Popcorn Ceiling vs Smooth

I had a smooth ceiling in my living room where my stereo resides and had a popcorn ceiling put in instead. I could hear no difference in the sound.

You should get some diffusion of the higher frequencies with a pop corn ceiling but unless you have really high res stuff, an optimized listening room, really well developed listening skills, and are a bit on the anal side of neutral, you would probably hear no difference. :-)

Is there a fashionable modern form of popcorn ceiling? I have not seen it but perhaps there is. I would have a hard time wanting popcorn these days due to dated appearance.

I suspect it would have a sonic impact only if ceiling is low, and even then it would be tradeoffs.

If you go smooth and find the room too lively, you could mount small decorative carpets on the wall. Or find other means - throw rugs, upholstered furniture) to control it.