Enter to Win: Rives Audio Test CD 2

[Tom Andry]

Rives is giving away three (3) Rives Audio Test CD 2 this month in our dedicated forum contest.

To be eligible to win, you must: 1) Be a registered Audioholics forum member, 2) Have USA or Canadian Residence 3) Answer the question in this contest thread:

Contest Question: When designing a home theater or media room for acoustical purposes there are three aspects to consider in the project. Sonic Benefit, Aesthetics, and Budget. Everyone has a different threshold for each, and while many of us would love to have the all out assault on a great home theater, that's just not the real world and budget is important. Likewise, if the media room is also the family room or living room, attention to aesthetics and keeping with the architecture may be very important.

If you were going to acoustically "renovate" your media room how important would each of these three items be. Give each a percentage so that the combined would add up to 100%. Please explain why you answered the way you did.

Note this contest ends on February 28th 2006. Winners will be drawn shortly thereafter

Have fun and good luck!

 

[cjgdiver]

33 1/3 33 1/3 and 33 1/3

As far as asthetics the significant other and quite honesly re-sell of the home play a significant role in the decisions. Clearly someone buying the house will not appreciate either the equipment or the acoustical treatments in the room.

Acoustics, I am probably the onlyone in my household that will appreciate the acoustics. My wife whom I love dearly, will listen to here clock radio when there is a 5 speaker bose system 5' away. Again most people purchasing a home will not give any credit here.

Equipment, while this is all my decision it has to share the remaining 66 2/3's of the budget with acoustics.

Seeing as I have completly blow the budget on equipment, my wife has blown the budget on furnishings it stands to reason that the asthetics and acoustics will also be over bugdet. More than likely it will end up being 1/3 a 1/3 and a 1/3.

 

[Mr. Lamb Fries]

Sonic Benefit, 50% to me this is the most important

Aesthetics, 10% Dont really consider when looking to purchase

Budget. 40% Obvious determing factor if i can can pull the trigger or not. If I cant afford what I would like to get, I will hold off until I can.

 

[Bryce_H]

I just went through this exercise while building a dedicated HT in the basement, I put the most emphasis on balancing sonic benfit within an appropriate budget. Aesthetic are minimal since it is a dedicated HT. Mostly paint and room design. Plus who is going to see anything aestheticly once the lights go down

So my break down is:

Sonic benfit: 60%
Budget: 35%
Aesthetics: 5%

 

[adwilk]

I really do think that all really play a part in the whole experience... I find a that an eyesore is really hard to listen to objectively for what-ever reason. I like a very seamless/integrated look... this in some cases actually means less money and certainly less sonic benefit... believe it or not, i would say this:

Aesthetics-55
Sonic Benefit-30
Budget-15

 

[jonnythan]

Budget 50% I'm on a strict budget, so this is the overriding concern.

Aesthetics 20% They gotta look nice, but that's not all that important.

Sonic benefit 30% Duh.

 

[Duffinator]

Sonic benfit: 50%
Budget: 25%
Aesthetics: 25%

Sound is always the most important with budget and aesthetics being about equal as I want my room to look nice for the budget I have to spend.

 

[supervij]

Sonic Benefit: 50%
Budget: 35%
Aesthetics: 15%

Obviously, the most important thing is how the darn thing sounds. If I can't find something that sounds good, what's the point? Budget is a big concern, but if it's too pricey for me, and I really really really want it, I'll just wait a bit, save up, and then buy it. Aesthetics is a bit of a concern. I've a girlfriend who likes for things to look pretty, and to appease her, I will try to buy the prettiest equipment, as long as it sounds good and is priced well. And I do like for things to look good as well; it's just nowhere near as important as how the gear sounds.

cheers,
supervij

 

[s002wjh]

Sonic Benefit, 40% to me this is the most important, if I spend that much money on it I want try to get the best result.

Aesthetics, 10% Dont really consider when looking to purchase

Budget. 50% Obvious get the best bang for the buck

 

[KC23]

Rives is giving away three (3) Rives Audio Test CD 2 this month in our dedicated forum contest.

To be eligible to win, you must: 1) Be a registered Audioholics forum member, 2) Have USA or Canadian Residence 3) Answer the question in this contest thread:

Contest Question: When designing a home theater or media room for acoustical purposes there are three aspects to consider in the project. Sonic Benefit, Aesthetics, and Budget. Everyone has a different threshold for each, and while many of us would love to have the all out assault on a great home theater, that's just not the real world and budget is important. Likewise, if the media room is also the family room or living room, attention to aesthetics and keeping with the architecture may be very important.

If you were going to acoustically "renovate" your media room how important would each of these three items be. Give each a percentage so that the combined would add up to 100%. Please explain why you answered the way you did.

Note this contest ends on February 28th 2006. Winners will be drawn shortly thereafter

Have fun and good luck!

Sonic Benefit 50%
Aesthetics 35%
Budget 15%

A lot of money is involved in getting a better sound when purchasing speakers and receivers. How could one not also want to make the room as condusive to a better sound by improving the aqoustics of the room.

Aesthetics is nearly as important to those of us who want things to look as professional as it sounds.

Has to be reasonably priced, but improving the overall sound quality without making the room look like a college dorm room is job one.

 

[opcode1300]

Sonic Benefit:42.5%
Sound is the point of home theater. So it should be high on the scale.

Aesthetics: 15%
Form and Function are important, but I pick function over form.

Budget:42.5%
Cost is important. i would go over budget to get a product that can justify the added cost.

All in all this reminds me of a rule of thumb for cars.
Fast reliable or cheap, pick two.

 

[talannar]

Sonic Benefit:40%
Asthetics: 35%
Budget:25%

Sound is what we are after so the nod goes to Sonic Benefit. However, that sonic room had better have a nice look or the wife isn't going to approve. My wife likes to entertain, and what better way to entertain then showing off the new home theater area?

Even though I put budget on the bottom, that doesn't mean that I might not spend a little extra to get something that I really want.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Sonic Benefit = 40% If the benefit is not there whats the point.

Aesthetics = 20% The better it sounds the less I would worry about looks. but...The better it looks the more WOW factor it has. The better it looks the better the budget allowance from the wife.

Budget = 40% If I can't afford it it wont get done.

All very important to the married man

 

[howie85]

Sonic Benefit 35%
I would put forth that any benefit would be a good one just how much is needed or wanted is the key.

Aesthetics 45%
If it looks crappy or cheap forget about it. Egg cartons are cheap but not in my HT>>>

Budget 20%
The one thing that varies the most here. I would consider spending some more on a acoustic treatment that works well and looks good compared to one that works a better but looks bad. Either way the product needs to be effective to a degree before consideration starts.

 

[JohnA]

Sonic benefit: 25%
Budget: 50%
Aesthetics: 25%

For me, budget is key, as I have moths in my wallet. When I plan on treating my entertainment room I will be making my own, so it is very important to keep the price down...Sonic benefit is also a key point, however, budget will overpower that, and making my own treatments, I can control the sonic benefit to some degree...Aesthetics is also important as everyone will see them, however, doing a DIY solution allows me to control the look as well, which will please the wife.

 

[harlowek]

Well the sound is my prime concern, currently not married but the girlfriend says the video/sound is all up to me, although I do know there would be the WAF(wife appreciation factor) consideration. Biggest would be the wiring. She loves the sound and visual experience. A big action, sci-fi fan(yeah she is the dream girl...LOL). So acoustics and budget would almost have to be 40%-40% as one without the other is impossible. So that leaves the WAF portion at at 20%. Oh by the way she is mine guys and I am keeping her....LOL

 

[djoxygen]

When I approach any project or purpose that will require significant financial outlay, my method is consistent. This has been the case with cars, computers, home entertainment gear, etc...

First, I find out what the ideal solution is from a performance perspective (completely ignoring cost, aesthetics, or other factors).

Second, if this solution isn't within my current budget, I try to determine how long it might take before the cost of the ideal solution and my budget might cross paths (either through me saving or the price declining). I compare that to the "pain" of living without a solution, or continuing to live with my current solution. If that crossing point is too far in the future, I will start to lower the cost, thereby bringing the time horizon closer until I have found an acceptable compromise.

Third, since I share my residence, car, and most other aspects of my life with another, if the solution is a visible one (i.e. not hidden in a closet, the attic, the trunk, or inside the walls) I will (with the other's input) weigh the aesthetic considerations against the established price/performance determination. Here again, if there is a reasonable compromise to be found, it will determine the outcome. However, in matters of electronics, computers, and audio-visual reproduction (and recently in some remodelling), I am usually deferred to, as long as I have given fair consideration to her opinion. If I feel any performance compromise isn't acceptable, she is generally willing to trust my judgement. (Or maybe she just plays along to humour me!)

Now, putting all that into a simple set of percentages is pretty tough, but assuming the process would be the same for an acoustic remodel as it has been for other situations, I'd approximate

60% - sonic benefit
25% - cost
15% - aesthetics

However, in the case of remodeling, I am fairly certain that there are few performance improvements that can't be made aesthetically pleasing with a little imagination.

 

[westcott]

Since the family room and the home theater share the same space, I have to give aesthetics and the controlling interest party 50%, acoustics and my smaller holding get 49%, cost was not a primary consideration until the budget disappeared. and gets 1%.

P.S. It sure would be nice if I could just hit a link on someone to see thier HT!

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

Hmph. Since I didn't win the *last* Rives CD giveaway contest I suppose I'll play your little game. Geez, doesn't being a mod give you a little pull around this joint??

Sonics: 40%
Aesthetics: 30%
Budget: 30%

Were I wealthy, the budget/aesthetics ratio would tilt toward aesthetics. Pleasant surroundings greatly enhance the enjoyment of music for me. And anyway I'm a very visual guy, having a background in the arts. Properly done, aesthetics in the form of architectural detail, decoration, and furniture can double as acoustic treatment so it's a win-win. Finally, I'd like my wife to enjoy the room too when we settle down for a movie date at home! Community property and all that...

 

[jcPanny]

HT criteria

Budget: 40%
Astetics: 30%
Sonics: 30%

It would be nice to put sonics on top but this is difficult when the HT is also the family room. Thus, budget and astetics play an important role.