How do you deal with the ambient acoustic signature of your room? HVAC, traffic,etc.

[Smokin' Joe]

Excuseeeeeeeeeeeeee me, but do I wear your makeup, do I wear your undies that last one month, do I wear your $200. bras, etc. You should do an accounting.

zz.

Damn strait!

 

[jfrech]

Excuseeeeeeeeeeeeee me, but do I wear your makeup, do I wear your undies that last one month, do I wear your $200. bras, etc. You should do an accounting.

zz.

I better get a set of those yellow headphones fast ..and yes we love those things more that you speak of !

 

[JackD201]

I have two three ton handling units. The only times they are both on are when I need to quickly bring the room to temp after which one is shut off and when there is a party and there are more than 20 people in the room/lounge. Ducts (including return) are commercial which are typically 35% larger than standard ducts and insulated. The air diffusors are also oversized to keep velocity through the apertures low and quiet. Imagine comparing expending the contents of your lungs through a wide open mouth and doing the same with lips puckered. Turbulence = noise.

IMO noise floor is only a small part of it. I think the more important is the the RT60 signature. You could have a quiet room when everything is off but when music plays have reverberation issues.

 

[es347]

I have two three ton handling units. The only times they are both on are when I need to quickly bring the room to temp after which one is shut off and when there is a party and there are more than 20 people in the room/lounge. Ducts (including return) are commercial which are typically 35% larger than standard ducts and insulated. The air diffusors are also oversized to keep velocity through the apertures low and quiet. Imagine comparing expending the contents of your lungs through a wide open mouth and doing the same with lips puckered. Turbulence = noise.

IMO noise floor is only a small part of it. I think the more important is the the RT60 signature. You could have a quiet room when everything is off but when music plays have reverberation issues.

I have an air return 12 ft from my chair, 2 fridges and a freezer on this level...oh and a very loud dehumidifier so safe to say not an ideal setup. But somehow I still manage to enjoy listening..

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

I'm not a big fan of humidity either, so I keep windows closed also. But the hum you are referring to is probably somewhere in the upper bass / lower midrange registers, and there is probably some peak or null somewhere. When you crank it up, that boost or dip doesn't go away...

You're right. Lower midrange. But I wasn't being serious. The fan is at the other end of the house, I can't hear it here. But if I were using it here I'd have a window open -- a whole 'nuther set of issues. I just turn off the fan and close the window when I care.

Tim

 

[garylkoh]

My main source of ambient noise walks up the stairs and yells at me for spending this kind of money on something she doesn't care about...anyone have any ideas?

When I was dating, one of the first few dates was in front of my hifi system spinning discs (I would cook a gourmet meal from scratch, and any bottle of wine from my private wine cellar). Many didn't survive past that date (the music bit). One came back the next day bringing music. I married her.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

I had a hottie on the ropes and I invited her back to the house of audio... huge SETs, horns, 10 tables all running. It took 6 months to get a call back. (It was not Terry, she was raised on reel to reel tape decks by her dad).

 

[Bruce B]

When I told my girlfriend (current wife) that one powercord was $4k, she flipped!! I've got her pretty acclimated now. I told her my cartridge would be $15k, she didn't even say a word. I did go upstairs yesterday in the exercise room and saw some new equipment in there.... I didn't even say a word. I guess she has me pretty acclimated as well!!

 

[mep]

When I told my girlfriend (current wife) that one powercord was $4k, she flipped!! I've got her pretty acclimated now. I told her my cartridge would be $15k, she didn't even say a word. I did go upstairs yesterday in the exercise room and saw some new equipment in there.... I didn't even say a word. I guess she has me pretty acclimated as well!!

Smart man.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Mike Lavigne, (forgive I also posted this on audiogon, but i saw you were here today)


Mike, I was up in Redmond for 14 years but never heard your system. We moved down to Portland in December and I'm finally getting around to putting my room together. I know I am going to need(want) some acoustical help with a remodel of my room to make it more isolated from the rest of the house, and improve sonics. Who did you work with and would you go back to them today? (Or recommend a PNW outfit.) Considering you have added diffusion to your walls, are you disappointed the original design did not account for this?

hi Bob,

after 10 years in my room, I am still generally happy with the overall design. I love the designed in diffusion. I don't love that I've ended up removing most of the bass trapping that was in the original plan. originally the designer and I discussed that I might end up removing some of the trapping after living with the original design.....so I would not lay all this on him. but likely some of it was over-kill in retrospect.

as far as the diffusion I've added; I did the sides and ceilings (Auralex T-Fusors) when I removed the bass traps; and that added diffusion was very cheap and easy to do. the front RPG Skylines were to improve the center image; the original wood cylinder did great as far as it went, but the more aggressive Skylines take things a bit further. in the context of the overall design and construction cost these added diffusers are drops in the bucket. the built-in side diffusers, the rear and side media cabinets, the ceiling shape and design, and everything else works well as a design concept and makes the room perform in terms of soundstage and musical bloom and note development in a unique way.

so overall I'm satisfied; but there are areas of frustration. my room was one of the first 'no-holds-bared' 2-channel rooms Rives did, and I'd still recommend my designer, Chris Huston. I don't know any local PNW designers that I have personal experience with.

and even thou you are in Portland, you would be very welcome to visit and listen to my room if you would like.

and best wishes and congrats for a fun, successful room project. it will be worth the trouble.

and BTW, welcome to WBF.

best regards,

Mike

 

[Bobvin]

Thank you Mike. I know this will be a journey, and step one is getting my rig setup so I can see where are the strengths and weaknesses of the room. I know I'll do the full remodel as the room doesn't close off, the ceiling has no insulation between floors, nor the walls between rooms.

Let the wild rumpus begin!