Listening Room


Hello to all,

I think this is a situation many audiophiles find themselves in: That being your listening room is NOT a dedicated room that your expensive audio system resides in. You do NOT have a chair that is perfectly positioned in between speakers to optimize your listening enjoyment. Why? The room simply cannot accommodate a chair in the center or, most likely, your wife and/or significant other will not allow you to place a chair where it's supposed to be when listening.

Having said that, you listen to music from everywhere in the room. How does one go about speaker placement? How do you increase the sound stage? Are some speaker brands better than others when you do not have a dedicated listening room? Thanks for your input.

lovehifi22

I believe there some speakers that produce a more even "power distribution" through the room. My experience is that none are better than LARGE planar speakers, like big Magnepans. There are others such as some Audiokinesis models and Endow Audio speakers, using dynamic drivers. I thought of KEF blades as well, but they are not quite as good as it, in my humble opinion. Below the Schroeder frequency you need multiple subwoofers to continue an even "power distribution" in to the bass.

Listen, a good stereo is a good stereo even if you listen in another room- and it’s really good when it sounds good in another room. More often than not, I’m listening from my kitchen or my front porch or over supper in our dining room and not a fussy, dedicated little chair to obsess or drive myself crazy in. My stereo is great and I very well know it. I bought it and I put it together. I’m listening to music and I suggest everyone else should put some of this entitled little anal chair energy into just listening to the music.

If that’s how you’re listening, you can call it whatever you want but you’re listening to equipment.

All that said, I look forward to getting myself a hot small system 'Listening Room' at some point soon in my retirement, but again, I'm going to be doing other things while playing music so it's more of a 'me space' for naps, my tchotchkes and art than an Audio Laboratory. 

Listen, a good stereo is a good stereo even if you listen in another room- and it’s really good when it sounds good in another room.

+1.

My wife has resigned herself to my dedicated, treated listening room.
That said, it IS in the attic. 🤔

That, or it goes smack in the middle of the living room, where it used to be for 40 years. 😬😆

@gents I have a chair in the sweet spot. I move my head even a few inches left or right, the sound changes. I do not “do other stuff” while I listen. That’s not listening, and it’s a waste, imho, of the investment in both time and money. If you wanna listen while you are cooking or repairing the car, get a cheap Bose Bluetooth system. Sorry, dude. 

@unreceivedogma  , I used to have my system in the living room, and I could enjoy sound that I was quite happy with from a variety of locations.  No, it wasn't like being at the apex of the triangle, but still I got a lot of enjoyment.  I remember many pleasurable mornings/afternoons/evening sitting out on the backporch jamming on tunes.  Or while I was in the shower.  Maybe I had forgiving speakers (my old B&W 805s) or maybe I was just more forgiving.

Now I am in a small back bedroom that is mostly dedicated to books, guns and listening, and I think that although it is imperfect I get width beyond that walls (I listen in the dark with my eyes shut) and the speakers disappear and with a good source material instruments float in the air, and back in my "room" there are no distractions like in the old living room days, but I think I had more fun listening back in the old days.