Originally Posted by
NoDestiny
I'd say acoustic treatment is far more important than some would lead on to say otherwise. Good equipment is obviously important, but throwing a pair of high end speakers into a highly reflective, null-creating room is a great way to feel like you got ripped off. Good treatment will give you a flatter response, more dynamics, and better imaging out of ANY speakers.
First thing to do is get REW (Room EQ Wizard) and set it up, see what your setup is actually doing to see how best to tackle acoustic issues.
Next, placement is key. You can make a huge difference in your sound by moving your speakers around even just a few inches in some situations. Again, REW can really help you find a good response. I'd actually start with placement before anything else as placement will make the biggest difference with your existing room/equipment.
After you get your speakers just right, look up on DIY panels with rigid fiberglass or rigid rockwool (or any product that will absorb more than highs and mids.. "studio foam" is a BIG no. If you aren't catching your low end, you might be causing more problems than you are helping!). Start with first reflection points, as somebody else pointed out in this thread. Bass traps are another great way to go. Note that small room take a lot more treatment to be effective, so if you don't have much room to work with, you might consider moving to headphones instead! You can always do some quick testing with any dense, but breathable materials (such as a few folded up towels) and place them somehow in your proposed spots to see if it makes a difference in REW or to your ears. Good way to know if you are going down the right path. Though, I'll warn you: The difference in sound won't be that great until you get 100% of all first reflections taken care of first! Simply covering 2 points isn't going to blow you away.
If you have a decent sized room and want to get a larger, more natural "live" sound, look into diffusion instead of absorption. QRD calculators if you wanna DIY. Combine the two if possible for the best of all worlds.
I'll warn ya: Sound proofing, (or reducing the amount of sound that can come in and out of your room) is much more complicated. Look up a 2-leaf design (double wall) if you are serious into dropping that noise.
Just some tips from somebody who has done their home theater and studio rooms.