Dedicated audio room build thread aka The Big Dig

[Folsom]

I have this thought that in the future when you're long gone, someone will be trying to make sense of this building when looking to buy the property and maybe they'll find this thread on an internet archive!

I've never seen a house for sale with an audiophile room/extra building, but surely it has to happen.

 

[mullard88]

HughP3,

Your construction site is so clean! How do you keep it that way?

 

[Tango]

HughP3,

Your construction site is so clean! How do you keep it that way?

He sure doesnt use Thai workers Sam.

 

[jturbo]

Rafters going in. LVL beams actually. I started with engineered i joists but Dennis said not enough mass. I can park a concrete truck on top of this but that’s not the point. His Ray trace did like the mass.

Love the pics. This is an all out attack on a room build! Are those the OSB of the 10" deep panels being screwed onto the bottom row in the pic, or just the removal of the MLV in some of the cavities?

 

[HughP3]

I have this thought that in the future when you're long gone, someone will be trying to make sense of this building when looking to buy the property and maybe they'll find this thread on an internet archive!

I've never seen a house for sale with an audiophile room/extra building, but surely it has to happen.

Hey Folsom - Yeah my kids asked the same thing! Actually Atlanta has a lot of artists who live here and also has a fairly robust audio community. The room will be very good (maybe need some tweaks) as a recording studio. Its just getting the house in front of the right person. The separate 40x40 shop with lift does not hurt either, Artists like their cars I live near a hi-end gated community, those folks spend a lot of money on Home Theater.

 

[HughP3]

HughP3,

Your construction site is so clean! How do you keep it that way?

Mullard I had a talk with the guys before we started! I do admit they are an exception, very pleased with them.

 

[HughP3]

Love the pics. This is an all out attack on a room build! Are those the OSB of the 10" deep panels being screwed onto the bottom row in the pic, or just the removal of the MLV in some of the cavities?

JT thats the OSB sandwich. They will be doing the MDF + OSB in the next cavity alternating btwn them

 

[jturbo]

Just thinking aloud, maybe this will be an interesting topic.

Ive been looking at the ACDA 10 and 12 products on the acoustic fields website. If I understand, the deeper cabinets are able to absorb to lower freqs. This makes me wonder about the 10" and 8" deep cavity layout that you are building along the walls.

My understanding of bass trapping (limited) would lead me to think that the strongest bass pressure is in the corners. As such, it seems like it would make sense to have a 10"cavity in the corners (also from top to bottom perhaps). I think your picture shows what will be a 10" cavity on one side and an 8" on the other side. Making one corner absorb a bit lower freq than the other side?

Even if you reversed the order on the middle row, one would still not have the lowest absorbtion capability in the corner, but it would balance out a bit better from left to right.

Seems like it might make more sense to start with a 10" cavity in each corner on the left and right and then stagger towards the middle, and then have each of the 3 columns match from top to bottom.

 

[HughP3]

Just thinking aloud, maybe this will be an interesting topic.

Ive been looking at the ACDA 10 and 12 products on the acoustic fields website. If I understand, the deeper cabinets are able to absorb to lower freqs. This makes me wonder about the 10" and 8" deep cavity layout that you are building along the walls.

My understanding of bass trapping (limited) would lead me to think that the strongest bass pressure is in the corners. As such, it seems like it would make sense to have a 10"cavity in the corners (also from top to bottom perhaps). I think your picture shows what will be a 10" cavity on one side and an 8" on the other side. Making one corner absorb a bit lower freq than the other side?

Even if you reversed the order on the middle row, one would still not have the lowest absorbtion capability in the corner, but it would balance out a bit better from left to right.

Seems like it might make more sense to start with a 10" cavity in each corner on the left and right and then stagger towards the middle, and then have each of the 3 columns match from top to bottom.

JT its as symmetrical as its gonna be given how the framers went around the room. Here are some pics of the opposing side walls. Almost the same. Yeah 31 feet with 16" on center does not divide evenly. Dennis did not think that was a big deal. I also think has some of this factored in the ceiling, he wants the 10" space starting on outside of all walls extending 4 feet into the room then alternate btwn 8" and 10" going north to south. He is using ray trace software for simulations.

 

[jturbo]

Perhaps it not a big difference, and maybe just an OCD salve.

If you were to put the 10”deep cavity in the corners on both sides of the Front wall and then stagger going towards the middle. It looks like you would end up with two 8” cavities side by side meeting in the middle.

Everything would be symetric and the deepest cavity would be in the corners.

No idea if it matters IRL.

 

[PeterA]

Hugh, I am very impressed with this effort. I just skimmed the photos, having just discovered this thread. I'll read through the rest of it later this evening. What a project. Congratulations.

 

[HughP3]

Jt the pic

Perhaps it not a big difference, and maybe just an OCD salve.

If you were to put the 10”deep cavity in the corners on both sides of the Front wall and then stagger going towards the middle. It looks like you would end up with two 8” cavities side by side meeting in the middle.

Everything would be symetric and the deepest cavity would be in the corners.

No idea if it matters IRL.

Hello JT - 2 things, the corner pics are starting with 10" cavity, however I spoke to Dennis and he said it does not matter which cavity I started with. He said reach out to him for an explanation as all i heard was stuff I could not follow

 

[PeterA]

What a great project. Your room's finished dimensions will be almost identical to Magico's listening room. They used 5" of QuietRock all the way around since they were concerned about isolating the room from a factory full of machine tools. Plenty of absorption and diffusion too. The best recorded sound I've heard in forty years in the hobby. Listening to M3's and $200k of electronics driving them didn't hurt either. Google Magico listening room for some pics. Good luck with your project.

I have been to the Magico listening room. Very impressive. I believe it is a room within a room, meaning that the floor, walls, and ceiling are decoupled from the rest of the factory. It is extremely isolated from outside noise. Great dimensions.

 

[PeterA]

When ordering the primered wood was cheaper, go figure...

One explanation might be that primed wood is often cheaper because the paint hides various imperfections and splices. Smaller, marred pieces are assembled, primed, and then cut. This may be cheaper than longer, less blemished wood. In your application, it should not matter, so cheaper is better, IMO.

 

[kswanson27]

I have been to the Magico listening room. Very impressive. I believe it is a room within a room, meaning that the floor, walls, and ceiling are decoupled from the rest of the factory. It is extremely isolated from outside noise. Great dimensions.

Correct. The floor and walls are on resilient channels and the ceiling is seperate from the building's ceiling. It looks good too IMHO.

 

[Stump]

I have this thought that in the future when you're long gone, someone will be trying to make sense of this building when looking to buy the property and maybe they'll find this thread on an internet archive!

I've never seen a house for sale with an audiophile room/extra building, but surely it has to happen.

I think having audiophile room would be a good selling point...For me anyway....Love it!!

 

[EuroDriver]

As you are going full out, you might want to consider having 230 volt power available in your room. Double the AC voltage halves the current draw and the consequent magnetic effects of the currents

 

[HughP3]

As you are going full out, you might want to consider having 230 volt power available in your room. Double the AC voltage halves the current draw and the consequent magnetic effects of the currents

Thank you EuroD for the suggestion!

 

[Big B]

Thank you EuroD for the suggestion!

Having Done what you are doing but to bit lesser extent. Addition added on with a purpose of HT first and top notch electronics.
All I can say is your going to love it. I'm so happy every minute I can spend in there.As well as the wow factor.

Some my find this interesting, some may say other things but I think this site is in the formers camp.

I got frustrated when my search for a speaker upgrade led me to the realization that my small room would not work for what i liked at AXPONA this year. I was at a cross roads. I wanted a big performance increase but I either jump into the deep end, give up the hobby or be content with a descent but never a great system. At 61 years and seeing friends pass already, my wife and i decided this is our forever home so we.. jumped. And we jumped big for speakers. Our initial short list of speakers were ML Neoliths, Avantgarde Duo Mezzo XD and Rockport Cygnus. However the Best of Show choice for us at AXPONA was Gryphon Trident II. Much more money than the latter's but in the end I wanted a forever speaker, no more what ifs, no more searching, so we bought them. They are sitting in crates at my house waiting for Joseph Cali to install when the next phase is ready.

I call this the Big Dig project, somewhat tongue in cheek. It already feels overwhelming but in the end i think will be as SOTA as i can afford. Right after AXPONA we decided to erect a steel building and build a dedicated room within it. We live in the country on 5 acres so have the space. The Building is 25'W x 40'L x 15.7'H. I engaged the services of Dennis Foley of AcousticFields to guide the room design. Please let me say now that I will not divulge exact particulars for two reasons. Dennis is a small business owner as myself. His consultation, product and the application of is his intellectual property and lively hood. However I will certainly say in the end if i am happy or not.

The room dimension will be 21W x 31FL x 13H. The stud wall depth is 12" to accomodate active carbon bass attenuation. I will be building those myself from his calculations. The application is varied. I am blessed with another 40x40 shop for staging and have more tools than I care to remember. Yes the 13' wall stud space will be filled on all 4 walls. A lot of work and a lot of carbon. Both end walls will be completely faced with his QRD-17 diffusion kits (still carbon behind). Yes a lot of those too. The door will be made from the wall and 12" thick. I think I will need 2 hvac systems with feeds through the long walls of the building. I worry that mini-splits (4 of them) would not be enough for the GA heat. I will be doing dedicated circuits with good wiring to good outlets. But I am not going to go to insane lengths as some threads here have done with what I discern as limited success to costs.

Attached are some pictures of progress so far. I am hoping to be live by the end of the year. Will post as things progress.
Cheers, Hugh

 

[jturbo]

Its awesome that you are keeping us in the loop with this build as it progresses. Really enjoying all the efforts and attention to details that you and the construction team are pursuing.