Ron's Favorite Private Rooms + Systems of All Time

[dcathro]

I have spent most of my life living in Australia which has house construction (since WW2) similar to America. I lived in Cambridge and London for 16 years and got used to the solid construction of the old houses. When I came back to Australia I got a shock at how bad the typical room sounded compared to those old solid British rooms. I have several friends here in Melbourne who are fortunate to have old houses with very solid internal walls, and it is obvious to me that this contributes to the quality of sound reproduction.

I will just add that modern open plan living is not the foundation for good audio - give me a medium sized Victorian rectangular box with high ceilings any day.

 

[cjfrbw]

If concert halls costing hundreds of millions with 'experts' can't come to any consensus as to suitability of purpose, how are audiophile custom built rooms? What I have been impressed by from the blogospheres is how often guys are disappointed with their high cost custom built spaces. Even some of those mentioned in the top lists have been altered beyond recognition from their custom original forms after much pomp and anticipation that I recall.

There are a couple of forms I think could be contributory to a generous result. A trapezoidal cross section with the 'short wall' being the place where the speakers are positioned. Also, some kind of coffer or coffers in the ceiling that act as ambient mixing chambers for the reflected sound.

'Best lists' are often acts of diplomacy towards money geyser fanatics, naked consumerism or buddies as much as any estimation of sound quality. I think one would have to kick the owner out for a week or two to spend time with his system to see if it actually has some tread for one's own tastes and preferences.

 

[AudioHR]

Same goes for Yamamura, Vyger - Mayer - Pnoe, 2 Altec 817 systems, silvercore's warehouse, another dual FLH in Germany (that's now 5 dual FLH's in the list), Kondo Sigma MAAT. In digital SS, Henk's Grands and AG trio room at the factory. None of these rooms are much treated or custom built, but reasonably big

What's reasonably big in your estimation?

 

[Kingrex]

What I have been impressed by from the blogospheres is how often guys are disappointed with their high cost custom built spaces. Even some of those mentioned in the top lists have been altered beyond recognition from their custom original forms after much pomp and anticipation that I recall.

If I get my chance to make a room I won't add any treatment into it. I will glue and screw the studs. Cross brace twice, then put a rail system in with double wall drywall. All my room treatments will be added after I listen to the room.

 

[hopkins]

If I ever have a dedicated room I want my cats to hang out there with me

Sorry for that digression. Carry on! It's an interesting topic.

 

[Ron Resnick]

The best rooms, custom built or not, were reasonably big.

+1

 

[Audiohertz2]

The worst rooms I have heard were dedicated custom built. Reeked of fake foo sound. The best rooms, custom built or not, were reasonably big. They allowed systems to play effortlessly, but were not necessarily treated or shaped or custom built for audio.

Some of the Best rooms i ever heard were full , full of clutter, i mean you couldn't believe anything could sound good in there, i could never explain it apart from The tons of diffusion and displacement taking place ..

Agree on disappointment of custom rooms..

 

[Ron Resnick]

Agree on disappointment of custom rooms..

If somebody gave you a blank check and you designed a custom listening room you think you would be disappointed with it?

 

[thedudeabides]

Maybe. Depends on your expectations.

 

[Carlos269]

If somebody gave you a blank check and you designed a custom listening room you think you would be disappointed with it?

I have explained the fallacies with custom listening rooms many times. They are not designed to address the source of the excitations, and even if they were they would need to be dynamic or adjustable for active correction. Most custom rooms sound over-damped because no acoustic analysis has been performed as part of the design. Any acoustician worth his or her salt will tell you that the room produces no sound of it own but reacts to the acoustic excitations from the source. I have yet to see a custom design that takes the source into account.

 

[Another Johnson]

Some of the Best rooms i ever heard were full , full of clutter, i mean you couldn't believe anything could sound good in there, i could never explain it apart from The tons of diffusion and displacement taking place ..

I stumbled on this serendipitously when I cleaned out half of my workshop to install a third audio system. The back half of this 32’ long room remained a workspace for hobby projects. The walls were lined with randomly filled shelving. This room quickly became home to system #1 at that house instead of system #3.

When I custom built a room at another house after downsizing, I was able to incorporate several improvements… a bit longer, a bit higher ceiling, better wall mass, caulking, insulation, quiet hvac, better shelving (oak book cases), Cat 6 Ethernet, strategically placed absorption, etc. But I stuck with the idea of using the back half of the room for other hobby projects.

 

[KeithR]

What does this teach me? This teaches me that the single most important thing in this hobby is to have a large, dedicated, custom-built room!

Meh, I jumped off the dedicated room thing awhile ago. Retiring to the man cave is of no interest. Audio is more fun shared. But I don’t take issue with others who want them and enjoy the hobby that way.

 

[Carlos269]

My visit the last three days to Marty confirms yet again – – although no confirmation was required – – that one's listening room is by far the most important component of the sound and the realism one achieves in this hobby.

It is not possible to rate one's favorite room without considering the system in it. It is not possible to rate one's favorite system without considering the room in which it is located.

Ron,
Have you found a dedicated custom built & treated listening room in which Fields of Gold sounds better than in my domestic room?

 

[Ron Resnick]

Ron,
Have you found a dedicated custom built & treated listening room in which Fields of Gold sounds better than in my domestic room?

Carlos,

Is this a trick question? I have never heard "Fields of Gold" in your domestic room.

 

[Carlos269]

Carlos,

Is this a trick question? I have never heard "Fields of Gold" in your domestic room.

Give the video, from tonight’s listening session, a listen and see what you think.

 

[bonzo75]

If somebody gave you a blank check and you designed a custom listening room you think you would be disappointed with it?

Disappointed with the blank check? No.

i would use it make a big room to fit an audio system, at the other end have a gym and a kitchen, so I could do various things while listening to music or come sit 4 to 5m away from the speakers to just listen.

The dual FLH pressurise big rooms easily, and you can listen to music at various distances. Silvercore has a warehouse over 50 feet long, 7m wide, and 14ft or more ceilings. And music just keeps flowing.

Silvercore has an L at the end of the room. Leif has the left side of the listener extend to the dining and kitchen all the way from the listener and the speaker, so no focused listening room. The Altec 817s I heard over the weekend had the same, but to from the right side of the listener. He had built sliding doors to close the room into a rectangle if required, but didn’t use them. Pietro had no special room for Yamamura.

The vyger Mayer pnoe were actually not in a room that was ideal for them, yet it is one of the top three systems I have ever heard and that totally changed my style of listening/evaluating.

 

[bonzo75]

Carlos,

Is this a trick question? I have never heard "Fields of Gold" in your domestic room.

It wouldn’t make a difference if you did because Fields of Gold cannot be used to evaluate a system, no matter if it is your favourite piece of music or not.

Eating white bread won’t tell me if the restaurant is good. I need to order something off the menu for that

 

[Ron Resnick]

Give the video, from tonight’s listening session, a listen and see what you think.

Really? We're back to this video silliness about understanding the sound of a room I've never been to from a video?

No thank you!

 

[bonzo75]

Really? We're back to this video silliness about understanding the sound of a room I've never been to from a video?

No thank you!

makes more sense than understanding the sound of a room playing fields of gold in it

 

[andromedaaudio]

Give the video, from tonight’s listening session, a listen and see what you think.

Carlos audio/ listening to music is not a competition/ has never been one