Topic: inquiry on HT/audio room

[hawk01]

hello everyone,

mods please advise if i posted in the correct discussion thread. i have a very basic set of inquiries regarding setup of a dedicated HT/audio room in the middle of a house build. i would appreciate all of the inputs from the wealth of experience most of the folks here can share, hoping that i can build it right the first time in order to avoid costly mistakes. this being a dedicated HT room will also be mix use for stereo listening, sort of a mix use venue so i may need to address the needs of both setups in one room...

1. i have read from online advise that the ideal room dimensions for a dedicated listening room abide by the "one thirds" rule, dividing the length of a rectangular room into three equal sections for positioning the speakers and seating position. my room is somewhat squarish at 5m x 4.8m which is not quite "ideal" to the magic number. how do i address this dilemma? or is this not a dilemma at all?

2. what kind of acoustic treatments could i apply early on in the build in order to avoid duplicating costs? or do i have to wait later on in the build before i apply any treatments?

TIA for all your inputs!

cheers!

[audiojunkie]

IMHO, acoustic treatment not only limited to inside of the room. Has to consider also the adjacent rooms if need to be isolated from HT room.

[jh@meeh]

Wrong thread?

[Oldboyracer]

hello everyone,

mods please advise if i posted in the correct discussion thread. i have a very basic set of inquiries regarding setup of a dedicated HT/audio room in the middle of a house build. i would appreciate all of the inputs from the wealth of experience most of the folks here can share, hoping that i can build it right the first time in order to avoid costly mistakes. this being a dedicated HT room will also be mix use for stereo listening, sort of a mix use venue so i may need to address the needs of both setups in one room...

1. i have read from online advise that the ideal room dimensions for a dedicated listening room abide by the "one thirds" rule, dividing the length of a rectangular room into three equal sections for positioning the speakers and seating position. my room is somewhat squarish at 5m x 4.8m which is not quite "ideal" to the magic number. how do i address this dilemma? or is this not a dilemma at all?

2. what kind of acoustic treatments could i apply early on in the build in order to avoid duplicating costs? or do i have to wait later on in the build before i apply any treatments?

TIA for all your inputs!

cheers!

Welcome to the gallery hawk, I take it you will be posting photos of your build !!!
In answer to your questions :-
1) You are correct the room size is not ideal but not a dilemma, it just means that the room will need more acoustic treatment than one of the magic ratios.
2) As audiojunkie says you should look at soundproofing, this stops the sound from the room leaking into the rest of the house & also external sounds leaking into the room affecting your listening enjoyment.
Another thing to note is that room acoustics for HT differ from audio listening. For HT the room needs to be more dead than alive & for audio listening more alive than dead, this will be your dilemma. That said everyone's taste is different so only you will be able to decide where the balance lies. I can see you doing a fair bit of experimenting  .

[hawk01]

many thanks to the initial inputs on soundproofing, especially on the special considerations between HT and stereo listening. i may need to come up with a "hybridized" setup to achieve a balance somewhere. as the whole thing is still on paper now pending construction of the second floor of the house, i will post pics once the build progresses...

[jeffry10]

many thanks to the initial inputs on soundproofing, especially on the special considerations between HT and stereo listening. i may need to come up with a "hybridized" setup to achieve a balance somewhere. as the whole thing is still on paper now pending construction of the second floor of the house, i will post pics once the build progresses...

i have a hybrid setup that does audio and video well. it costs quite a bit .

[hawk01]

i have a hybrid setup that does audio and video well. it costs quite a bit .

this statement sounds very promising indeed. however, as of latest consultation with my contractor, we made a slight rearranging of floor space. the dedicated HT/music room now measures at a more appropriate 12.9ft wide x 18ft long x 9ft high. i guess this is as close to the "magic numbers" i will ever get.

should i proceed in finishing the room as built (per plans) or do i need to incorporate soundproofing treatments already into the build. the structure is entirely "buhos" floors and walls--no hollow blocks used, roofing above is also a concrete deck so we expect a very rigid structure on the get go.

[markcrenz]

Adjusting the dimensions (not ideal but close) was a very good judgement call. With proper proportions you'll have less resonant peaks and less treatment required. You might even get by with a minimal amount of absorptive material on just the first reflection points.

[hawk01]

Adjusting the dimensions (not ideal but close) was a very good judgement call. With proper proportions you'll have less resonant peaks and less treatment required. You might even get by with a minimal amount of absorptive material on just the first reflection points.

thanks for the feedback sir! in line with this, should i listen to the room from an "as built" stock form before applying any treatments? hence, i will know if any applied treatment thereafter would make a difference?

[Gino]

Check what Cardas has to say:

http://www.cardas.com/room_setup_main.php