Audio room dimensions

Hello,
The larger room will benefit greatly by allowing you more flexibility to pull your speakers farther out from the back wall if needed. If they do well with minimum distance from the back wall, the larger room allows the listener more flexibility as to distance from the speakers and getting the audio gear (most likely along a side wall) farther away from the speakers. My basement room (13.5' x 18.5') is very close to your large dimensions and that extra length beyond 16' helps a lot in the ways I described above.
John

I just found out about a company that could probably help you: Auralex at www.truesoundcontrol.com. They offer free room analysis and recommendations (existing and unconstructed)as well as products. I'm going to give them a try. Good luck.

my stereo room is ~ 20' x 12'. I've lived in several different houses, and tried many rooms, this one is the best acoustically that I've had. You'll want that extra 3 ft so your chair doesn't need to be against the wall, and you have room to pull the speakers out into the room as Jafox says. Mine are 3 ft out from the wall, and my chair is 3 ft in from the back wall - which is what works best for me.

My room is in the basement as well and close to the dimensions you have, 14x20x7. The one thing I really really wish for (in the next house..) is a higher CEILING. While movies sound a-ok, seeing that Hollywood has no clue how to mix a soundtrack, audio feels a bit constrained. Still good, but could be a more open sound with higher ceilings.