[youngho]

Sorry if my attempt at humor wasn't recognized as such.

I put "audiophiles" in quotes because I wasn't sure what to call them. Neosubjectivists? Audiosolipcists?

I do remember basic physics. It's just that when I read discussions of "fast" and "slow" bass, I'm tend to roll my eyes.

Young-Ho

[ScottMayo]

Sorry if my attempt at humor wasn't recognized as such.

I put "audiophiles" in quotes because I wasn't sure what to call them. Neosubjectivists? Audiosolipcists?

I do remember basic physics. It's just that when I read discussions of "fast" and "slow" bass, I'm tend to roll my eyes.

Young-Ho

Oh, it was - I was agreeing with you. Audiosophists, or whatever, are one of my favorite form of entertainment; whenever I read a review of an amp or speaker, I hunt around to see if the reviewer has also written gorgeous adjectives about power or speaker cable. If he has, well, there are always other reviewers out there.  

---
"The search for truth was not top priority. Consequently the sophists undertook to provide a stock of arguments on any subject, or to prove any position. They boasted of their ability to make the worse appear the better reason, to prove that black is white. Some, like Gorgias, asserted that it was not necessary to have any knowledge of a subject to give satisfactory replies as regards it. Thus, Gorgias ostentatiously answered any question on any subject instantly and without consideration. To attain these ends mere quibbling, and the scoring of verbal points were employed. In this way, the sophists tried to entangle, entrap, and confuse their opponents, and even, if this were not possible, to beat them down by mere violence and noise. They sought also to dazzle by means of strange or flowery metaphors, by unusual figures of speech, by epigrams and paradoxes, and in general by being clever and smart, rather than earnest and truthful."

[ScottMayo]

Part 5, in which events take something of a turn for the worse.

http://users.net1plus.com/scottm/room.htm

[zybar]

Sorry to hear about the latest issues Scott.

Don't give up.

George

[ScottMayo]

Sorry to hear about the latest issues Scott.

Don't give up.

George

Giving up is not an option. I mean, what else would I do with this room at this point?


---
Kenpo studio, hm... strong walls, soundproofing, air conditioning... yeah, this might be a plan...

[zybar]

Bad choice of words on my part.  

Last contractor I used, built a wall crooked and blamed me for it (saying I put too much pressure in him).  I had to redo it myself.  

Only good thing was that I learned how to build a wall.

Now if I just had time to do these things...

George

[ScottMayo]

Part 6 and final - in which our hero gets to listen to some music.        

http://users.net1plus.com/scottm/room.htm

[Rich Carlson]

Scott, I have loved reading this saga - thanks!  Glad you finally got to hear some music.  

Have you decided on casting for the movie version yet?  

[zybar]

Part 6 and final - in which our hero gets to listen to some music.        

http://users.net1plus.com/scottm/room.htm

Any pictures?

George

[John Casler]

Congratualations Scott!

It has been a "LONG" journey just to get to this point.

While some might think this the end, it is actually just the begining.  You might as well set up a "Blog" or at least more "installments" for the Set up period, the break in (if you beleive) period, the tweak period, the re-set up period and the continuous tweak period.

These are the more fun, and hopefully less trying, times when you get to really enjoy the abilties and ultimatly the capacity of your system.

[ScottMayo]

Scott, I have loved reading this saga - thanks!  Glad you finally got to hear some music.  

Have you decided on casting for the movie version yet?  

Ewan McGregor as the bold, corageous, and not-too-smart me; Julia Roberts as my patient, loving wife; and then... hm, all the other mains are villians. Better get Christopher Lee as the General Contractor, Bella Ligosi as the Electrician (he's dead, but that won't affect much), and Wallace Shawn ("Vizzini") as the various part vendors and suppliers who kept screwing stuff up. Minor parts would have to be Schwarzenegger for John Casler, and Carol Kane (reprising the Witch in Princess Bride) as the electrician's secretary.  Someone else would have to suggest casting for Brian Cheney; I want to stay on his good side.

[lonewolfny42]

 Someone else would have to suggest casting for Brian Cheney; I want to stay on his good side.

I say BC plays himself...as does the RM/X....

[/list:u]

[ScottMayo]

Part 6 and final - in which our hero gets to listen to some music.        

http://users.net1plus.com/scottm/room.htm

Any pictures?

George

I'll get a few up, but the room is unfinished in terms of things like a real floor, paint, and trim, so it looks a little... odd. Something between "Construction Site Redux" and "Kinky Audiophile Daydream". Basically, as soon as the power, treatments and plaster were done, I moved in, but there's still a few weeks of work to go before it looks, well, cool.

[JoshK]

I just read this blog in its entirety.  Start to finish.  I understand wholly your frustration at times, and I nearly peed myself laughing at times.

I think I may have some idea for how to remotely turn on/off your *future* projector and could similarly work for a hafler sub amp.  These are simple DIY circuits with prefab circuit boards that I am sure you could manage given your ability to do much more complicated control boards.

As far as the sub amps, have you considered pro audio amps?  Behringer Europower series is quite cheap and quite powerful, although it does have a fan, but that could be easily dealt with aftermarket (~$250 for 1500watts).  Also, many of the best bass freaks I know rave about the FBD for use with subs.  ~$350 together and would last a lot time in terms of useability, features, modularity, etc.

Have you seen the cult of the IB sites?  Seems your room begs for it!

Anyway, congrats, the hard part is over now the fun learning curve begins.  You now know why I do all the electrical myself in my house and am doing 95% of the remodel myself.  Slow going but it gets done right and a whole lot less stress, actually works to help me burn off work related stress.  

Josh

[ScottMayo]

I just read this blog in its entirety.  Start to finish.  I understand wholly your frustration at times, and I nearly peed myself laughing at times.

I live to cause bladder accidents in the unwary!

I think I may have some idea for how to remotely turn on/off your *future* projector...

It's not as simple as killing the power to the projector. Projectors are designed to turn off the lamp, but to keep the fan running until the temperature drops to safe levels.  If you don't do this step on every turn off, say goodbye to bulb life - which at a typical $300 per bulb is a problem. Of course I can probably hack up a circuit to do what's needed, but I have a thing about voiding warranties on big ticket items. I've leaned on warranties too many times to throw them away lightly.

Have you seen the cult of the IB sites? Seems your room begs for it!
...

I saw them //after// the room design was set. Yes, IB would be ideal in the room this size, but it means parking the sub speakers outside the room, and that makes soundproofing a problem. At any rate I don't lack for bass at the moment, though I suspect the IB approach would make it a little more effortless-sounding than I can get this way. But... I'm content.  

[John Casler]

  Minor parts would have to be Schwarzenegger for John Casler, and Carol Kane (reprising the Witch in Princess Bride) as the electricia  ...

Puuuuulllleeeeease don't cast Arnold as me, unless he is on hormone therapy for a couple years.

Have you seen him lately?



compare:

[ekovalsky]

Congrats on your room, Scott, and thanks for sharing the experience.  I look forward to you pictures and listening impressions.

I'll be going down a similar path this fall but will keep things simpler.  Mainly I just want to push an exterior wall back about 8.5'.  This will give me a short rather than long wall speaker placement and help a lot with some non-modal bass problems with my current setup.  After putting serious thought into it, I'm going to forego the full Rives treatment, but do plan on using Ethan Winer's Soffit Traps and Mondo/Mini Traps along with the Acoustics First absorption panels I already have.  Some diffusors will also be added.

John, Not sure that picture of Ah-Nuld is real (I suspect it is a Photoshop job -- head shadow isn't right, don't see the big sternotomy scar, and I doubt he would have that many rolls ) but in any case you're definitely looking a lot better than the Gubernator is these days.   Wish I could train with enough intensity to look like you!

[JoshK]

I was more thinking along the lines of riser install of an IB.  Here is an idea of one.

I see your point about projector control.  I guess the best you might do is some kinda IR repeater integrated into your system.   Again congrats!

[JohninCR]

My only question is why did the designer start with a rectangle?  Had he started with an amphitheatre shape with no parallel surfaces, wouldn't the whole process have been much easier for everyone?  Then room decorations are more just decorative and less acoustic oriented.

[ScottMayo]

My only question is why did the designer start with a rectangle?  Had he started with an amphitheatre shape with no parallel surfaces, wouldn't the whole process have been much easier for everyone?  Then room decorations are more just decorative and less acoustic oriented.

Consensus is that angled walls do indeed alter the modes - and make them harder to calculate and control. It's easier to be able to predict them and deal with them if the space is simple, and you're going to have to deal with them no matter what you do, so it's better to keep it all straightforward.

That said, my walls aren't in fact exactly rectangular, anymore. I have diffusers (curved surfaces) in the front of the room, angled soft walls on the left and right operating as bass traps, and huge tube traps in the back corners. Then there's the ceiling soffit, which is a complex shape. These were designed in from the beginning, and the fact that the room was easy to model made it easier to design them in.

There's another advantage: contractors know how to build rectangles. Complex angles and curves will substantially slow down progress and cost more - and if you have to change them afterwards, that hurts.