My humble 2CH room!

I've had a dual-function 2CH/HT setup for many years, and decided it was time to dedicate a room specifically for my analog setup. Nothing pleases me more (well, within reason ) than playing and listening to vinyl. I'm lucky to have amassed a sizeable collection over 40 years, so I have a little bit of just about every genre. My LP collection, more so than my gear, is my pride and joy and I continue to seek out both old and new pressings/artists.

My gear most definitely falls into the "low-fi" and "mid-fi" range, but it still gives me a tremendous amount of satisfaction,pleasure and joy. I had some upgrades planned, but they needed to be put on the backburner for a while. This was a little bit disheartening, but I know they'll eventually find a place on my rack.

Component List:
Yahama HTR-6190B Audio-video receiver (RX-V1800 equivelant)
Monster HDP2400 Power Centre
LG Blu-ray player used for the odd CD playback.
VALAB/King Cable IC's (2 pairs)
VALAB/King Cable speaker cabling
Tonar Vinyline 4189 Phono stage (MM/MC capable)
Nottingham Analogue Horizon SE turntable
Grado Reference Platinum MI cartridge
Totem Sttaf speakers (Rosewood finish)

I just finished painting and installing the component rack yesterday, and I still have wall-to-wall/floor-to-ceiling curtains to come, acoustic treatments and LP picture frames to add some colour and interest. I will also be suspending a light fixture directly above the turntable for added ambiance and effect.

Speakers are set up 66" apart from centre of each, 3.5' from the front wall and 2.5' from the side walls. I have setup my listening chair to roughly represent an equilateral triangle, so I can experiment with near-field listening. I will be measuring to obtain a completely accurate triangle later today. The speakers are fired straight ahead for now, and I will leave them in this position for the time being. No real critical listening can begin until such time as I have the curtains and acoustic treatments in place. I hope to have them installed within about one month. Once installed I want to bring them in even closer and form a smaller triangle. I have no idea what it will sound like, but I'm looking forward to testing it out.

So there you have it...My Humble 2CH Room.





Thank you for visiting and you may now return to our regularly scheduled broadcast!

John

RUR said:

Looks nice, John! What room treatments are you working on? Don't forget some form of diffusion behind your seat to mitigate comb filtering from the near, rear wall.

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Hi Ken,

I have some 1" acoustic foam panels that I (in retrospect) obviously bought in error and not knowing anything about room characteristics and how to deal with them. I have learnt a lot since that mistake, and have decided that I'm going to build my own acoustic panels. They will consist of:

2x4x 1/8th thickness hardboard panels
1x3 MDF edging
3" Roxul Safe 'n Sound stone-wool batting
Covering fabric.

I want to make 8 panels. I'll use 6 for the side walls and 2 (to which I'll configure a base) for the front corners. I think that should cover it!

What do you suggest for the diffusion behind the seat? And is there anything else I should be considering (corner traps for the back wall?).

John

John

MylesBAstor said:

John,

I think you've got a well thought out and balanced system I'm sure you get lot's of hours of pleasure from it and in the end, that's all the counts! WTB is what you have!!!

Totem speakers are a really honest product as well as the Nottingham tts!

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Thank you Myles!

Given what's available between the particles of lint in my pocket, I would have to agree that I obtained a fair sense of balance with the chosen components. The Nottingham was a significant upgrade last year from my 25yr old Revolver Red (I also have a Revolver Rebel) and I'm very pleased with its performance.

The Totem's were an upgrade as well, although I was in audio limbo for a few years. My previous speaker was a pair of Klipsch Heresy Signiture Editions, which I unfortunately had to sell (along with most of my other gear). I'd love to get a used pair one day!

John

RUR said:

John, I'd absolutely put some bass trapping in the corners. Plenty of bass trap DIY advice to be found, but I'll scare some up, if you wish. As for the diffusion, the only solutions I know of are commercial. Ethan makes a nice product, but it's $600. GIK just came out with a new diffusor product that's around $250 IIRC. Dunno of any DIY horizontal diffusors, but they could be out there!

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Thanks Ken! I'm gonna do some research and check out GIK as well.

John

vinylphilemag said:

Nice to finally see some pics of your new room! Lookin ginto my crystal ball, I foresee many a happy hour in there, listening to music!

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Your crystal ball is right once again, Rich! Spent a good number of hours last night listening to some Neil Young, Ray La Montagne and Lindsey Buckigham.

John

tomelex said:

That is a nice looking room and I like that color too. Maybe someday some sort of dust cover for the tt would be nice, I don't know where all the damn dust comes from, even if you don't have air being blown in through an air conditioning duct. Ethan has some super videos on room treatment and well worth watching.

Tom

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Thank you Tom! I used a CIL Dulux "Rosemont Hall" colour in a Satin finish. When first applied it looks like a chocolate brown, but as it dries you can clearly see a slight reddish tint coming through. I thought a dark colour would make the room look smaller, but it hasn't and I do love the colour.

I live in a highrise off a major thoroughfare (noise levels are very low though) and the dust is a continual battle, so a dustcover is definitely on the horizon. In the meantime I have a "swiffer" (for the table) and a small soft-bristled 1/2" pastry brush (for the tonearm assembly) nearby.

John

es347 said:

Nice to see a 2ch system that wrings 99% of the water out of the sock for way less than a nosebleed price tag. Nicely done John.

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Thank you very much es347 for those kind and considerate words.!

I would never say that my setup screams high performance, because it doesn't, but I do know it sounds much, much better than the investment made. And, dare I say, as good as several other higher-end systems I've heard. It now being in a dedicated room, where I can concentrate on room treatments and speaker placement a little more, I have no doubt that I'll be able to squeeze even more water out of the sock!

John

iampaddy said:

I hope you love the Totems, I had a Pair of Forrests driven by a Naim Supernait amp, that sounded wonderful. I have a pair of Dreamcatchers on a Cyrus 8xpd with a sonos system feeding them in my Office and love them.

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I've had my Sttaf's for about 3 years now and am still very pleased with them. For the type of music I listen to , which includes a lot of acoustic instruments and female singers, they more than fit the bill. I asked Robert Hartley on his mags' forum about a good amp pairing and he suggested the Naim Supernait as well, so that certainly is a consideration for when I make an upgrade one day.

John

Waboman said:

Very nice room and setup, John. I could easily sink into that leather chair and crank some tunes!

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I've had that chair for about 5 years now and up until I put the room together it never got much use. I can assure you it now gets used daily and I'm loving it. I call it my "Maxell" chair! LOL!

John

flez007 said:

I like your setup, looks like you selected it for YOUR musical satisfaction rather than pleasing friends. I would consider an upgrade when possible for another amplification component. As good as the Yamaha line is, I see great potential with the Totems and your analog setup.

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Although I always keep an open mind, ask questions, audition and the like, in the end I am very happy with the components I've chosen. I had planned to upgrade earlier into some seperates or an integrated, but life got in the way and I've had to put that on hold. I can assure you however (and assure myself as well) that the future will bring me to a unit that meets both my muscial satisfaction and my budget.

Thank you so much for your kind words!

John