ROOM SIZE QUESTION


I am looking to buy another home and wish to have a "media room" for stereo and big-screen TV. One home currently on the market has a room that is 16x14 with a 10'ceiling. Seems like something longer would be better (maybe 20x14??) but looking for other's experience with a similar room size. Also, a few comments as far as seating placement, speaker placement and TV placement (relative to this room and to each other) would be helpful.

Thanks
Jim
jimbo3

Showing 1 response by sdcampbell

Jim:

The question you raise must be considered in light of at least two factors (though other factors may also be relevant):
1. whether the smaller (16' x 14') room will be as good as a larger (20' x 16') room for your audio/video needs;
2. the resources (i.e., money and time) you have to invest.

The answer to the first issue can be partially resolved by consulting the "Master Handbook" referenced above. However, all other things being equal, the somewhat larger room will provide a better environment for a full audio/video system. The 16' x 14' room is small enough that it will confine you in your choices of speakers and video playback. As an example, my system is installed in a 17' x 13' room which serves as the combo living room / home entertainment area, and it would definitely benefit from being larger. If I were able at this time to remodel, I'd want a room that is -- at minimum -- 20' x 15', with a ceiling height of about 10'.

The other half of the equation is time and money. No matter which room size you choose, you will probably need to do some "optimizing" with appropriate acoustic treatment (such as carpeting/padding, "Room Tunes", etc.). Some of this you can do for yourself. If you build a custom home, or buy a new home that allows some modifications being moving in, you may want to have a professional home audio/video installer assist you. Again, however, all things being equal, the somewhat larger room will normally allow you to assemble a better home theater / audio system than the smaller room. At the very least, the larger room will accommodate more people/viewers comfortably -- it's not much fun to build a good HT system and then have to stuff people into an inadequate viewing/listening area.