Make speakers disappear. Simple, cheap

First, that video of the painted room was pretty cool. 
The stereo shop I work with most often has all the listening rooms decorated (?) as described in the OP. Some years ago I asked the owner about it. He basically said the same thing about the illusion effect on the soundstage. All I know is that things sound great there as evidenced by the staggering amount of money that I’ve spent there over the years. 🤣

But that’s great for a dedicated listening room in a hi-fi shop. The rest of us have the reality of life.  Meaning spouses, kids, other uses for the room, etc.  I my case, I just turn out all the lights except one small light on my equipment rack. That and all the meters etc on my McIntosh gear give me enough light to be able to walk around and see the CD player for disc changes. Works well enough for me. I drift off into the music every time. 

First, that video of the painted room was pretty cool. 
The stereo shop I work with most often has all the listening rooms decorated (?) as described in the OP. Some years ago I asked the owner about it. He basically said the same thing about the illusion effect on the soundstage. All I know is that things sound great there as evidenced by the staggering amount of money that I’ve spent there over the years. 🤣

But that’s great for a dedicated listening room in a hi-fi shop. The rest of us have the reality of life.  Meaning spouses, kids, other uses for the room, etc.  I my case, I just turn out all the lights except one small light on my equipment rack. That and all the meters etc on my McIntosh gear give me enough light to be able to walk around and see the CD player for disc changes. Works well enough for me. I drift off into the music every time. 

Eyelids?  Pretty simple, pretty cheap. I keep mine on me just in case.

I think that's a great idea.  It really plays into the whole idea of psycho-acoustics.  I suspect the ASR guys would like it because it reinforces the idea that so much of what we perceive is mental tricks our brains play on us.  

I'll cover my brick fireplace with velour.  Seriously, though, my room is full of art on every wall, sculptures on the floor, and on top of record cabinets.  I guess I'm used to having them there, and they don't get in the way of my listening pleasure.  Now, someone new to the room, it might, but that's their problem.  You can see my mess(it's not a mess) in my details.

@hifikenobi  "once one experiences a true disappearing act, its jaw dropping."

Congrats on your experience! As you have discovered, given the right environment the human mind can take a system to much higher levels.

@jfrost27  Our local high-end stereo shop also does proffessional, good looking, well decorated rooms. I don't understand why "the rest of us have the reality of life" somehow means we can't have beautiful rooms too because we have kids?

This concept is NOT an oddity and doen't somehow 'restrict' your family lifestyle. However, it is a lifestyle choice to have an exciting room... or not. 

TAD! Oh my god... @hifikenobi you have those? It was the first time I ever experienced disappearing speakers. T.H.E. Show in Long Beach 2024. There were the Reference 1's I think, both the floor standing and the compact next to each other. I couldn't tell where the sound was coming from, which pair was on, the sound came from everywhere and nowhere in that room. Uncontrolled laughter, I couldn't believe the experience. Then I saw the $93,000 price tag and said "Ah well, it was nice while it lasted..." :)

@hheedah I can just imagine! I think I’ve seen videos from that show  

Here is my system: 

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/12022

These are my second pair. I was going to upgrade from CR1 to R1TX, but they were too big for my room so I went with CR1TX. They are indeed expensive but unmatched, at least the types of music I love.

Just saw your system. Never heard your speakers. They look interesting!

I agree that a black background to remove visual stimulus may help relax the mind which may enhance awareness of the 3d sound field.  

However, black is an unpopular wall color and if sharing the space, others will typically resist black.   A sleep mask might work as well.

I'm sorry but painting the wall behind the speakers will I'm the sound. I don't see it...I feel listening  to music in a movie theater or a music hall which are dark  sounds  good.So does that mean hearing music at a concert sounds better at night  than during the day when the sun is out ,sounds better,hmmmm.i rather go to a concert at night than during the day because of the heat. BUT  when it gets cooler at nite you better bring a sweater especially at Jones Beach by the ocean it gets cooler at nite...I have a system up in my loft space, I have a town house with cathedral ceilings and when I'm sitting down stairs the music fills the room .I like it .,When I was teenager my room was painted dark blue my mother wouldn't let me have a black bedroom....lol.My Uncles living room was painted black with strobe lights ...day glow posters with a black like over them and when you put on Led Zeppelin first two albums the sound was insane...but I was 18 then.

Dear @treitz3  : " 

" When a system performs so superbly, even if your eyes are open and you have visual cues and a true 3-D experience? When a system makes you want to close your eyes to experience even more? 

That’s when you know you are listening to a stellar system.  "

The  @gdaddy1  is not my room/system main priority as it’s not too soundstage.

As many of you I attend often to music hall to listen live MUSIC.

I always seat at near field as I can and normally the orchestra stage is highly iluminated and during the play of the score ovserve that no one close their eyes but the other way around: way open.

Yes in a live MUSIC session I like to listen MUSIC not my " imagination " ( in the instant that you close your eyes you can imagine everything you want everything that your brain builds and in the way you like it. ).

In the recording proccess the microphones are " seated " at near field position to pick up the developed sound not exactly the sound stage.

Characteristics of MUSIC is for me the critical subject: timbre, rhytm, natural brigthness, dynamic power, natural tone balance and the like and these and other main characteristics is what I want to appreciate in my room/system listen sessions. I like to listen full range room/system ( with out good bass management MUSIC just can't exist. )

Every room/system develops its own " soundstage " that we can change it according what we prefer about and that " soundstage " it’s not wha comes from the recording microphones.

Each one of us have our MUSIC listen home ystem priorities where in my case soundstage is " important " but almost at the end of my MUSIC charcateristics list.

A question for you: if we are seated at nearfield positon listening at live SPL to a trio of piano, trumpet/horn and battery: can you have a precise and well defined soundstage? and do you think that can listen to that live horn seated at near field for say: half an hour?

A experiences like that are as a learning sessions.

Like I say that’s me and that’s why I " disagree " with some of you. Maybe I’m wrong but it’s what it’s.

I like to listen my system and that my system can put me nearer to the recording.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,

R.

Dear @treitz3  :

" 

 When a system makes you want to close your eyes to experience even more? 

That’s when you know you are listening to a stellar system   "

First than all I know for sure that I'm ignorant of many/several home audio subjects

due to the complex audio world. 

Now, in my over 40 years in audio this is the first time that I read a precise " conclusion " like yours and I wonder all what I'm missing , I mean the very good reasons you have and know to arrived to that " conclusion " . that according your sentences I'm far away of a " stellar " kind of room system.

I really apreciated and maybe other gentlemans too that you can share your way of thinking in that important quality subject in a home system. Thank you in advance.

R.

A book could literally be written about some of the questions presented in the last two posts. Near field is something that I have done before, but isn’t my typical listening style. It can sound fantastic, and has, especially when there are no side walls and there is a valley behind you. 

If you are wondering how that was achieved, we set up an outdoor system on a porch that forced you to sit near field. The side walls were pretty much non-existent, because to the Left, only a foot worth of a stone chimney darted out from the wall 17 feet away (fireplace was inside) and there was nothing on the other side. Behind us, the mountain literally dropped off a cliff hundreds of feet below us and didn’t come back up for about a 1/4 mile. That was the absolute best I have ever heard a near field setup. 

You do speak truth, in that the microphones do not capture things the way our ears do. That said, the recording and mastering engineers have ways to manipulate the sound, that "recreates" the event, according to how they want it to sound. The best we can ever hope for is the best "approximation" of the original event. Even with the best gear, microphone placement, mastering and recording techniques. Even when utilizing one’s favorite playback format. At the end of the day, it's still just an approximation. 
 

Tom