Designing A Dedicated Listening Room

Bunker/basement room would have been best , with 10 foot trenches all around , something the Allied army built on the outskirts of Berlin. That way you could’ve ensured insulation from all kinds of acoustic \ temperamental interference. ;)
 
Bunker/basement room would have been best , with 10 foot trenches all around , something the Allied army built on the outskirts of Berlin. That way you could’ve ensured insulation from all kinds of acoustic \ temperamental interference. ;)
Could be, but the cost for a basement is huge, in my case > 20 Lacs. So was planning just a 4 feet below ground and rest above the ground. Lets see if this is a practicle design.There are a lots of challanges in buidling a basement.
 
I am trying to secure a complete floor for my self ;) .

Then the title of the thread should have been "Designing a Dedicated Listening Floor" :)

Could be, but the cost for a basement is huge, in my case > 20 Lacs. So was planning just a 4 feet below ground and rest above the ground. Lets see if this is a practicle design.There are a lots of challanges in buidling a basement.
I too had planned a not too big basement for a dedicated listening room and Gym/TT room but advised not to for it. The reason given was the same as in your case, the cost.
 
So if I plan a room of say 20*15 then you are saying to place the speakers along the 20 feet wall? I guess there would a max limit on placing the speakers apart and after that it gives adverse effects? Rule of thirds won't be possible for seating in this case in my opinion.
Yes, don’t make to too wide that everything sound thin and disjointed. Leave that extra space to both sides so that the speakers don’t “see” the wall easily! This normally give a wider soundstage without booming bass. We can easily identify sound objects to our left and right than infront and behind. Also the best holographic soundstage we have also would be elliptical not a circle. Also this lets us sit relatively closer to the speakers.
 
So if I plan a room of say 20*15 then you are saying to place the speakers along the 20 feet wall? I guess there would a max limit on placing the speakers apart and after that it gives adverse effects? Rule of thirds won't be possible for seating in this case in my opinion.
Rule of 3rds means only dividing the room into 3, honeslty to say the 1/3 rule mostly works but they don’t work always depending on your speakers radiation pattern. Rule of thumb is have all the knowledge from the websites but if you feel something is odd, don’t hesitate breaking the law. In my room my speakers lack low end at the 1/3 point but slightly farther bass is perfect but then soundstage is less holographic and tonality is different than the direct nature at 1/3. But with acoustics you can tune everything to your seat. You can fix most problems reading internet. But still nobody’s opinion is perfect as no one would be having exactly your room / speakers / furniture and partnering electronics.
 
Hello Vivek,
First let me congratulate you for the new home construction. You have a wonderful opportunity for building a strong framework for the listening room that is so critical for the best sound and so difficult to achieve for most of us who start with a finished room. Here is an ordered list (most important to least important) of framework items in my opinion that would help you build a solid foundation.
1. Room dimensions and wall/ceiling building construction materials. Single most important factor for controlling bass in the room which if not handled properly could destroy the entire investment or the effort. There are plenty of materials available online which would help in this regard but I would suggest you to engage a room acoustics consultant to get it done correctly.
2. Electrical foundation starting with grounding, dedicated lines and audiophile grade receptacles.
3. Speaker/Listener couch placement in the room. Again there are so many materials available on the net to help guide you in this regard. Start with one such popular approach like the rule of thirds and then keep experimenting till you get the best coordinates in your room. This needs time and patience but it is the 2nd most important factor to get the best performance out-of speakers not withstanding its price. You have to get the speakers drawn well inside the room, away from the walls, to get it to sound the best. It is generally true for almost all speakers with the exception of a few which are specifically designed to be placed close to the wall boundaries.
4. Room acoustics in the room. If you were able to nail down the room design correctly the role of room acoustics would be limited but it couldn't be eliminated. In any room you have to cover up the1st reflection points with broadband absorbers and use diffusors in proper location like the wall behind the listening couch to keep it lively and engaging.
5. Vibration control. This is true for your speakers and all other electronics. If I need to prioritize then I would focus on putting the speakers and mechanical devices like turntable on a seismic vibration control platform first. All other electronics can follow later.
6. If you have voltage fluctuation issues in your house then you have to experiment with power conditioner/regenerator/transformer to stabilize the voltage and provide a clean power to your audio/video system. This is required if and only if you have a power quality issue.

I have to clarify that the above factors are relevant for building any good listening room but it becomes absolutely necessary to have all of them if you are building it for a two channel stereo system. It is significantly difficult to build a good listening room for a two channel system than a HT system.
Finally wishing you all the best for building the music room.
Thanks.
 
Hello Vivek,
First let me congratulate you for the new home construction. You have a wonderful opportunity for building a strong framework for the listening room that is so critical for the best sound and so difficult to achieve for most of us who start with a finished room. Here is an ordered list (most important to least important) of framework items in my opinion that would help you build a solid foundation.
1. Room dimensions and wall/ceiling building construction materials. Single most important factor for controlling bass in the room which if not handled properly could destroy the entire investment or the effort. There are plenty of materials available online which would help in this regard but I would suggest you to engage a room acoustics consultant to get it done correctly.
2. Electrical foundation starting with grounding, dedicated lines and audiophile grade receptacles.
3. Speaker/Listener couch placement in the room. Again there are so many materials available on the net to help guide you in this regard. Start with one such popular approach like the rule of thirds and then keep experimenting till you get the best coordinates in your room. This needs time and patience but it is the 2nd most important factor to get the best performance out-of speakers not withstanding its price. You have to get the speakers drawn well inside the room, away from the walls, to get it to sound the best. It is generally true for almost all speakers with the exception of a few which are specifically designed to be placed close to the wall boundaries.
4. Room acoustics in the room. If you were able to nail down the room design correctly the role of room acoustics would be limited but it couldn't be eliminated. In any room you have to cover up the1st reflection points with broadband absorbers and use diffusors in proper location like the wall behind the listening couch to keep it lively and engaging.
5. Vibration control. This is true for your speakers and all other electronics. If I need to prioritize then I would focus on putting the speakers and mechanical devices like turntable on a seismic vibration control platform first. All other electronics can follow later.
6. If you have voltage fluctuation issues in your house then you have to experiment with power conditioner/regenerator/transformer to stabilize the voltage and provide a clean power to your audio/video system. This is required if and only if you have a power quality issue.

I have to clarify that the above factors are relevant for building any good listening room but it becomes absolutely necessary to have all of them if you are building it for a two channel stereo system. It is significantly difficult to build a good listening room for a two channel system than a HT system.
Finally wishing you all the best for building the music room.
Thanks.
Hi @Indranil Sen

Thanks for your detailed and informative reply. I am noting down each every suggestion shared here by all of you and it's coming up nicely.

Few things that are already prioritised for the room

1. LAN cable
2. UPS/Stabilizer outside the room
3. Dedicated phase and line with proper grounding. Just a dedicated line is not helping properly right now.
4. Avoid having the door in the corner, if layout allows.
5. International sockets, AV grade
6. Yellow lighting with dimmers.
7. Conduits to hide cables while running from amps to speakers or where required
8. Ample rectangular room size may be 20x15 feet.
9. Room treatment at later stage.
10. May be fixed furniture to hold all av equipment. Not sure if I should still buy a rack.

I guess this list will keep on refining as the plan progress. Once the layout is I will share the room dimensions again if that's a good space I can move on with the construction.

Regards
Vivek
 
You have to choose the fiber on basis of what media converter will be used. There are two types.
So please consult an expert before doing the wiring
 
Hey Guys

Just saw this video from Paul from PS Audio. His advice for a stereo room treatment is nothing more than adding some furtniture. Interested people please give this a try before spending on acoustic treatment if your room is just a stereo room and not a Home Theater.

Here is the video
 
Making a bookshelf and buying books for it, you better buy proper acoustic absorbers or diffuser for that money
 
Making a bookshelf and buying books for it, you better buy proper acoustic absorbers or diffuser for that money
I think the idea is to save on acoustic treatment by adding some required furniture or give some room in your room for some home furniture.
 
Vivek,
Paul was talking about a solution that was optimized on wife acceptance factor and not necessarily on room acoustics. Whatever you do on the 1st reflection points on the side walls and the ceiling make sure that it is consistent. You can't have bookshelf in the 1st reflection point on the left side wall and an absorber on the right wall. It is quintessential to have a symmetry between the block (comprising of two front loudspeakers and the listener couch) and the walls around it.
Again get a specialist to help you determine the room length, depth and height that will lead to least modal issues in the room.
 
Vivek,
Paul was talking about a solution that was optimized on wife acceptance factor and not necessarily on room acoustics. Whatever you do on the 1st reflection points on the side walls and the ceiling make sure that it is consistent. You can't have bookshelf in the 1st reflection point on the left side wall and an absorber on the right wall. It is quintessential to have a symmetry between the block (comprising of two front loudspeakers and the listener couch) and the walls around it.
Again get a specialist to help you determine the room length, depth and height that will lead to least modal issues in the room.
Lets see when I actually have a room in place for the treatment ;)
 
I too am building a separate room for audio/video at my new place. The room size is 17 * 23.

I have the door exactly in one corner; could not avoid that due to the final plan. If I were to avoid that, the entire plan had to be changed. So you can keep this in mind. I also have 2 windows; again one window is on one corner; so bass trapping of that corner is also compromised.

I have completed acoustic treatment for the ceiling and the wooden flooring also got completed yesterday. Now, will be starting with the acoustic treatments for the walls.

All the best man! The luxman and fortes deserve a good room for sure!
If you are using the room for home theatre only , why not close the windows before you do the accoustics , i have similarly done that and it proved effective , if you can reduce the width near the entrance , make a fake wall and make the entrance to the room centre
 
Another update: I have been told by the architect that, legally ne can not have solid partitions in the basement. If that is so, I will have atleast 2 soft walls for the listening room. Will it be a concern to have wooden frame walls? or there is any other option?
 
Infact that should be just fine. You will be able to use acoustic material like rockwool, foam, sound proofing stuff etc in a better way imo.

Softer walls will also act as sound absorber and sound proof material.
 
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