1 1/2 story bungalow with sloped ceiling acoustics

rhd1953

Member
Apr 23, 2021
9
4
8
70
I have a upstairs room with 7' ceiling, 11' width, and 30' length. To insulate the ceiling, I had the existing drywall-fiberglass insulation removed, and had the roof rafters spray foamed with 5" of foam. New drywall, lots of vacuuming, and paint and now it's a cozy reading room and bedroom (for short people like me).

The odd thing is the Magnepan LRS speakers have amazing bass response. They sound just a good as my 1st floor Magnepan 0.7 with Martin Logan subs. They play rock, new age, movie soundtracks, what ever as loud you want. I'm guessing the drywall sloped ceiling (with closed cell spray foam), kneewall (1/4 drywall and 1/2 plaster), and solid floor (1" planks, 5/8" sheeting, 1/2 foam, and thick carpet) are acting like a "horn enclosure". The curved surfaces are plaster, of course.

The LRS are ~4' from the front wall, best listening is sitting ~3-4' from the back wall. Excellent sound stage, the room is very quiet, and the bass is very strong at very low sound levels.

Has anyone found this to occur with sloped ceiling rooms? It is just for low ceilings like mine?
 

matakana

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2020
371
188
115
61
UK
I have a upstairs room with 7' ceiling, 11' width, and 30' length. To insulate the ceiling, I had the existing drywall-fiberglass insulation removed, and had the roof rafters spray foamed with 5" of foam. New drywall, lots of vacuuming, and paint and now it's a cozy reading room and bedroom (for short people like me).

The odd thing is the Magnepan LRS speakers have amazing bass response. They sound just a good as my 1st floor Magnepan 0.7 with Martin Logan subs. They play rock, new age, movie soundtracks, what ever as loud you want. I'm guessing the drywall sloped ceiling (with closed cell spray foam), kneewall (1/4 drywall and 1/2 plaster), and solid floor (1" planks, 5/8" sheeting, 1/2 foam, and thick carpet) are acting like a "horn enclosure". The curved surfaces are plaster, of course.

The LRS are ~4' from the front wall, best listening is sitting ~3-4' from the back wall. Excellent sound stage, the room is very quiet, and the bass is very strong at very low sound levels.

Has anyone found this to occur with sloped ceiling rooms? It is just for low ceilings like mine?
If you pop over to audioaficionado. org and go to manufactures then click on wilson audio you will see the member charles is using xvx in a room like you describe.! plenty good reading there.
 

rhd1953

Member
Apr 23, 2021
9
4
8
70
If you pop over to audioaficionado. org and go to manufactures then click on wilson audio you will see the member charles is using xvx in a room like you describe.! plenty good reading there.
Here's a photo of mine, they're oriented parallel to the ceiling slope.
2nd floor ceiling after spray foam-new drywall-notes.jpg
 

Tim Link

Well-Known Member
Feb 12, 2019
271
182
128
55
That's a fascinating synergy you've found. Just those panels are competing with the subs downstairs? I take it your listening position places your head about under the peak in the ceiling? Is the bass louder or quieter as you move closer to the back wall?
 

rhd1953

Member
Apr 23, 2021
9
4
8
70
The best listening position is 1/3 the width of the room. The LRS are 40" from the wall, my chair is normally 2' from the rear wall, best sound is moving out to 40". The LRS are positioned about 4'6" apart.
There is no "standing" wave for the bass. Bass is pretty much the same though out the room, the imaging/sound stage is best in front of the speakers of course. Details are quite audible off to the sides though.

Note: this room is very quiet. The loudest outside sound I've heard was a booming thunderstorm that lasted for 4 hours, earlier this year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tim Link

Tim Link

Well-Known Member
Feb 12, 2019
271
182
128
55
The best listening position is 1/3 the width of the room. The LRS are 40" from the wall, my chair is normally 2' from the rear wall, best sound is moving out to 40". The LRS are positioned about 4'6" apart.
There is no "standing" wave for the bass. Bass is pretty much the same though out the room, the imaging/sound stage is best in front of the speakers of course. Details are quite audible off to the sides though.

Note: this room is very quiet. The loudest outside sound I've heard was a booming thunderstorm that lasted for 4 hours, earlier this year.
The lack of noticeable modes is exceptional. The dipole speakers put less bass energy off to the sides, so the bass is mostly propagating front to back. In the front to back plane of your listening arrangement there is a lack of large parallel surfaces. That's true in the vertical plane too. Side to side the walls are relatively far away.
 

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