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Need Help Designing a Dream Room

The company I work for got acquired and I'm moving to the new headquarters in Charlotte. We're having no luck finding an existing home meeting our unusual needs (smaller house since we are almost empty nesters, but big listening room on the first floor), so we're building a new home. Hot dog! I finally get to design a dream room!

I'm not an audio engineer, so all I know (and it might be wrong) is that one should use the 1.618 ratio rule. Therefore, I am planning on a family room which is 11x18x29 (nothing is set though). The floors will be hardwood (my wife, who is generous, gracious and loving enough to go through this process instead of buying a perfectly fine regular house, insists on the flooring). I have very large speakers: Montana KAS's. I love many kinds of music: Jazz, blues, classical and rock.

How should I design this room? Separate electrical box? Dimensions? Materials? Rounded corners? This will open into the kitchen and eating area (separate rooms) so we can enjoy the music there as well. Thanks in advance. I look forward to your advice.
ozfly

Showing 3 responses by sean

sean
6,231 posts
 
Albert, thanks for sharing that info. Your results are pretty irregular yet undeniable. I guess that you changed the impedance enough by using your "ground grid" to "detune" / alter the impedance of that area. Not many people would have thought of doing such, so that speaks highly of your creativity and willing to "tweak". Obviously, your results speak for themselves. Sean
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sean
6,231 posts
 
If your going to spend the money and do it from the ground up, i would SERIOUSLY suggest either doing a TON of homework or contacting an architect with background in acoustics ( for that one room ). I would also be VERY careful as to the contractors that you use. You will need to make it VERY clear that any "abnormalities" that might appear in the blueprint are there ON PURPOSE. I've heard of architects designing rooms where the walls were slightly pitched and the building contractor thought that it was a mistake. Needless to say, the room and the walls were squared, which COMPLETELY ruined the acoustic aspects of the design.

As to electrical wiring, junction boxes, etc.... give Ray Kimber a call. He'll be glad to share his knowledge and give you some ideas. Since he manufacturers everything from wall outlets to wiring, he should have a good idea of how to do an entire electrical system for best results. Sean
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sean
6,231 posts
 
Albert, an "rf cage" can only be achieved by doing what is called a "screen room". This is a room that is COMPLETELY covered in a tightly meshed conductive screen that is grounded, much like some "avid" ham radio operators do when building a "ground grid" in the yard around their house. In order for this to work properly, you would have to do the floor, ceiling, all walls, doors, windows, etc... Shielding certain areas between adjoining rooms or the floor above a basement MIGHT help if there were nearby devices producing low level RF, but since RF propogates by "floating", anything less than "blanketing" the room with a some type of ground shunted "shield" is just about useless. The RF will simply "float" around, above, below, etc... the shield and find its' way into the circuitry and wiring. Sean
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