Nord User Forum

[Grasoon]

Dear all,

I have attached picture of my set up in new room (just move to this room due to wife order) I found that piano sound muddy (not sure if this is a correct word). The sound is just not clear especially in the low notes. Walls were made with cement and floor was made with tiles. I have tried to solve this problem with my limit knowledge by putting the wall decoration (the color square behind the piano and speakers) to reduce the resonance and echo but it getting just a little bit better. Most of the problem still there.

Can anyone please help share yours ideas on how can I solve this problem? Some said I have to move out of the corner but I saw one picture in "random image" section that the owner put his or her NS2 and the speakers in the corner just like I did so I think corner shouldn't be main source of problem (or I'm wrong?)

My speaker is ESI 5"

Thank you very much in advance for your kind help

[Frantz]

Hello,

Maybe in your previous room the speakers were not close to the walls ?
Thought the speakers have a rear port (hole), they may need more space behind them.

[mjbrands]

I also think sound reflecting from the walls is a likely source of the muddiness. Our brains are normally very good at disregarding 'ringing' caused by sound reflecting from hard surfaces, but when the time between when the original sound reaches our ear and the reflection(s) is very small (often because the distance between the speakers and the walls or other hard surfaces is very small) this mechanism doesn't work as well.

Maybe you could try moving the NS2 and the speakers more to the center of the room for a test? Just to see if it actually removes some of the muddiness? Placing a speaker in a corner often changes their sound (and not in a good way) - this is especially the case for low frequencies. If you want very loud, booming (and distorted) bass, place your sub-woofer in the the corner of the room :-p

Anyway, I have my monitors up a against a wall too and have some of the muddiness you mention. I don't have the room to place them anywhere else and you might have the same problem. What would help is placing something sound-absorbing behind the speakers, such as a very thick curtain, to help prevent very direct reflections from the speaker to your ear. If sound bounces of walls further away from you, the volume will be lower than the original sound and it will arrive much later (relatively speaking) than the original sound which both help your brain to filter those reflections out.

When you move to a new house (or something) you sometimes have rooms where you can clearly hear an echo; however, as you get to know that room (and how it 'sounds') you usually can't hear it anymore after a while. Whether that's because you're now used to it or because your brain is now actually able to filter it out is a good question.

Edit1: I love the music stand painted in the same color as the wall

Edit2: You could try plugging up the bass reflex port in the rear of the speaker with a sock or something (make sure you can get it out). Something like a bit of rolled up filter material (the white, soft stuff) used for cooker hoods (the thing that sucks up greasy/smelly air above the stove) might help in a bit less dramatic way than a sock, since it will still allow through some of the sound. It will definitely change the 'color' of the sound produced by the speakers though.

[Grasoon]

Thank you so very much for your kind response and a very good information. I definitely will try to test new placement to see where can i put my gears. However, just curious, why this problem doesn't happen with my upright? It sits right next to the Nord.

Thank you again for your help

Cheers!!!

[maurus]

Ah I spotted a corner of the upright on your pic.... well an upright is a very different sound source than a speaker. A large surface is resonating, and the whole large body emits sound. Whereas in a monitor, you almost have kind of a point source of sound in comparison, much more sensitive to constructive or destructive interference with reflected waves.

That said, also a piano's sound is sensitive to placement in the room - placing it away from the wall, or at an angle to the wall, *can* result in a striking change of the sound. Try playing a chromatic scale over the whole keyboard, and with careful listening you will detect resonances etc.

[Michael Wright]

(just move to this room due to wife order)

Boy I have had a few of those in my time!!

[mjbrands]

At least the wife can put a tablecloth and a vase with some flowers on the the sub-woofer :-p

[Michael Wright]

In all seriousness I do find getting any
speakers/moniters further away and about 80 degrees between them give me this best sound. YMMV Cheers Mike

[Grasoon]

I have moved it out of the corner and I sound better immediately!!! Thank you very much for all your information.

Thank you again