I also had an outdoor antenna with a rotor installed for my tuner, and when I was not paying attention, the installer grounded the antenna to the closest copper plumbing. Left unchecked this would produce an annoying ground loop hum. To rectify the potential problem, I placed two 75 to 300 Ohm converters back to back and lifted the ground to the tuner. Since the antenna was still grounded properly to the main house ground, this ground lift between the antenna ground and the stereo was not a violation of code or safety (again, work to be completed by qualified professionals). Continuing my enthusiasm, I put all the room's pot lights on four separate switches to allow control of overall lighting without dimmers (a major cause of undesirable grain).

With the walls framed and the electrical duties complete, it was time to start the drywall. I chose 5/8" (or 'fire code') weighing 75 lbs. per sheet. The total order was close to 5000 lbs.! I hung the drywall with some friends and waited for a drywall professional to finish the job. The load bearing post needed a cover, which can be bought at any good hardware store. To treat it properly I used a few cans of low expansion insulating foam and filled the covers before I put it up (visualize a big banana split with lots of whipped cream). It was during this time that I found an old Home Mechanics magazine with an excellent article on wainscoting. They made it look so easy! I decided to install over 140 linear feet of wainscoting and stain it to match my speakers. I did this myself and it took months, but with the right tools and patience it can be very rewarding. The custom LP and CD (and now DVD/VHS) shelves and cabinets in the software room were stained to match the wainscoting. The carpet with heavy duty under pad was installed and to top that off, a nice leather couch.

Finally, the room was 'tuned' for reflections. Eliminating early reflections without over damping the room will provide an increased sense of detail and spaciousness. The easiest way to calculate the delay of these reflections is to measure the distance between your speaker and listening position and then, with a friend and a mirror, locate the reflection points on the side wall, rear wall, ceiling and floor. Each extra foot traveled by the reflection compared to the direct sound equals one millisecond (not exactly, but pretty close and easy to remember and work with). Therefore, the further your speakers are from your side and rear walls, the easier it is to tame some of these early reflections. Later reflections are usually not so much of a problem, as studies have shown reflections with delays between 15 and 45ms are pleasing and give an added sense of spaciousness to the sound. Longer delayed reflections (50ms. and greater) can give an echo effect (remember your high school auditorium?) These reflections, however, are fairly difficult to achieve in a home environment.

I treated the primary reflections with Sonex absorption sheets -- the carpet seemed ample to tame the floor reflection. I left the sidewall reflections unchecked. Some may prefer a more precise soundstage, but for my taste, leaving the side reflections gave the soundstage a wider presentation. After a few months of listening I found a few rattling pot light fixtures (when I was listening at higher volumes) and silenced them with a little foam insulation. For the inveterate audiophile, the tweaking never stops!

So, how does the room make my system sound? Fantastic! The detail, speed and articulation are amazing. My Infinity Beta's really needed a room this big. The planers (which handle 100 Hz. and up) are 8 ft from the rear wall and 9 feet apart; I sit 11 feet in front of them. As the large woofer columns can finally breathe, the soundstage is huge in depth and width. The woofers are tighter, faster, more articulate, and go deeper than I thought possible.

I am still fine-tuning my speaker placement and am discovering small but (for me) significant improvements. As an enthusiastic audiophile, I can honestly say this was one of the most powerful upgrades I have made. I encourage you to research what makes a great listening room by reading the books and articles listed below. They are highly recommended.