Home » Audio » Room Acoustics » Does type of floor affect acoustics?
Does type of floor affect acoustics? [message #85022] Fri, 21 April 2017 15:19 Go to next message
Lark is currently offline  Lark
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Registered: February 2017
Baron
I was just wondering whether the type of flooring in your room affects the acoustics? That is, if there is a carpet or tiles or wood will the sound be different for each?
Re: Does type of floor affect acoustics? [message #85025 is a reply to message #85022] Fri, 21 April 2017 16:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
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Registered: January 2001
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Carpeting is generally best. It reduces the size of the floor bounce notch.

Re: Does type of floor affect acoustics? [message #86159 is a reply to message #85025] Wed, 20 September 2017 16:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
sawyer25 is currently offline  sawyer25
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Master
Wayne Parham wrote on Fri, 21 April 2017 16:06

Carpeting is generally best. It reduces the size of the floor bounce notch.



I've always gone for carpeting. I guess that's why you'll find them in theater rooms. What about cork and/or vinyl? I've heard people recommend them as well.
Re: Does type of floor affect acoustics? [message #86162 is a reply to message #85022] Wed, 20 September 2017 16:32 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
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Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Absolutely. The floor bounce notch is one of the largest boundary anomalies and hard floors make it worse. A carpet with a pad helps a lot when the speakers are placed relatively close to the listener because the anomaly is relatively high in frequency. As you move further from the speakers, the notch frequency shifts lower so things like flanking subs do a better job, but carpeting still helps.

Re: Does type of floor affect acoustics? [message #86163 is a reply to message #85022] Wed, 20 September 2017 17:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
mamoss is currently offline  mamoss
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Still, should we (as well) be saying that the higher the quality of carpeting, the higher the sound quality in a room? When looking for carpets, is there a specific type that people keen on acoustics should go for?
Re: Does type of floor affect acoustics? [message #86170 is a reply to message #86163] Thu, 21 September 2017 08:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
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Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Acoustically, the thicker, the better. Obviously acoustics aren't the only concern though. Best bet is to use a carpet and pad, and to further mitigate floor bounce and vertical modes using a flanking sub approach.

Re: Does type of floor affect acoustics? [message #86222 is a reply to message #85022] Sat, 30 September 2017 11:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Azuri is currently offline  Azuri
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Registered: November 2012
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Is this why shag rugs used to be so popular?

I have always found that rooms with carpeting help a system sound better. The difference has never been overtly noticeable, but noticeable all the same.
Re: Does type of floor affect acoustics? [message #86225 is a reply to message #86222] Sun, 01 October 2017 16:40 Go to previous message
gofar99 is currently offline  gofar99
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Registered: May 2010
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I suspect that shag carpeting was popular because it was cheap. Very Happy

Good Listening
Bruce
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