Exploring new room

[2fastdriving]

As I have climbed the audio ladder, I've experimented with many brands and ideas, but I've not really looked at other rooms. I also haven't done much of anything with room treatments.

Since I live alone in a fairly large home, I have some options. I would like to share my thoughts and see if anyone has feedback.

Option 1: fix up current room
First, take a look at my current 2-channel room. 10'5"H x 12'10"W 27'L. I've included a very distant shot so you can see what it really is. It's the front living room/dining room area. It's literally the first area you walk into when entering the home.



So what is the problem? My dealer says it's a really good room: high ceilings, open floor plan. However I do have some uncontrolled resonance. I have a bit of echo. Not a lot, I don't think. Sound is lively in this room, however it's not quite as controlled as treated rooms I've been in. If I turn it up into the 85db+ range, it just hurts my ears and doesn't sound as good as it does at lower volumes. I think this is robbing my system of being in the "sweet spot" in terms of dynamic swings.

If you look to the right of the system, you see an ugly fireplace with a metal grate that vibrates when the bass is loud. Not sure how I'd treat that. If I put treatments on the front wall (better than my super cheapo absorbers), that is fine but I can't do much on the side or back wall. The back wall is next to the dining table and currently has artwork. It would be ugly to put a bunch of vicoustics, even though they are good looking...it's the first thing you'd see when walking in the house!

Option 2: fix up theater room and integrate
I happen to have a theater room above my garage, and it's a good size. 8'H x 14'3"W x 21'L. However it was never designed for that...it has a bunch of closet space and no door. You can't put a door on it if you wanted to Don't judge...I never put anywhere close to the love and attention I have into my 2-chan setup. But I could fix that now.

Here you see the entry stairs, which are most of the way toward the back of the room:


Here is the front wall, complete with a weird little window that I tried to cover up with my cheap absorber panels.


Shot from front of room:


Shot from entry stairway:


There's an Oppo 105D and older Yamaha AV receiver in the closet. The sub is a HSU VTF-15. No problems shaking the house with that thing. I have KEF speakers all around, including unused surrounds

Problems:

1. Number of windows and odd shapes of them. Note that one in the back that I can't even get blinds for because of the shape. I could put curtains.

2. Stupid closet doors. How to put treatments there? Curtains there too?

3. I never could figure out how to put the surround sound side channels anywhere, because there is no wall to put the one to the right of the seating (big windows). I'd have to use stands for everything. And the stands I bought for the front channels are probably too tall (36").

4. If I put my 2-chan equipment in the middle, I have a heater vent right there. I would have nowhere to put the center channel. I can't put equipment on the side anywhere because I'd then need either really long interconnects or speaker cables. I am still paying off the ones I just bought! So the equipment needs to somehow go in the middle. Anyone ever try using the phantom center channel option in their AV receiver?

5. I could relocate the sub to the back of the room. But I'd also like to put a mini fridge and a table and chairs in the back, for entertaining during football games and such. The sub could go in that little cubby by the big windows. Anyone ever use a bluetooth sub adapter?

Let me also say I don't want to spend much money, except for room treatments. I have lots of equipment to move around and make this work. I'm not buying more just to make this room work.

What are your thoughts...would Option 2 be a better room if treated? Can my two-chan and 7.1 be integrated to finally have the best of both worlds?

[PHC1]

Is that an optical illusion is one of your Wilson speakers like 6-8 feet in front of the other???

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Is that an optical illusion is one of your Wilson speakers like 6-8 feet in front of the other???

There is a little LP cube on the left wall, that might be giving the illusion. They are perfectly aligned with each other

[2fastdriving]

I was just looking at the center channel issue, I could mount it to the wall under the TV, and it would essentially then be BEHIND the salamander rack I have my equipment in. It's only 8 inches deep or so, and obviously I would have at least that much room behind the rack. But the center channel would be playing over top of the rack.

I forgot to mention one biggie: If I relocate to the theater room, I can run a dedicated power line because the power panel is below that room. In my current 2-chan room, I can't because the floor is a concrete block (or fully enclosed from the rest of the foundation). It would be much more difficult.

[PHC1]

Then it was indeed an optical illusion in the first picture. The room is adequate, perhaps some acoustic art panels on the side walls would help. I would attack the early reflections and that will go a long way towards a smoother sound.

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Then it was indeed an optical illusion in the first picture. The room is adequate, perhaps some acoustic art panels on the side walls would help. I would attack the early reflections and that will go a long way towards a smoother sound.

Are you leaning toward trying to tame the current room then? Not trying to integrate with home theater and fix that room?

[PHC1]

Your call but I suspect you will be working hard on bass issues with those closets in HT room. I had a similar setup once and it was a mess. It is much easier to dial in your current room IMHO. If you are not having bass issues, that's a major battle won. The early reflections are easier to deal with.

[PHC1]

Even artificial plants, if you don't want to change the wall art go a long way at taming early reflections and much smoother sound. Many moons ago I tried it and it worked like magic. Trick is to sit in your sweet spot and have someone move a mirror along the wall. Where you see the speaker in the mirror from your sweet spot is where the acoustic panels or artificial plants that diffuse the sound go. Easy

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Even artificial plants, if you don't want to change the wall art go a long way at taming early reflections and much smoother sound. Many moons ago I tried it and it worked like magic. Trick is to sit in your sweet spot and have someone move a mirror along the wall. Where you see the speaker in the mirror from your sweet spot is where the acoustic panels or artificial plants that diffuse the sound go. Easy

Interesting, thanks for the suggestion!

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

Interesting, thanks for the suggestion!

You bet.