OK - Describe your listening room.

Please describe your current listening room - dimensions, treatments and/or quirks - and help me pick my new home. I am currently in the process of buying a house. I've sold the old home which did not have a proper listening room - no side wall. I'm trying to decide between a home that would have a perfect room - 4 walls and nice proportions - but no yard and in a decent area. Or, a home with no room options - I'd probably have to convert the garage - but a nice yard and in a better area. I have 4 ea. tube traps - side and front wall reflections, 4 ea. Planar traps - side and rear wall reflections and 4 ea. 16 x 16 x 54 4# foam blocks for the corners. Your input is greatly appreciated.

Steve - "Joe Mama"

 

My listening room is small, cramped, and messy! My wife gets the big room for hers because she has the DVD and surround sound.

 

I just moved into my first house in October; the room I chose for my listening room/studio was a small one in the basement, about 10' x 11' (with a height of almost 7'). It had no door and one of the "walls" was more like a partition.

I did a major overhaul to the room, extending it to 10' x 13', adding a door and a proper wall to replace the partition, making sure the walls were well insulated, repainting and adding carpeting and molding, and all the other little finishing touches. It's great now and very comfortable, and my system sounds great in there; I haven't felt the need to add much in the way of room treatments or anything. Proper speaker placement is the most important thing.

Personally, I wouldn't let listening-room considerations play TOO much of a role in choosing a home. There are far more important things to take into account; the fact that my house was able to accommodate a dedicated music room was a luxury and a bonus.

 

I listen in a 20'x30' loft above the garage. I purposely made it 2 channel only, so as not to attract the kids (the home theatre is in the family room downstairs). In our old house, I had the stereo in the family room and I never got to listen unless the family was out. I always say I grew up with my parents telling me to "turn it down" and then I had the wife and kids (daughters) telling me the same. At least now I can listen in peace upstairs.

The only room treatments I have is some profoam on the wall behind my maggies. Ceiling is 9 feet high. Unfortunately, there are windows at the first reflection point with horizontal blinds-should probably put up some drapes up. No WAF issues in the loft-I made it clear that it is my room-she can do what she wants in the rest of the house. Unfortunately, my teenage daughter sometimes has slumber parties up there. They know not to touch the equipment, but I just can't get up there to listen when they're there (about every other Friday night).

Jay.