Start with the source, or with the room?

nduitch

On this forum, often the advice is starting with a good source, garbage in, garbage out right? How much of an affect does the room have? Isn't it the first variable that should be addressed?

Would modest equipment sound fantastic in a superiorly treated room?

Curious to hear your thoughts.

seabeerob213

I know for me, room treatments are almost not an option, so i have been upgrading my source, and it is a great improvement, better avr, better wires, and lossless files, now the addition of a CD player used for 90% of my listening now. while physical setup is huge in sound quality, you can only do so much to cover up that garbage. i would say do the sources first, as everything you do after that can be focused on getting the sound you really want, instead of trying to compensate for poor sourcing. That being said, if one is much easier than the other, do it first, i just think that you cant tweak it properly if the music you use to tweak it isnt the music youre going to be using it for.

thsmith

Whats modest and how big is the room, how is it decorated and furnished ?

WIthout knowing more I would still recommend room treatments, at least the modest system has a chance to sound the best it can.

Conradicles

Room 1st

rpf65

This all depends on your budget. Lets face it,if you have the funds, you could hire a professional, start a major remodel project, and have as near a perfect acoustical room as is humanly possible. Of course you would also be a rare person, so as many others do, you look for work arounds.

Given that, I would probably start with a 5 or 7. 1 or 2 system, and then make it sound as good as I possibly could. Not saying spending $10K plus necessarily, but buy some of the gear you think would work. Then mabe add a few room treatments, then decide, or guess where the weak link is. The point being that at some point in time, whatever upgrade/improvement you can think of just wouldn't justify the expense.

So a little her, and a little there would be my approach.

Speedskater

In most cases:
Room first.
Speakers next.
Everything else much later.

erniejade

When my girlfriend moved in with her 2 kids, I lost my listening room in the basement and converted the basement to a family room and a bedroom. I brought my system up stairs to the living room. I could never get it to sound right! I changed amps, speakers, speakers again, source, speakers again,... I think I went through 10 different sets of speakers ranging from Carver Amazing to SDA1.2, SDA2.3, jm labs, vandersteen 2ce sig, and 3A's, polk rti12... there was a few more mixed in but you get the picture. What I was searching for was the sound I had in the basement with the SDA for rock and the Amazing for jazz and classical. I tried the speakers in every position possible.

Newrival had the same legacy focus speakers I have currently and when I heard them at his place I was shocked and could not believe it was the same speaker. I don't know how many times Newrival came over to my place trying to help me get several speakers "right" in the living room ( thank you for all of the help! ) but, when I heard the legacy in at his place, right then I knew, no matter what I put into that room, I was not going to be happy and then thought of how much money I spent going through trying to get the sound back that I once had! I wound up moving the rig to the smaller den on the main floor and it sounds wonderful again! Bass is back where it should be, highs have an attack like they did with more of a live sound and not lifeless like it sounded in the living room.

Bottom line, the room has a LOT to do with the sound!