Most important fundamentals in your built/modded listening room?


Situation: We will be doing a basement renovation soon. At the moment, I don't have a full go-ahead to turn this room into a listening room. The room will be multipurpose for another 4 years (when the last kid goes to college). I am not working with $100k and an architect. This is about laying the groundwork for later adjustments.

Room:
  • The room is a rectangle: 27 ft. x 17 ft. x 8 or 9 ft.
  • (I say 8 or 9 foot ceilings because right now the rafters come down to 8 feet but the floor above is at 9 feet.)
  • Walls are unfinished, the ceiling is unfinished.
  • Two outside walls are concrete.
  • The floor is concrete.

There's a lot of literature out there, including a great article by Harley about building a listening room. https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/building-a-listening-room

But for now, as I said, I'm looking for ways I can PRE-PLAN fundamental elements of the room so that later it can be tweaked even further.

QUESTION: What would you suggest should be done that is fundamental to the build out of the space?
  • Wall construction?
  • Dimension modification (cannot make ceilings higher)
  • Electrical?
  • Other things?
Thanks in advance for your tips!
hilde45

Showing 2 responses by djones51

It could become very involved and expensive quick. You say 8 foot ceilings is there anything attached to the joists that can make it less? Wiring, plumbing, HVAC? You can double sheetrock or use something like quiet rock. Decoupling the sheetrock or quietrock from the studs and concrete with resilient channel. Insulate all walls and ceiling. Depends on how much soundproofing you want to do or can afford.
Leaving the ceiling exposed is a good option. I like the industrial ceiling look you can Google industrial basement ceiling might give you some ideas. If you know where your speakers will set you can build some diffusion into the exposed joists.