Who has solved the HVAC air noise problem?


I am in the redesign stage of a totally dedicated listening room which will inlcude tube amp, pre-amp and cd player. The reconstruction will include a flat ceiling and tons of sound isolation and insulation. The central air system for the house with constant air flow produces way too much background noise and hum through the vents. I want to add a separate dedicated a/c system for just this room (25Lx15W x 9.5H). I am looking for the advice of those who have managed to baffle internally in the ducts sufficiently to eliminate the air flow noise and machine hum, while still having an effective a/c system. I want an invisable a/c system with five overhead vents. Duct size should not be a problem as the walls will be at least 12" thick at one end. I presume that fiberglass or lined/insulated sheet metal with all surfaces covered are the way to go. BUT, I really don't know. What I know is that I want to be able to never hear the environment, only the music.

All thoughts welcome including my obvious need for more therapy.

Bill E.
lakefrontroad

Showing 1 response by unclejeff

Another suggestion is to put your system into a cabinet with an independant cooling/air flow system. Your room will always need air conditioning so I am not suggesting you do without, but if you were to build a cabinet for your system that has a vent coming if from below and then a vent at the top you can use a remote(attic) fan to move the air. This will avoid adding excess heat to the room during the summer and you can not use it during the winter when you want the extra heat.

All of the above suggestions using baffles,etc. can work but today's 'high efficiency' systems might not be able to force enough cooling air around all of your modifications to keep the air flowing at comfortable levels. One solution to this is to get a central blower that is well over-rated for the square footage of your house. Be very careful when restricting air flow: you might wind up outsmarting yourself and creating the a very quiet room....from hell.