SVS AS EQ1 - Manual (Page 34)

AS-EQ1 Operator Manual
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What we hear in such rooms is not what was intended to be heard when the sound engineer created the mix for
the movie or music soundtrack. Instead we may hear certain frequencies that have become very loud and domi-
nant due to positive reinforcement of the sound energy in our room, and also the inverse – very soft and hard
to hear frequencies due to cancellation effects as well as the overbearing positively reinforced frequencies. In the
lower frequencies, the result is what some call “one note bass” or “bass bloat”, and robs us of the accurate listen-
ing experience we built our home theaters and listening rooms to achieve.
The good news is that there are several things that can be done to correct the effects of our room acoustics.
One thing that many people try is changing the placement of their speakers or subwoofer(s) in the room. In many
cases just moving a speaker or subwoofer(s) a small distance can make a significant difference in the way certain
frequencies are heard. In other cases, the acoustic characteristics of the listening space can be changed with
“room treatments” – e.g. sound-absorptive materials to cut down on reflections in the room and get closer to an
anechoic environment.
Another method is referred to as “Room Equalization” which involves using electronic means to counter the positive
and negative reinforcement of sound energy in the room. For example, frequencies that have had their energy boost-
ed (louder) can have their energy reduced in the affected frequencies before sending the signal to the speaker or
Appendix A - Why EQ?
Subwoofer Response In-Room
FIG. 21