I'm looking at acoustic treatments for my office, which doubles as a DAW music room and home of my latest stereo acquisition.
The engineer in me thinks I should precisely test my room and figure out if I have acoustic issues. Then I should "fix" the issues via specific measures.
The engineer in me thinks that to accurately measure the acoustic characteristics of my room will take a significant investment of time and money. (How accurate can a Radio Shack microphone recorded via a Sound Blaster be...) (Ok, I have better recording gear than that, but the point remains.)
The pragmatist in me thinks that sounds like a lot of investment for something I'll do once.
The pragmatist in me (or maybe it's the slacker in me) thinks that sounds like a pain it the ass and wants to go buy stuff to throw it at the problem. (A problem I'm not sure even exists...)
Looking at various sites, it appears there are only general guidelines for treating a room. Essentially it comes down to "buy as much of our treatments as you can cram in your room. Stick 'em in the corners, on the walls, on the ceiling, on the doors, and enjoy!"
So -
1) How can I tell if I really need additional acoustic treatments?
2) Can I over do it? How will I know if I do?
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My "problem" - my system sounds good at low ro moderate volumes. But when I turn the volume to go for the "big" sound what I get is "loud but muddy" sound.
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What would be very useful (perhaps) is a "reference" recording/headset pair that could set the baseline for the "acoustically perfect" room. (like that exists...) Then one could listen to the cans, listen to the speakers/room and compare. Based on the findings one could add reflective and absorbent materials to "tune" the room.
Keith