Frequently Asked Questions
Hi Fi Chambers FAQs
“Well placed & well designed” Acoustics can make a huge difference in audio reproduction. For existing rooms, an RT-60 per octave audio analysis is a great place to start.
Technology demands that our theaters be designed to take full advantage of the immersive audio formats.
I do have my favorites depending on the price point, but the initial focus should be on how to minimize the number of filters needed. The phrase, “less is more” applies here!
This can be found at any level of system investment. Proper speaker placement and toe-in combined with listener position is the simple foundation of a good sweet spot. Another level to that would be a full rear wall combined with symmetrical side walls from your ears forward.
All of the colors in the room should be on the darker side including flooring. Paint colors should have a Light Reflective Value (LRV) of 15% and below in my opinion. Black gives you the best performance but will feel closed in and gloomy. Grays are my favorite, but Browns, Greens, Reds and other colors will net you a good balance of performance and style.
This is subjective based on the full design. Over the years, clients most clients lean towards 1800-2700 Kelvin. I prefer a “dim to warm” bulb which ramps down the color temp evenly as you decrease in lumen output.
Having a low noise floor is very important, but isolation of sound will be costly and is hard to fully mitigate. A basement theater using a clip system or a wall technique to de-couple the energy would be a great place to start.
Having a low noise floor is vital and often overlooked. All potential noise distractions should be discussed in the planning stages. When visiting new clients with existing systems over the years, I’ve found that 99% percent of homes HVAC noise was never addressed. HVAC noise is simple and extremely cost effective to substantially lower noise in the room. Duct silencers, over-sized vents, and vibration damping tape are all inexpensive methods. There are other noise factors to consider but this should be on everyone’s list!
No! For my theaters and 2CH spaces under $100K, investing 2-3% is plenty in most cases. However, for the theater or 2CH owners that want to get the last bit of performance, power cables, inter-connects and speaker cables must be addressed. However, spending more may not necessarily give you better performance. A particular 6-hour session testing cables will always stand out! This client had a $150K 2CH system with full separates and subs in a purpose-built dedicated listening room. We changed out ALL cables on each test. I will remain brand agnostic, but we had a $3K set, a $13K set, a $35K set and a $45K set. We ruled out the $3K set within minutes. At the end of the night, the $13K set was the clear winner for his set-up. In this highly resolving audio system, spending 8-9% on cable cost was worth it.
Yes, for theaters and any full range 2CH systems. If you do not have a basement, placing your speaker on a concrete slab is best. On the other hand, if you place a large speaker or sub-woofer(s) on a floor supported by wooden joists, the floor will easily vibrate and amplify the noise to the spaces below the floor. If you must use a wooden floor, you can try to isolate the speaker/sub to partially reduce the vibration. There are several ways to do this, but the most effective technique I’ve used for subs on an upper floor is a fully suspended in-wall unit that hangs on a rubber ball.
I hear this question a lot. My short answer is YES! You would be surprised at how easily people can tell the difference in small details. For example, when making small adjustments to the toe-in on a set of speakers, you will easily pick up on how the “stage” of the music is presented. I’ve heard the same statement countless times in the past 40 years, “I didn’t know music could sound this good”. Regardless of investment, when you pay attention to all the details, you will be able to tell the difference as well!
I hear you! I spent many days driving or flying around the country listening to audio systems in the 80’s. The value of “hearing” and “discerning” the differences between tubes or solid state, or one speaker to another cannot be understated. I have worked hard to do my part in bringing back the experience of going to a 2CH demo room and spending hours listening and comparing components in a setting that is not high pressure.
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