The importance of looks in our rooms

[Alrainbow]

how important is the overall look of your system over its sound.
Many here and. Elsewhere have some spectacular rooms.
But anyroom setup has tradeoffs over looks
how much do we afford for sound over looks.
How important is looks overall.
My own room is a blight to look at so bad I don't know any worse to look at. But while walls are not finished I do see others that the room is finished but jammed with stuff lol.
Let's commmet on the level of importance of the aspects of great sound meets great looks.

[Jtycho]

The overall environment of my room is important to me. Not as much the look of the gear but just the feel of the room. No matter how great the sound, if the room isn't inviting, I won't want to be in it.

[dcc]

My audio room is also the living room. It is not a man's cave but a family room. I had to go for some tradeoffs with a very strict rule that the system had to be confined to the first quarter of the total room's length (OK I admit that I cheated on that one as it occupies a little bit more). I also had to go for sleek loudspeakers (height not being an issue in a barn), limited rack space and the least visually intrusive acoustic treatment. Still I have achieved getting a very satifying and enjoyable sound. I believe that I stroke the right balance.

I would have a man's cave, looks would still be an important factor as the room has be to engaging and be an invitation to sit, listen and relax.

[JackD201]

I don't believe there need be trade-offs between the looks of a room, the looks of the equipment and the sound of the whole thing together. It just requires more thought in planning and discipline in execution. I forced my ID to work around the requirements of my acoustician. It helped that I knew exactly what I wanted from both of them.

My room serves both as private sanctuary and as a place for entertaining. I've been told it is better than any private bar or club save of course that you aren't going to be bumping into much less get friendly with any strangers LOL. Yet with turn of the light controls and the quick positioning of an ottoman, it can transform into a place for solitary tranquility even if I am alone in a fairly large space. No "alone in a chapel" effect.

For me atmosphere is about mainly 5 things. Color, Light, Texture, Flow and Climate Control. If you can match say your speaker's looks with a theme that makes them an integral part of the envisioned environment then there are no sacrifices to be had on looks. Whether that theme is thoroughly modern or anything else, acoustics need not make your room look like bandages on a burn victim. Big Tannoys look great in Victorian settings. Bill's red Duos look great in his room with eastern motifs. Bob's Alexias totally blend in with his monochromatic vineyard estate theme. Marty's Pipedreams looked great in both his rooms. So on and so forth.

Again it just takes the will to make it happen. Professional help is just phone call or an email away.

[don]

The importance of looks of the room should be secondary as to how it makes one feel, that alone will determine whether the looks are acceptable.
I have been on construction projects where the looks were paramount as it was a Trophy ( some of them cost several million dollars), but I would not say that I was comfortable in them. ( that does not mean that the owner wasn't )

If one is comfortable in the room and it is functional sound wise that is all that matters. I would rather have a functional room that has great sound than a trophy room that suffered because aesthetics took priority. That being said, there are plenty of over the top rooms that have unbelievable sound that makes one feel comfortable, that is what ART is all about.

If one can sit in their room and browse through their media, read a magazine, fiddle about or take a snooze , that's what a man cave is all about.

[JackD201]

how important is the overall look of your system over its sound.
Many here and. Elsewhere have some spectacular rooms.
But anyroom setup has tradeoffs over looks
how much do we afford for sound over looks.
How important is looks overall.
My own room is a blight to look at so bad I don't know any worse to look at. But while walls are not finished I do see others that the room is finished but jammed with stuff lol.
Let's commmet on the level of importance of the aspects of great sound meets great looks.

You might be surprised how good your room and your IRS' might look with nothing but the right color paint on your walls Al. A dark rich earth tone to make your wings' finish pop would be easy. To take it over the top, some lighting, a few good pieces of furniture and a good looking rug.

[JackD201]

The importance of looks of the room should be secondary as to how it makes one feel, that alone will determine whether the looks are acceptable.
I have been on construction projects where the looks were paramount as it was a Trophy ( some of them cost several million dollars), but I would not say that I was comfortable in them. ( that does not mean that the owner wasn't )

If one is comfortable in the room and it is functional sound wise that is all that matters. I would rather have a functional room that has great sound than a trophy room that suffered because aesthetics took priority. That being said, there are plenty of over the top rooms that have unbelievable sound that makes one feel comfortable, that is what ART is all about.

If one can sit in their room and browse through their media, read a magazine, fiddle about or take a snooze , that's what a man cave is all about.

Nothing looks good in a trophy room! Yechhh! That's not looks. That's just poor taste! look and feel need to come hand in hand.

[Bill Hart]

I think the answer is obviously going to vary, and part of it, leaving aside optimum set-up, is the subjective nature of aesthetics.
Without getting into an Elle Decor mode, I personally:
-don't like looking at equipment when I'm listening- it is a reminder of the machinery behind the illusion;
-prefer open airy spaces rather than dark, cave-like rooms.
I know that light usually means glass, which is the devil for sound, but there are work-arounds.
I still have too much clutter in terms of artifacts in my room, but I like old industrial design and objects, so an ancient Smiths speedometer (probably weighs more than an entire car dashboard today), various vintage airplane gauges, books, some art and an assortment of tools, old and new, sit on top of various record shelves. I have a fine old rug in the room which we've owned for many years.
I think each of these rooms is a personal statement or at least a reflection of the owner's taste and priorities. Who am I to judge that?
Most of my listening is done solo, so I'm the one who has to be pleased. If the room is inviting to others, that's great, but far from my first priority.
I'd probably be happy in a Frankenstein lab if it sounded good, but that would violate my first principle stated above.

[Bill Hart]

Professional help is just phone call or an email away.

I wonder if big cities have shrinks who specialize in audiophile "clients."

[JackD201]

I was waiting for that! LOL!

[MylesBAstor]

I do know one audiophile shrink.

[cpp]

Makes sense, there is just so much delusion, self doubt, compulsive changing of gear that a shrink or a priest could be required to intervene to save one's sanity or soul.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Those who have seen my room (in pics) have my answer. At the moment it's not important to me.

[don]

I wonder if big cities have shrinks who specialize in audiophile "clients."

Myles has a PHD and he is an audiophile so possibly this would be a side career for him.

[Mike Lavigne]

I spend 30-35 hours a week in my dedicated listening room. I'm a bit OCD and need order and calm, as a balance to the chaos at work ; so my room reflects my own comfort zone.

when i was designing my room and speaking to the designer and contractor, i told them i wanted a lighter natural sort of feel......so instead of paint it's all hardwood, but a light maple, and light flooring carpet and wood. over 12 years it seems to have aged well and i still am comfortable with it.

I'm as 'all-in' in this hobby as pretty much anybody, and went 'all-in' on the room. but i also sold my previous house and moved to this property mostly because of the barn to use. so it is/was important. i can't say it's more important than other aspects of my system. but it's important.

the answer to the question is that like anything it's complicated.

and maybe the whole idea of music and humans is like rooms and humans......your environment and how your senses react to it is important. it has to work for your life.

when my room is a mess, or I'm changing things......it is important to me to get it cleaned up and back to my own comfort zone.

i do miss my windows and view......too bad it sounds better with the inserts. that was a case where the look took a back seat to the performance.

[MylesBAstor]

Mike's room is the diametrical opposite of mine! 😂

[jcmusic]

My room is very symmetrical and I like it that way, it is very important to me for it to be clean and tidy. Sound quality is of the up most importance but, so is the looks and feel of my room. It is small and everything has it's place it also is part of the house even though nothing else is done in it except listening...

[1morerecord2clean]

I live in a two bedroom condo. My wife and I aren't big dining room people so a small table set off of our kitchen suffices for us plus a counter with a couple of chairs. Our real dining space, part of our living room is my audio space so that space is integral with the aesthetics of our living room. It pleases me and my wife so all is well.

[Alrainbow]

I spend 30-35 hours a week in my dedicated listening room. I'm a bit OCD and need order and calm, as a balance to the chaos at work ; so my room reflects my own comfort zone.

when i was designing my room and speaking to the designer and contractor, i told them i wanted a lighter natural sort of feel......so instead of paint it's all hardwood, but a light maple, and light flooring carpet and wood. over 12 years it seems to have aged well and i still am comfortable with it.

I'm as 'all-in' in this hobby as pretty much anybody, and went 'all-in' on the room. but i also sold my previous house and moved to this property mostly because of the barn to use. so it is/was important. i can't say it's more important than other aspects of my system. but it's important.

the answer to the question is that like anything it's complicated.

and maybe the whole idea of music and humans is like rooms and humans......your environment and how your senses react to it is important. it has to work for your life.

when my room is a mess, or I'm changing things......it is important to me to get it cleaned up and back to my own comfort zone.

i do miss my windows and view......too bad it sounds better with the inserts. that was a case where the look took a back seat to the performance.

I have to ask this question and in no way am I being synical jealous or an asshoke In general.
What do you do in your room for that many hours.
Do you mean you sit and just listen ?
Is there a work desk like mine behind my seats ?
Experimentig on cancer cures this I would like info on.
Do do excersize in there ?
lastly crack lol. That might account for the fixation of being in the room hahahahha.
While I am curious plesse know it's just a question and no meaning in a harmful way. Your always a kind person in replies and I want to be the same.