Dedicated Room vs Regular Open Room

[OneMalt]

Does anyone with a dedicated room have any problems with sound transfer via HVAC ductwork?

[trek737]

Originally Posted by PHC1

I'm with Alberto and the few others that have posted above on this one.



Perhaps some of you have noticed I don't nearly post about the gear as much as I used to...

Let me elaborate a bit.


I've been into audio for 25 years now. For the first 20 years I have never had the pleasure and benefits of a fully dedicated and acoustically treated room. I've always had a dream of one day building a nice dedicated room to maximize the potential of my investment into high end gear and reap the rewards of such a setup. Talk about having a cake and eating it too!

That dream came true when we built a new home and I was able to dedicate a nice size room for a theater multichannel/serious 2 channel listening room down in the basement. Those who have seen the pictures of my room know the level to which I took it beginning with the build out stage and specific materials used to the finish and acoustical treatments with the ASC designed and executed acoustical treatment plan.

The results are jaw dropping, as they should be considering the level of gear and speakers I have besides the specialty room.

For the first few years I could not get enough of it. Music, movies, hours upon hours were spent in the room by both myself and my family. Family and friends movie nights, listening sessions, concerts, etc...

Something happened.... The theater is being used less and less and less.... At first I could not quite point the finger at the source of the waning interest from both my family, friends and eventually myself.... Then it hit me.... A dedicated room is too "sterile", too "focused" and too "serious". It is a spacious room but yet it is confining behind closed doors. It is pleasing to the eye and yet it feels like I am in an experimental lab instead of a comfy room....

What does that mean? Well, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. Anytime we come over our friends and family's houses, we often will watch a movie or a concert together. No, the lights are not dimmed, no, the video quality is not pure eye candy like it is in the theater, no, the sound is not anywhere near the quality nor is it in surround sound and yet.... There is laughing, there is wine and cheese, there is interaction, there are distractions, pausing of the movie, talking, there is simply an atmosphere that promotes participation and makes the whole experience that much more special. I have figured out and as far as I am concerned, people in general could not care less about the sound quality and video quality per say. It is only us, the audiophiles and videophiles, the truly obsessed who really give a hoot. People just want to relax and have fun, they want to interact, observe each other's emotions and expressions and hear and see the smiles and laughter. It is what defines a "good time". It's not about "perfection", it's about the "imperfection" of a company that matters more!


I often think back about the old house and having my 2 channel system in the family room which was in close proximity to the living room, the kitchen, the dining room and certainly the music carried through the whole house. Everyone participated, most of the time it was of course myself spinning vinyl or listening to CDs but I heard with my own ears every time I sat down to listen that at least one if not all members of the family doing their own stuff in the other rooms singing along or often making requests of what they wanted to hear next!

I miss those days.... I am the only and lonely that really sits and listens to music in my magnificent theater as others are simply too busy to be down there sitting in the comfort of the theater chairs and in perfect acoustical space.

I often find myself and others using the multiple Sonos zones and ceiling speakers we have in just about every room of the house and especially the kitchen and dining room. Everyone again listens together and participates. It's a family once again.

There is something to be said about the isolation we as audiophiles often try to create and at this point I will have to say, be careful what you wish for!

Perhaps it also depends on one's personality and perhaps isolation is what some of us desperately want or need but I for one would do things very differently if I had to start over. The comfort of a nice system in a family or living room that can be shared by all, a drop down screen and perhaps a projector system or even a large flat screen and lot's of comfortable furniture and tables for all the wine, cheese, hors d'oeuvres and let there be laughter and talking and all the little interactions and imperfections. Let there be "people interaction".

Between my Wilson Alexia's, D'Agostino monoblocks, the rest of the awesome theater gear, I've climbed my audio Mount Everest.... It's lonely up there.... my journey is over, I'm just not into "perfection" anymore.

Another,

Ivan has started a good thread here, and I have to admit I find myself interested / drawn in to finding out how people feel about their HT / dedicated rooms.

Serge, I am sorry to hear that your HT does not draw the same attention that it once did when it was new. There was a lot of time, effort and money invested in your room for it to sit idle with little or no activity. I do not know if it was like you and your family did that, dedicated room thing, and now everyone is on to something else or what happened. Or as you said their was no personal interaction and the music / movies was no longer enough to draw everyone to the room. I know of one HT owner who invites friends over and they start down stairs with say drinks and appetizers. Then they all go up to the HT and watch part of it, have an intermission, go back down and have the next course on the menu, and go up and so on. This sounds like the best of both worlds for many...

In regards to our HT, I tried my best to design it so that it would draw people towards it so they would not want to leave. We have a couch up front instead of HT seats on both levels. A coffee and end tables decorated with coffee books and decorative nick knacks like you would see in one's den. We added elegant stained maple wood walls that you might find in a nice hotel. The acoustic fabric panels that are built into the walls go unnoticed as acoustic treatment to those who are not in the know. I threw in the star ceiling for a little wow factor that would hopefully also make you want to be in this room.

I am fortunate that my wife loves to be in the HT, and we both look forward to going up there. She has come along way as when I first met her she did not even like watching tv in the dark. We also have friends that love to come over and have dinner, drinks and then go up to be entertained. Sometimes we all just skip the dinner and just have wine with cheese and crackers in the theater to be entertained with great concerts and movies! We have plenty of time to talk and laugh either while the concert is going or while we pause the action, and we all head to the wet bar in the game room to refill our drinks.

I do find that when it comes to listening to two channel music my wife is not on board, and she would rather be outside by the pool reading a book. Because of this my listening to music only in the theater is limited.

I do know that for us every night in the HT would be a little to much. We like being in our den with light coming through the windows. We also find ourselves watching some tv in the den, or hanging out in the kitchen while she cooks. I would not call our HT sterile, but to much time in there and you find yourself wanting to get outside to see some sunlight and breath some fresh air!

So I guess it boils down to if your family and friends want to be in this dedicated room with you or not. Unless you just like being by yourself most of the time.

I hope that we will always want to be in this room, but I am sure that there is the chance, like with Serge, that the tide may turn and we all move on to something else.

[jdandy]

Serge.......I understand your point of view completely. It is only Marlene and I here at home, along with the occasional visit from friends or relatives. We will have people over for dinner from time to time, watch a movie on the wide screen in the living room with the two channel system for sound and everyone is happy and satisfied. When I am inside I spend the majority of my time in my office with the living room sound system playing. I can hear it fine down the hall and enjoy the listening experience. It is totally different than the studio. When I am down there I am usually alone, listening to that system in solitude. For two channel audio, the studio system is the better of the two systems and the sound proofed room and acoustically treat space have been optimized for the experience, but it can get a bit lonely, not always, just sometimes. This is why I am pleased to have two good quality systems in my home. It is the best of both worlds. I can accommodate my easy going laid back moods and I can reserve private time for when solitude best suits my mood. I agree with you that each has its place.

One of the greatest pleasures the dedicated room gives me is the ability to listen anytime day or night at any volume level that suits the music without disturbing Marlene, even when she goes to bed. This is a true asset as I like to stay up late, and often head to the studio at 11:00 PM or later for a couple hours of music. I don't give a thought to disturbing anyone. That is the best.

[thxthx]

Originally Posted by trek737

Do not get me wrong, I am right with you on that I love my dedicated spaces, ie gameroom with pool table and wet bar, outdoor pool / kitchen spa oasis outdoors etc. But I look at my home as a place where I want to be entertained, because I travel a lot and most of the time I prefer to be home. This is where I prefer to put my money, but it is a personal choice that is not the same for most.

A dedicated room IMHO is a luxury and some see it as desirable and some do not, and I guess that is the point I was trying to make.

Cheers,

I also enjoy being at home and with my family and so I don't see a better place to spend money to be comfortable.

A dedicated room may not be everyone's cup of tea but on the other hand it could be the room to sell the house (when the time comes, according to my agent)?

From my point of view, your room sells the house!

[bodiezaffa]

Lots of great posts here.
I am a big fan of a dedicated room. With it, the experience starts as soon as I walk through the door and close it behind me.
The 4 walls adorned with the room treatments, looking at your system as you make your way to your chair , your music collection....
For me, the excitement begins way before I turn on the power.

[bodiezaffa]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Between my Wilson Alexia's, D'Agostino monoblocks, the rest of the awesome theater gear, I've climbed my audio Mount Everest.... It's lonely up there.... my journey is over, I'm just not into "perfection" anymore.

Serge, you sound a bit sad and I think your wrong about something.
You're not alone. We are all on the same mountain. The only difference is with the audio mount Everest, there is no summit.

[PHC1]

I am not sad, it would be a sin to complain! I am only saying that if I was to go back in time, having experienced the truly state of the art (for me that is) theater room and the awesome gear that I have in there, I would have done a system somewhere up on the main floor where we spend most of the time together as a family. I simply would not put that kind of effort into it. A nice system in the family/living room would have sufficed. I don't necessarily need absolute perfection for listening to some of my favorite music. It was nice to discover what that would be like long term but I hate to say it, it was not all I had expected. It's easy to get carried away in this hobby. It becomes an obsession with gear much more so than the true love of music. There, I said it!

I also had a dedicated 2 channel room in the basement away from the theater room where I had my vinyl and analog playback sessions. I decided to turn that room into a workout room which gave me more health benefits!

I will of course continue to use the theater room, perhaps less frequently now but I do still enjoy being in there when the mood strikes for some serious listening or movie watching!

I need to get back into vinyl though!

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by trek737

Another,

Ivan has started a good thread here, and I have to admit I find myself interested / drawn in to finding out how people feel about their HT / dedicated rooms.

Serge, I am sorry to hear that your HT does not draw the same attention that it once did when it was new. There was a lot of time, effort and money invested in your room for it to sit idle with little or no activity. I do not know if it was like you and your family did that, dedicated room thing, and now everyone is on to something else or what happened. Or as you said their was no personal interaction and the music / movies was no longer enough to draw everyone to the room. I know of one HT owner who invites friends over and they start down stairs with say drinks and appetizers. Then they all go up to the HT and watch part of it, have an intermission, go back down and have the next course on the menu, and go up and so on. This sounds like the best of both worlds for many...

In regards to our HT, I tried my best to design it so that it would draw people towards it so they would not want to leave. We have a couch up front instead of HT seats on both levels. A coffee and end tables decorated with coffee books and decorative nick knacks like you would see in one's den. We added elegant stained maple wood walls that you might find in a nice hotel. The acoustic fabric panels that are built into the walls go unnoticed as acoustic treatment to those who are not in the know. I threw in the star ceiling for a little wow factor that would hopefully also make you want to be in this room.

I am fortunate that my wife loves to be in the HT, and we both look forward to going up there. She has come along way as when I first met her she did not even like watching tv in the dark. We also have friends that love to come over and have dinner, drinks and then go up to be entertained. Sometimes we all just skip the dinner and just have wine with cheese and crackers in the theater to be entertained with great concerts and movies! We have plenty of time to talk and laugh either while the concert is going or while we pause the action, and we all head to the wet bar in the game room to refill our drinks.

I do find that when it comes to listening to two channel music my wife is not on board, and she would rather be outside by the pool reading a book. Because of this my listening to music only in the theater is limited.

I do know that for us every night in the HT would be a little to much. We like being in our den with light coming through the windows. We also find ourselves watching some tv in the den, or hanging out in the kitchen while she cooks. I would not call our HT sterile, but to much time in there and you find yourself wanting to get outside to see some sunlight and breath some fresh air!

So I guess it boils down to if your family and friends want to be in this dedicated room with you or not. Unless you just like being by yourself most of the time.

I hope that we will always want to be in this room, but I am sure that there is the chance, like with Serge, that the tide may turn and we all move on to something else.

No regrets here what so ever! I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to do this project and to enjoy it for countless hours in the first 2 years! I have filled my Blu-ray changer full with 400 discs and have watched 98% of them! If I didn't lose my first projector to a weird storm induced power surge, I would have changed the bulb in it already!
It is human nature to move in and out of hobbies, the ebb and flow of interests sort of speak! I have learned that I tend to come back around to my hobbies over the years and just need to leave things alone instead of trying to clean up and reclaim space and resources for something else! All the gear is staying in the theater of course! I would not dare get rid of any of the stuff in that room. It is by far the best system I have ever built and realistically speaking perhaps the last... I doubt I would ever have the desire to out-do this one...


But I do wonder how Edmund Hillary found inspiration to climb 10 other peaks after Everest???

[bodiezaffa]

Serge, you have earned your success. So, as you said, when you're in the mood, you're only steps away from your dedicated chair and the nourishment of the soul.

[banswee]

ALL Good read/thread audio GURU's

Originally Posted by PHC1

I'm with Alberto and the few others that have posted above on this one.



Perhaps some of you have noticed I don't nearly post about the gear as much as I used to...

Let me elaborate a bit.


I've been into audio for 25 years now. For the first 20 years I have never had the pleasure and benefits of a fully dedicated and acoustically treated room. I've always had a dream of one day building a nice dedicated room to maximize the potential of my investment into high end gear and reap the rewards of such a setup. Talk about having a cake and eating it too!

That dream came true when we built a new home and I was able to dedicate a nice size room for a theater multichannel/serious 2 channel listening room down in the basement. Those who have seen the pictures of my room know the level to which I took it beginning with the build out stage and specific materials used to the finish and acoustical treatments with the ASC designed and executed acoustical treatment plan.

The results are jaw dropping, as they should be considering the level of gear and speakers I have besides the specialty room.

For the first few years I could not get enough of it. Music, movies, hours upon hours were spent in the room by both myself and my family. Family and friends movie nights, listening sessions, concerts, etc...

Something happened.... The theater is being used less and less and less.... At first I could not quite point the finger at the source of the waning interest from both my family, friends and eventually myself.... Then it hit me.... A dedicated room is too "sterile", too "focused" and too "serious". It is a spacious room but yet it is confining behind closed doors. It is pleasing to the eye and yet it feels like I am in an experimental lab instead of a comfy room....

What does that mean? Well, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. Anytime we come over our friends and family's houses, we often will watch a movie or a concert together. No, the lights are not dimmed, no, the video quality is not pure eye candy like it is in the theater, no, the sound is not anywhere near the quality nor is it in surround sound and yet.... There is laughing, there is wine and cheese, there is interaction, there are distractions, pausing of the movie, talking, there is simply an atmosphere that promotes participation and makes the whole experience that much more special. I have figured out and as far as I am concerned, people in general could not care less about the sound quality and video quality per say. It is only us, the audiophiles and videophiles, the truly obsessed who really give a hoot. People just want to relax and have fun, they want to interact, observe each other's emotions and expressions and hear and see the smiles and laughter. It is what defines a "good time". It's not about "perfection", it's about the "imperfection" of a company that matters more!


I often think back about the old house and having my 2 channel system in the family room which was in close proximity to the living room, the kitchen, the dining room and certainly the music carried through the whole house. Everyone participated, most of the time it was of course myself spinning vinyl or listening to CDs but I heard with my own ears every time I sat down to listen that at least one if not all members of the family doing their own stuff in the other rooms singing along or often making requests of what they wanted to hear next!

I miss those days.... I am the only and lonely that really sits and listens to music in my magnificent theater as others are simply too busy to be down there sitting in the comfort of the theater chairs and in perfect acoustical space.

I often find myself and others using the multiple Sonos zones and ceiling speakers we have in just about every room of the house and especially the kitchen and dining room. Everyone again listens together and participates. It's a family once again.

There is something to be said about the isolation we as audiophiles often try to create and at this point I will have to say, be careful what you wish for!

Perhaps it also depends on one's personality and perhaps isolation is what some of us desperately want or need but I for one would do things very differently if I had to start over. The comfort of a nice system in a family or living room that can be shared by all, a drop down screen and perhaps a projector system or even a large flat screen and lot's of comfortable furniture and tables for all the wine, cheese, hors d'oeuvres and let there be laughter and talking and all the little interactions and imperfections. Let there be "people interaction".

Between my Wilson Alexia's, D'Agostino monoblocks, the rest of the awesome theater gear, I've climbed my audio Mount Everest.... It's lonely up there.... my journey is over, I'm just not into "perfection" anymore.

very well written..