Listening room dilemma .... To have or have not?

I'll be going through a similar dilemma later this year so I'll be interested to hear how things work for you. One bit of advice I received recently that I thought was very good was to stick with what I have and see how it goes in the new room(s) before making drastic decisions about equipment changes. I was pleased with the advice because it came from a dealer who could easily have convinced me that swapping my IBL's to Ovator S600's would be the answer to my  anticipated problems. With respect to the dedicated spur; when I costed that for my extension I realised that, in HiFi spend terms, it has to be one of the cheapest upgrades you can do if it gets done during a time of rebuilding anyway. So I'd be inclined to have it put in just in case, if it works then great, if not it's not a huge write off.

It will depend not only on sound quality but other more important issues or considerations whether to place the system in a dedicated room or the common space in the lounge or living hall where all other family members will gather. All I can tell you is the sound from the system will sound very different between the two listening environments although the magnitude of difference may be speaker-dependent. It is the side wall reinforcements that contribute to the big change in sound presentation apart from the room treatments that come with it (close placement to wall boundaries especially the side walls will require some form of treatment).

I dare say that the room and treatments will give a much more tangible difference in sonic presentation than an equipment upgrade. One may prefer a lesser system than a better (usually costlier) system in certain rooms and vice versa.

Now, that is on sound quality aspects. On a more personal note, the "feel" of the room plays a major part as well, at least to me. I once have the system in the dedicated room, and it sounded great. However, over time, I realised I could not listen to the music for long. In other words, I couldn't quite stay in the dedicated room for long. I was just sitting alone in the room. staring at the speakers and amps in front of me , and the walls. Somehow there is a feeling of detachment when staying all alone in the room even for 1 hour, not to mention hours. I prefer to have the system in a larger living space in the house where my view is not limited to the system and boundaries of the room. There is a sense of freedom when the system is not in the dedicated room. I can walk around the house and do other stuff, walk to the kitchen, work on the computer etc. Unlike in the dedicated room where I have to sit at the same spot for prolonged periods. 

To each his own anyway. In my experience and personal preference, I prefer the system to be in the common living space than in a dedicated room even though I can allocate a room just for the purpose of music listening and nothing else.

You can try it out and see how it goes as nothing beats personal experience. A word of caution is try not to do extensive treatments or modifications to the room if you are unsure whether the system will be in the dedicated room for long.

Macbags posted:

......if I run with the listening room I have the option to run a dedicated spur as part of our phase one works ( the new extension will follow later in the year) ...... if I want the spur I have to tell the electrician within the week or so

rgds

M

I would suggest adding a dedicated circuit for your audio kit wherever you put it - possibly even more important if putting it in a kitchen/diner. The last thing you want is to do is share a busy ring main with a load of kitchen appliances on it. 

Have you considered not actually moving ?  You do say the sound is divine in your current abode.

I have used years to get my dedicated listeningroom to work well. Changed speakers, electronics and treated the room acoustically. In the end I have now moved my setup into a normal environment in the loft and "click", it works just great, shoulders are lowered.

Be aware of that not every room is suited acoustically, mine was a disaster. Your dealer have a good point in my view.

S

I agree with Ryder's point about the "feel" of the room - you need to be happy spending time there and that is more important to me than absolute sound quality. I had a listening room in a previous house but spent less of my time listening to music there than I now do in my (very sub optimal) living room.

Listening rooms are an acoustic lottery. There seems to be very little chance of accurately predicting how given dimensions will sound because there are so many variable factors. One simply has to move kit, loudspeakers and furnishings around a room within the confines of aesthetic acceptability on a 'suck it and see' basis.

It took me a room-dividing arch and several years of experimentation to wring the best available sound from my sub-optimal room. Irksomely the bespoke and apparently 'perfect' room can sound like a real dog. I know of a few people who had to listen within the volume confines of not annoying the neighbours in small-ish terraced or semi-detached properties, but achieved a lovely sound.

Then comes the nice detached house with a bigger room and ................ oh dear.

Builders have no consideration for audiophiles. They stick flippin' fireplaces, radiators, doors and stuff in the way.

Good luck.

John.

There was a picture on here a few years ago of a listening room though I don't think I can find it and I forget all the details. I remember speaker cables like anacondas propped up on supports, some huge amplifier and speakers, a hightech listening chair at the focus and even a couch behind that for a couple of admirers. Rather a sad way to listen to music I thought.

Your room is very slightly wider than mine but a few feet shorter.  If your room layout allows it (and the PMCs are happy close to a wall) I suggest you try them across the room as well as down the length.  Because of the door positions in my room I settled on firing down the length but there were definitely some plus points when firing across.