Q: Your background includes many different technical fields, as well as music. How did you become interested in acoustics and to start your company RealTraps?

A: I learned about the importance of acoustics in the mid 1970s when I built a large professional recording studio. But my interest today is rooted mainly in consumerism. Most people wrongly believe that high quality audio is entirely about the "gear" you use. There's no question that good amplifiers and speakers are important! But you can put the best gear in the world in a bad sounding room, and it will sound bad. Sadly, many people have NO IDEA what they're missing because they've never heard a great sounding room. So in the pursuit of better sound they buy expensive gear, then a year later trade it in to buy more expensive gear, in a futile and endless cycle of upgrades. Once people understand that their room affects the sound quality they hear more than anything else, they won't waste money upgrading their gear.

 

Q: So you believe that acoustics and treatment are a crucial part of every audio system?

A: Absolutely! A room the size you'll find in most homes has a frequency response that varies by 30 dB or even more, with half a dozen peaks and nulls below 200 Hz, and even more at higher frequencies. Worse, low frequency peaks are accompanied by "ringing," which means musical notes at those frequencies sustain longer than notes at other frequencies. This creates the boomy effect known as "one note bass," where all bass notes sound more or less the same regardless of their pitch. Bass traps and other treatments solve that problem, and increase bass clarity and fullness, and also improve sound stage and imaging at mid and high frequencies. Even very modest gear in a great sounding room will sound vastly better than the most expensive gear in an treated room.

 

Q: Do you find that the size and appearance of acoustic treatment present an obstacle to their "acceptance" in homes?

A: Yes, and it's a shame. If audiophiles and their spouses are willing to accept the look of huge tower loudspeakers, with power amps and other gear on pedestals in the middle of the floor, and speaker cables as thick as garden hose on cable elevators, then why not acoustic treatment? I happen to think bass traps look really cool! But I understand that not everyone else feels that way. With acoustic treatment you can have Effective, Attractive, or Cheap - pick any two. Treatment can be hidden if you're willing to pay to construct false fabric walls. Fortunately, more people these days have dedicated rooms where they can do whatever they want without "spouse" objections.

 

Q: What's your take on the various electronic "room correction" products?

A: I've done extensive testing and found these products do not live up to the claims. At low frequencies, every location in a room responds differently, so no single EQ curve can give a flat response everywhere. Over a physical span of only four inches the frequency response can vary by 15 dB or more. So EQ can't even make the response flat for both your ears at the same time! Peaks are typically 6 dB or less, but nulls can be 25 dB deep or more. Adding that much boost with an equalizer increases low frequency distortion in loudspeakers, and risks damaging them. Also, as I mentioned before, ringing is as much a problem as peaks and nulls, and EQ cannot help that either. Yes, I know some companies claim their room correction products reduce ringing, but they really don't. An article on the RealTraps web site shows my test results for one such product. However, I am not opposed to using EQ to reduce peaks at very low frequencies where bass traps are less effective. Say, below 50 Hz.

 

Q: If someone wants to "taste" what acoustic treatment can do before totally committing, how do you suggest they start?

A: There are two main types of room treatment - bass traps and reflection absorbers. Even two absorbers - one on each side wall at the first reflection points - will make a huge improvement in clarity and imaging. That's probably the fewest panels one can try to get a feel for what acoustic treatment does. It's very common for someone to buy a few panels from us, then come back a week later and buy more once they've heard what's possible. RealTraps sells several types of room kits, and our Starter Kit is very popular with people who don't want to invest too much at first.

 

Q: Is acoustic treatment a magical process or is it something that an amateur or DIY audio enthusiast can attempt?

A: Acoustics is not nearly as complicated as some people think. ALL acoustic problems are caused by reflections off the walls, floor, and ceiling. It really is that simple. Therefore, the goal is to absorb those reflections so you hear more of the direct sound from the loudspeakers and less of the room. When bass traps are placed in corners, the response becomes much flatter and bass notes become more articulate. Absorbers at the side-wall and ceiling reflection points reduce the "time smearing" that occurs when reflections arrive a few milliseconds after the direct sound. Diffusors are a third type of treatment, though good ones cost more than absorbers. Diffusors reduce the strength of reflections by scattering sound around the room, rather than reflect it straight back toward the source. This avoids the problems caused by reflections, but without reducing any desired liveness in the room.

 

Q: What is the budget ballpark for acoustic treatment in an average home theater installation?

A: For RealTraps products, I'd say the minimum investment is around $700, and you can go up from there. We've done large very high end rooms where the treatment budget was over $15,000, though most rooms can be improved enormously for around $2,000 to $3,000. Compared to the cost of high quality electronics, I'd say that is pretty darn reasonable!

 

Q: Are there various levels of support that a client can expect from RealTraps, or do you have a basic service model that you stick with?

A: We're experts at this and we've seen every type of room imaginable. We're glad to advise people on what products they should buy, and we never charge for that. However, people often come to us for advice on the size and shape of a room that's not even built yet, or they have other audio questions unrelated to our products. We're glad to advise people on ALL aspects of their system, even if unrelated to acoustics. Though in that case we request a small deposit that is applied fully to their subsequent purchase. Once someone has bought from us we'll answer everything we can for free.

 

Q: How is the future shaping up for acoustic treatment? Are there new technologies and products on the way or is it pretty well established that the current state of the art is here for a while?

A: There's not much that can change when it comes to physics! Bass traps are by necessity large and thick, and reflection absorbers also need a minimum surface area to be effective. There's no getting around that. So our focus has always been to get the highest performance possible in a given product size.