Best Dedicated Listening Room You've Ever Heard?

[Dimfer]

my friend Tony Go’s room in his office in Manila.. temporary home for his TLA but it sounded really good to my ringing ears

 

[Steve williams]

Imo it still doesn’t matter.

Jim’s room and structure in which it is housed adjacent to his home is the most beautiful I’ve ever been in as well as designed acoustically correct, in Manila with the room so well enclosed that the temp varies no more than +/- 1 degree daily

speakers which were designed by Albert as a “one off”. So many beautiful arms and turntables and tape recorders.

I also agree with Ron that Jacks room is 2nd only to Jim’s. Having said that Jack now has Ultra 11’s and I’m betting hisroom comes darn close to brother Jim

so many great systems in the Philippines but brothers Jim and Jack take my vote

I haven't had the good fortune yet to hear Jack's new system but when I was in Manila for a week I heard some amazing systems. Here are some photos of Jack's last system and brother Jim's

https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/...hears-some-amazing-systems.21241/#post-407883

 

[twitch]

Overture Audio in Wilmington, De and Chad Kassem's (Acoustic Sounds) personal room at his business in Salina, Ks.

 

[Kingrex]

Why are there only 4 or so great rooms people talk about. I thought there was a pretty solid business of people designing rooms.

 

[Steve williams]

Why are there only 4 or so great rooms people talk about. I thought there was a pretty solid business of people designing rooms.

IME usually the owners of the best ones never post

 

[PeterA]

Why are there only 4 or so great rooms people talk about. I thought there was a pretty solid business of people designing rooms.

Perhaps because our resident critic Bonzo only discusses gear swapping, and rarely, if ever, the room context. Many of the regular posters here do not list their gear or start threads discussing their systems and rooms.

And as Steve states, many of these guys are listening to music or doing something other than hanging out on forums chatting about audio.

 

[sbnx]

I guess I need to get out more. I have been in some nice sounding rooms/systems but I don't think I have never visited a SOTA dedicated room. I would love to hear some of your guys rooms -- Steve Williams, Mike Lavigne, HughP3, etc. I mentioned in some other post that it is hard to know what is possible until you hear it in some other room/system.

Also, it is clear from looking at pics of Bonzo75's room that he does not place any value on the rooms contribution to the sound.

 

[Bruce B]

Winston Ma's listening room in his home near Seattle. The structure was custom designed and built by Winston.
Larry

I would have to concur.... I've heard many rooms in the U.S.. Winston's room by far is the best I've heard.

 

[andromedaaudio]

I would have to concur.... I've heard many rooms in the U.S.. Winston's room by far is the best I've heard.

How was his room shaped ?
Was it not something with trapezium shaped sidewalls and a sloped ceiling?
And very little treatment

 

[microstrip]

Why are there only 4 or so great rooms people talk about. I thought there was a pretty solid business of people designing rooms.

As far as I can see it, this business is minimal. Looking at sites I can find many excellent portfolios of top home theater rooms with plenty of information and details but a very reduced number of references to stereo rooms. In fact the most referred site of the 90's and early 2000's concerning design of stereo rooms - Rives Audio - was shut down and was never replaced by anything with similar influence in the net.

 

[astrotoy]

How was his room shaped ?
Was it not something with trapezium shaped sidewalls and a sloped ceiling?
And very little treatment

Here is the article I referenced in my post about the Ma room. You can see the great effort that went into the design and construction, including the dimensions. It was purpose built, adjacent to his home. Larry

https://positive-feedback.com/Issue3/maroom.htm

 

[astrotoy]

Why are there only 4 or so great rooms people talk about. I thought there was a pretty solid business of people designing rooms.

The best rooms are purpose built. Much harder to modify an existing room to have the best sound. That said, IIRC, Winston's room cost in the low 7 figures to build. For remodels, you are spending a lot of effort and money to correct problems inherent in the original room dimensions, construction, etc.

Larry

 

[Mike Lavigne]

As far as I can see it, this business is minimal. Looking at sites I can find many excellent portfolios of top home theater rooms with plenty of information and details but a very reduced number of references to stereo rooms. In fact the most referred site of the 90's and early 2000's concerning design of stereo rooms - Rives Audio - was shut down and was never replaced by anything with similar influence in the net.

likely the place with the most systems to quickly/easily observe is Audiogon. not many of those are full-on clean sheet custom builds. lots of beautiful systems none the less. some have Rives design components.

 

[JackD201]

Here is the article I referenced in my post about the Ma room. You can see the great effort that went into the design and construction, including the dimensions. It was purpose built, adjacent to his home. Larry

https://positive-feedback.com/Issue3/maroom.htm

I remember reading a later article perhaps around 2008 to 2010 on Winston where he was using the Isis' I think. I can't find it

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I remember reading a later article perhaps around 2008 to 2010 on Winston where he was using the Isis' I think. I can't find it

personally i preferred the prior speakers to the Isis in Winston's system the times i heard it. Winston never seemed settled with the Isis. i was not in the room in the most recent times, so maybe he was fully satisfied then.

his room was 2 miles from my home in Redmond (i moved to my current home with the dedicated room in the barn in late 2003), and i was in Winston's room quite a few times. always an event.

 

[JackD201]

Lucky you Mike. I met him as a kid in HK. Got to talk to him at CES in 2008. I really liked and admired that man.

 

[microstrip]

The best rooms are purpose built. Much harder to modify an existing room to have the best sound. That said, IIRC, Winston's room cost in the low 7 figures to build. For remodels, you are spending a lot of effort and money to correct problems inherent in the original room dimensions, construction, etc.

Larry

David W. Robinson & Winston Ma series of articles in Positive Feedback are still my reference concerning extreme care in room design. Every details seems to be very seriously considered!

 

[microstrip]

personally i preferred the prior speakers to the Isis in Winston's system the times i heard it. Winston never seemed settled with the Isis. i was not in the room in the most recent times, so maybe he was fully satisfied then.

his room was 2 miles from my home in Redmond (i moved to my current home with the dedicated room in the barn in late 2003), and i was in Winston's room quite a few times. always an event.

Although there are some references about Isis in the Winston Ma room, I only saw pictures of the Avalon Eidolon and Sentinel. Curiously the Sentinel are shown close to amplifiers I am hosting, the Marantz Project T1! https://positive-feedback.com/Issue3/maroom2.htm

Both are great speakers, I have listened to them playing really good, but need adequate power.

 

[Rocco I.]

This is mine, totally designed and made by RPG Europe.

Burmester Reference Line set-up with a Reference Listening Acoustic Hall designed/made by RPG Europe.

List of components:

- Adyton Isovolt K6

- Burmester 948 Power conditioner

- Nordost Qkore 6 with Qkore Wires

- Burmester 911 Mk3 monos power amps

- Burmester 808 Mk5 with Power Supply Unit

- Burmester 069 with Power Supply Unit

- Burmester B100

- Cables: Nordost

- Nordost Sort Lift

- Nordost Qrt line ground wire (dedicated and designated ground for the sound system to a designated external ground rod with very low resistance path).

- N.5 direct power lines with Furutech dps 4.1 limited edition from electric meter to wall sockets.

- Furutech NCF wall sockets (N.2 sets of FT-SWS-D NCF (R); N.3 sets of FT-SWS-R NCF).

- Taoc Audio Rack CSR 2S (D)

- Taoc SCB-RS-HC50G

- Taoc Super Insulator Tite-35s

- Bassocontinuo Accordeon

- The lighting system (after appropriate lighting study) of the room was entrusted to the very elegant products of Kreon and Flos.

- Acoustic design and made by RPG Europe.


Building of the Room - Specs

The building and realization of this acoustically extreme project has been designed/made at all by RPG Europe in about a year (exactly 13 months). Such room, completely made from "zero" (it means walls, ceiling and floor have been re-builded applying on place the most extreme acoustic concepts) has the same building-in concept and philosophy of a Concert Hall with right dimensions/proportions. Pratically is a room (composed by a reference acoustic Insulation) inside another room (RPG custom acoustic treatment) with a net size of about 34.6 sq meters and a net height from floor to ceiling of 295 cm. Of course the room size, before acoustic steps was a little phisically bigger but now (with the rich acoustic treatment on place) its behaviour is virtually with more spacious (all walls seems to be disappeared leaving music to flow at fullest) and right for a superb/correct music reproduction. Infact the acoustic measurements stating the absolute perfetct match of neutrality and very linear in its performance.

 

[Kingrex]

Has anyone thought about doing the floor like the ceiling. With scattering built in. No high heals allowed.