- Posted by Nicholas Renter (A) on July 04, 2009 at 07:53:12
In Reply to: RE: I used to listen in a 10' x 12' room... posted by Abel McCain on July 03, 2009 at 19:44:06
...and you'll see that my room has awful geometry (11' x 11.5' x 12'), but provides an oustanding listening experience. Don't let anyone discourage you. Small rooms have their challenges, but they also have some huge advantages:
1) You only have to optimize the sound for one single listening position
2) You don't need a lot of amplification power
3) Spousal Acceptance Factor isn't usually as significant
4) Less square footage to acoustically treat
But the challenges are real:
1) If you do not put up acoustic treatments on the walls, and bass traps in the corners, you really are wasting your time and money.
2) You need an amplifier and speakers that respond well and are articulate at lower volumes and wattages (hense my selection of Green Mountain Audio and Ayre).
3) Get youself a comfortable office chair and an ottoman.
4) While is sounds like overkill, 2 small subs are a perfect compliment to stand-mount speakers (crossed-over well under 40 Hz). These help control the level of the low end allows variable placement / phase control to help smooth out the low end.
5) Consider the heat you equipment generates, as that will play a factor in the enjoyment of your small room. This is another one of the reasons I bought an Ayre integrated over going back to tubes.
And while I have not done this one yet...
6) Power filtration is important.
