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Quest is a different kind of home theater interiors company; we focus on sound quality. While many acoustical panel company's focus on turn-key theaters with a high emphasis on interior decoration, QuestAI has a different approach. We do Sound Quality and leave the interior design to our gifted Design Partners and Dealers. Our concept is unique in the industry; we engineer the Acoustical Framework around which the designer creates the interior. In less delicate words we design the "bones" around which your designer wraps the "skin" of the space. Click NEXT to see the process of engineering a Quest Acoustical Interior.
Before you begin choosing colors, before seating, even before speakers and video displays, you must choose the most expensive component; the room. Decisions made while the walls are still pencil marks are the most critical because they are the most difficult to change later. Is the room a dedicated theater or a multi-purpose space? Basic decisions like where the doors go and where will you sit need to be envisioned. A fundamental part of Sound Quality Management revolves around finalizing the Acoustical Framework (speaker and listener positions) while you still have the flexibility to make changes.
A small room is different than a concert hall because unlike a big space where adjacent seats sound very similar, each location in the typical living room sounds dramatically different. An engineered design will first and foremost select the best places to listen. Selecting the wrong listening place can dramatically affect performance. The drawing above shows how modal response changes from place to place. Optimization is an iterative process because many factors (room shape, number of seats, speaker position, video display issues, etc.) have unique parameters which can often be at odds with each other. Each seat must be optimized for all these issues.
Low frequency speaker placement is one of the most challenging aspects of small room acoustics. The long wavelengths associated with bass are folded in on themselves creating cancelations which can have a disastrous effect on response smoothness. This translates to a worst case scenario of annoying low frequency ringing and highly distorted musicality. A QuestAI engineer can literally tune in smoothness and neutrality by "virtually" moving the speakers around the space. The art and science of speaker placement remains an iterative process as the listening places, room shape, and other elements are effected by any changes.
The plot inset on the upper right shows the low frequency response as the engineer uses a computer to model the sub-woofer position. Besides looking at the overall smoothness of bass, the engineer will work hard to provide the same sound quality to all listening places. On occasion, at any point, a decision may be required to modify the initial seating positions to accomodate lessons learned during modeling.
Full-range speakers require the same care when considering bass response. Many designers/contractors opt to use subwoofers because of the added flexibility they afford.
In our Quest Acoustical Interior shown above, the second subs optimized position could be achieved by installing a wall-mounted subwoofer. It's important to optimize speaker and sub positions rather then depend totally on equalization since many audible problems simply cannot be electronically removed. It's a mistake to depend on EQ to salvage a poorly placed speaker.
Whether installed in the wall or on stands, the position of the front three speakers is especially critical. An in-wall project requires a thorough modeling of response to make sure the permanently installed speakers are properly tuned. Floor or stand mounted speakers offer greater flexibility for final calibration by allowing last minute adjustment. The QuestAI Engineer will balance the response versus the proper speaker separation and elevation required for optimized soundstage focus and envelopment.
A successful project creates a sound field that seems to float in the air; a three-dimensional illusion of being immersed in a different time and place. Getting the placement wrong collapses this illusion and reveals the “man behind the curtain” that is, clearly localizable individual speakers playing rather than an enveloping soundstage.
Although not shown here, the placement of the side and rear channels require similar insight and modeling to complete the Acoustical Framework.
The final position must balance the requirement for focused sonic images and proper envelopment against proper video display positioning. An acoustically transparent video screen can help us achieve this balance. In addition, the problem is complicated by the need to provide a great performance at all listening places. Speaker and listener heights may need to be adjusted forcing the engineer to revisit earlier design decisions.
Once the Acoustical Framework is finalized, the creation of the Acoustical Treatment Strategy can begin. Often oversimplified, the precise strategy of dealing with the myriad of sonic reflections in the room again requires a high level of engineering expertise. The drawing above shows the reflection from each speaker (front, side and rear differentiated by color) for each listening place in the room. From this modeled data the QuestAI engineer will begin weaving the tapestry of absorptive, reflective and diffusive treatment elements for each surface in the room.
The resulting collage of QuestAI treatments of various types treats each reflection based upon its contribution or reduction to sound quality. A properly engineered strategy should pull the three-dimensional soundstage off the walls and into the room. If it done right, the listener could envision reaching out to touch the sonic images much like a 3D movie experience.
Working with one of our Design Partners the strategy can be integrated with a suitable interior design without seriously compromising the intended technical requirements of the strategy.
None of the steps in creating the Acoustical Framework or the Acoustical Treatment Strategy can be accomplished independently. The process is one of iteratively stepping through the integration of each element meanwhile reviewing the impact of previous choices. The Video Framework must be considered at every step. The use of HD projectors and TVs heightens the need for precise engineering. Optimized imaging can be seriously degraded if the geometry is not carefully mapped out. Poor integration can render an HD image subject to pixelization or even make it undistinguishable from a standard definition image.
Your QuestAI Design Partner can bring the promise to reality with such innovative products as QuestTrac to conceal acoustics, The Stage acoustically transparent walls to allow optimized speaker and video screen positioning, as well as our array of fine acoustical treatments and fabric selections. Onsite calibration is an essential last step of the process including final speaker position adjustments, minor changes in treatment position, and electronic equalization. A properly engineered design allows these final adjustments to be minor and serves to fine tune the ultimate performance.
The final look of your Quest Acoustical Interior is left in the hands of your trusted interior designer or HT Contractor. Built around state-of-the-art engineering, the interior look is yours to imagine and enjoy both visually and acoustically.
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