There are no small rooms, just small audiophiles

The subject line is an obvious variation on "There are no small roles, only small actors" and it's not meant to be taken literally, but it's a good catch phrase.

Many times, when I post photos of my 11' x 14' x 9' listening room I get comments along the lines of "great system, sorry about the room" or "too bad you cannot keep the speakers further apart".



Some of the more "obnoxious" replies suggest that I wasted my money investing in the gear I have given the limitations of the room.

I smile when I read these comments because 1) they haven't heard the system and 2) they have no idea of the thought that has gone into making the room sound great - which it does - despite its physical limitations.

While I'll be the first to admit that a slightly larger room would be nice, this is the room I have to play with. It has the advantage of being quiet and isolated from the rest of the house so I don't bother my wife or kids when I want to play my music a bit loud and they don't bother me with their noises. It's also right above my AC panel in the garage so it was easy to install dedicated AC lines - one of my better investments.

Over the years, I've learned how to turn the disadvantages of a small room into advantages. One advantage, for example, is that small rooms require less amp power and the speakers don't have to be terribly efficient. I am currently getting more than enough volume out of my 10W+10W Shindo Cortese and 90db efficient Tannoy Sandringhams. The speakers do a great job of pressurizing the room and I am getting a very satisfying bass after tuning the inevitable peaks and dips in sub-400Hz response to frequencies I prefer (i.e. a bit of a mid-bass hump which makes for a very warm and satisfying sound even at lower volumes.)

Here are some other "tricks" I have used to make the room sound great.

1) Picked the right speakers.

Full-range 4-way speakers with drivers vertically spread over 2-4' will not work well. The bass will overpower the room and you won't be able to put enough distance between yourself and the various drivers for their signal to integrate. The Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage (2-way) worked great, but the Tannoy Sandringhams with an 8" coaxial speaker work even better. I listen near-field - about 5-6' away from the driver and the imaging is spectacular and the room interaction is greatly diminished. BTW, almost all recording studios are also setup for near-field listening.

2) Positioned the speakers for my preferred tone and imaging.

The speakers are about 5-6' apart from each other (driver to driver.) I tried spacing them further, but I like the richer tone and "fuller center" I get by having them closer together. The speakers are about 3' away from the back wall and they are positioned asymmetrically with respect to the side walls, this helped a huge amount in reducing some low-frequency room modes.

3) Listening position.

As I mentioned before I listen near field and the soundstage with the Tannoys is amazing. With the right recordings, the sound extends well beyond the walls and the vertical soundstage is at about 6-7' and often extends beyond the height of the ceiling.

4) Room treatment.

I have experimented with room treatment and currently have several panels and my superspecial custom "Surrealistic Pillows" (Jefferson Airplane reference ) to minimize the 1st and 2nd reflection points. Behind the listening position I have custom 2-layer heavy drapes.

Here's a photo of some of the panels - hidden behind an aesthetically more acceptable tapestry.



5) Chair.

My listening chair was selected for the proper height alignment with the speakers. When I changed speakers I changed chair. My head is well above the back of the chair so I don't get reflections from the leather. People at furniture stores thought I was crazy when I asked them to measure the height from the floor to my ear canal .

6) Gear in the closet.

People make fun and criticize my decision to put my gear inside the closet. Well, they should try it. My closet is heavily treated with sound absorption panels - including the doors. Aside from giving me more room and options to position the speakers. The gear is away from the firing line of the speakers reducing vibrations and other problems - it makes a significant difference, especially when playing vinyl with the closet door closed. It also keeps the gear safe from harm from children or overzealous housekeepers.

7) Decor.

I am not into interior decoration. But I wanted a room that felt warm and inviting. An oasis not just for the ears, but also for the eyes and mind. Since I work i high-tech in a glass and steel building, I chose wood and leather for my listening room.

Here's a view of my listening position and chair:



Bottom line.

Yes, my listening room is on the small side by US standards (though not much smaller than most rooms in many countries in Europe - let alone in places like Japan.) However, by working with it I have been able to turn it into the audio oasis I've always wanted. Whether I am listening to jazz, rock or classical, the listening experience is consistently wonderful and - just by closing my eyes - the walls and ceilings disappear and it sounds like a much bigger space.

Here's a toast to all audiophiles who have managed to make the most out of their small(ish) rooms - let's hear your stories and see your photos.

Alberto

 

Hey Alberto... I'm in the same (small) boat. Got banished to a spare bedroom when we remodeled the main floor of the house. Mine is 11x13x8. Luckily my system adapted to near field use easily - B&W 805 + McIntosh MC252 + McIntosh C46. My biggest problem was media storage but some CanAm cabinets helped that a lot. Have not explored treating the room yet, a lot of my night listening is on 'phones anyway, mainly HD650 with Grace 902.

Anyway I like your posts... You are not alone!

 

Fixed.

 

Very nice post! Now, about the micro-tonics inevitably radiating from that guitar!!

 

I don't care what anyone says thats a cool room and I bet its a blast listening there.

 

Nice! Except, too bad about those speaker cabinets.

 

Alberto, first off great room, looks beautiful. As far as comments, well it's the nature of the hobby, everybody is an expert and knows what is the best and what is good for you, it comes with the forums. My guess is many are trying to be helpful. But it is your room, and if you like it who cares. My room is only slightly bigger, as an addition off the back of the house. I appreciate the post, as I am looking at some of your ideas to see what they may do for me.

 

Fabulous system! Well thought out room and informative post. I'm dealing with a room that makes yours look cavernous. I have a 9 x 10 with 8 ft ceilings. Also have to fit all of my software and as I have no intention of converting to a PC that means 3000 titles on CD + a growing record collection.

 

BTW I'll be working hard on improving this room starting very soon...2 wks dedicated mains.

 

Ahh yes, my listening room is almost a perfectly small cube. 11'3"d x 11'8"w x 9'5"h. At first I thought my 48" tall MMG panels and my 350w monoblocks would be too much.

Component matching and speaker placement..... can't stress it enough.

 

Very cool room. Thanks for yet another great thread, Alberto!

 

Interesting sweet spot.


Seriously, nice room. Good use of limited space.

 

Quick shot from the sweet spot...so to speak.

 

Art, are those custom CD shelves????

I am in need of a better solution than the particle board crap I am currently using, and something that looks similar to yours would fit the bill perfectly.

Brian

 

That's just one side of the room the other half are on the side closest to where I sit. I found those, in of all places, in a Home Decorator catalog. Pretty much everything in the catalog sucked but these. Not sure if they carry them anymore. I looked for them recently and wasn't able to find them.

 

I'm especially digging the Coltrane poster. Classy.

 

My listening room is 10' x 8' w/' ceilings.
I am about 4' from the front of my speakers when I am listening.
I think it sounds great.
Glen

 

do you have a link?

 

DUDE.....Thats fantastic looking...Wish my listening area looked half that good!!

Love the speakers!

 

http://www.homedecorators.com/

Like I said, last time I looked I didn't see them.

 

Who ever got that idea that your room would be inadequate for your gear or listening pleasure must be really stupid.
I rate your room and gear among the very very absolute best I have seen esp. with those youTube videos.
As you said right different solutions for different situations.

Me I am in a pretty large room 5,50 by 5,00 meters , about the optimum size for Home listening and since the Sonus Faber do such a terrible nice job of radiating from the speakers I enjoy them for full Multi Media use, (people don't even notice that the tone comes from the speakers - each1,20 meters away from the TV screen.lol.
But what I really like about my room is that I can change listening positions - best of course on the sofa at the opposite wall of the longer side. Decent about 1,50 away from the monitor - the position I am typing atm with my BT apple keyboard !

Sounds spectacular imo - Just last night THIRD by Soft Machine amazed me like never before and I got that DoLP since 1973..lol

The bass, the drums the organ that large sound..
I know there still is room for improvement, but like this I am happy for the time being !

 

What does that mean? I think the speakers look great.

 

Nice. I love the Tannoys and the decor! Looks like a very relaxing spot and I'm sure that it sounds awesome.
-Bill

 

An 11 by 14 room is not that small. I think the way you take the pictures may make it look smaller than it is. I've had rooms that were smaller in the past and made them work

 

There's a crowd out there handclapping slow.
We're all powered up, switched on, the rig is tight.
Step into joy. Walk into light.
Never mind what some people say.
They're going to love your stereo anyway.

(apologies to Ian Anderson for the slight change)