Room Kit User Manual

www.primacoustic.com
24” x 48” Broadband Panel room corners:
The large Broadband panels can be located in either the front or
rear corners with the same expected performance of controlling
standing waves, absorbing high/mid-range frequencies and
trapping bass in the corners. Locating Broadband panels on the
rear wall behind the surround speakers can help make surround
channel information more distinct by absorbing reections that
would otherwise compete with the direct sound from the surround
speakers.
12” x 48” Control Columns side walls:
Control Columns are located on the sides between the
loudspeakers and seating area. Here they control off-axis sound
waves from the front speakers before they bounce off the side
walls and into the seating area. If left untreated, to much of
these powerful primary reections can reach the seating where
they combine with the direct sound causing destructive phase
cancellations. By reducing primary reections from the sides a
higher ratio of direct sound is heard at the seating area making
critical mid-range frequencies clearer and dialog more intelligible.
12” x 12” Scatter Blocks soft diffusion:
The rear wall, as in the recording studio layout, is the primary
location for Soft-Diffusion treatment. The goal is a mix of absorbent
and reective surfaces that reduce standing waves between the
front and rear walls but still return some acoustic energy into the
room. Place Scatter Blocks in a staggered pattern on the rear wall
directly behind the seats to treat standing waves at the seating
area. Home theaters have the advantage of more furnishings
than what is found in a typical recording studio. Furnishings like
bookcases can offer excellent diffusing properties. Scatter Blocks
can be integrated with your existing furnishings by looking for
open areas on the rear wall.
ALTERNATIVE LAYOUTS
HOME THEATER LAYOUT
While a recording engineer wants the room to play less of a role in the reproduced sound, a home theater enthusiast is inclined to allow
the room to inuence the soundstage through more reective surfaces. The increased reections make for a livelier room sound which
translates to a more exciting and realistic experience. The key to home theater layout is spreading the acoustic material out to create
a somewhat even balance of reective and absorbing surfaces throughout the room while keeping an eye out for the most problematic
reections like off-axis primary reections from the side walls, utter echo and standing waves.
11’ x 12’ x 8’ (132sq./ft.)
3.4m x 3.6m x 2.4m (12.3sq./m)
11’ X 14’ x 8’ (154 sq./ft.)
3.3m x 4.2m x 2.4m (13.8sq./m)
Broadband panels and Columns form
a less reective “front” wall while
trapping bass and reducing standing
waves/utter echo. Acoustic symmetry
is maintained.
In this music listening room the windows are
treated with drapes and Control Columns are
position opposite to balance the symmetry.
12’ X 16’ x 8’ (192 sq./ft.) 3.6m x 4.8m x 2.4m (17.2sq./m)
1. Direct sound waves from loudspeakers.
2. Primary off-axis reections are attenuated by Control Columns.
3. Secondary reections bounce off of two or more room surfaces and eventually
creates room reverberation.
4. Diffused sound waves form the rooms reverb tail.
5. Low frequencies are guided into the corners by room boundaries.
6. Standing waves set-up between parallel walls.
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Often, the challenge in setting up a home studio, theater or music
listening room is maintaining symmetry while accommodating
existing furnishings and room xtures like windows. When dealing
with a less than ideal room some creative modications to the
layout can be made without adversely affecting your ability to
achieve a balanced room response with the London room kit.
Here are some tips for the different panel sizes.
Broadband Panels: The 24” x 48” Broadband panels can
be stacked two high in any room corner and still provide the
same amount of bass trapping. To increase the absorption of
low frequencies you can pack the air space behind the corner
mounted Broadband panels with polyester batting.
Control Columns: The 12” x 48” Columns are to absorb off-axis
primary reections from the front loudspeakers. In the examples
to the right the Columns are used opposite from windows. Drapes
on the windows can help make the acoustic treatment more
symmetrical.
Scatter Blocks: The 12” x 12” Scatter Blocks are very exible. If
the rear wall is unavailable they can be divided into two groups
of six staggered panels to treat more than one room surface.
Alternatively, if you have bookcases acting as rear diffusers you
can go ahead and use the Scatter Blocks on any large untreated
room surface or to augment the sides and front treatment in larger
rooms.