Revel Gem - Manual (Page 11)

ROOM ACOUSTICS
Listening rooms have a profound impact on sound quality, espe-
cially at low frequencies. In fact, a listening room can actually
dominate the sound quality below about 300 Hz. Ideally, a new
room being built from scratch would include optimized dimen-
sional ratios to minimize the effects of standing waves.
However, most installations will be made in existing rooms. In
these cases, your only solution is to take special care in selecting
both the speaker and prime listening locations, which will pay off
in superior low frequency performance. Often the difference
between poor and excellent results is the result of relatively small
adjustments in speaker and listener placements.
The interaction of loudspeakers and rooms is quite complex, as the
loudspeaker and listener are affected by two mechanisms. First,
nearby surfaces, or boundaries, cause large peaks and dips in low
frequency response. These peaks and dips can often range 12 dB or
more. Second, the loudspeaker and listener locations interact with
the standing waves, or room modes. These standing waves, or reso-
nances, also result in large response errors. There are no simple for-
mulas that take both mechanisms into account. Even computer
programs that analyze one or both factors still may not provide
you with the proper speaker or listener placement values.
Here’s where real-world experience counts. We suggest consulting
your Revel dealer for help in determining the optimum loudspeak-
er and listener placement for your listening room.
REVEL ULTIMA GEM
Owner’s Manual
11