Room Treatment: Whatcha Got?


As I learn (Bertrand Russel would say 'as I expand my ignorance') I'm developing a different question to ask of audiophile friends. [ought I say phriends? No!]

Now, instead of asking what gear they listen to, or if they like vinyl, I'm really interested in their room; is it treated, or not? And what technique(s) / how much time is invested in setting up?

That's it: despite the current cover of Stereophile, size no longer matters to me, neither do components at this point. I don't even care about CD / TT until I've learned what effort a listener has put into working the room.

What's your story?
128x128cdk84
OK OK Here it is!

Clearly we're Dan-ed if we do and Dan-ed if we don't.

I for one (not that it matters that I initiated this thread) am only against sitting on the fence, hence the above gratuitous remark --intended to offend no one, BTW.

Let's get it rolling!

One reason for asking to add an 'Acoustics' or 'Room Treatments' Forum (I propose the latter title as the less ambiguous of the two --terminology can be helpful and clarifying) is that we come here to share learning and opinions, however puerile the puns. I would suggest that both topics be added, as they differ in my mind and are both relevant, but that might get us neither.

It is an important part of the process to refine our venue as awareness and / or information improve. We are collectively better informed thanks to the opportunity that The Gon offers.

Another sound reason for a new page of inquiry is that we chat endlessly about listening to music, with the avowed intention of re-creating the best achievable transmission of an original recorded performance. Those recordings were all made on instruments, in a particular performance venue that has its own sonic character. *Every one of us* listens inside just that, the instrument that is our listening room.

Unless your listening room provides cues about the 'sound' of the original recording venue, your room is doing a dysservice [sic] to you and probably to your equipment. We the audience, are not doing our part to 'let the music through' if we leave the sound of our fundamental instrument, our listening room, unexamined and untreated.

A room's sonic character plays a part in our listening enjoyment: the extent to which that role detracts or promotes musicality and satisfaction lies in our hands alone.

Truly, what could be more important in audio? We ignore our listening environment's signature sonics at the peril of our pleasure, and I'm a hedonist. I'm in this for delight -- make no mistake.

I will contact AgoN to inquire of their willingness to open a new forum topic entitled 'Room Treatments.'

Any further suggestions before I get off the fence?

If we are granted a Room Treatments page, I would like to suggest a couple of very loose parameters for our posts, but that's for another thread.

David Kellogg