It's been a busy week here at the Haven. Between appointments, I've been swapping gear in the two rooms I use for demoing. It's always interesting to hear how equipment sounds in one room from another, and being blessed with two very good- to- great rooms for acoustics, it can be a very exploratory process. Leveling equipment, for one thing, can be a challenge. Turntables, in particular, must be level, and it's not always easy. Racks can be heavy, gear isn't always easy to bend over or peer around. Speakers also benefit from leveling, and some, like the Vandersteen Quatros, demand it.
I also use this time to change out room furnishings, see what fits, listen to what fits. Room decor can be a bigger deal than you might think. When I first opened the shop here at home I had imagined that certain systems would go on one wall or another. Some panned out, others didn't. Even with those that didn't, it gives one a good example of why a certain room situation can be bad for sound. That's why I'm glad to see some of you take my advice and try your system on a better wall, or rearrange furniture. Of course there might be a partner or family dynamic to consider, or any number of reasons why you have to have a system in a certain spot or can't do some of the things I do here. But that's okay, if the system's working together, you should still get good music making. Take your time, sometimes room changes can take weeks or months to fiddle and get just right.
Or you may be like me, and try someone's tweak suggestion, think it sooo good at first, then after a period of listening realize you're way off and move it all back where it was. I've done that with room tuning, tweak products, any number of things audio related. One must try to push the boundaries, I say! Well, sometimes the old staples and methods work best. So while I encourage experimentation, as they used to say in the 70's, do be careful.
I also use this time to change out room furnishings, see what fits, listen to what fits. Room decor can be a bigger deal than you might think. When I first opened the shop here at home I had imagined that certain systems would go on one wall or another. Some panned out, others didn't. Even with those that didn't, it gives one a good example of why a certain room situation can be bad for sound. That's why I'm glad to see some of you take my advice and try your system on a better wall, or rearrange furniture. Of course there might be a partner or family dynamic to consider, or any number of reasons why you have to have a system in a certain spot or can't do some of the things I do here. But that's okay, if the system's working together, you should still get good music making. Take your time, sometimes room changes can take weeks or months to fiddle and get just right.
Or you may be like me, and try someone's tweak suggestion, think it sooo good at first, then after a period of listening realize you're way off and move it all back where it was. I've done that with room tuning, tweak products, any number of things audio related. One must try to push the boundaries, I say! Well, sometimes the old staples and methods work best. So while I encourage experimentation, as they used to say in the 70's, do be careful.
the beginning of a room change in my front listening room
someone always has to supervise speaker placement- a very particular set of ears we have here. When it pops into focus and sounds lifelike she'll sit up and tell me. Of course several sets of human ears come after that and give me the whats, hows, and whys of placement. You know the type. Everyone instantly becomes the Stereophile/Absolute Sound/HiFi+ speaker placement critic. Ah, what a hobby!
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