Room Acoustics; Solid Footing - MartinLogan Dynamo 1000W User Manual

Your Room
This is an area that requires both a little background to
understand and some time and experimentation to a ttain
the best performance from your system. Your room is actu-
ally a component and an important part of your system.
This component is a Iorge variable and can dramatically
add to or subtract from a great sonic experience.
All sound is composed of waves. Each frequency has its
own wove size, with the lower, or boss frequencies literal-
ly encompassing from l 0 feet to as much as 40 feet. Your
roo m pa rtic ipates in this wave experience like a sw im-
ming pool with waves reflecting and becoming enhanced
depending on the size and shape of the room and the
types of surfaces in the room.
Remember that your audio system can actually generate all
of
the information required to recreate a sonic event in time,
space, and tonal balance. Acoustically, the role of on ideal
room w ould be to neither delete nor contribute to that infor-
mation. However, nearly every room does to some degree.
Terminology
Standing Waves
Sound coming from a speaker bounces around in a room
until a pattern emerges-this is called a standing w ove.
Typically, this is o nly a pro blem w ith frequen c ies below
l OOHz. When this ha ppens different parts of yo ur room
experience either an excess or a lack of boss.
Some peo ple believe that having a room without para llel
walls will eliminate this effect. The truth is that non-parallel
walls only generate different standing wove patterns tha n
those that occur in recta ng ular rooms.
Usually, you can exc ite most o f the standin g waves in
a roo m by putting the subwoofer in a corn er. Li ste ning
pos ition determines w hich standing w aves yo u will expe-
rien ce. For instance, if yo u sit in a corner you will hear
most
of
the stand ing waves . This can be on overpow ering
experien ce . Sitting next to a wall con also intensify the
levels of the sta nding w aves tha t are experienced.
Resonant Surfaces and Obiects
A ll of the surfaces a nd objects in your room ore subject to
the frequencies generated by your system. Much like a n
instrument, they w ill vibrate and "carry on" in syncopation
ROOM ACOUSTICS
with the music, and may contribute in a nega tive way to
the sound. Ringing , boom iness, and even brightness can
occur simply because surfaces and objects are "singing
along" w ith your speakers.
Resonant Cavities
Small alcoves or closet type areas in your room can be
chambers that creole their own "standing w aves" and can
drum their own "one note" sounds.
Solid Footing
After liv ing and exper imenting with yo ur subwoofer,
you may want to use ETC™ (Energy Tran sfer Coupler)
Spikes (see figure l l ). W ith the use o f these spikes,
the subwoofer will become more firm ly planted o n the
floor a nd , co nsequently , bass will tighten. It is best not
to implement the spikes, however, until you are secure in
the positioning, as the spikes con damage the floor if the
subwoofer is moved.
Spike Installation Instructions:
Carefully lay the subwoofer on its side to gain access
to the bottom of the feet.
2 Firmly press the spikes into the feet.
Caution: Make sure yo ur hand s a nd any c a bling are
clear of the spikes . Do not slide the subw oofer as spikes
are sharp and can damage your floor or carpet.
Figure 11.
To insta ll the spikes, press them into the feet.
R oom Acoustics l 3