SMT Wing Diffusors vs. QRD Diffusors? Effective?

dcc

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After several months of patient waiting, the SMT S Wings have finally landed.

My listening room is also my living room. It is a small converted barn that is almost two century old. It has a cathedral ceiling and the walls are made of solid bricks.

Flyer, who is a member on the Forum, has assisted me in this journey. The assignment I gave him was not that simple. Basically I asked him to improve the acoustics whilst ensuring the least impact on the room’s aesthetics. I kind of like a serene and austere environment that enables me to immerse myself into the music.

After some measurements and intensive audio listening sessions, we concluded that we could improve the room acoustics in two directions: improve the focus of the soundstage and somewhat reduce the reverberation time.

SMT Wings seemed to be the ideal product for achieving this goal. I got my attention caught by SMT Wings in acrylic. However they were only available with a height of 80 centimetres whilst I needed at least the double. Flyer was able to persuade Matts Odemalm, SMT’s boss, to produce such wings. Prototypes were shown at High End Munich 2015 and the first production batch was delivered to my house last weekend.

The acoustic treatment is rather straightforward: one diffusor positioned at each angle of the room, one diffusor at the first reflection point on the side wall (there is no reflection point on the right wall as there is a passage leading to another room) and two diffusors behind my listening chair.

L1010514.jpg

L1010516.jpg

The diffusors positioned at the rear of the room are fitted with casters. They can be stowed away when I am not listening to music. This is the price to pay for using a living room as a listening room.

L1010511.jpg

The SMT wings a clearly enhancing the sound: the soundstage is much precise, I can pinpoint each instrument whilst the cathedral effect is somewhat reduced. At the same time, there is a feeling that my audio room is larger and I am feeling immersed into the music.

I must confess that I am quite impressed by the improvement brought by the SMT diffusors. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank my friend Flyer for assisting me.

L1010512.jpg
 
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sbo6

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May 18, 2014
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Congrats on the improvements. Can I ask how close the SMT wings are to your listening chair and if you had any treatment (like absorption) before? If so, what was the benefit?
 

dcc

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The SMT wings are about 2 feet away from the listening chair.

I did not have any other treatment before as I could not find one that would be aesthetically appealing / room friendly. Remember this is my living room and not a man's cave.
 
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bonzo75

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Feb 26, 2014
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I heard two of them at Elberoth's place and they were excellent. He had them at first reflection points.

I understand this is you living room, and they are transparent, but how much space do you reckon you lose for each diffuser from the wall? Half a foot?
 

Mctwins

Member
Feb 1, 2013
38
6
8
After several months of patient waiting, the SMT S Wings have finally landed.

My listening room is also my living room. It is a small converted barn that is almost two century old. It has a cathedral ceiling and the walls are made of solid bricks.

Flyer, who is a member on the Forum, has assisted me in this journey. The assignment I gave him was not that simple. Basically I asked him to improve the acoustics whilst ensuring the least impact on the room’s aesthetics. I kind of like a serene and austere environment that enables me to immerse myself into the music.

After some measurements and intensive audio listening sessions, we concluded that we could improve the room acoustics in two directions: improve the focus of the soundstage and somewhat reduce the reverberation time.

SMT Wings seemed to be the ideal product for achieving this goal. I got my attention caught by SMT Wings in acrylic. However they were only available with a height of 80 centimetres whilst I needed at least the double. Flyer was able to persuade Matts Odemalm, SMT’s boss, to produce such wings. Prototypes were shown at High End Munich 2015 and the first production batch was delivered to my house last weekend.

The acoustic treatment is rather straightforward: one diffusor positioned at each angle of the room, one diffusor at the first reflection point on the side wall (there is no reflection point on the right wall as there is a passage leading to another room) and two diffusors behind my listening chair.

View attachment 21093

View attachment 21094

The diffusors positioned at the rear of the room are fitted with casters. They can be stowed away when I am not listening to music. This is the price to pay for using a living room as a listening room.

View attachment 21092

The SMT wings a clearly enhancing the sound: the soundstage is much precise, I can pinpoint each instrument whilst the cathedral effect is somewhat reduced. At the same time, there is a feeling that my audio room is larger and I am feeing immersed into the music.

I must confess that I am quite impressed by the improvement brought by the SMT diffusors. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank my friend Flyer for assisting me.

View attachment 21091

Hallo!

Looks great. Next step is a must.....Varitunes V4 and V6:)
 

Mctwins

Member
Feb 1, 2013
38
6
8
Here is our two rooms, me and my brother Bobecca...
 

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Jazzhead

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Aug 26, 2012
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The Horizontal Varitunes perched up on the wall are they the V6 or V4 . How heavy ? Are they dependant on placement , work better inn the corners or ? Enjoy the fruits of your labour !
 
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dcc

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Hallo!

Looks great. Next step is a must.....Varitunes V4 and V6:)

Thanks.

The next step is much more trivial. I am putting back a rug in the room as the previous one was removed some time ago.

I am convinced that Varitunes would certainly bring some further enhancement but they are not stealthy and this is a must for my living room. I am afraid that I will not go that far.

Nices rooms by the way!
 

Mctwins

Member
Feb 1, 2013
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The Horizontal Varitunes perched up on the wall are they the V6 or V4 . How heavy ? Are they dependant on placement , work better inn the corners or ? Enjoy the fruits of your labour !

Hallo!

The two above TV are V4, the one between speakers are V6. Corners, wall/floor/ceiling works best. Don't know how much the V4 weight but V6 is damn heavey.
 

Mctwins

Member
Feb 1, 2013
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8
Thanks.

The next step is much more trivial. I am putting back a rug in the room as the previous one was removed some time ago.

I am convinced that Varitunes would certainly bring some further enhancement but they are not stealthy and this is a must for my living room. I am afraid that I will not go that far.

Nices rooms by the way!

Thanks...Understand.

Too me, there is no turning back. Once the Varitunes is in place and then if you listening without them they goes right back again. Don't care about how it looks.:)
 

Jazzhead

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Aug 26, 2012
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Hallo!

The two above TV are V4, the one between speakers are V6. Corners, wall/floor/ceiling works best. Don't know how much the V4 weight but V6 is damn heavey.

Hi McTwins , the V6 is indeed a big beastie . How does one tune the Varitune to the room ? I see a flap up front , so guess it's by varying the position . Are you getting by on a single V6 , too big to hide away !
 

Mctwins

Member
Feb 1, 2013
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Hi McTwins , the V6 is indeed a big beastie . How does one tune the Varitune to the room ? I see a flap up front , so guess it's by varying the position . Are you getting by on a single V6 , too big to hide away !

Like this...[video]https://youtu.be/GjdACNPLzzg[/video]
 

Jazzhead

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Aug 26, 2012
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Like this...[video]https://youtu.be/GjdACNPLzzg[/video]

kool , thanks . Have you tried the Wing 95 vs the S wings by any chance .... they are are a more compact model
 

Mctwins

Member
Feb 1, 2013
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kool , thanks . Have you tried the Wing 95 vs the S wings by any chance .... they are are a more compact model

No, I have not tried the Wing 95 but I have seen it and it looks good. In near future I probably will get some to fill the ceiling with it.
 

Krelle

Well-Known Member
Aug 5, 2013
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Stockholm Sweden
REALLY nice rooms Dcc, Mctwins and Bobecca!! This picture is from My friend Gunnar ( the cucumber). He has been downsizing his system and it looks like this now. Notice the bubbles on the floor, they take
the first reflection on floor. A really nice looking room if you ask me. Next week I hope i can listen too. Kind regards Krelle
image.jpg
 

dcc

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Nov 4, 2012
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Thanks...Understand.

Too me, there is no turning back. Once the Varitunes is in place and then if you listening without them they goes right back again. Don't care about how it looks.:)

I have an alternative solution that still needs to be investigated. On the right wall there is a very small door giving access to what used to be the hayloft (now a room). Flyer suggested that we could use the hayloft/room as a giant resonator.

Once the new rug is in place, I will ask Flyer to come over to take some measurements (usually this is the perfect opportunity for opening a good bottle of Saint-Julien:cool:) and assess whether the resonator is a viable option.

REALLY nice rooms Dcc, ...

Many thanks for the compliment.
 

Calle_jr

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May 24, 2015
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Flyer suggested that we could use the hayloft/room as a giant resonator.
I think this will work very good if the bass resonance you want to treat occurs at that door to the hayloft, and also if you can do the port as a slot rather than a hole.
 

dcc

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I think this will work very good if the bass resonance you want to treat occurs at that door to the hayloft, and also if you can do the port as a slot rather than a hole.

Thanks for the feedback. Flyer will come over in a few weeks time and we will test that option while taking measurements.
 

PeterA

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Dec 6, 2011
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Like this...[video]https://youtu.be/GjdACNPLzzg[/video]

Interesting video. Did you also take measurements from the listening seat? If so, was the effect on the FR the same? It looks like your meter was on the floor next to the Varitune panel, or was there a mic and the listening location with a cord going into the meter?
 

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