. With all that you have spent on your system, a relatively small additional amount will likely yield benefits that far outweigh the cost. I highly recommend getting in touch with the very good people at GIK Acoustics. They will provide free consultation services, and you make the decision from there. Enjoy your system in good health.
