Building a listening room from scratch


Hello all,

I am renovating a 19th Century townhouse in a distressed post-industrial town on the Hudson River.

I will have the 20’ x 30’ attic dedicated to my home studio/office and audio listening area. The ceiling has a steep pitch from the 12’ high center towards the 20’ wide walls, which are 3’ high. To make the building perform to a high energy conservation standard, I have lined the walls with 5.5" of rock wool (which has excellent acoustic insulation characteristics), and the ceilings with 14.5" of rock wool. Except for the three windows situated in a gable and two dormers, and my book and record collections and the audio equipment itself, the floor is the only hard surface, of wide-plank wood. My architect says that I should not sheet rock the walls or ceiling, that I should simply cover them with fire-resistant burlap and I will have a semi-anechoic room, similar to recording studios.

What do you think of this idea?

Thank you all,

unreceivedogma
unreceivedogma

Showing 3 responses by dweller

If possible lay some large tile on the floor lest your bass get soaked up by the wood and space below. You ARE going to insulate the walls with something other than burlap right? Otherwise, going to have a monster heating bill.
What about 20 amp service (multiple) for your monoblock amps and power conditioner(s)?
Had a friend who used his master bedroom for a listening room. It was very large (25 X 35 est.) and directly over the garage. Room had no bass. Hence the recommendation for tile. Sounds like you'll have a killer room!
P.S. Don't ALL audiophiles have mono's at some point? The extra outlets come in handy for actives as well (like ATC) or subwoofers.
Regards
@brownsfan - Sorry I don't have expert info in this area. All I know is my friend had no bass in his room with a plywood floor and a huge cavity underneath. I have profound bass in houses built on a concrete slab. My suggestion for tile is an educated guess but I've got strong feelings it would make a difference.