Listening room ceiling type?

Hey Tom - I've just gone through a renovation and did research some of this stuff, though I did not end up putting my listening room in the basement as I thought I might. Anyway, the best approach if you have a ceiling that low, and this is a second-hand suggestion from an authority on such things so take it with the usual grain of salt you may with any advice you receive here, is to leave the joist bays open and do not use any drywall or panel covering. Stuff the bays with the (uncovered) insulation of your choice. There is a more expensive, very dense almost wool-like insulation that we used upstairs in our home that is the best solid insulation for sound dampening (better still is blown-in but that may not be a good idea if you are leaving it uncovered). So you leave the insulation exposed and hang some kind of fabric beneath it to cover the ceiling and keep it sealed up. The combination fabric and insulation will be much better at deadening that low reflective surface than just hanging fabric over hard drywall. If you must do drywall I'd consider blown-in insulation and a more agressive acoustic treatment attached to the ceiling such as those sold by RPG.

Marco

Suggest you forget the drywall ceiling, and use acoustical tiles, which are not called acoustical for nothing. I used Roxul bats, and Celotex tiles that are 2x4' but made with a groove to look like 2x2'. One three inch Roxul bat is plenty. Use lengths of steel wire cut an eighth of an inch longer than the distance between joists to hold the Roxul up against the floor. Leave an airspace between the Roxul and Celotex. Avoid flourescent (sp?) lights; use recessed lights instead. There's a rule or formula for spacing recessed lights to prevent shadows on the walls. I used this approach. It has many benefits. e.g., sound doesn't travel to the main floor; ceiling is practically transparent acoustically for good vertical soundstaging; combination of bats, airspace, tiles, grid, joists, and lighting make for good absorption and diffusion; and it's easy to remove tiles if needed for pipe, electrical, heating, etc., repairs.
Good luck
Jay

I wouldn't go with a drop ceiling: Too much shaking around. If burlap is OK with you, I would go with Marco's suggestion: Use sound insulation (like what you were thinking about) between the joists up against the ceiling and leave an air space. An effectively taller ceiling will give you better acoustics and you can add half a foot of height with the burlap approach.