The perfect room

[Rockmeister]

I did always think that 'confusing' the reflections sounded better than damping them out.

 

[ToTo Man]

Round is worst, next comes cube then square plan.

Why is a round room worse than a cube?

 

[tuga]

Why is a round room worse than a cube?

I can't say. I worked in the interiors of a school auditorium once and the acoustics engineer mentioned it when we discussed room shapes.

 

[blossomchris]

The perfect room - surely the inside of your head.

Bloss

 

[Mike Reed]

Why is a round room worse than a cube?

Possibly because the sound would simply run rings around the listener but in a cube it would only be a bit dicey.

I've never seen a domestic circular room; nor, in fact, a proper cube of a room. Has anyone?

 

[Yank]

Possibly because the sound would simply run rings around the listener but in a cube it would only be a bit dicey.

I've never seen a domestic circular room; nor, in fact, a proper cube of a room. Has anyone?

I knew someone who had a 12 foot by 12 foot by 12 foot room in a Victorian cottage. And it sounded grim.

 

[Mike Reed]

I knew someone who had a 12 foot by 12 foot by 12 foot room in a Victorian cottage. And it sounded grim.

I think it must be the number 12 which is the cubed root cause !

 

[davidsrsb]

There must be a point around 6m where normal domestic speakers cannot cope. Really big rooms require a lot of air to be shifted

 

[Mike Reed]

There must be a point around 6m where normal domestic speakers cannot cope. Really big rooms require a lot of air to be shifted

Can't see why, as that's only about 19'. All of my 4 listening rooms (in 3 houses) have extended to well over 20' ; two Victorian rooms I had were 15' wide with 10' ceilings. I never had a problem filling the rooms with Isobariks, Epos, ProAc and others only powered by Naim 250 or 135s. Plenty of headroom.

 

[davidsrsb]

My room was close to a 6(l)x5(w)x6(h)m and my old 752s couldn't cope. Dropped the ceiling to 3m and switching to big TDLs worked really well. I guess something like a big Tannoy might reach out to about 10m comfortably

 

[Arkless Electronics]

There must be a point around 6m where normal domestic speakers cannot cope. Really big rooms require a lot of air to be shifted

I was present when a mate moved his hi fi, temporarily, into the main lounge of a stately home (don't ask....) which was huge. We ended up blowing a woofer on one of his Mission 770 Freedom speakers and it wasn't even that loud.... This was a job for Tannoy Westminster Royals or similar!

 

[Mike Reed]

Well, you are both talking about Mission speakers; hardly exemplars of spl capability. I have ESLs, which thrive in larger rooms. Unfortunately they're also spl- limited regardless of amplification. You can't win !

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Well, you are both talking about Mission speakers; hardly exemplars of spl capability. I have ESLs, which thrive in larger rooms. Unfortunately they're also spl- limited regardless of amplification. You can't win !

770's and the Freedom version will go loud for their size. Trust me

 

[Mike Reed]

'For their size', yes, but big rooms demand big speakers.

 

[Lee T]

What would be the perfect room for music playback? Proportions, size, acoustic treatment.... ?

You may as well be asking, what is the perfect hifi system.
The perfect room....come on now.

 

[Emlin]

You may as well be asking, what is the perfect hifi system.
The perfect room....come on now.

Ok, I misspoke. Would least imperfect do?

 

[Lee T]

Ok, I misspoke. Would least imperfect do?

Keith from Purite may be able to help if you prefer the room correction technology, otherwise do as most of us do & hang a few canvas paintings / rugs etc.. to eliminate flutter echo, I suppose it depends on how the room is currently furnished, bare walls & hard surfaces will brighten, but at the same time, dull the sound, flatten it, make the sound more distant & fuzzy.

Cost me very little to have my room acceptable, hung a few canvas paintings in critical areas & the sound improved no end, I do have bass issues but it sounds fine to me, I work around it by choosing my speakers accordingly, ie, small & without exaggerated bass. I imagine it could be improved upon but turning the room into an echoic chamber is neither possible or desirable.

 

[Dozey]

Well, it needs to have a working fireplace and a nice comfy sofa. And be sufficiently warm in winter and cool in summer. In a detached house so as not to frighten the neighbours. No cupboards or letterboxes to rattle. No television obviously. And not close to a busy road, railway line, or flight path.

 

[Mike Reed]

Well, it needs to have a working fireplace and a nice comfy sofa. And be sufficiently warm in winter and cool in summer. In a detached house so as not to frighten the neighbours. No cupboards or letterboxes to rattle. No television obviously. And not close to a busy road, railway line, or flight path.

Yup ! I'll go for that. In fact, I have anyway, apart from the TV, which neither interacts with anything or gets in the way. I mostly listen to TV through either my sound system or headphone amp. Funny about technical progress. Digital TV is miles better and more versatile than the old analogue, but the s.q, of TVs went down the plug-hole.

 

[Yank]

In one of the old Gilbert Briggs books there was a picture of a room that the author thought sounded particularly good. It looked like the smoking room at a men's club, with intricate wood paneled wainscot, like how I'd imagine the back room at the Diogenes Club.