Appreciating music is an art in itself. Buying expensive equipment, hoping it will sound right while sitting on your shelf, may not always be the best option for you to truly appreciate your music in- and of-itself. A top-tier speaker may sound sub-par in a poorly designed room. Without the proper space to listen, that expensive top-tier speaker may not be worth the hit to your wallet.
That speaker may have sounded great in the shop or studio, but that’s because Hi-Fi salespeople and producers are usually experts in the field, understanding the importance of a room’s acoustic properties and the set up required to show off the capabilities of the product. Thus, there has been a rise in audiophiles building their own dedicated listening rooms to appreciate their music to the highest degree.
Check out our thoughts below to find out the do’s and don’ts when designing your very own dedicated listening room and learn how to treat a room to make less expensive gear sound far beyond what its price tag may suggest. With a few simple tweaks, your music will sound better than ever.
What Is A Dedicated Listening Room?
Dedicated listening rooms are rooms or areas of a home that have been engineered to improve music experience and have become a staple in the homes of music lovers everywhere.
When considering where your dedicated listening room in your home should be, consider ambient noise pollution. You should have a room located far away from other sounds and noise so you can hear the more subtle aspects of your favorite music you may have missed in less ideal listening conditions.
Suggested Equipment
Speakers should be your first and most profound concern. The number of speakers usually starts at 2, a left and right, but the room you are designing will be tailored to your particular wants and needs. While the top quality speakers will be most effective in a well-designed listening room, the point of the dedicated listening room is to make the best of what you have.
It’s common for a system to come with integral electrical components. Typically this equipment includes a dedicated preamplifier and amplifier, but most specialists suggest separate components rather than bundled components because of the upward trend of quality components in dedicated audio gear. Separate components often sound better, and may give you a sound closer to that of a movie theater or studio.
Finally, we will require the cables and wires to tether everything together. Much like the speakers and electronics, these cables are essential and come in a broad spectrum of quality and configurations and may change depending on your desired configuration.
Suggested Positioning
The size, layout, space, and even the material of what your equipment is resting on will alter how the vibrations of the music react as you listen and should be a factor in how you set up the equipment.
We suggest placing your speakers and fine-tuning their placement, depending on your room’s specifics and your particular ear. This fine-tuning may not be a simple task taking you many times to find the best spot by readjusting your speakers or sitting position, but when done correctly, will be worth the hard work, making a world of difference in the way you enjoy music.
Advice on Treating the Acoustics
It doesn’t matter if you’re using a two-channel audio system or a multi-channel system; the room’s acoustics will determine the nature of the sound waves as they bounce around before reaching your ears.
Overly high ceilings may cast reflections that will dampen the sound. Alternatively, ceilings can be too low, leading to a build up of a type of acoustic distortion called comb filtering and will damage your stereo’s imaging abilities. The room’s openness may force the sound to echo, and windows, much like high ceilings, will cast sound dampening reflections that lower the quality of the sound.
Acoustic paneling was created expressly to combat reflections and tend to be professional hi-fi enthusiasts’ cornerstones when building a dedicated listening room. When placed at the first point of reflection, these panels stop the sound from losing quality as it bounces around the room.
By spending more on the room’s acoustic treatment, professionals can achieve high-quality sound with lower quality equipment.
Modernity has seen a rise in the challenge against acoustics regarding listening rooms or recording studios, as apartments have become so common. In the smaller spaces of a flat, the listener has to sit much closer to the speakers than they might in larger rooms, and it tends to affect the quality of sound without space for the sound to travel properly. Acoustic treatment is especially important for smaller spaces.
Looking For Equipment?
These are the questions and issues most associated with building dedicated listening rooms, and we hope this article has helped in the battle against low resolution listening.
MTT Furniture Designs offers premium hi-fi stands for all your hifi equipment. Check out our store today and let’s get started.