Do people don't care or don't know?

what astounds me is how good the cheap equipment now is

people don't know that for about 1700$ you can have something that will bring far more satistaction than the 1500 computor, 400 dollar ipod, and hundreds for compressed to hell downloaded mp3 mp4 crap. i have the dared vp-16 (359$), the mmf-5 tt (600), the heart cd player (i payed 750) and a wright preamp (900) driving ciare ch 250 open baffles. to do it over i would use a onix cd (300) and a hagerman bugle (200) saving 1150.

also a shame that the houses are not built with acoustics in mind. the dumbass magazines do a disservice to themselves picturing midfi equipment in hard modern ultraclean rooms glass,hardwood floors, and vast expanses of wallboard. the american livingrooms could be so much better for sound than the small european parlours but nobody has clue one.

to jimlevitt i realize that you may have had a particular vision of what a living room should look like, or perhaps the idea was sprung from the fertile mind of an interior decorator or architect. and your question is certainly legitimate and earnest. but is having an echoey cave for a living room conducive to domestic harmony? I do not have a living room, my shop is my living room, and i have no stereo in my apartment in the back. the building is made of cinderblock and glass, the shop are is 20 x 30 with 10 ceilings. there are some irregular shapes in the room so it has potential. i upgraded my system alot before i tried adding some absorbant material to the walls and ceiling. i have made some hanging panels to go on the walls, and four large cotton print tapestries are suspended from the ceiling. there is expanded polyester (quilt batting) above each print. the sound goes through the print , hits the ceiling, and is then absorbed again on it's way down. the stereo was playing when they were placed, and i could hear a major difference with each one. the little triangular panels that go into the corners can do alot for the sound without being very obtrusive visually. the corners act as amplifiers for the bass boom and alot can be done there with little material. if you cut an opening window into an adjoining room that will absorb alot of sound and may look ok to you. you might make certain that your rug is very absorbant; try wool. bass equalization will reduce the dominant room modes but nothing will substitute for proper damping. my open baffles are mounted from the ceiling and so are angled downward, so the sound is pointed at more absorbant areas. if the speakers are on the floor and are tilted up, the sound my strike off harder surfaces such as glass or sheetrock. do not put a ton of money into your system until you are willing to address the room because your money is thrown away. sealed speakers have less boom than ported. stuff a tennis ball or something in the ports of the subs. get the speakers away from the walls and corners. get a set of headphones so you can hear what your gear is really capable of. good luck - i hope i have helped - i tried.