room treatment

hello all,

been away for a bit as i'm saving for speakers, so i been a bit skint, grumpy and antisocial.!

however i'm almost there now, and i need some advice concerning the house they are to go in, as i'm making decisions that will have an impact on the results

in my listening room, what type of floor should i go for?
i'm thinking either carpet or wood...there is a type of bamboo floor that is little thicker than laminate, which can work with the underfloor heating that's going in.
also wall coverings....any suggestions?

my speakers are alon phalanxes acquired from dcathro, to be supplemented by an infinite baffle bass array.
the listening room is large and open, and generally rectangular with a huge window at one end. ceiling height is normal- 7 foot. i shall post the plans as soon as i am able, including full dimensions, but from memory it's about 20' x 25', maybe a bit bigger.
the rear wall (behind the speakers) is to be rendered directly, rather than a stud and plasterboard arrangement as throughout the rest of the outside walls. this is to stop it boooming/resonating; i am looking into extending the underfloor heating systen up that wall, to prevent condensation forming as it's pretty chilly in the winter there.
any thoughts/suggestions?

many thanks
gav

 

Condensation happens when the local temperature drops below the dew point - so the tendency for condensation to form on surfaces depends on surface temp and relative humidity. The risk can be calculated - PM me with an email addy if you want pointless detail...

As for surface finishes - well what sort of environment do you really want at home? The kind of absorption carpet provides (active only in the high midrange and up) can easily be achieved elsewhere in finishes and furnishing - so if you want a timber/bamboo floor, just don't worry about it.

 

i think i'd prefer carpet, but they do say wood has a lovely sound?

 

It doesn't really, it depends entirely what it is installed over

If you have timber baording over a cavity, the stiffness of the board vs. the depth of airgap behind entirely governs how it behaves (as a bass absorber). If timber is fixed direct to a 'rigid' substrate (e.g. over a concrete floor) then it's about as absorptive as a painted plastered wall - i.e not very, at all.

Have a good think about what you want your home to be like, since you have to live in it! Pick yu candidates for finishes and consider using a tool like CARAto then help you then predict/tweak/balance the likely result. While planning a full-on renovation it'll be a *lot* cheaper than making potentially costly construction assumptions...

 

that's very helpful, thankyou felix

so it would be pointless to lay a wooden floor over my concrete one if the aim was to change the sound reflection/absorbtion qualities?

this had been what i was considering

my requirements are that it sound ok, and that it be soft to walk on.

what about a sprung floor?

would that just resonate and vibrate?

it would be nicest on my ankle and knee joints, as concrete is very unforgiving