Describe The Listening Room of Your Dreams...

The problem with spheres and weird domes is it'll get into some weird acoustics where you'll be on the only one to hear the speakers depending on placement. There's some church or something somewhere in a dome that the way the acoustics are-- someone can stand 15 ft in front of you and you two can converse, but people standing five feet off to the sides can't hear what beings said. I think an ovoid would be better for asymmetry. The point brought up on non-parallel walls is a good one. Designing a room is similiar to designing and loudspeaker cabinet itself although still with major differences (obvioulsy you don't put internal damping in you room though-stuff it full of wool). But picking "golden" ratios to at least have standing waves at three different frequencies v. three identical ones that sum to one huge evil is a good starting point (along with having the room large enough so that there is a good 5ms delay from the sidewalls and the listener). The non-parallel walls tapering out towards the listening position by only 3-4% can have a very positive effect (the room looks like a slight trapezoid from above). And then wisely choosing materials based on there energy storage as it pertains to the low frequencies can make a difference. Its really hard to control deep bass in listening rooms and I know one dealer/contractor talks of making/constructing rooms to be a little "leaky" down belew 30hz to usually smooth things out-because there aren't many acoustic treatments that can do much down low. I'm certianly for a dedicated line/power system like alot recommend, just for piece of mind and protection. But I remember seeing one guy wire up his listening room with 5 different brands of power cord behind the wall: Kimber, Siltech, and a bunch more. So he could audition each. I thought it a waste of money. His room was poured concrete, although I thought a little smallish. I'll stick with classic UL approved electrician wire.

Cwlondon yes the rounded corners help avoid standing waves.

Thanks Chilidog, I thought it would be either extremely good or extremely bad. The thought of zero parallel surfaces, equilateral bass boost and and the idea that the room would not give biased refelective surfaces to bring attention to speaker placement* was intriguing.
* What if the sphere was made of equilteral segments that were the actual driver surfaces? Either as an inverted golf ball or like a beach ball. This sphere could either stand alone or be positioned within a larger sphere. Multi-multi channel or connecting multi point source.

I visualize my dream room being a musical, literary and artistic escape. Interior structure, colors and spacing may be a combination of early modernism and Spanish/Mexican design.

The other possible scenario is building solid wood bookcasing/shelving from 36" above the floor to ceiling in rosewood or ebony. Front and back walls will be poured cement with ancient Egyptian recessed carvings and high reliefs done by me, egad we'll see how that turns out.

I'd like the front wall to have stationary platforms for transport and DAC with side walls lined by mobil two shelf stands on castors with various preamp/amp configurations that have their own wall receptacles for warm up and can be easily wheeled into place along the main front wall when desired.

OK, what's the California Lotto up to now?

a room with bar and white stainway grand just like my rich cuz does... often he invites some famous guys to accompany his parties with quiet jazz tunes on that white stainway... gooooshhhhh, furgedabouthestereodamit.

Albertporter -- Thank you. You can visit any time, although I don't yet have a turntable and I can't guarantee Audrey Hepburn. (My girlfriend looks a little bit like her, however.)

Natalie -- Are rounded corners beneficial for standing waves or something? I suppose I should be happy to report that I have rounded corners !? -- in a squarish room about 23' x 27' with 13' ceilings.

Sounds fine, although I haven't heard this system in any other room so it is hard to judge.

But let's not get carried away on acoustics -- let's hear more of your ideas for the ultimate listening rooms:

Any room in which I don't have to listen to my SO ask me to turn it down.

To UNSOUND: To answer your question regarding "what a large sphere shaped room would sound like, if you sat in the middle of it", the answer is that it would sound as worse as it possibly could!!!! The reason? Well my experience with acoustics suggests that you'd have so much reflected sound focused right at your ears, that you'd the sound would sound like you're head waz inside an over amplified megaphone!...magnified! ALWAYS avoid "concave" surfaces in your listening room, as they "focus" the sound right back at your ears like a lense, making for very unatural sound, or the antithisis of open, uncongested, even sound.
For reference, read F. Alton Everest's book "Master Handbook of Acoustics" (any edition).,

Your room should remain just as you describe it Cwlondon.

I would like to come for a visit. Please use some magic and have Audrey Hepburn there with you, just as she was in 1964.

Play the LP of the original movie sound track ( rather than the theatrical version ), and I will be able to visualize each of the characters in 70 MM Panavison and Technicolor.

Technically this was perhaps the most beautiful film I ever saw. Artistically it was thoroughly enjoyable and musically very disarming and joyous.

Thanks for reminding me, even if I strayed from the subject of room acoustics.

I have often wondered what a very large sphere shaped room with a minimal open cell like floor that permitted one to sit with his ears in the exact center of the room would sound like.

36 fet long 26 feet wide Cathedral celing rounded corners poured concrete walls. One dedicated line per component.
Once I have this space then I could start to assemble a system to do it justice. Music only . No HT in this room.