Deciding on a Layout for Listening Room

[samk1234]

Hi,

Could you please help me choose between the two attached room layouts where I will be living / listening in? I am purely interested in which layout will sound better, both with and without treatment.

Layout 1 (the thinner layout) has a listening space that is 13 feet wide. The length of the room is 28 feet from wall to wall. Speakers would be ~ 3 Ft from the side walls

Layout 2 is an irregular but more open layout, at full stretch the room is 22 by 28, with the speakers on the long wall.

The ceiling height is 9 feet.

Naturally, layout 1 has more treatment options with the symmetrical / bare side walls. However, if an untreated layout 2 will sound better than a treated layout 1, I'd be more inclined to layout 2.

Thank you


H

 

[cjf]

Hi,

Could you please help me choose between the two attached room layouts where I will be living / listening in? I am purely interested in which layout will sound better, both with and without treatment.

Layout 1 (the thinner layout) has a listening space that is 13 feet wide. The length of the room is 28 feet from wall to wall. Speakers would be ~ 3 Ft from the side walls

Layout 2 is an irregular but more open layout, at full stretch the room is 22 by 28, with the speakers on the long wall.

The ceiling height is 9 feet.

Naturally, layout 1 has more treatment options with the symmetrical / bare side walls. However, if an untreated layout 2 will sound better than a treated layout 1, I'd be more inclined to layout 2.

Thank you


View attachment 107301 View attachment 107302 H

Without knowing what speakers will be used in either configuration its hard to say which layout is more ideal for your situation.

If the speaker are small stand mounts or bookshelf types then layout #1 would probably be better because if you find that bass is lacking you can always push the speakers closer to the sidewall for better bass boost. In addition, this will space the speakers further apart from each other horizontally.

Right now in Layout #1, the speakers will be very close together but that is one of the drawbacks with only 13ft of total width to work with. You have to consider the width of each speaker box, the distance to the sidewall in relation to the outer edge of the speaker box as well as the distance between each speaker in the horizontal plane. 13ft doesn't go very far after all things are considered so small speakers would be best with Layout #1.

On the other hand, if the speakers are larger tower style units with dedicated bass drivers then I would lean towards Layout #2 instead. Bigger speakers typically need more room to breath and the lack of an immediate side wall would likely provide a better listening experience.

In all the houses I've lived in so far, I've always preferred the sound of my own system in a Long wall configuration like you show in Layout #2. I find it really helps in presenting a large, open sound stage.

I will likely not be able to use a long wall configuration in my next house since it will be much smaller. But, I do expect to have at least 18ft in width and about 38ft in length which I think should be more than adequate. Who knows, it may sound better than my current long wall configuration.

In your case, I would try both to be sure.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Welcome to WBF samk1234!

 

[Ron Resnick]

What's going on with that group of three sections? It looks like a door in the middle with window panels on each side of the door?

Do you need to use that door?

If those are three big panels of glass, can you put curtains or other window treatment over all three panels?

 

[sbnx]

#2 is a clear winner to me.

 

[TDX]

If you live by yourself and can put treatment in everywhere of the room then I’ll choose option 2. Otherwise option 1.

 

[gadawg58]

In your situation ... I would try both setups and determine which sounds better to you then treat accordingly from there.

George