New listening room!!

Hello all, been ages since I been on here, rising rents in Brighton have forced me to move along the coast to Eastbourne, where for the price of a studio in Brighton I'm renting this rather grand 2 bed flat (yes 2 bed! Never had a spare room before). So this is my new lounge, hence listening room, about 18ft long I think, with high ceilings, what make you of its acoustic properties? it's on the second floor of an old building.

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Looks like a lot of potential there Mikey.

Yes, a lot of potential there.

Difficult to comment on the acoustics until you have a few sticks of furniture in place. When you have decided where you are going to place the speakers, and where you listening position will be, you can do the hand-clap test: moving around the room clapping your hands to hear how the room's reverberation changes. Then you will have some idea of what to do to deaden them.

Room looks like a good base to achieve good acoustics.

Good move Mike :) I would have thought the ideal would be to have your Lintons firing down the length of the room, but... who put that bloody door there? You could bring the speakers further into the room, or even have them against the long wall. A large blank canvas, no WAF to concern yourself with, exciting times ahead.

Gonna be interesting, haven't had a rectangular shaped room in ages, aren't they supposed to be the ideal shape? And yes having no WAF certainly leaves me a lot of freedom. Furniture wise I only got a sofa and the hifi stuff, oh and a shelf, lol, gonna be a bit bare. I'll get some curtains up.

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Originally Posted by Barry

Yes, a lot of potential there.

Difficult to comment on the acoustics until you have a few sticks of furniture in place. When you have decided where you are going to place the speakers, and where you listening position will be, you can do the hand-clap test: moving around the room clapping your hands to hear how the room's reverberation changes. Then you will have some idea of what to do to deaden them.

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How does this hand clap thing work again?

I've gone for putting the stereo along one of the long walls due to access and aesthetic issues (door, window), sounds ok, but hard to tell, keeping it quiet at the mo so as to not piss off neighbours. Doesn't help that's there's a generator all bloody day and evening every day booming across the square, complaint to the council already lodged! Hopefully its only temporary, its for a food stand.

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Looks great!

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Originally Posted by Macca

Looks great!

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Amazing what one can afford just 25 miles out of Brighton, for the same money you'd only get a cramped studio there. There are a few minor repairs I have to carry out though, it's not all positive, but yeh the lounge was why I took the flat.

I like the LP record case used as a support for the audio equipment - I use something similar myself.

Peter J Comeau, one time reviewer and now running IAG in Taiwan, always suggested arranging the speakers to 'fire' across a narrow room rather than down its length as you have done.

Have you done the 'hand clap' test yet, or are you waiting for things to settle down? Looking good so far. :)

Room looks great Mike, you've done well there :) Are they sliding sash windows? And is that a balcony outside? Is there room to sit outside? That would be perfect, glass of vino in the evening, watching the world go by with a bit of Bob Marley drifting out through the open window, or your morning coffee to set you up for the day...

But before you know it winter will be here, so you really will need some heavy curtains - that huge window will lose heat like a good 'un. They will also help calm down the inevitable reflections you'll get from the right hand speaker.

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Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony

But before you know it winter will be here, so you really will need some heavy curtains - that huge window will lose heat like a good 'un. They will also help calm down the inevitable reflections you'll get from the right hand speaker.

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Lilac ones are the best for absorbing room nodes and other things... :eyebrows:

Joking aside, that's about the optimum place to set everything up from trying in a similar flat a few years ago with a room of similar dimensions - looks good, Mike, and hope you enjoy your new home. :)

I realise that what I wrote in post 11 could be read as a little ambiguous. I want to make it clear that the arrangement of the equipment you have made is correct: having the speakers on the long wall and firing across to your listening position on the other side. This is exactly the arrangement as recommended by Peter J Comeau.

The only possible improvement might be to move the system a little to the left, away from the window. And of course, put up some heavy curtains for the window. :)

Add some prints on the walls and a couple of healthy house plants (experiment with placement) and I reckon you'll be there... just one thing, where is your telly?

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Originally Posted by Barry

I like the LP record case used as a support for the audio equipment - I use something similar myself.

Peter J Comeau, one time reviewer and now running IAG in Taiwan, always suggested arranging the speakers to 'fire' across a narrow room rather than down its length as you have done.

Have you done the 'hand clap' test yet, or are you waiting for things to settle down? Looking good so far. :)

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I thought it a pretty good space saving device.

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Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony

Room looks great Mike, you've done well there :) Are they sliding sash windows? And is that a balcony outside? Is there room to sit outside? That would be perfect, glass of vino in the evening, watching the world go by with a bit of Bob Marley drifting out through the open window, or your morning coffee to set you up for the day...

But before you know it winter will be here, so you really will need some heavy curtains - that huge window will lose heat like a good 'un. They will also help calm down the inevitable reflections you'll get from the right hand speaker.

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Indeed, I could never hope of renting a flat like this in Brighton, and after being in Eastbourne for just over a week now I don't miss the place one bit, overpriced and overcrowded. I will get some curtains, it's just the bloody size of the windows, gonna cost me a fortune!
The balcony's great, just finished cleaning it. No one else in the buidling seems to bother, I must be the poshest person here. :lol: I wasn't gonna drink tonight, but now you've mentioned wine.

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Originally Posted by Alex_UK

Lilac ones are the best for absorbing room nodes and other things... :eyebrows:

Joking aside, that's about the optimum place to set everything up from trying in a similar flat a few years ago with a room of similar dimensions - looks good, Mike, and hope you enjoy your new home. :)

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Cheers Alex, I did have to swap the sofa and hifi stuff to opposite sides of the room, as the neighbours have arrived (they seemed to be absent for my first week here), and with the sofa on the wall which connects to their flat I could hear their TV quite clearly, and I hate that, so I moved sofa to opposite wall, better now.

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Originally Posted by Barry

I realise that what I wrote in post 11 could be read as a little ambiguous. I want to make it clear that the arrangement of the equipment you have made is correct: having the speakers on the long wall and firing across to your listening position on the other side. This is exactly the arrangement as recommended by Peter J Comeau.

The only possible improvement might be to move the system a little to the left, away from the window. And of course, put up some heavy curtains for the window. :)

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All change now, neighbours making an appearance has caused me to swap sofa and hifi to opposite sides of room, perhaps speakers are better placed now?

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Now your neighbours might hear your records, which will no doubt be an improvement over what they hear on the TV.

So, tell me, what was the first record you played in your new abode? :)

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Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony

Add some prints on the walls and a couple of healthy house plants (experiment with placement) and I reckon you'll be there... just one thing, where is your telly?

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I can never decide which plants to buy, and if I do forget to water them. Telly I'm not so sure about, no wifi at the minute, so been watching DVDs, and just plonking TV in front of stereo when needed, but got my hands on a DVD of the Tudors yesterday for (20 pence!!) and I was dismayed at the jauntiness of the movement, that is when characters move , especially in a fast action scene, it looks to my eye unrealistic, I prefer the old tube TVs in that respect, and I'm thinking now of trying to get hold of one again. I know they're big and bulky but I might give it a try, does it still work with wifi though?

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Originally Posted by Barry

Now your neighbours might hear your records, which will no doubt be an improvement over what they hear on the TV.

So, tell me, what was the first record you played in your new abode? :)

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I can't remember, but I guess it was probably something from the ECM label, cos that's practically all I listen to these days.

Check out the charity shops for curtains, they usually have some.
Note down the size of the window first.

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Originally Posted by Firebottle

Check out the charity shops for curtains, they usually have some.
Note down the size of the window first.

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Good call this, have done the same many a time. You can pick up good quality ones for peanuts but if you don't carry the dimensions around with you at all times you don't know if they will fit. (I had them saved in a note in my phone and got a pair of c. 8' tall and 5' wide ones for the new loft for £3, they looked brand new and had the dark room lining stuff so were perfect.)

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Originally Posted by Firebottle

Check out the charity shops for curtains, they usually have some.
Note down the size of the window first.

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Every other shop in Eastbourne is a charity shop so I should be in luck!!!

Does moving to Eastbourne now mean you are officially old ??? :lol:

That’s a really nice space Mike. Enjoy !

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Originally Posted by rep

Does moving to Eastbourne now mean you are officially old ??? :lol:

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There are a lot of oldies here, but officially I could no longer afford Brighton, not unless I'd be happy living in one room.

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Originally Posted by Idlewithnodrive

That’s a really nice space Mike. Enjoy !

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Thanks, it's really decent lounge, rest of the flat is a bit shit, but I'm working on it.

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Originally Posted by Mikeandvan

There are a lot of oldies here, but officially I could no longer afford Brighton, not unless I'd be happy living in one room.

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Should have moved up here bet you could rent a 3 bed detached for the same as that flat. Although it does look like a good flat.

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Originally Posted by Mikeandvan

There are a lot of oldies here, but officially I could no longer afford Brighton, not unless I'd be happy living in one room.

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If the rent was the same, I'd still choose Eastbourne over Brighton, which to me looks like a cross between Club 18-30 and Ripley's Believe it or Not.

Brighton is ridiculous now I could just about manage a day trip there but I'm not sure I could stay a few nights without being driven round the bend. And I used to hang around in Camden and Soho most of the time when I moved to London after school.

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Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony

If the rent was the same, I'd still choose Eastbourne over Brighton, which to me looks like a cross between Club 18-30 and Ripley's Believe it or Not.

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Believe it or not, yeah, they're well through the looking glass. TBH Eastbourne's a bit dead, all the cafes close at 3pm, but I wasn't doing anything in Brighton anyway, just going to the same places everyday, here I've got better access to coastal walks and Hastings down the road, which is a bit livelier.

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Originally Posted by Lawrence001

Brighton is ridiculous now I could just about manage a day trip there but I'm not sure I could stay a few nights without being driven round the bend. And I used to hang around in Camden and Soho most of the time when I moved to London after school.

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It's way too busy these days, a victim of its own success, and that's just killed the vibe, now its full of dickheads in uber expensive cars blasting down the roads, its noisy as hell. And apart from a plethora of cafes, restaurants and pubs, it doesn't really have any major draws like a decent public art gallery or museum, unlike some of the seaside towns on the south coast.

fantastic view from those windows mike