[Letitroll98]

So I'm moving from a fairly large (for one person) townhouse into a much smaller condo with two people and a dog in it.  I'll be losing the dedicated listening room and will have a 12'x13' bedroom and a living room that all decorator decisions will be a joint effort between her and I.  The bedroom I can do as I please with, but I've lost all the storage space I have here for stuff I'm hanging on to for no apparent reason.  Obviously I need to get rid of excess equipment, all the extra amps, speakers, etc that are unused will go.  So a couple of questions, solicited opinions, whatever. 

Would you drop the bedroom system down to a bookshelf/desktop affair, and try to make the minimalist home theater system (prolly 2.1, not sure yet) the main music system, or would you hang on to the Maggie MMG's and shoehorn a fullrange system into a smallish bedroom leaving the home theater setup 2.1 for movies and TV only.  I have three pairs of bookshelf speakers, two pair of floorstanders, plus the Maggies, and enough amps, preamps, dacs, etc. to configure anything I want to without buying anything.  Mostly I'll be deciding what to sell.  What questions would you ask yourself when making these decisions.  And anything else you might think of.  On top of it all I've got five turntables and a few hundred lp's to decide what to do with.  Oh, the agony of it all.

[RDavidson]

I'd go with option A. Shoehorning a full range system into a bedroom of limited space doesn't work well once you have the bed in there, in my experience. The speakers always end up firing basically at the bed and you never get a perfect listening seat.

Now maybe if you could lay on the bed and have the speakers fire down at you from the ceiling.........

[Bob in St. Louis]

Oh Hell..... 

I can't imagine having to make a change like that. Not compared to what I'm used to.
Might have to do something totally different, like a 180 change.

Maybe sell it all and invest in a very high dollar headphone rig?

Best of luck man.   
Bob

[persisting1]

I've had to do something very similar a few years back. Not fun. Forcing something large in a small space has never worked out well for me.

Now maybe if you could lay on the bed and have the speakers fire down at you from the ceiling.........

This might solve all your problems 

[charmerci]

So I'm moving from a fairly large (for one person) townhouse into a much smaller condo with two people and a dog in it.  I'll be losing the dedicated listening room and will have a 12'x13' bedroom and a living room that all decorator decisions will be a joint effort between her and I.  The bedroom I can do as I please with, but I've lost all the storage space I have here for stuff...

First of all,    .


How about a small bedroom system with a pair of bookshelves? Then I would imagine the MMG's would look very stylish in the living room.

[Letitroll98]

Thanks for the replies, I had thought about the headphone thing as well.  I'm pretty sure I can talk her into the Maggies in the living room, they're the off white fabric with the oak sides, actually prettier than the box speakers.  I'll need to add an amp as the Pioneer receiver doesn't like the 4 ohm load of the Maggies, but that's not an issue, I've got plenty of them lying around.  Then I'm pretty sure I'll do a bookshelf system for the bedroom, something non-critical for musical enjoyment.  Now, how to talk her into a VPI HW-19 in the living room....

And actually the move is an upgrade.  Although I have a larger space here, I basically live in the ghetto.  When I got it three years ago the homeowners association was dedicated to improving the neighborhood, increasing property values, and everyone was going to make a bundle.  Not so much it seems, property values have declined as fast as the crime rate has risen.  So I'm out of here, going to a very safe, upscale neighborhood into a luxury condo with all the high end amenities.  I have to surrender some space for this, but it's a good tradeoff.  A coworker that is going through an unfortunate divorce will rent this place.  No worries, life is change, don't hang on to attachments.   

[RDavidson]

Thanks for the replies, I had thought about the headphone thing as well.  I'm pretty sure I can talk her into the Maggies in the living room, they're the off white fabric with the oak sides, actually prettier than the box speakers.  I'll need to add an amp as the Pioneer receiver doesn't like the 4 ohm load of the Maggies, but that's not an issue, I've got plenty of them lying around.  Then I'm pretty sure I'll do a bookshelf system for the bedroom, something non-critical for musical enjoyment.  Now, how to talk her into a VPI HW-19 in the living room....

And actually the move is an upgrade.  Although I have a larger space here, I basically live in the ghetto.  When I got it three years ago the homeowners association was dedicated to improving the neighborhood, increasing property values, and everyone was going to make a bundle.  Not so much it seems, property values have declined as fast as the crime rate has risen.  So I'm out of here, going to a very safe, upscale neighborhood into a luxury condo with all the high end amenities.  I have to surrender some space for this, but it's a good tradeoff.  A coworker that is going through an unfortunate divorce will rent this place.  No worries, life is change, don't hang on to attachments.   

Good plan! 

[charmerci]

     Now, how to talk her into a VPI HW-19 in the living room....And actually the move is an upgrade. 

That's good to hear.


How about a nice stylish enclosed cabinet(s) for the equipment?

[Letitroll98]

That's good to hear.


How about a nice stylish enclosed cabinet(s) for the equipment?

Thanks, I have a Lovan rack that will go in the bedroom regardless what's on it, will prolly end up as a tv stand for my little bedroom screen, lol.  And I already have a decorator type rack for the living room that will match the hardwood floors.  So I'm set there.  Here's a pic of the kitchen, the only thing I have still posted on line:

[JohnR]

What about a Murphy bed?

[JLM]

Over 40 years I've been in several domestic situations (more or less private), have held on to a few too many pieces, and have had bigger/smaller rooms to deal with.

Is it a big dog?  Speaker tip-over concerns aside, I'd pick the best imaging speakers for the 2.1 A/V system.

Headphones (comfort is key) is a good option if: you listen loud; it's a noisy listening environment; or she/neighbors can't tolerate the noise; she doesn't like your musical taste; you listen early or very late.

There are several good options out there for casual/background listening in a small environment.  I just picked up a ($99) Logitech UE smart radio (wireless clock radio) that has all the features I could want, plus a pleasant sound (loud enough for our open design living room), and it works well with headphones or self-powered speakers.  Powered or active speakers work very well in desktop/small room settings, but be aware that most are intended for nitpicking studio work and are very dry versus entertaining home use speakers.  PSB Alpha PS1 ($300/pair, very compact powered 2-way) and Adam 3AX ($650/pair, active 2-way) are just a couple of the better choices out there.

[macrojack]

Wouldn't it be best to establish her ground rules first? Once you've allowed her to narrow your options, you can ask us to help you sort what is left of your bachelorhood.
If I were looking at the situation you describe, I would aim for a compact, easy to use 2 channel home theatre system in the living room and a high end computer centered headphone cubicle wherever your computer is placed (virtual man cave). The Maggies are likely going to be sold because even if she allows them to stay, she will probably not be very happy about your placement needs.
I don't know your age but if you are over 50 and she is highly compatible, you might be wise to forfeit a lot of your previously held lifestyle preferences for someone to grow old with. Maybe.

[rodge827]

Hey Dan,

I've got some good climate controlled storage space a short drive through the pines from you. 
Plenty of room for some surplus gear gathering dust and I would even fire it up regularly from time to time to keep it all plug and play ready.
Your turntables would get plenty of use care and the albums would be taken off the shelf and played frequently occasionally . After all what good is a record on the shelf? 



Dude, I'm in the same boat as you, a lot of good sounding gear and no room to play it in. 
Good luck in your decision, I hope you come up with a solution that pleases you both. 

Chris

[Bob in St. Louis]

What about a Murphy bed?

That's an idea worth exploring.

[jakelieb]

My music room is a 12x13 bedroom and use a futon, no other furniture except stereo. Being a square room the sound was terrible . Had to add a lot of bass traps and side absorbers to tame the echo, etc. Good luck. 

Jake

[yeldarb]

Don't know if it would benefit you or your significant other arrangement, but never forget the ceiling as a location for speakers.  Ever since I hung out in a sub shop with Klipsh mounted in the corners of the ceiling, I have always looked up for the space i didn't have.

[timind]

I like the headphone suggestion for reference listening, especially if your new roomie isn't into music the way you are.

[Letitroll98]

Good suggestions guys.  Chris I'll text or call you this week, I'm thinking of keeping the VPI in the bedroom and dumping all the other tables, the others are all old or cheap or both, a Thorens, a Pro-ject, a NAD/Rega, a Pioneer, maybe something else, not sure.  My intent is to sell all unused components, but maybe I'll take you up on something there.   

Lori has been tentatively talked into the Maggies in the living room, I said they look like Japanese screens.     She has seen and heard them, but was way more interested in her clothes that were in that room's closet than a stereo system.  Her concern was that they would be loud and boomy with tons of bass, I told her no, they're light and airy with reduced bass, haven't mentioned the subwoofer yet....   And yes, they won't be optimally placed, but sacrifices have to be made, all the speakers will not be optimally placed in there, so it doesn't matter which ones we pick.  I'll use the B&K ST202 to drive the Maggies, I've done this before to good effect using the Pioneer as a preamp.  I'm at a complete loss for surround without going bluetooth.  There's a cable management system built into the wall where the wide screen goes, but no provisions for surround were made,

I thought the idea of hanging from the ceiling was silly, until I began thinking about it and others also suggested it, something to mull over.  For those suggesting equipment, thanks so much but I really don't need a thing, I'll be unloading stuff.  A classic Technics integrated, Adcom GFA 535II, an old but lovely sounding Nakamichi surround receiver, one or more of my preamps, the aforementioned tables, Either and/or Snell Type E Series IV, PSB Alpha T towers, Polk RTiA6's, Athena BS-1's, some tiny KLH's a rack or two, etc, and I'll still have so much I'll have trouble fitting it all in.  Btw, this is not a sales listing, I'll place something in the Trading Post soon as I decide.

Thanks again guys, you have honestly help focus my decisions.

And John, funny, we looked at an old house with a Murphy bed in it before this place.  It was in the living room for guests.  Unfortunately at my age, I need a more substantial mattress than what you get in a Murphy bed.     

[jtwrace]

I'd think about unloading something else...

[Letitroll98]

I did that, after seven years I'm lonely.