As home décor trends evolve, noting a move away from cold whites and grays, homeowners have begun to crave a bit of warmth for themselves, namely from listening rooms. Learn about creating an optimal space, speaker options, and high-end to positively luxurious turntables. Next, add a few sturdy and time-honored pieces of vinyl to your collection.
Demand for Music Appreciation Amplified
Near the end of 2022, Good Housekeeping provided a sneak peek into interior design trends to watch in 2023, and listening rooms ranked as the most in-demand trend for the upcoming year. According to Livingetc, listening rooms can be created in even the tightest of spaces. Make Life Click shared a few tips to help designers and homeowners maximize the enjoyment in potential musical spaces. Five important considerations, according to the website, were speakers, room layout, placement, seating, soundproofing and/or sound absorption, and auxiliary equipment.
The most important factors, though, appear to be room layout and seating. Speaker location and furniture placement are crucial to the acoustic experience, as is the presence of windows. To create optimal sound experiences, audiophiles should always be mindful of window glass and keeping furniture in corners to avoid bass buildup.
Delivering Those Sweet, Sweet Sounds
To have truly memorable listening room experiences, audiophiles can choose from three types of speakers: standalone, bookshelf, or invisible. Standalone speakers are also referred to as tower speakers, though some may stand higher off the floor than others. Focal offers high-fidelity speakers that are not only attractive but also powerhouses of sound.
The Sopra collection, designed to create intense emotional experiences, provides patented sound profiles available in freestanding and bookshelf styles. Meridian offers regally-styled loudspeakers appropriate for both listening and to accompany video. The Special Edition DSP7200 boasts a one-piece outfit that delivers breathtaking quality and detail, ideal for small to medium-sized rooms.
For those who wish to maintain their home’s aesthetic, Bowers & Wilkins provides in-wall and in-ceiling solutions, creating listening rooms with few to no obstructions. Their 700 Series provides freestanding and bookshelf solutions as well.
For those whom space may be at a premium, Sonos offers both Arc and Ray soundbars as bookshelf solutions. Paired with amps and subwoofers, this bookshelf solution delivers crisp, full-bodied sound to a listening space. Sonos’ sleek style also fits with any room’s décor. The company also offers Sonance in-wall speakers as an unobtrusive solution. The new Sonance Invisible Series brings that luxury a step further with the option to be built into walls or ceilings, and then completed with finishing compound, plaster, wallpaper, or wood veneer. Sonance also offers optional enclosures to reduce sound transfer to adjacent rooms.
Spinning Music’s Greatest Hits
Turntables have, luckily for audiophiles, made quite a comeback, and manufacturers have provided a great selection of high-end turntable options. Rega offers the Planar 3 Turntable featuring a premounted Elys 2 MM cartridge. Rega spent two full years redesigning the Planar 3 after several generations of previous versions. The Planar 3 has upgraded its predecessor’s ergonomics, usability, and sonic performance.
If a listening room is thirsting for style, VPI Industries – presenting American-crafted, fully handmade, showstopping turntables – may have the perfect complement. From the understated, yet elegant Scout 21, to the striking lines of the Avenger, VPI provides art-quality, sonically-sophisticated tables. If a Mediterranean look is more a homeowner’s style, Gold Note, a multi-award-winning audio manufacturer, provides attractive alternatives. The Pianosa, for example, delivers superior sound with soothing curves and is available in an Italian Walnut finish.
Vinyl has, alongside turntables, made a roaring comeback as well, and Sound Matters has created a list of the 30 Essential Records Every Collector Should Own. The list includes time-honored classics like Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” “The Doors,” and “Thriller,” as well as newer voices like Wu-Tang Clan’s “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” and Oasis’ “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” Victrola, a name synonymous with vinyl for decades, released their list as well, 100 Essential Albums to Own on Vinyl.
Responsive Living, the term coined by Acoustic Architects founders, Aaron Flint and Spencer Hauldren, is the concept of seamlessly enhancing the client’s unique lifestyle using smart home technology. Responsive Living allows you to interact with your space via touch input, voice command, and predictive automation, placing you in full control of your home.
If you would like to learn more about integrating new systems into your smart home system, feel free to connect with us. We will be happy to schedule a demo with you.
For more information, visit acousticarchitects.net.
Like what you read? Spread the word and share on LinkedIn.