Enter to Win: Rives Audio Test CD 2

[sk60]

I would place them equally at 33% each as you can't really look at one without paying attention to the oters. In one way or another, all three areas come into play.

 

[blacksquid]

I'm going through a house demolition/reconstruction now and I'm confronted with this decision now. My breakdown is as follows:

50% Aesthetics - It's gotta look good and fit into the whole scheme well.

35% Sonic Benefit - The system has to perform well otherwise it's not worth it no matter the cost or looks.

15% Budget - The cheaper the better but I have the luxury of being able to spend a bit for the other two!

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Sonic Benefit, Aesthetics, and Budget

Aesthetics - 80% because I'm married and if I'm going to spend a lot of dough on my hobby, it better fit her room.

Sonic Benefit - 15%. I'm pretty versed in balancing out the sound in a room, as long as it's not a concrete dungeon.

Budget - 10%. Again, the wife will allow me to spend more as long as the aesthetics work.

 

[rem003]

Budget comes first as it determines possibilities. Sound comes second as it is the reason for the effort in the first place. Finally aesthetics follows closely behind. No matter the sound quality, most of us want the visual aspect to be respected.

 

[CooLJ92]

Budget 50%

Aesthetics 15%

Sonic benefit 35%

Thank you

 

[lbjazz]

My rankings would have to be . . .

Sonic Benefit: 50%

I won't spend any money on something if it is not going to make a real, noticeable difference that is proportional to what I have spent.

Budget: 40%

I can't buy something that I can't afford. I'm not at a point in my life where I really have the option to go all out, but even when I do I won't be able to justify the cost of some of the acoustic treatment products out there. Some of them cost way more than they must be worth in materials, labor, and a reasonable profit.

Asthetics: 10%

I personally couldn't care less what it all looks like (as long as it looks like the money I spent on it); however, I'm sure my wife someday will disagree.

 

[Nomo]

Great question! I wish I could be more cavalier about it but....
40% budget
30% to each sonic benefit and asthetics

 

[HiRez1394]

Sonic Benefit, Aesthetics, and Budget

In an ideal world -- where there is no such thing as a budget constraint -- sound quality matters the most. However, in a practical world with real-world fiscal constraints, a budget will determine what sound quality one can afford. So with that in mind, here are my rankings:
Sonic Benefit: 40%
Aesthetics: 10$
Budget: 50%

 

[dloweman]

I would have to say 45, 10, 45 as i could really care less about asthetics as long as it wasn't rediculously bad, and sonic benefits and bidget are equally important to me as i have just finished school and money is low.

 

[HookedOnSound]

Budget 50%
There is nothing more frustrating than starting a project and running into unexpected issues to blow up your budget out of the water.

Aesthetics 25%
It has to pass WAF or it ain't happening.

Sonic Benefit 25%
If you spent enough time researching acoustic treatment your bound to get some attainable improvements within your budget (assuming you assessed the problem/issues properly and applied appropriate correction methods/products)

 

[kingchorizo]

The question may as well be "what came first the chicken or the egg?"

Well this was a tough one to answer, but after some thinking.........

Budget: My opinion this is where any home theater renovation project begins and ends. Since I don't have Bill Gates checking account, this is perhaps the most important factor of the "big three" aspects to consider when designing home theatre for acoustical treatment. Sure it would be nice to have a Lamborghini, but if your budget is that of a Kia... it's simply not going to work. Most people I know don't have a dedicated home theatre only room but rather one common room for all entertainment purposes. I for example use my basement as a 3-1 room; my Home Theater, Music and Family/Lounge Room. For this reason alone I say 50% of my deciding factor is purely made on what I want vs. what I need.

Sonic Benefit: If budget wasn't an issue I would rank this the highest deciding factor for my acoustical purposes. What is the point of having that sweet HD front digital projector with a 100" inch widescreen, high end A/V equipment and speakers when your sound ..well sounds like crap because of poor sound treatment? Where is the sonic benefit in that? Acoustics are as important in any home theater as is peanut butter and jelly, hot dog and bun, butt and underwear (ok maybe not the last 1),but I think you get my point. A well acoustically sonic sound is what seperates the boys from men in the home music/ theater enthusiast world. So having great sonic benefits would top at 40% for this factor.

Aesthetics: I will use the remainder of my 10% for this treatment. Ahh yes the aesthetics....in a man's only world, no guy would care about how aesthetically pleasing a room looks. However, there is the "WAF" (wife appreciaton factor) and in some guys cases..."GAF" (girlfriend) You ask me they should call it 'approval' not appreciation. Luckily for me I don't have either...yet. Home theatre acoustic renovation not only has to sound good but look good right? A nice clean stealth look (for all your wiring) and some good looks never hurt. Besides even though I didn't apply the highest percentage in this category, in a project such as this you only have one good impression to make to your friends and family- why not make it your best!

 

[The Chukker]

Sonic Benefit 70%
Aesthetics 5%
Budget 25%

I am interested in overall performance more than any other issue. The only reason aesthetics even got a mention is because I don't want it to be butt ugly -- I could care less if it eats up "living space". Budget wise, I don't mind spending $ for quality; I don't want to waste money better spent elsewhere either.

 

[BobBart]

Budget 40%- I'm a cheap person and don't have much money.
Sonic Benefit 40%- Obviously I need the most bang for my buck. The sonic benefit needs to be comparable to the money I spent.
Aesthetics 20%- It's got to look good for the wife, or I won't be doing it, since everything is in the family room.

 

[MrPorterhouse]

Sonic Benefit, Aesthetics, and Budget.

20% : 10% : 70%

This is how my current "theater" room is outlayed. This room is also my living room and not how I'd go about a dedicated room, but its the reality.


The 70% component for me is budget. As is, I don't have any money to spend after the monthly budget is spent on groceries, bills, gas, etc... I don't even have enough cash to take my wife out to eat, so where am I going to get cash to spend on HT? Well, that's right. Pinch and squeeze.

With the huge budget constraint, I have about 20% for Sonics and add about 10% for some sembelence of WAF. Honestly, Aesthetics isn't a priority to me or to my wife, so I can lunk that to only 10%. So, that leaves me with a budget-entry level system. I managed to get some eBay help and pick up a Pioneer Elite VSX-43TX to power things, and that's a pretty respectable piece. The speakers were just a carry over from College, and that is provided by Cerwin Vega. Big Sound, Big Thump, and Big Bass for cheap. High end sound? No, but for HT it works fantastic, and for pop/rock music its fantastic. Hey, it leaves a perfect target to upgrade once I do get some budget freed up. Add a budget Pioneer DV-588 for DVD's, Comcast HD, and a display courtesey of Hitachi, the RPTV 51S500, a great big dinosaur with an incredible picture without chunking down $5000 for a Flatty. The RPTV's are cheap(comparitively speaking).


Ideally speaking, I'd put a more appropriate ratio of:
1/3 : 1/3 : 1/3
Equal parts for optimum performance and looks within any budget.

 

[pbarach1]

Sonic Benefit 50%
Budget 35%
Aesthetics 15%

You don't want a room that's an eyesore, so aesthetics should count for something. However, what's the point of the whole room-treatment enterprise unless you get the most improvement for the money. However, not being Bill Gates, the budget must play a role in the decision process

 

[Rutlanda]

Answers

Sonic Benefit 60%
Aesthetics 25%
Budget 15%

For a dedicated theater, that will remain dark for the most part, I would place the most emphasis on Sonic Benefit. The purpose of the theater is to completely enjoy the movie and the accompanying soundtrack.

 

[bersik]

Things to Consider

Sonic Benefit 60%
Aesthetics 15%
Budget 25%

A great sounding setup can make up for less than ideal aesthetics. Therefore, I put more weight on the sound quality. Budge unfortunatley always plays somewhat of a role and therefore must not be overlooked.

 

[Slats]

Sonic Benefit 40%
Aesthetics 10%
Budget 50%

Sadly money is my biggest concern. I do have the luxury of a room that is 100% entertainment driven so Aesthetics can come last.

 

[jrfuda]

1. 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.

My media room is also my family room.

Sonic Benefit: 19%
Aesthetics: 21%
Budget: 60%

Right now, money is the big driving force, and the room, being multipurpose, really limits to what I can do. However, I think I can maximize sonic benefit with minimal investment in new equipment and without moving stuff around too much with something like this test CD, where I can make the most of what I have

 

[sy527x]

Sonic benefit: 40%
Aesthetics: 40%
Budget: 20%

As important as budget is to me, having a higher-quality product and/or something that I am going to live with for a significant amount of time will be the main factors in my decision. As long as the room improves the sound attributes, and as long as it is done is an appealing way, I'd be willing to spend a little more.