You see so many pictures of audiophile rooms that lack bass traps. I am not a measurement guy, but basic knowledge of physics could lead one to conclude that trapping some bass - without making the room dead - is a good thing and would probably help most rooms.
Yet for most of us this is an experiential hobby. Anyone try bass traps and got rid of them?
I've never tried them. This may not make any sense to anyone, but I don't feel I need them. My logic behind that is two-fold. 1) I tend to play my music at fairly low-to-medium volume and 2) I'm not a fan of really heavy bass. If I introduced bass traps I may notice a difference, and I'm open to that possibility, but I'm not willing to spend the money on a "possible benefit".
I have 2 20" ASC Tube Traps sitting on Mega Traps (1 or each in opposing corners, playing the corners as my room is set up diagonally) and they make a huge difference, even at low volumes. When I put the tube traps in 2 years ago, my wife was in the adjacent room, and stopped what she was doing and came in to listen- that was the difference they made. At that time, I had YG Carmels- not the last word in bass, and it still made a difference. When I put the S5s in the room, huge difference. I listen at about 75-77 dB, so I'm not shaking the rafters, and the overall quietness of the room makes individual notes of the music so much easy to follow. Everyone should either buy some, or make your own- there are instructions on the internet for making your own.
Bass traps will give you more bass, not less bass. They cannot absorb too much bass. It's simply not possible.
When you say "dead", I think you are talking about bass traps that also absorb into the HF. For example, most open face fiberglass traps will absorb bass above 100hz pretty well but also will absorb a disproportionate level of HF. That's where audiophile get the idea that room treatments make the room sound "dead."
There are a few different ways of trapping or reducing bass. So, you'll need to tell us which product you fear will make your room sound dead. Some of them could do that and others could not do that, no matter how many you added to your room.
Bass traps will give you more bass, not less bass. They cannot absorb too much bass. It's simply not possible.
When you say "dead", I think you are talking about bass traps that also absorb into the HF. For example, most open face fiberglass traps will absorb bass above 100hz pretty well but also will absorb a disproportionate level of HF. That's where audiophile get the idea that room treatments make the room sound "dead."
There are a few different ways of trapping or reducing bass. So, you'll need to tell us which product you fear will make your room sound dead. Some of them could do that and others could not do that, no matter how many you added to your room.
Been using GIK corner traps for years -- bass is notably cleaner with them vs without. Will be remeausuring my room shortly but when I measured some years ago, their effect was quantifiable.
I too have GIK corner traps and have bass traps at all wall/ceiling intersections (soffits).
Very measurable when you measure decay (bass ringing) and very audible as well. Also have 2 bass traps (and diffuser) on rear wall and 3 on each rear side wall. I LOVE bass but will walk out of a room with bass than rings. It totally destroys the listening experience for me. That is why I spent the money to address the issue passively and what the bass traps don't fix, Dirac does.
Thanks to you and JackD201 for making that clarification...interesting. I always promised myself not to go there in our living room, and I strongly suspect I still wont. nevertheless, one to keep in the back of my mind. I have seen a few professional setups of my speakers including CJs own room from many years ago, and I now recall they had these in the corners.
i went from no bass traps to Jon Risch Q&D traps (rolls of insulation) to ASC tube traps (16" *10). the latter was night and day better than the Q&D, and the Q&D likewise better than no trapping in my small room (15*11). no downside whatsoever.
You don't have to put them in corners. I've tried almost every brand of bass trap. The RPG Modex plate is most effective and least offensive at HF. It doesn't go in corners and it looks pretty nice too. They are a pain to mount. I hope I only have to do it once.
Thanks to you and JackD201 for making that clarification...interesting. I always promised myself not to go there in our living room, and I strongly suspect I still wont. nevertheless, one to keep in the back of my mind. I have seen a few professional setups of my speakers including CJs own room from many years ago, and I now recall they had these in the corners.
Using ASC tube traps makes a huge difference with bass transients and quality of bass. All corners from floor to ceiling
have large bass traps, as well as mid points. Around the entire room I use mid range tube traps, which are 3 feet apart.
Midrange clarity is superb and spatial imaging is wonderful. All these traps (35 traps in all) have a reflective surface
on one half of their surface that can be rotated and provide excellent diffusion of high frequencies.
It takes many bass and midrange traps, but it does wonders for smooth bass, clarity, imaging with great depth.
The overall difference is enormous and the added benefit of a very quite room.
I have had ASC Bass Traps in the four corners of my listening room for around 25 years or more (IIRC). They were the biggest ones available at the time (I'm currently not home, so I can't measure the diameters). They are one unit tall (not to the ceiling). Unfortunately, they have been there so long, that I don't remember what it was like before them, and several different sets of electronics and speakers have come and gone since they have been there.
You don't have to put them in corners. I've tried almost every brand of bass trap. The RPG Modex plate is most effective and least offensive at HF. It doesn't go in corners and it looks pretty nice too. They are a pain to mount. I hope I only have to do it once.
Corners are first and most important, though, because that's where the pressure from standing waves tends to be strongest. Likewise it's where you can trap virtually all the bass without adversely affecting listening position bass strength (in fact often the opposite, certainly in terms of bass quality)
Using ASC tube traps makes a huge difference with bass transients and quality of bass. All corners from floor to ceiling
have large bass traps, as well as mid points. Around the entire room I use mid range tube traps, which are 3 feet apart.
Midrange clarity is superb and spatial imaging is wonderful. All these traps (35 traps in all) have a reflective surface
on one half of their surface that can be rotated and provide excellent diffusion of high frequencies.
It takes many bass and midrange traps, but it does wonders for smooth bass, clarity, imaging with great depth.
The overall difference is enormous and the added benefit of a very quite room.
Whether adding bass traps gives the perception of more bass or less bass depends on the room size and shape, and where you listen in the room. In most smaller home-size rooms deep nulls are the larger problem, so adding traps increases the amount of bass. This is not just perception, but it's real and shows clearly in measurements. The "amplitude" of the bass really has increased. In rooms where peaks are more damaging, such as when the room is square or 2:1 (10 by 20 feet), adding bass traps reduces the peaks as well as raising the nulls. So in all cases, bass traps make the response more flat. They also reduce ringing which is just as harmful to clarity. The graphs below show Before and After readings in a bedroom size space.
That's right Ethan! We often forget about the nulls. We do experience more amplitude as you've shown.
For some reason this thread has narrowed down to talking about just corner traps. Corner traps usually aren't that helpful with the SBIRs and axial modes. Corner traps are not "good enough" IMO. They are helpful but don't address many other bass problems.
Whether adding bass traps gives the perception of more bass or less bass depends on the room size and shape, and where you listen in the room. In most smaller home-size rooms deep nulls are the larger problem, so adding traps increases the amount of bass. This is not just perception, but it's real and shows clearly in measurements. The "amplitude" of the bass really has increased. In rooms where peaks are more damaging, such as when the room is square or 2:1 (10 by 20 feet), adding bass traps reduces the peaks as well as raising the nulls. So in all cases, bass traps make the response more flat. They also reduce ringing which is just as harmful to clarity. The graphs below show Before and After readings in a bedroom size space.
