Bass boom in HDB

Dear Dr. Jon Wong,

I have a problem with room acoustics.

I just moved my gear into a HDB study which is approx 9ft width x 14 ft depth, parquet flooring with carpet below the rack and speakers.

My gear is wadia 23 front end, krell KRC 3 pre and KSA150 power and thiel cs22's connected via MIT 750 CVT series 2 cables, IC and powerchords are AFA's and Thundersnake.

The problem I have is bassboom/echo especially due to the speakers being close to the back and sidewalls. Unfortunately I have a large book shelf on the side and if I move the left speaker away from it then the two speakers get too close to each other...need your helping in suggesting any bass absorbing gear out there that I could DIY or buy off the shelf...any suggestion whatsoever is much appreciated...please help.

Many thanks in advance.

Sangram

Hello Sangram,

In the Chinese section of 1388.com I have an article which mentioned how Joe Lee solved his bass boom problem in a HDB unit in 1992. Anyway, the article is lengthy and here I tell you the secret:

Goto any of the furniture shops and buy foam mattresses. They should be about S$60 each. You should buy at least two mattresses, each of the size for a single bed. You should remove the plastic cover before using. For cosmetic reason, you can choose the bed sheet cover of your preference.

Use one mattress at the back wall between the speakers first. Let the mattress stand up, lying on the long side, and against the wall. Also, you can use one mattress behind one speaker or the side wall and adjust the position of the mattress for best effects. If possible, it is advisable to remove the bookshelve and let the speakers have more space to breath.

I like the bass from Thiel. Have it controlled, it sounds really authoritative. Good luck.

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