I Might Be Dispensing With A Dedicated Listening Room..Gasp..

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ServingTheMusic, May 27, 2015.

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  1. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    Shopping for a new house...where ever we end up I may decide to do away with a dedicated living room and set up my main system in the living room.

    This is the way I grew up. My dad had great gear..Quad, Revox, Kenwood, Tandberg, etc. set up in the living room...there was no man cave, no head in vice..everybody could enjoy the system and I would ask him to put on all sorts of records in between his choices. We also had reel to reel tapes.

    It was much more inclusive. And by the way the system sounded fantastic, still unmatched in many ways in my head.

    I may want to go back to that. Actual live human beings, plants, and animals enjoying the music.

    :D:cool::D
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2015
  2. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    A very valid reason, and why I've kept around a very modest surround setup in the family room. There are times however when I do want to listen and the wife or one of the kids would rather watch TV. It's those times that I'm glad to still have the dedicated room.

    Good luck in your house hunt!

    Bill
     
  3. Would this affect your ability to review products accurately?
     
  4. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    I don't think so personally. Robert Harley of TAS has his uber system set up in his living room.
     
    LeeS and Shawn like this.
  5. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    There won't be a TV in the living room. I like BIG screens heheh..
     
    mikeyt likes this.
  6. kenrothman

    kenrothman Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I did the same. :righton:
     
  7. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    and how was the transition?
     
  8. kenrothman

    kenrothman Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I use my gear more often, because it's where I am. That's the basic gist.
     
    SandAndGlass and Ntotrar like this.
  9. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    Makes sense!!
     
  10. gregorya

    gregorya I approve of this message

    Keep us posted on how this goes... I am lucky enough to have a studio in the house and a decent system in the family room for more social listening. And late at night, I really enjoy headphone listening for up close and personal consumption.
     
  11. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    I'm hot on the hunt for a great house...but hopefully by the fall I will have it all set up.

    P.S.

    "social listening"...what a concept!
     
    gregorya likes this.
  12. I put my stereo in my livingroom after trying the dedicated listening room thing. Felt like I was neglecting my family while I was sequestered down in my listening room. Besides, the livingroom ROCKS when I crank it up. Way better all around.
     
  13. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    Yes, the sense of nerdy isolation is getting to me. I know a LOT of musicians..not one has a dedicated listening room, and they are avid listeners.
     
  14. gregorya

    gregorya I approve of this message

    Our house has an open concept style family room/ dining room/ kitchen set up. We have one of those juke box style iPod dock/ line in jobs in the kitchen... My daughters and their friends feel free to plug in and play whatever... What a great way to hear new stuff. Of course, sometimes I have to plug in and say "hey, check this out".

    This is much less stressful than having them try to plug into the main system. ;)
     
    pscreed likes this.
  15. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    Great stuff! Another option for this type of plug n play is the new Denon HEOS system, where you can plug in an iThing or hit up Spotify or stream anything from your NAS.
     
  16. Dreadnought

    Dreadnought I'm a live wire. Look at me burn.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Whenever I see photos of listening rooms, no matter how awesome they look, they also look lonely and sad to me. I removed the room treatments from our living room a few years ago. I'd rather a happy wife.
     
  17. JMT

    JMT Senior Member

    Location:
    Grass Valley, CA
    As much as I enjoy the alone time with my music, I do feel extremely isolated. As with you ServingTheMusic, my wife and I are looking for a new house. Our goal is to downsize in preparation for retirement, which mean giving up my listening room...and I am perfectly ok with it.
     
  18. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    I admit, at first the notion was a bit tough for me to swallow..but now I can't wait for an open, comfortable, and inclusive set up.
     
  19. ServingTheMusic

    ServingTheMusic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    SoCal
    Nailed it.
     
    nm_west likes this.
  20. TommyTunes

    TommyTunes Senior Member

    Sounds great until you want to listen to music while some else wants to watch TV or the kids have their friends and want to play video games. Thanks but no thanks.
     
  21. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    I live solitary, so "man cave" or dedicated room are moot ideas.

    Being a bit more than a decade into my audiophile odyssey, I have learnt a few things (while still befuddled and bemused about so much...) ... Still a work in progress; but one of them is, what I prefer in a set of speakers. And that is, speakers that work to "flood" the room with music, rather than beam a detailed soundstage at the (solitary) listener.

    To that end, I finally took the hint and abandoned minimonitors (goodbye, P3ESRs) and got a pair of Naim Credos - floorstanders that sit up against the wall and disperse the music well into the room. Sounds more like live music to me, somehow. And, when people visit I can play a disc and we can stand around in the kitchen, having a drink and digging the music just fine.

    Not sure how this addresses your situation, but there you go. :D

    p.s. I'm getting some used (read: I can afford) Naim gear in, to complete that "just the music" vibe. (My Line Magnetic/Leben/DeVore/whatever system will have to wait 'til retirement/a lot more $.)
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2015
  22. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I'm with that idea. I think it's nice to have just speakers for music and chairs for people to sit down and have a conversation. Put the TV display in a separate room if you can.
     
    McLover, ggergm and bhazen like this.
  23. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    Unfortunately, no one in my house cares to listen to the music I play. That's the purpose of my listening room. Yes, I do feel somewhat isolated while in my room. But a little alone time isn't a bad thing. And, it's not a daily thing anymore.
    A few years ago my wife was traveling for work quite a bit and I could spend 15-20 hours a week just listening. I loved it as there was no guilt involved. Now we're home together so the time in my room has been curtailed significantly.
    When we finally downsize for retirement, a dedicated listening room won't be a high priority for me.
    For communal listening I have a pair of Audioengine A5s ready for hookup when needed. They only get used during the occasional party.
     
  24. advanced101

    advanced101 Forum Resident

    This. For me. The wife would rather watch TV then hang out and listen to music, plus now a small child that needs to be entertained. For me dedicated area, plus a simpler system in the main system is the way to go for when we are cooking, cleaning, hanging out.
     
    Kossoff is God likes this.
  25. rob303

    rob303 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    I originally had my system in various living spaces and finally settled on a small dedicated room. I live in the city where space is hard to come by, so sharing family living space with a stereo often means compromises so serious I'd be better off with a Sonos. Forget the Golden Ratio, try working with speakers directed perpendicular to the direction of the room's seating! And room treatments?! Forget about it! As for the comments of "lonely" or "isolated", my room is a zen space. I go there in the early mornings before anyone is awake, light some incense and immerse myself in the soundstage.
     
    SandAndGlass and Kossoff is God like this.
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