Wife suggests the "Big D"

I can't believe it has been 2 years since I got the go ahead and seriously started to think bout building a dedicated music room and started this thread.

The whole thing kind of snowballed into a complete renovation with additions with the music room moving down the list of rooms to complete. By the time I finalized by design and took it to a drafting service to make it look professional we didn't start construction until mid December of 2011 and are about 70% finished. The livingroom is 95% completed and with the furniture back I have set up a pair of ElectroMotions for mains, Helos 100s for side and rear and my Logos for center for TV. My CLSs have been in storage since construction started so having music again is wonderful.

The ElectroMotions are very impressive. I never would have expected that much sound from a speaker that size. Very tight bass, crisp clean imaging even with the large TV cabinet between them. The woofer and panel really do blend well. Much better than my SL3s ever did though that may have been environment who knows.
They have no trouble filling a large room with an even balance. No part of the music over powers the other. A volume that seems fine in the TV area expands to be quite loud by the time it reaches the kitchen.

Once I finish the doors and drawers in the kitchen and screen the front porches I will be on to the music room.

You can figure out which picture is the future music room with the windows removed.
Every wifes dream to spend 13 months in one room with no windows and black plastic covering insulation.

Great attention to detail. Very nicely done. I love the ceiling.

Nice looking pad you got there and I bet it will be awesome when your own music rooms up and running. Do you find the subs overpowering those electromotions ?

Thanks for the comments guys.

The only time you really know the subs are doing something is during a TV show/movie when you hear booms or things to low for them. Most of the time they are adding to the sound but not dominating. I guess it's a matter of balancing subs with mains.

I'm starting to think about some of the construction details of the room while still working on the rest of the house.

I have ended up with the original room in the first drawing that is 15'-11" x 23'-6", All of the windows have been removed so glass reflection is not an issue now. The entrance to the room is the door at the back of the room and it now opens to a hallway.

My first issue is that I need to raise and level the floor to match the new hallway. This will mean framing a new floor that be about 4" in height on top of the existing floor.

What exists is double 2x8's 16" on center with fiberglass insulation between, 2 layers of 1/2" plywood over the top and 5/8" drywall on the underside. I will be resting my new floor framing on that, insulation between joists and adding 3/4" plywood on top. The finish floor will most likely be hardwood and a rug at the listening end.

Should I cut holes through the 2 layers of plywood so there isn't two separate cavities to cause an issue with bass in the room.

If anyone can think of another issue I might encounter with 2 floor sandwich please comment.

Finally, I've started construction on my room.
I added a window center at the end of the room where the speakers will be. My wife asked me dozen or more times to please put a window in even if it had movable acoustical panels over it. She's afraid with no cross ventilation even though there is new A.C. the it will end up smelling like a, well, funky man room.

Pictures show:

beginning of demo
new floor framing to match hallway floor height
conduit for interconnects to amps from equipment location
new plywood over insulated floor framing

Next I'll frame the soffit around the room that will become a bass trap and change the ceiling by adding new framing over the existing.

Can't wait to see/hear it in action! My own family/listening room/kitchen remodel has been pushed back to January, as my wife "added on" a master bath remodel first!

Looks like we both "capitulated" to the "Happy Wife = Happy Life" mantra! :ROFL:

Framing of ceiling and soffit is completed.
I now will move A.C. ducting to the angled ceiling and rough in the recessed lighting.
Dry wall people coming this Saturday to give me a price for the ceiling area.

Ceiling is insulated and the first pieces of drywall are in place.
The AC has been moved to the new ceiling from the old wall area.
All of the lighting is operating and I hope to continue drywall on ceiling tomorrow.

I received a price of $1600 to drywall and smooth finish the ceiling from the company that I used in the rest of the house. It seemed high to me and I don't want to start looking for another person that will do the quality I'm looking for so it is back to doing it my self. Oh well, thats construction but I will save $1400.

The bass trap soffits are filled 25" high and 24" wide on the sides and the end could only take 18" wide and 8" high although I compressed the fiberglass so it is more like 10".

Man I can't wait it will be 2 years in December since I packed up my system.

Patience, grasshopper!

The room is looking good Brad!

Ceiling finished and primed.
Gluing up wood frames for the walls.

Wall and soffit frames finished. Painting completed ready for carpet.

Looking good! When does the carpet arrive?

Should have carpet installed later today.
I am now working on the acoustic panels that will cover all of the openings of the wall and soffit frames.
I may start bringing the equipment back in this weekend. installing the panels should not be a problem with it set up.
I will probably be sitting on a folding chair but just to have music in there again will be worth it.

A few minor details to finish but 99% finished. The carpet and acoustical fabric are actually the just about the same color. Not as olive as the carpet looks but not as gray as the fabric. I will post more about sound shortly.

The final chair and eqipment stand are still to come but I'm not in any rush.

It is so good to have music again.

That said, I'm now back outside finishing the porches, but the end is in site.

WOW!!! Looks Freakin AWESOME!!!!

Holy moly! Gorgeous!

So.... how does it SOUND?

Looks great!

That looks really good! But we don't really care how it looks here on MLO - how does it sound?