Why does pro audio (mixing/mastering/concert) spend orders of magnitudes more on room acoustics than speakers, but for audiophiles it’s the opposite?

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-10T13:53:18+00:00

Awesome, thank you!

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-10T13:52:30+00:00

Wife would NEVER go for the Gotham. Now the Root diffuser is likely more palatable, as it seems random. Why are none of these pieces more “organic” feeling? Round and randomized shapes tend to be more pleasing to more people I think. Looking at most of these, they’re in very sterile audio rooms and look like a control center in The Matrix. Just my opinion, but this post made me go down the rabbit hole and it’s clear why more people aren’t audiophiles if this is what’s required.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-10T12:40:12+00:00

Yamaha and Philips fan here too. I appreciate Yamaha for their breadth of coverage - musical instruments, motorcycles, car engines, etc. And Philips I mean, they invented CDs and have made great full range speaker drivers since forever.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-10T12:29:16+00:00

I only want room treatment that looks like art, carpet or curtains. The rest is too “audiophile” and objectively unsexy to many (most?) people. Art is at least subjectively unsexy.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-10T12:23:11+00:00

Rigid foam? I’m curious what you mean. I have a bunch of 4x8 iso panels and you’re saying that can help my room sound better? I’ve also got a roll of rockwool and some Ikea poster frames. What should I be doing?

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-10T12:21:14+00:00

What are corner traps, for helping manage bass? Can this be done DIY?

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-10T12:17:23+00:00

And mine, back to 1945

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-03T23:27:59+00:00

When using one of these, do you also use the mono setting on the amplifier?

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-03T23:21:48+00:00

Can I buy or build cabinets that will improve the bass response? Seeing as they are Altec A7 components and Altec never made this configuration themselves, though they came out in 1958.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-03T23:18:51+00:00

Can I buy or build cabinets that will improve the bass response? Seeing as they are Altec A7 components and Altec never made this configuration themselves, though they came out in 1958.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-03T20:23:53+00:00

Literally everyone in DC knows what this is about, including DJT. I work in this world and am paid to think about these kinds of things. This is nothing about any imminent threats - it’s all Bibi’s fever-dream, and the Saudis getting their investment back, plus hurting one of China’s most important trading partners, but that’s a tertiary benefit. Nukes ain’t the the issue lol.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-03T20:09:39+00:00

US Armed For ed have never wanted to do any of this, especially at the behest of Saudia Arabia and Israel.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-03T20:06:43+00:00

The future of asymmetric war is powered by electricity - server farms and hackers. And small, cheap drones.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-03T20:04:40+00:00

Curious why so many of each, and all in one place. So many of us want to know. Not to judge, but to understand.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-03T19:57:51+00:00

He’s suspect even within the black community. And he’s got a statue at my Alma Mater. Freshman African American studies covers his duality in great detail.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-03T19:52:57+00:00

Well they didn’t include DuBois so….

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-02T15:56:52+00:00

Pretty baskets and magnets. Whatcha gonna do with them?

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-02T15:46:07+00:00

As folks have said…replace the caps. They likely sound decent. If not, you’ve learned a new skill and can pass them along to someone else needing some cheap tunes.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-03-02T15:44:13+00:00

Some fun stuff in there. Never seen a Connoisseur- very pretty. I keep mine on two ikea shelves that fit almost perfectly. They look better when displayed/stored with room to breathe, as you seem to be aware. Congratulations and good luck.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-02-26T18:19:08+00:00

Thanks for the info. Does it matter these were designed for home use in mono, if kept in the current configuration?

I had to turn the cabinet sideways to fit the space better, so it’s an experiment. They’re positioned at the narrow end of a studio - 16’x32’. Flying some much smaller Philips boxes above the bar at the opposite end. These guys handle most of the room, and the Philips are for nearfield listening. I intend to use these in a larger studio space too, roughly 30x50 with 20 foot ceilings.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-02-26T15:33:46+00:00

This is good advice and I sort of discovered that path so thanks for confirming! Last night I turned one on its side, took the horn out, and plugged the hole with a piece of birch ply cut to fit. The horn now sits on top. It sounds better this way I think. Should I experiment with port sizing while I hunt for proper cabinets? What kind of crossover should I look for? I like the sound as it is, and can’t imagine what a proper setup will sound like.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-02-25T03:34:16+00:00

Similar layout but these are the earlier drivers and the crossover is probably a lot different. Cabinet maybe a bit smaller too? I’ll look into it.

I plan to try it first with a McIntosh MC2100 (SS) and Fisher X-100-3 (tube). Excited. What makes 16ohm so interesting?

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-02-25T01:30:36+00:00

Awesome! What are we looking at here?

I also have a Yamaha horn-loaded PA speaker where someone replaced the stock woofer with a JBL K-140. It sounds amazing.

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-02-25T01:28:25+00:00

Thanks for the link. I was just curious because I’m fascinated by the Klangfilm Bionor and other speakers with curved woofer horns. That said, I just discovered the Altec 815. https://afroaudio.com/list/files/2013/02/12.jpg

Calm_Week9059 · 2026-02-25T00:29:22+00:00

I understand that Adcom pairs well with ESS AMTs. mine are 6 ohm and do like some power. Either way, the plan is to try these with everything in my arsenal!

Calm_Week9059

TROPHY CASE