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
Dweller, there is 14.5” of rock wool BEHIND the burlap, as described above. The house is being renovated to perform to a high energy standard. On the HERS scale of 0 to 150, with 150 being old existing homes, 100 being new homes, 70 being energy star, this will be a 40. That should cut my energy bill by 75%. The floor is 150 year old wood, we want to enjoy the beauty of it, and save money, so no tile. I will have 20 amp shielded service: how did you know I have a pair of monoblocks? NY Audiolab Julius Futterman OTL 3s, converted to triode and modified with audio grade caps by Jon Specter (Al Cooper’s cousin). 

Knownothing, rock wool is considered to be safe environmentally. 
unreceivedogma
Now, you’ve done it!
On my streaming list for today: "Child Is Father to The Man" - Blood Sweat & Tears and "Supersession" Bloomfield - Kooper - Stills.
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