Bay Window Boomy Bass

AudioNMe

New Member
Apr 12, 2011
8
0
0
I have a bay window in my living room/listening room. When I stand under the bay window it is very boomy - like sticking your head in a car trunk when music is playing. When I stand on a chair to put my ears closer to the ceiling/sofit of the bay window, it is much worse. Knocking on the ceiling/sofit tells me it is hollow.

I borrowed some cotton blow in insulation cubes from Home Depot and putting them on the floor helps a lot. But it is still very bad. So I don't think just sticking in bass traps is the solution. I need to attack the source of the problem.

I could do either

1) Blow insulation into the sofit to fill the hollow cavity.
2) Cut out the ceiling of the sofit and turn it into a bass trap

Would either of these solutions eliminate the boomy bass or is the nature of bay windows such that you can never eliminate this problem?

I am deciding whether to enclose this open living room and convert it into a dedicated listening room. But if I cannot eliminate that boomy bass, it would not be worth pursing. I would have to look at building another room, possibly in the garage.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
Do you hear the same boominess when you sit in your normal listening position? I ask because bass is position dependent and it is not important what it sounds like elsewhere than where you normally hear the music.
 

AudioNMe

New Member
Apr 12, 2011
8
0
0
It is not as boomy at the listening position but that boominess does impact what I hear at the listening position. In fact it limits where my listening position can be e..g if I move my head forward 6 inches, it is significantly worse. When I put the temporary cotton blow in insulation cubes on the floor of the bay window area it made a big difference at the listening position but it was still not enough.

If I can't eliminate the source of the problem then I won't be enclosing this space because that would make it worse.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
Hopefully someone with more acoustics knowledge chimes in. For now, I would think that putting insulation behind the walls will do nothing for this problem.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing