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Help Building an Audio Room

Hi All

I have been allotted a 15x15 x 10h room in the corner of my basement by the wife.
While I’m very happy to have a dedicated audio room, I have some questions and concerns. I’m hoping you all might be able to help. 

1) Three of the walls are poured concrete.  The space has crazy slap eco already and the 4th/back wall is not even closed in yet.

I am having the walls framed in, insulated, electrical, drywall etc. I am thinking of having them frame and build one wall an additional distance off the cement wall some amount so the room is not a square

Is that a good idea?  If so, how much out of square does it need to be to benefit from not being 15x15? Is 15x14 enough? Should I go for 15x13?  I can set up the speakers about any way I would like. 
 

2) Next question.  Should I have them install a certain type of insulation behind the drywall?  Money is an object, but now is my chance to build the room the best way I can within reason and to offset the square room I’m starting with. 
 

3) Anything else I should consider before/as they begin to frame, etc? 
 

Thanks very much!
 

jo1mtb

Showing 3 responses by millercarbon

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 

Asvjerry, DBA works best with everything. 
Cheers!

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 

Probably the best way to deal with room modes is a DBA. Four subs asymmetrically distributed around the room yields such smooth powerful deep bass a lot of the need for traps and such is rendered moot. 

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 

Pick up a copy of Robert Harley’s Complete Guide to High End Audio. There you will learn why it is so desirable that room dimensions not be multiples of each other. He even shows how to calculate and map room modes. 
Slap echo is a function of unbroken flat parallel walls with little to nothing to do with concrete. You can frame sheet rock over all of it and have the same slap echo. This is handled with diffuser and/or absorption panels. 
The smart move is to build one wall to reduce one dimension to 12 or 13 ft, and use the space behind this wall as a large hidden bass trap. The wall can incorporate storage shelves so it isn’t even wasted space. This wall might even be angled. Mike Lavigne incorporated this exact technique in his exceptionally good acoustic response listening room. 
 

Whatever you do don’t freak out and overreact. My room when it was bare walls and floor was hideous. Merely adding furniture and components is a huge improvement. 
 

The good news is the greatest gains are made from the first small steps. Do those few things, get your system in place and listen. There is no substitute and there is no doing it right the first time. Mike paid big pro’s big money and then still came up with even better sound simply by listening and experimenting. 

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