Vicoustic Wavewood panels installed

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Ritmo

Thanks for sharing Dan. The panels look terrific.

Mike.......Appreciate it. The photos don't really do the panels justice. They are very nice to look at and add a warm feeling to the room.

[Still-One]

Dan
The panels look very nice. You did a nice job on the installation.

I am not sure if horizontal installation was an option but your I think your choice of installing the lines running vertically was the correct one.

[Stereo-head]

Dan....Just the other day I heard you asking about these panels, and here they are now installed. That was fast!
They look very good in your room. I really like the visual liveliness it has given the room, and I'm glad to hear that in that same matter it has improved the sonics. Thanks for the before and after pics.

[kfr01]

Dan:

The room looks great. Congrats and thanks for providing some of your impressions on the sonic impact.

One curiosity: Have you done any multi-hour listening sessions yet? I am wondering if fatigue is at all an issue relative to your old absorption only solution.

A theory question: what is the theory behind dispersion on the front wall near the racks? I immediately understand the back wall dispersion, but it seems like HF frequencies wanting to be dispersed should not be hitting the front wall anyway and that the absorption would be the most important on the front wall to help dampen standing waves reflecting off the front wall.

An observation: it is probably fun to experiment with these given that they have a dispersion quality as well as absorption. What a cool product. You have the wheels spinning for how I could improve beyond my current absorption only approach.

Again, room looks great -- congrats

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Still-One

Dan
The panels look very nice. You did a nice job on the installation.

I am not sure if horizontal installation was an option but your I think your choice of installing the lines running vertically was the correct one.

Jim.......I had Marlene hold up a couple panel against the wall behind the couch in both orientations. The vertical lines were more appealing. A ten foot row of horizontal lines would not have been as attractive in my opinion. The good thing about the Vicoustic Wavewood panel is it works equally well in both orientations so it is strictly a matter of personal taste on how they are installed.

[kfr01]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Jim.......I had Marlene hold up a couple panel against the wall behind the couch in both orientations. The vertical lines were more appealing. A ten foot row of horizontal lines would not have been as attractive in my opinion. The good thing about the Vicoustic Wavewood panel is it works equally well in both orientations so it is strictly a matter of personal taste on how they are installed.

They have a very musical look in the vertical orientation... very waveform like.
Cheers

[Vintage Pete]

Dan....these look great, and I'm sure they are doing a great job. I sometimes think my living room is a bit too dead as well, as evidenced by the upper registers (or lack of) as compared to my office environment and that system's performance in this respect. I had planned to ask you your impressions when you visit.

Looks fantastic....I think it makes a great visual statement and fits right in to your studio's aesthetics.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by kfr01

Dan:

The room looks great. Congrats and thanks for providing some of your impressions on the sonic impact.

One curiosity: Have you done any multi-hour listening sessions yet? I am wondering if fatigue is at all an issue relative to your old absorption only solution.

A theory question: what is the theory behind dispersion on the front wall near the racks? I immediately understand the back wall dispersion, but it seems like HF frequencies wanting to be dispersed should not be hitting the front wall anyway and that the absorption would be the most important on the front wall to help dampen standing waves reflecting off the front wall.

An observation: it is probably fun to experiment with these given that they have a dispersion quality as well as absorption. What a cool product. You have the wheels spinning for how I could improve beyond my current absorption only approach.

Again, room looks great -- congrats

Karl.......I spent the better part of six hours straight sitting in my sweet spot on the couch listening last night. I played many different types of music including rock, jazz, classical violin, female vocals, and solo piano. Everything I played had a more lifelike presence with the Wavewood panels in place. Initially my listening focused of identifying the changes to the room's sonic signature but it didn't take long for me to relax and get past the analytical thoughts and just enjoy the music. I purposely created the studio acoustics to be dead for recording purposes, but for two channel stereo system enjoyment it was too dead. What the Wavewood panels bring to the room is a nice helping of reflected upper midrange energy that had been absorbed prematurely by the fiberglass panels in the original application. I noticed ringing triangles, cymbals, upper note guitar strings, violin and brass wind instruments all had a fresh clarity that had been damped a bit too much by over deadening the room. Female voices have a new found breath and improved clarity that was immediately apparent. The more I listened last night the more I realized the Wavewood panels have definitely improved my listening enjoyment.

The reason I chose to replace the single 2' x 2' fiberglass panels on each side of the front wall behind each equipment rack was to liven up the front wall by a small percentage. What isn't instantly noticed, there is a lot of absorption going on across the front wall. Each corner has three 2' x 2' x 4" thick panels stacked with 6" spacers from floor to ceiling acting as bass traps. Then there is the 2' x 4' x 2" thick panel above and behind the widescreen television in addition to the two 2' x 2' x 2" thick fiberglass panels I replaced with the Wavewood panel. That was a lot of absorption for the 11'-6" wall length. The Wavewood panels still offer some absorption and add reflected diffusion but only in a small area when compared to the remaining panels on the front wall. It is just enough to help create a sense of greater sound stage depth. The three dimensional quality of my sound stage grew. I don't hear anything objectionable from the placement of those two Wavewood panels on the front wall. I sense these two panels are doing exactly what I wanted and the livelier presentation from the front assures me the decision was correct.

I am not a certified acoustician, but I have had enough years in the audio business both professionally and as a hobbiest to have gained ample knowledge and insight into what my ears like and don't like to hear. I am comfortable that I have hit on the right combination of absorption and diffusion in the studio. After six hours of listening last night I had no hint of listener fatigue. In fact, it was difficult to turn the sound system off and go to bed.

[fjn04]

Dan-Very impressive indeed. I think the key may be to mix it up, and not have too much absorption or diffusion. It sounds like you found a nice balance. I believe I'm in the same boat you were in. I have a fair amount of Acoustimac fiberglass type panels, but only two RPG type diffusion panels. I will have to post some photos here. Cheers -Don

[kfr01]

Awesome stuff, Dan. Thanks for the additional details! Cheers