[naethoven]

Originally Posted by jayfrigo

Don't over-think the ratio. Yes, it is the basis of a good room, and an important early choice to make. However, there are many other factors to consider, and if you are going to properly treat the room, then the choice between these two ratios won't end up making that big a difference in the end. If a room is too small, even if it technically has a slightly better ratio, it can still often be a worse room.

Add to that practical concerns (fitting gear and people, systems, support spaces), ergonomics, listening position, room to get free standing monitors away from boundaries (if that's monitor choice), needing to be 3 wavelengths from diffusion if you plan to use any etc...

If you really want to take everything into account, some ratios end up working better in larger rooms, some in smaller rooms, and then there are variables when you have absorptive treatments. For example, surface impedance can affect phase and magnitude, not just magnitude, and this obviously can have an impact.

You can't take a ratio in isolation, any more than you can take any other element of an acoustical design in isolation. The difference between those two ratios is somewhat insignificant in the context of the rest of the variables. Pick the one that works best for the whole plan, and don't sacrifice a bunch things just to make the room mode graph look nice.

Sounds like very good advice from you and Northward. This clears up a lot of things for me. Thank you! I will post my new design some time today. Please check back and critique it if you have the chance.