Lensman
01-22-2006, 10:00 PM
For some time I've been reading the same posts over and over again:
"Which room is best for my setup?"
"Where should I put my speakers in this room...?"
"I'm an audiophile, but my budget's only..."
"Tell me about room treatments..."
"How should I arrange my seating?"
Etc.
After reading these repeatedly, it dawned on me that many people are faced with the same basic problem: how to integrate all their shiny new gear into their homes. So, I thought it'd be nice to collect the answers together and put them into a single thread for easy access. Of course we're talking about very critical stuff here, so no mere random poster's opinion would do. Thus I've spent quite a bit of time doing research for the right answers. In the process I learned something very interesting.
Believe it or not, the basic physics of home audio and video has not changed AT ALL since the advent of stereo. Think about it - sound waves are still sound waves, speakers still work by converting electrical signals to sound vibrations through drivers that move air, ears are still ears, eyes are still eyes, and TV is still TV (it's just gotten bigger). While stereo recording appeared in the fifties, it wasn't until the late sixties that home consumer products really became available and it wasn't until the seventies that these products became mainstream.
When I learned this, I also learned that the answers to all the questions we have, by necessity, were actually ANSWERED at this time as well. So it is with great joy that I can now share with you the A/V advice from the definitive experts in the field. I am, of course, referring to the gems of wisdom provided by the 1975 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book.
Let's get started, shall we?
"Which room is best for my setup?"
"Where should I put my speakers in this room...?"
"I'm an audiophile, but my budget's only..."
"Tell me about room treatments..."
"How should I arrange my seating?"
Etc.
After reading these repeatedly, it dawned on me that many people are faced with the same basic problem: how to integrate all their shiny new gear into their homes. So, I thought it'd be nice to collect the answers together and put them into a single thread for easy access. Of course we're talking about very critical stuff here, so no mere random poster's opinion would do. Thus I've spent quite a bit of time doing research for the right answers. In the process I learned something very interesting.
Believe it or not, the basic physics of home audio and video has not changed AT ALL since the advent of stereo. Think about it - sound waves are still sound waves, speakers still work by converting electrical signals to sound vibrations through drivers that move air, ears are still ears, eyes are still eyes, and TV is still TV (it's just gotten bigger). While stereo recording appeared in the fifties, it wasn't until the late sixties that home consumer products really became available and it wasn't until the seventies that these products became mainstream.
When I learned this, I also learned that the answers to all the questions we have, by necessity, were actually ANSWERED at this time as well. So it is with great joy that I can now share with you the A/V advice from the definitive experts in the field. I am, of course, referring to the gems of wisdom provided by the 1975 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book.
Let's get started, shall we?