It is Sometimes Possible…
…to have an open plan listening room. All is the same as already noted but the central part of the back wall is missing and it opens up to the rest of the house. This is very beautiful but does involve the rest of the house in the music. It’s like having a very expensive background music system. The background music sound is perfect, not dark or muddled so it’s enjoyable to listen to. As far as the listening is concerned the open space to the rest of the house adds a concert hall effect to the sound which is very desirable.
A soffit can be run around the upper wall ceiling corner of the listening room. This would be an acoustic soffit. Then TubeTraps can be placed on a raised step that also rounds around the room. Having cylinders capped between a raised step and a drop overhead soffit creates a fantastic visual feeling of a dedicated audio parlor or piano room, salon concert or chamber music room.
The Speaker Manufacturer…
…should be contacted for their recommendation regarding speaker setup for side by side “love seat” listening. Usually, sweet spots are not very wide. Another way to get a wide sweet spot is to defocus the otherwise crystal clear imaging that is normally found in high end rooms. This would be done by adding very early reflections, within a few milliseconds in the upper treble range.
I hope this has served as an adequate and interesting overview/ introduction to the mechanical aspects of developing a high end listening room. As you can see, there are strictly mechanical features, many visual/sonic aesthetic features, and some strictly visual features to be resolved. It is a creative collaborative process that often includes many compromises — but the result never ceases to be amazing because we are building a room that brings the music to life.
– Art Noxon
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