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  1. #1
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    Thumbs up Requirements to turn your room into an Optimal Listening Environment

    This thread is mainly a brainstorming excercise to list every element required to maximise your listening environment.

    Consider this thread a checklist, so you have not overlooked anything, if you will.

    I will list what I can think of now, and prioritise in terms of 'easy to do' , to 'most expensive'
    to 'least expensive', and a dependency matrix, (i.e. Part A must be done before Part B. Part B must be finished before C can begin etc.

    01. Size and shape of room. (square, L-shaped, rectangle)
    02. Type of room, is it open/closed
    03. Before purchasing your first/second hifi component, consult a Cedia professional and/or
    a reputable hifi consultant to recommend the best type of amp/speakers, cabling options etc to
    suit the room
    04. Other objects in the room, movable and fixed objects (i.e. fireplace)
    05. Other electrical appliances, which can cause interference
    06. Location of all non speaker components - location of optimal spots for each one
    07. Distance of speakers from each other
    08. Distance of speakers from listener
    09. Requirement for more than 1 "sweet spot" within the room (i.e. Bose system permit
    the set up of three sweet spots, by flicking a switch or button on the remote).
    10. Lengths of speaker and other cables between each component
    11. Types/brands/means of cables/interconnects
    12. Optimising amplifier settings in order to get the most out of all other components
    13. Choosing the correct/optimal connection type based on the amp used
    14. Obtaining equipment to maintain a constant current (i.e. the same level of current
    to all hi fi equipment) (not cheap, but offer a higher quality of overal signal)
    15. Obtaining the optimal format of music disc (i.e. Blu-Ray, SACD, DVD-Audio,
    HDCD etc...)
    16. Age of the components (i.e. how many years old are they, require to clean, dust,
    replace some parts to improve overall performance ? ), i.e. Maintenance
    17. Cleanliness/clutter in the room itself (i.e. dust providing a cumulative negative affect
    on components)
    18. Level of cleanliness of interconnects/connections, i.e. dust on the connects,
    fingerprints, dirt
    19. Free space in each of the 3 dimensions provided for each hi fi component, i.e.
    6 inches on top, 3 inches side, 5 inches deep)
    20. Height of the front speaker tweeters, are they level to the listeners ears ?
    21. Genres of the CDs/DVDs/SACDs that are being used for this excercise (i.e. having
    a stronger collection of rock, instead of classical or vice versa will greatly affect what
    kind of amps/speakers you should be getting, or reason why your system is failing at)
    22. Is the placement of your LCD, Plasma, projector, screen causing interference to
    the rest of your audio/signal ?
    23. Sound insulation (panels to put in the corners, on the wall to correct sound bouncing off walls etc)
    24. Materials of your cabinet, walls
    25. Type, shape, height, placement of your hi fi cabinet(s)
    26. External factors negatively affecting your listening environment (i.e. living just outside
    a busy highway, or industrial area, or quiet street)
    27. Lighting, what types, what kind of lighting level control to change brightness,
    type of bulb used, have a dimmer ?
    28. Do you have objects in the room which contain strong magnetic fields ? Probably
    want to remove them if possible lol
    29. Have you checked that your receiver/amp impedence has been set exactly to your
    speakers ? (4 OHMS, or 8 OHMS), or you have connected your speaker cables to the correct slots
    30. Will additional cooling be required to be added to your hifi system ?
    31. Are your Left and Right speaker cables the "SAME" length ?
    32. Is the power you're feeding your components "clean power" ?
    33. Are there lighting/display settings on your components which can be lowered or
    turned off ?
    34. Do you have a sufficient sub woofer to handle the lower frequency ranges ? (more
    important to a multi-channel system)
    35. Do your speakers have a frequency response beyond 20,000 kHz ? (i.e. Some speakers go 30,000 kHz, and/or more, and as SACD frequency response go up to 100 kHz, that means a small proportion of speakers/amps can do SACD justice).
    36. Have you aquired the optimal hifi components that your budget can provide ?
    37. Have you aquired the optimal hifi components that your country/local area is able to obtain
    for you ? (36. and/or 37. may or may not be mutually exclusive)
    38. Number of windows/doors, types of, thickness, and location of each one
    39. DO NOT open up any components to make any personal modifications, as it's more unlikely you're a qualified component engineer, and will nullify/invalidate the warranty, and risk degrading the quality/performance of the component
    40. DO NOT open up any components for any reason as you risk either electricuting yourself, or shortening-out your component, hence risk degrading the quality/performance of the component.

    I intend to add more later.

    Feel free to print this off as a checklist, if either you're thinking of getting new equipment,
    changing a component, or making tweaks of what you already have.

    If you find this thread useful, please pass on the positive feedback.



    Much obliged.

    BK.
    Last edited by OzzieAudiophile; 04-03-2008 at 02:39 PM.

  2. #2
    _ Luvin Da Blues's Avatar
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    Hey Ozzie, I look at most of your list as an absolute minimum for "HiFi" (except for #37). But ya gets a greenie anyway.

    LDB
    Back in my day, we had nine planets.

  3. #3
    Ajani
    Guest
    Good thread. Here's a greenie as well...

    One thing I'd add (I assume it's covered somewhere in room size and amplification but just not said explicitly) is ensuring that amplifier power, speaker sensitivity and desired volume levels are matched. You are not likely to fill a large open space with sound, using a 3 watt tube amp and 84db sensitivity speakers.... and you are probably just wasting your money (and in danger of hearing loss) using a 500 watt amp and 97db sensitivty speakers in an 11' by 11' room....

    So simply put: Consider the room you plan to build your stereo in, before you start purchasing gear...

  4. #4
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    Feedback back x2

    Hi Ajani.

    Thankyou for the feedback.

    I would imagine at least 20% of the members who provide a threat about their current dialemma, is because they did not consider the size/shape of the room before getting the gear, so excellent point. However 99.99% of people would NEVER get a Cedia member, or hifi consultant in, in the first place to recommend what type of amp, speaker, gear etc to buy anyway.

    This is the reason the first component purchase is going to be wrong anyway for the
    user. I would have to say there's a very high chance that anyone will buy NOT buy the
    absolute best gear to suit that room. However a listening room can change dramatically between the first gear purchased to the current day.

    Sorry, it won't let me give you a greenie back because it says I have to 'spread more to others first' haha. It's tryin to tell me I need to spread the 'love' around haha.

    I've add that, and reworded it.

    Luvin Da Blues - thanks for the greenie.

  5. #5
    Meh. Brett A's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OzzieAudiophile
    07. Distance of speakers from each other
    08. Distance of speakers from listener
    BK.
    08.50 Distance of speakers from rear walls
    08.75 Distance of speakers from side walls

    A good list. Thanks for all the thought you put into it.

    I had to read the intro a couple times before I 'got' that it was not intended to be in order of importance or degree of effect, but by ease of execution and cost.

    If it were in order of importance, for me, it would surly look different.
    Amp Shanling A3000-> speakers Vienna Acoustic Mozart Grand CD Rotel RCD 991 AE TT: Well Tempered Record Player-> AT OC9MLII -> Jolida JD9. cables from AQ, Siltech, Bogdan, Signal DH Labs, etc...
    Some pictures of it all

  6. #6
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    Hello Brett A.

    I was hoping not to add position of speakers in relation to walls, as the instructions that
    usually accompany speakers advice not to place them too close to corners of rooms.

    However it appears despite that I would add this as a new one, the threat no longer
    allows me to add any further points.

    Thanks muchly.

    Well the order of the list may vary in terms of importance, cost, and priority for people.

    There may be some on that list, that are beyond one's control.

    To some, to achieve sound listening excellence is a life-long goal. I am one who must be
    one of those.

  7. #7
    Crank it up, dude! huh? hydroman's Avatar
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    If it's too loud - you're too old!

    Good list.
    H/K AVR635 7.1
    Denon DVD900
    AE AEGIS III Mains
    ION USB Turntable w/ Shure M97XE
    15" Titanic III Sealed Enclosure Sub
    Dayton Rackmount 1000W :O
    Denon Surrounds
    Sony Bravia KDL40S2000

  8. #8
    M.P.S.E /AES/SMPTE member Sir Terrence the Terrible's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ajani
    Good thread. Here's a greenie as well...

    .... and you are probably just wasting your money (and in danger of hearing loss) using a 500 watt amp and 97db sensitivty speakers in an 11' by 11' room....

    So simply put: Consider the room you plan to build your stereo in, before you start purchasing gear...
    I do not think this statement is necessarily true. I believe it is always better to over engineer your system versus the size of the room. The amps run with lower distortion since they are never pushed, and the same goes for the speakers. Really pushing the SPL's in such a small room would make everything so unpleasant, that there is no way you would be in that room long enough to effect your hearing. Before you even get to the hearing loss stage(it depends on frequency though) the sound quality would break down and become very unpleasant to listen to through most components, because of distortion components carried along with the signal. You will find the threshold of hearing loss gets higher when that distortion is subtracted out of the mix.

    The very basis of any Cinepro(the manufacturer) installation is to over engineering for low or no distortion. That is the theory that I used for all my systems, including the one listed in my sig.
    Sir Terrence

    Titan Reference 3D 1080p projector
    200" SI Black Diamond II screen
    Oppo BDP-103D
    Datastat RS20I audio/video processor 12.4 audio setup
    9 Onkyo M-5099 power amp
    9 Onkyo M-510 power amp
    9 Onkyo M-508 power amp
    6 custom CAL amps for subs
    3 custom 3 way horn DSP hybrid monitors
    18 custom 3 way horn DSP hybrid surround/ceiling speakers
    2 custom 15" sealed FFEC servo subs
    4 custom 15" H-PAS FFEC servo subs
    THX Style Baffle wall

  9. #9
    Ajani
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Terrence the Terrible
    I do not think this statement is necessarily true. I believe it is always better to over engineer your system versus the size of the room. The amps run with lower distortion since they are never pushed, and the same goes for the speakers. Really pushing the SPL's in such a small room would make everything so unpleasant, that there is no way you would be in that room long enough to effect your hearing. Before you even get to the hearing loss stage(it depends on frequency though) the sound quality would break down and become very unpleasant to listen to through most components, because of distortion components carried along with the signal. You will find the threshold of hearing loss gets higher when that distortion is subtracted out of the mix.

    The very basis of any Cinepro(the manufacturer) installation is to over engineering for low or no distortion. That is the theory that I used for all my systems, including the one listed in my sig.
    Which is why I said "probably".... further, the point is really not whether someone is crazy enough to crank up the sound untill they suffer hearing loss, but whether you really need a massive amount of power and highly sensitive speakers in a small room... Having more power than you need is good BUT past a certain point you are "probably" just wasting your money.

  10. #10
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    There are cheaper ways of minimising distortion and noise. You could opt to get better
    quality interconnects, speaker cables and speaker plugs as opposed to purchasing
    extremelly powerful components.

    If you know there's even the slight chance of moving to a larger room, then having the
    components that offer more, will work a little better.

    Some components need more space to function optimally, so by getting something
    more powerful, the space restriction can be a problem.

    However good news for all of you who are looking for a new house, or building a new one,
    pay special attention to whichever room will end up with your hifi. There are some shapes,
    sizes which are less ideal than others.

    If you are unsure, nothing wrong with trial and error, until the acoustics improve.
    Current System :

    Xindak XA8800MNE Mono Block Power Amplifier
    Cambridge Audio 840E Pre Amplifier
    Cambridge Audio 840C CD Player and DAC
    Dynaudio Contour 1.8 MK-II
    Pioneer DVR-640H (250 GB HDD)
    Foxtel Digital
    Samsung LCD 40in LA40M81BDX
    Sony PS 3 (source - CD/SACD/DVD/Blu-Ray)
    XLO Interconnects & speaker cables
    Sonos Wireless Music System

    Upgrade Path :

    1. Power regulation system

  11. #11
    Ajani
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by OzzieAudiophile
    Some components need more space to function optimally, so by getting something more powerful, the space restriction can be a problem.
    Yep.... Agreed.

    Though, it's good to have a bit more power than you need, keep in mind that just as larger speakers often need more free space to function properly, more powerful amps often sound their best when you start cranking up the volume. So you might well find that using a lowered powered amp in a smaller room gives you a more satisfying sound.

  12. #12
    Crank it up, dude! huh? hydroman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Terrence the Terrible
    I do not think this statement is necessarily true. I believe it is always better to over engineer your system versus the size of the room. The amps run with lower distortion since they are never pushed, and the same goes for the speakers. Really pushing the SPL's in such a small room would make everything so unpleasant, that there is no way you would be in that room long enough to effect your hearing. Before you even get to the hearing loss stage(it depends on frequency though) the sound quality would break down and become very unpleasant to listen to through most components, because of distortion components carried along with the signal. You will find the threshold of hearing loss gets higher when that distortion is subtracted out of the mix.

    The very basis of any Cinepro(the manufacturer) installation is to over engineering for low or no distortion. That is the theory that I used for all my systems, including the one listed in my sig.
    That's what I said! uh, only he was more eloquent about it...
    H/K AVR635 7.1
    Denon DVD900
    AE AEGIS III Mains
    ION USB Turntable w/ Shure M97XE
    15" Titanic III Sealed Enclosure Sub
    Dayton Rackmount 1000W :O
    Denon Surrounds
    Sony Bravia KDL40S2000

  13. #13
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    Well why not the option, if you're not satisfied completely with any particular poweramp,
    preamp, or source, then why not do what the very rich, and shops do, have a rack with
    many brand components ?

    In Australia there used to be a AV mag called "Audio Vidio Interiors" (it's a US mag, I'm
    quite sure you guys should still be able to get those at your newsagents), it had some of
    the nicest houses to home an insane amount of components.

    I saw one house which had 30 pairs of speakers, including 1 pair in the pool. No place
    you can escape from sound bahahaaaa...

    I saw many a cabinet opened up for all of you to see, they were obviously custom-made,
    and appeared like it cost a fortune to make all those holes in the walls. There were at
    least 20 components stacked up in columns. The photo was clear, but you couldn't
    make out exactly what brands they were. These mansions would have more than 1
    room dedicated for sound.

    Hey if you can accord a 10-20 million dollar house, why not have a few columns of
    as many components as you want ? No need to um and err... yeah I'll take the lot
    haha. Get the best of every world. It's mouthwatering to see their home theatre room
    is set up with probably 10k chairs, and the screen is amazingly large. More custom
    built stuff. Even movie staff with popcorn stalls just outside the entrance. Typical setup
    also had posters mounted of some of the world's most famous flicks.

    I'll have to add more details of the Cambridge Audio new series, the components are
    options I may have to strongly consider for my next upgrades. Take a read, and if you
    have auditioned it, along with the other brands I have in mind, please provide feedback.

    Thanks.
    Current System :

    Xindak XA8800MNE Mono Block Power Amplifier
    Cambridge Audio 840E Pre Amplifier
    Cambridge Audio 840C CD Player and DAC
    Dynaudio Contour 1.8 MK-II
    Pioneer DVR-640H (250 GB HDD)
    Foxtel Digital
    Samsung LCD 40in LA40M81BDX
    Sony PS 3 (source - CD/SACD/DVD/Blu-Ray)
    XLO Interconnects & speaker cables
    Sonos Wireless Music System

    Upgrade Path :

    1. Power regulation system

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