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
.