Building a listening room from scratch


Hello all,

I am renovating a 19th Century townhouse in a distressed post-industrial town on the Hudson River.

I will have the 20’ x 30’ attic dedicated to my home studio/office and audio listening area. The ceiling has a steep pitch from the 12’ high center towards the 20’ wide walls, which are 3’ high. To make the building perform to a high energy conservation standard, I have lined the walls with 5.5" of rock wool (which has excellent acoustic insulation characteristics), and the ceilings with 14.5" of rock wool. Except for the three windows situated in a gable and two dormers, and my book and record collections and the audio equipment itself, the floor is the only hard surface, of wide-plank wood. My architect says that I should not sheet rock the walls or ceiling, that I should simply cover them with fire-resistant burlap and I will have a semi-anechoic room, similar to recording studios.

What do you think of this idea?

Thank you all,

unreceivedogma
128x128unreceivedogma
Oh! By the way... my room is much too live and needs to be tamed a bit - if I can do it 'on the cheap'!
Sisyphus, I would never indulge in this expense if it were not for the gut renovation.
Had a friend who used his master bedroom for a listening room. It was very large (25 X 35 est.) and directly over the garage. Room had no bass. Hence the recommendation for tile. Sounds like you'll have a killer room!
P.S. Don't ALL audiophiles have mono's at some point? The extra outlets come in handy for actives as well (like ATC) or subwoofers.
Regards
I would flatten the ceiling 9 feet above the floor to a) get rid of the sharp corner for acoustic purposes and b) to allow for space for the rafter air space insulation to empty into, with louvers on each end... instead of a ridge vent.
Dweller:

The floor is supported by 3” x 6” wood joists. The cavities between them are filled with rock wool, to provide a thermal barrier between the two zones.

I’ve never had good bass. I got a second hand 15” Velodyne. Haven’t tried it in my own system, it tested and performed well in the system of the person I bought it from.

G:

i have braces across the ridge ridge but I like the height. I’m gonna keep it.