Building the house of stereo was my biggest material achievement in my life. That's all I will say about the importance of having a dedicated listening room. But if you cannot rationalize it, afford it or have it wife approved, no biggie, enjoy what you got. A lot to be thankful for on this memorial day.
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.
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- 85 posts total
@ghdprentice + 1 |
+1 KEF. I have the R500s that were a steal on close out a few years ago and to get a meaningful improvement I would have to spend probably 3-4 times as much and then would not have the very condensed thin tower 42" height footprint that I like, that makes for the excellent dispersion and which don't overwhelm the room. They are on Sympoosium platforms which improved the sound dramatically over the KEF spikes/cups. I have a large open multipurpose den that extends into the kitchen eating area 30 feet or more from where the speakers sit (the back of the speakers are 3 feet from the wall). I listen often from the kitchen or when I am in the kitchen cooking/prep area. Best listening chair - Ekornes stressless chair - expensive but worth it. First one is still in great shape 15 years old (leather worn out where your head touches with a custom cover, so it will go to one of the kids when they have the space/need). I got another one of the same model in a different color (believe it or not), still in production. It can't be in the optimal listening spot, so the KEFs are great. When I really want to focus on an album playing, I'll sit on a loveseat that is in the optimal position. It's comfortable, just not in the league of the Ekornes. |
From the "about" page on my website: "Vinyl Sundays" is a music appreciation concept. It was first launched as a public venture as "Classic Album Sundays" by Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy in London in 2010 and has spread to cities in Europe, Australia and America. The idea is simple: in an era where music is treated as a free commodity, or worse, like sonic wallpaper, music lovers should be able to A) enjoy the experience of immersing themselves in recorded music the way it is best heard: in its entirety, uninterrupted, on vinyl, and on a quality sound system so that the artist’s original intention is fully revealed, B) hear & discuss the artist & recording’s unique story, and C) share the experience with people from differing walks of life, united only by their love of music. I had been wanting to give this idea a go in a salon-like setting, and gave it some trial runs in my NYC loft. With my move to Newburgh, I launched this as a monthly event. It has been going very well, so I may go for every two weeks. The best listening experience requires that I keep the seating for each event limited to five. Before entering the Audio Attic, guests will be required to turn off their cell phones and leave them at the door: there will be no exceptions. If you are tied to your phone by a umbilical chord, this experience is not for you. If this concept interests you, go to the CONTACT page and tell me a little about yourself and the types of music you enjoy listening to. Your name will be added to a waiting list from which I will make invitations each month on a first come first serve basis and on an algorithm not quite understood by me. I will provide some wine: guests are encouraged to bring some wine and snacks.
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Well, besides not getting a friendly of point of view, I see you’re not big on the conversational skills. I didn’t spend any of that money over the last few decades to listen to equipment - the equipment serves me. And I can’t find a good reason why I’d spend time enslaved to a seat waiting to see what tricks a CD might hold in order to congratulate myself on my (subjective) aural brilliance. I spent that money to enjoy some music in my home, where I happen to do a lot of stuff and enjoy some quality of life - all at once sometimes. You want to sit in front of the stereo monitoring your head movements, dude, do what you will with your life and money. Having lived a little bit, I have to say it doesn’t sound like value or fun.By the way, do you keep logs on exactly which head and neck movements give you the best soundstage? |
- 85 posts total