Moving for Dedicated Space...

launche · « **on:** 12 Jun 2006, 11:50 pm »

I'm serioulsy thinking about moving to get a dedicated space for music and HT.
Right now my primary listening space is the living room and everything has to be high on the WAF. Thus, I can't position gear and treat the room as I would like.

Just curious if any have moved to get a better or dedicated listening environment. Or when you moved how much did finding a home with a good space for your listening room factor into your decision.

Or should I follow my wifes suggestion and just put some headphones on.

Thanks

zybar · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 12:02 am »

It was a major factor in my last two houses.

George

PhilNYC · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 12:15 am »

Having a room dedicated to audio has been a requirement for houses for my family. Having a dedicated room with great acoustic characteristics has been less of a requirement, although avoiding an absolutely awful acoustic room has also been a big factor.

launche · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 12:19 am »

Quote from: zybar

It was a major factor in my last two houses.

George

Zybar, from what I recall seeing from your pics it looks like your listening space is where a formal living or dining room would be in a traditional houseplan. Is this correct? and do you get compliants from the family about the sound escaping into the rest of the house?

zybar · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 12:34 am »

Quote from: launche

Quote from: zybar
It was a major factor in my last two houses.

George

Zybar, from what I recall seeing from your pics it looks like your listening space is where a formal living or dining room would be in a traditional houseplan. Is this correct? and do you get compliants from the family about the sound escaping into the rest of the house?

In my new house I am indeed using what would be the formal living room and dining room for my two channel steup. No issues or complaints form the family.

I do have a dedicated space in the basement that I will be using for HT when I find time to get that moving.

George

warnerwh · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 02:07 am »

In this house we bought two years ago a place for a dedicated listening room was mandatory. The house either had to have a room that would work already in place or space for me to build one.

Having a dedicated space where good acoustics can be made is great and a very worthy endeavor. I even built the room so that I could turn up the stereo quite a ways and not disturb anybody in the living room directly above me.

Mike82 · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 03:24 am »

Forgive me for being presumptuous, but I've seen this happen.

A dedicated room is great, but it can be a mixed blessing. While it may be nice to not have a large TV cabinet in your audio room, the advantage of having your listening room in a family room is that the other furnishings can help with the sound by acting as acoustic absorbers.

A dedicated room often has few furnishings so the sound is looking at 5 or 6 hard surfaces. This absolutely necessitates the need for acoustic treatment. Been there, done that. Fortunately, there are several individuals who offer these products on the Acoustics Circle and can help with the proper application.

Good Luck!

warnerwh · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 03:31 am »

Actually I can't imagine too many rooms that couldn't be improved with acoustic treatments. Having a dedicated space to do so opens up alot of options usually as it doesn't need to be as aestetically proper.

Hanging treatments on the walls and adding bass traps isn't something we want to do in our living room. I only see an upside to having a dedicated room for sound.

launche · « **Reply #8 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 03:45 am »

Mike, I see you're in Georgia. That's where I'm mainly thinking about moving too, maybe somewhere in that Atlanta area. I'm in S. Florida and unfortunately we don't have basements here. If I had a basement I would be fine. Between the real estate market going crazy down here, the damn hurricanes and not being able to enjoy my music as much as I'd like, It's wearing on me.

So I would kill to have an entire finished basement area to do as I please.
I grew up in Maryland and the basement was always mine as a kid and I want that space again. And hopefully I will have space for a home theater and a 2 channel area.

JLM · « **Reply #9 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 10:00 am »

We spent the last 3 years planning and building a house. As it moved me away from work and family I stipulated that it had to include a room(audio/reading/office) just for me. And as my daughter visits we needed a 4th bedroom, so the basement had to be finished anyway. The room works very well. So well it took some time to get used to the isolation. But I can listen anytime at nearly any volume and we don't bother each other. Guys need "cave time" (ala "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus"), but you can have too much of a good thing. We have enough room to each go our own way. Kids hang out upstairs, wife in the master bedroom with TV/laptop, and me in the basement (with family/TV room).

With up front planning and a couple of hundred dollars extra I got my own room. The planning allowed for proper/maximum room proportions, isolated/dedicated electrical power, insulated exterior fiberglass door, and lined (quiet) ductwork. The money went into staggered stud walls and cryo'd hospital grade electrical receptacles. Wish I could have talked the builder into resilent channels to suspend the drywall ceiling from, otherwise the room works very well. The room is set up for nearfield listening in the front with 6 GIK 244 panels and soon DIY QRDs. The back half is a home office in the back that includes three bookcases, desk, filing cabinet, and drafting table.

ctviggen · « **Reply #10 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 12:29 pm »

I tried to buy a house that had an unfinished basement here in CT. However, those houses were 30k+ more than what I wanted to pay. So, I ended up in a "raised ranch" where I use a family room as my HT room. You also have to take price of homes into consideration, and CT is not a cheap place for homes. In AZ, on the other hand, I could've purchased an absolute mansion for the price I paid for my CT home, although I do hear the prices have also skyrocketed in AZ.

JoshK · « **Reply #11 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 01:19 pm »

I have a big gripe about a dedicated room and that is it puts the system in a room where I don't spend most of my time. I spend most of my time in the living room/dining room area, and with my wife, and so I'd rather have my system there, since my wife and I listen to music most of the time when we are working on other things. I am just not one to go hibernate in a room by myself.

Unfortunately the acoustics, at least with the most practical setup, in my living room, suck!

launche · « **Reply #12 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 07:01 pm »

While I agree that the isolation(depending on where the room is in the house) may not be for everyone, that also serves as an advantage as well. You're setup sounds like it's used more for casual listening than critical, spirited listening which is what I'm after. This past weekend my wife was constantly telling me to turn it down and that killed the enjoyed. It was loud but I didn't think loud enough to be a true disturbance and this was 7 or 8 at night.

I do like having it setup in the center of the action but I think for that I could do a cheaper system for casual listening in a common environment. But I personally would like a place to "rock out" sometimes without bothering anyone or anyone bothering me.

samplesj · « **Reply #13 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 10:03 pm »

Josh did have a good point. When I first started out I had a combined HT/music system in the formal living room. As I worked to make the room better I found the audio was much better, but the HT aspects pretty much made it hard to use for music. Once you add theater seats and paint all the walls its not really a room you sit around in just anymore. It was just too stark without the video going.

Once we broke out the music to the den all of a sudden it got used and enjoyed again. Even now if I didn't work in my "office" I probably wouldn't have my 2 channel system on as much as the den. But when I'm down there after hours critically listening........

If you can do it Launche hit it on the head. Do the dedicated room, but still buy/build a cheaper system in a common area and you've got the best of both worlds. Good quality music when its just you and the music, but still music for everyday activities (quantity).

JLM · « **Reply #14 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 11:20 pm »

Yes the isolation factor cuts both ways, but I'll take it. My listening room is also my reading room and office, so it gets lots of use. I can listen when I want and pretty much as loud as I want. And I can arrange things and have them look the way I want.

The family room has the TV and is pre-wired for 5.1 (HT is a low priority to my entire family.) And the nice looking, crummy sounding living room has my old audio system. A/V life is good.

srclose · « **Reply #15 on:** 14 Jun 2006, 12:23 am »

We just finished our house, and built the living room for sound isolation as well as good acoustics. There were compromises, but so far so good. The acoustic treatments were built in, so that helped with the WAF, and a projection system let us avoid a large TV in the room.

warnerwh · « **Reply #16 on:** 14 Jun 2006, 05:52 am »

The best compromise if you're a serious listener is to put together a music/ht system in the main part of the house somewhere. I like to listen by myself for long periods quite regularly. If someone wants to watch something on tv and I want to listen to music what else can you do.

If you have the room a dedicated room is wonderful. I truly love it. Having the HT in the living room works fine for all of us.

If you're like me then the audio quality of a movie is far less important than your music system which means it won't cost that much. A decent set of speakers for the front three can be had for several hundred dollars and a decent sub for another 5-800 used and you're in business. Put a couple of inexpensive speakers for the surrounds and movies are as enjoyable as ever. At least that is my POV.

launche · « **Reply #17 on:** 15 Jun 2006, 04:05 am »

I must say that with the big picture and the big bass, I'm really enjoying watching movies. My friend just built a new theater and it is great. There is a coolness to having a dedicated theater, makes it more of a cinematic experience and it adds to the escapism. Thus I know more people with dedicated theaters ( a more shared experience) than dedicated 2 channel listening rooms (a more private indulgence.)

JLM · « **Reply #18 on:** 16 Jun 2006, 09:35 am »

How residential design has changed:

100 years ago fancy houses included a living room and a parlor (for entertaining guests). The parlor was in the front so you didn't have to pick up and clean the entire house. Many buildings have followed that form where the front is showey.

50 years ago fancy houses had a family room and a living room (for entertaining guests).

Now fancy houses have a HT room and a living (or less formal great) room (for entertaining guests).

IMO unless your living/great room is big enough to have two settings of furniture or you have a TV that can go above the fireplace, you really need a separate room to do HT right as few rooms can afford two decent focal points. Unfortunately many don't afford even one. Going to the basement for HT makes sense as you have better light/sound control, more layout flexibility, and less competing design goals. Compared to living or great rooms, a good HT is simple to design from an architectural view point.

Start with full 8 foot ceilings, provide decent size/shape for the space, add an exterior insulated stained/painted woodgrain fiberglass door with weather seals, and provide insulation in walls/ceiling. Paint a darker neutral color and provide room darkening shades as applicable. Acoustical room treatments can be built-in or added later. WAF is lower. Furnishings can be lower grade. The space and most of its features are nearly free.