Will a hardwood floor screw over my sound?

entropy

Alright, we're moving (yeah, I'll post pics before/after just for the hell of it ) and I'm *probably* getting the bigger room with the hardwood floor . But I just thought of something. I've got two RCA speakers (about 2.5' tall (1-foot subs )) and also 5 satellites and a sub from my 5.1 system. Now. Will the hardwood floor make the sound really ... tinny sounding? I have no idea ... and if it would ... I don't want that. Plus, my parents are gonna buy whoever takes the smaller room (slightly bigger than mine is NOW) a new monitor (my bro and I both need one) and a new computer desk. So it's a bonus either way

Thanks guys

profdlp

A lot depends on the size and shape of the room and whether you have a lot of furniture, etc. When I moved last June I was amazed at how much echo there was in the rooms when they were empty just in having a normal conversation. The floor was carpeted but the bare walls and ceiling made a huge difference.

If your room will be jam-packed with stuff it probably won't be a big deal, though you might want to get some small swatches of carpet to put under the subs. If your room is as bare as a monk's cell you might have a problem.

You could always get an area rug. If you're not picky they often can be found for a reasonable price. Certainly less than the cost of a big monitor.

muddocktor

I would think that bare hardwood floors should boost the bass a bit, with a lesser affect on the higher frequencies.

entropy

What I'm worried about is, like prof said, the sound reverberating. Echoing can really make music (or anything, for that matter) sound hollow. And basically I'll have my chair, comp/desk, bed, and various dressers and chests and that. So very little 'soft' stuff to absorb sound

profdlp

Not everyone would like this idea in their bedroom, but back when I was in a band we practiced for a while in a bare basement. We kept talking about going in on a carpet but always ended up spending the money on better P.A. equipment.

Then one day we tried tacking a quilt to the ceiling. We let it billow in several places. Made all the difference in the world. Even hung on one wall it should help some. You could probably find one at the Salvation Army for just a few bucks.

pokesquid808

give a good clap in the room...see how dead it is. if you hear the clap after that...then you have some issues thats what i always do in a building when i first go in to run sound. i've worked in non carpeted floors before and it does reflect a little but not much, wasn't wood floors though. but yeah give it a good clap and you can tell whether the room is dead or not. clap hard

Thrax

entropy wrote:

What I'm worried about is, like prof said, the sound reverberating. Echoing can really make music (or anything, for that matter) sound hollow. And basically I'll have my chair, comp/desk, bed, and various dressers and chests and that. So very little 'soft' stuff to absorb sound

I have a hardwood floor in my room with sheetrock walls, finished over that with plaster.

The only soft thing I have is my chair, and my bed. If an echo exists, I can't find it.

MERRICK

profdlp wrote:

Not everyone would like this idea in their bedroom, but back when I was in a band we practiced for a while in a bare basement. We kept talking about going in on a carpet but always ended up spending the money on better P.A. equipment.

Then one day we tried tacking a quilt to the ceiling. We let it billow in several places. Made all the difference in the world. Even hung on one wall it should help some. You could probably find one at the Salvation Army for just a few bucks.

I'd say that that's the right direction to go in. Of course since it's your bedroom, perhaps more aesthetic damping is in order like a few hanging tapestrys on the walls, some area rugs. A tapestry on the ceiling might be cool. The biggest downside is that they will collect dust so you have to pencil them in for laundry now and then.

MediaMan

follows up an audio engineer's opinion


First thing first. Speakers vibrate. That's how they work. If the speakers sit on a firm anchor they have something to "push" off of. Meaning that if the speaker sits on carpet or on a stand on carpet...there's a bit of dampening going on as the cone vibrates but the box also moves...thus cancelling out a wee bit of the sound.

That's why you use heavy stands with pins through carpet to the floor.

Now...not necessary for those pins on hardwood. Just make sure the stand sits solidly.

Now an empty room is acoustically live. The "ball" of sound comes from the speaker and can reflect (bounce) off any number of walls...music can have that echo or appear to be of a higher frequency.

The sound isn't bad...the listening environment is.

The more "soft" objects you put in such as a bed, drapes other furniture...and the reflective surfices are cut down even more. The "ball" of sound is deflected many more times into smaller bits or deadened...thus the room sounds less "live"

Hardwood is good. Less dust sucked into your puter.

If you have a live room. Try putting a sleeping bag on the floor...does it sound better? If so...go invest in an area rug you like.

Next step is acoustic material on the wall (drapes) A strategically placed drape can do a lot...both for sound and looks in a room.

MERRICK

MediaMan wrote:

/me follows up an audio engineer's opinion

That's why you use heavy stands with pins through carpet to the floor.

Now...not necessary for those pins on hardwood. Just make sure the stand sits solidly. QUOTE]


Yeah that is the way to go. I have very heavy all metal stands that I fill with sand. They have pins for the floor AND pins to support the speakers. Since they are on carpet (single layer/hardwood floor) I put a nickel under each floor pin to minimize damping, best 40 cents I ever spent.

BTW The stands are not that expensive and:
www.partsexpress.com