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Dedicated listening room design

I've been searching this site for how to create a decent listening room, but there's so much it's difficult to whittle down what's really useful and/or correct from what's not. I say decent because I don't believe I have the time or $$$ to create a balls-out perfect room, so I'm trying to at the very least avoid making any major mistakes that would be hard to correct.

As per recommedations I ordered Get Better Sound and Everest's Master Handbook of Acoustics to get some ideas and learn some of the fundamentals, but any further resources you guys could recommend would be much appreciated. Also, any specific materials/products you used for walls, ceilings, floors, lighting, etc. that work particularly well would be very helpful, as well as any installation techniques/materials to optimize their performance (sound absorption, soundproofing, noise/rattle avoidance, etc.). My room is in a medium-sized, open basement that will also be serving as a laundry room and exercise room, and I'm basically starting from scratch as I'm installing french drains (damned hurricane) and re-doing heat pipes so all the walls will be coming down in the process. I already have two dedicated lines (with the help of some folks on this site) and will likely add a third, so that part is pretty much covered.

Anyway, I hope that's enough to go on, and any thoughts or hard-won experience you could share would be most appreciated.
soix
zmanastronomy's avatar
zmanastronomy
738 posts
 
Look at my system to see a very affordable way to make a room that sounds incredable.
Do a little reading for some tips.
audiokinesis
2,753 posts
 
The most critical time of any major project is at the beginning, when the biggest decisions are made, and paradoxically when you know the least. Apparently you are aware of this, and seeking to learn as much as possible at this early stage, which shows good judgment.

"Premium Home Theater: Design and Construction", by Earl Geddes, was written with Soix in mind. Totally worth the price, even for two-channel guys.

If you decide to seek professional assistance, I highly recommend Jeff Hedback, of Hedback Designed Acoustics. He can help make all the right things happen in YOUR specific room by a combination of remote measuring and professional analysis.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
Since you will be using basement space, the key will be to isolate the sound of all the mechanical equipment and its duct work. Hard to do. Until you get that right I would suggest not spending any money building the room itself. Also, read Floyd Toole's book 'sound reproduction'.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
I did a similar project in my last home. I focused on 3 main points:

First, fir out the walls (if necessary) to acheive a good length x width ratio. IIRC, 1.4 to 1 was the recommendation in the book (similar to the Geddes book Duke cites) that I used.

Second, Try to break up parallel wall surfaces with some "ornamentation". Light fixtures in columns, shelving, etc. I also used a center ceiling drop and stadium seating so that ceiling and floor weren't parallel.

Third, I mixed absorbtive and reflective material. Wood panel wainscotting from the floor up to +/- 3' and a canvas-like fabric backed by acoutic foam the the 3' "beltline" to the ceiling.

The result was drop dead gorgeous and great sounding, but....

This was a stupidly expensive project. I suspect that you can probably get to a similar place on a lower budget while still employing these ideas.

Good Luck,

Marty
soix OP
9,812 posts
 
Thanks so much guys, and by the way I should probably mention this is first and foremost a 2-channel audio system (our home theater is upstairs) although I may run some surround channels at some point in case I ever start experimenting with multi-channel music. I'm absorbing all of this and will get the books and contact at least a couple of the people you recommended. Duke's first sentence pretty much summed it up nicely, and what I know about construction in general (much less construction of a good listening room) could fit on the head of a nail. So all this info. is fantastically helpful, and by all means keep it coming.
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