The general thoughts that went into the overall plan in designing this room was to accommodate not only audio but video.  The acoustic plan was to eliminate as many parallel surfaces as possible.  The side walls are skewed out by 2” from front to back to help reduce slap echos.  Both the front and the back of the room incorporate a curve design that would help scatter sound.  I replicated the ceiling design from a concert hall in Osaka, Japan.  The ceiling to floor dimension at the front of the room, 11.5 feet, expanded in five different planes to 17.5 feet at the rear of the room. 

The walls of the room were built with 12” cinderblock.  Durawall wire reinforcement was incorporated in between each vertical course.  A 1” rebar was inserted into every other vertical cavity and then the cavities were filled solid with 3500 PSI pea gravel concrete.  The walls were framed with 2 x 6  studs on 12” centers.  Purlins were inserted and spaced 48” apart in each vertical cavity. 

A dedicated 200 Amp service supplied all the power requirement for lighting, HVAC, wall outlets, and dedicated 220 volt outlets for all of the equipment.  Fiberglass insulation was then installed in the walls before ¾” plywood sheeting was glued and screwed over all of the studs.  Two layers of 5/8” fire code sheetrock were then glued, with Durabond 90, and screwed to the ¾” plywood. 

The ceiling was built using trusses on 16” centers spanning from the front to the rear of the room.  The trusses were designed with a space varying from 10” to 24” in between the top and bottom cords.  This space was designed to accommodate additional insulation, lighting, and HVAC.  The ceiling was finished using ¾” tongue and groove western ridge cedar.  This was glued and stapled to the trusses.  The floor was poured using 3500 PSI concrete to a thickness of 8”. 

The finished trim in the room was done in 18th century motif that incorporated a combination of hardwood raised panels and appropriately painted trim.  Hardwood tongue and groove flooring was applied over a ¾” plywood substrate glued and fastened to the concrete floor. 

The main electronics in this system mostly come from Krell.  I have always been a fan of their electronic design and robust construction.  Their reputation for quality electronics made my choices easy.  The choice of additional electronics pretty much fell in line and the choices can be viewed in my list. 

From the time the room was finished until present, I have had four different loudspeaker systems starting with a pair of Electro Voice Patricians I built 50 years ago.  Being a DIY guy, I always built loudspeaker systems that were tailored to my personal sonic choices rather than having to settle for speaker systems designed by others for mass appeal. 

Being an audiophile, I am always searching for better sound and the equipment it takes to experience better sonic satisfaction.  The only limitation is my lovely wife Sue.