Hey everyone..

I've decided to put in laminate wood flooring to replace the carpet in the basement and am also upgrading the speakers but now realize I'll need acoustic treatment for better sound. I'm looking to just improve the sound quality. I'll be using a 5.1 Ascend Setup with SVS Cylinder sub.

I have attached a sketch of my room.

I was wondering what type of acoustic treatment I should use and where it should be placed. I'm on a low budget (maybe $200 at most for treatment) and need help on placement and product choice.

Also...there is a drop ceiling in my theater room...would acoustic tiles help in the drop ceiling??

Should I use foam, like the following from ebay item 260137255845.

The room is about 12ft wide x 24ft long with 8ft ceilings.

Thanks for everything.



http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/room.gif

KostaVan,

$200 is indeed a tight budget - but not to worry. You will need to measure the loudspeaker response in that room after you have everything set up. Before starting ceiling treatments, you'll need to prioritize what needs to be done in the room.

Significant improvements can be made with proper loudspeaker placement + listening position. Also, regular household furnishings, wall hangings, bookshelves, plants can serve as makeshift acoustic treatments.

Take your time and check out the ongoing Acoustical Master Treatments thread, too.

- Steve O.

I was wondering what type of acoustic treatment I should use and where it should be placed. I'm on a low budget (maybe $200 at most for treatment) and need help on placement and product choice.

Pretty much everything you need to know is right here:

www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

Should I use foam, like the following from ebay item 260137255845.

No, that stuff is junk and the company sells it fraudulently. See this:

www.ethanwiner.com/fraud.html

--Ethan

I have laminate flooring in my living room where my HT system is and you should increase your budget a bit and invest in some OC 703 or buy the traps from one of the companies you find here. I had to put at least 4 4'X2' panels to make a dent in the echo. 12 panels and bass trapping the corners would be ideal. Spend the time to read the sticky at the top of this section and you can get more info than you ever bargained for.

And as scortch said above, moving the speakers can halp a bunch, I had to move mine about 3 feet away for all walls. This should be a great first step and add the bass traps and panels afterward.