Help me design my new man cave!
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nspindel
Posts: 5,343
My wife and I are done being city slickers for now, we're selling the condo we live in on Harbour Island in Tampa. We have another smaller one that's a rental, we're hoping one day we'll be able to afford to have it as a weekend place in the city and not need a tenant. But for now, we're off to the burbs. We just signed the contracts today on a 5-year old house on a lake. We close escrow in early December.
One thing that was mandatory on my list was a bonus room. A very common floor plan here in Florida is to have all the bedrooms on the main level, and to just have an extra room upstairs. Generally there's a bathroom up there, too, and a closet so it's added to the bedroom count. But it's usually a nice big room. A room like this was, of course, a necessity!
This is the house:
You can see the second story bonus space is in the back of the house, looking out at the lake. Here are a few pics of the space:
This room is going to be all about the 2-channel rig. The living room downstairs is all pre-wired for surround, the upstairs is for the vinyl rig. I don't have the dimensions of the room yet, but it's definitely bigger than most of the similar rooms I've seen in other houses. Suffice it to say, I'm a happy man! But my first issue I'm going to cross is whether or not the CRSs can even hold up in such a big space. Or will I have to, you know..........??? But we'll cross that bridge when I come to it! Meanwhile, focus on the room!!!!
The big question I have is about the flooring. The carpet is pretty ratty, the pictures make it look better than it is. There are stains in it that don't look they want to come out. So I'm going to pull it, and I have no idea what I should replace it with. If you were designing your dream 2-channel room, what goes on the floor???
One thing that was mandatory on my list was a bonus room. A very common floor plan here in Florida is to have all the bedrooms on the main level, and to just have an extra room upstairs. Generally there's a bathroom up there, too, and a closet so it's added to the bedroom count. But it's usually a nice big room. A room like this was, of course, a necessity!
This is the house:
You can see the second story bonus space is in the back of the house, looking out at the lake. Here are a few pics of the space:
This room is going to be all about the 2-channel rig. The living room downstairs is all pre-wired for surround, the upstairs is for the vinyl rig. I don't have the dimensions of the room yet, but it's definitely bigger than most of the similar rooms I've seen in other houses. Suffice it to say, I'm a happy man! But my first issue I'm going to cross is whether or not the CRSs can even hold up in such a big space. Or will I have to, you know..........??? But we'll cross that bridge when I come to it! Meanwhile, focus on the room!!!!
The big question I have is about the flooring. The carpet is pretty ratty, the pictures make it look better than it is. There are stains in it that don't look they want to come out. So I'm going to pull it, and I have no idea what I should replace it with. If you were designing your dream 2-channel room, what goes on the floor???
Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
Post edited by nspindel on
Comments
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Hard wood with area rugs... Easier to clean and can still tune with them based on location and thickness. Plus it gets rid of some of the beige.
I'd add more windows or some sky lights/tubes too... -
Looks like a very nice room. I'd guess 32'' x 16' +/-. Probably carpet. Will it stay cool enough up there? Tear open the wall to the bathroom and put a bar there for a real man cave.
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House has dual central air, upstairs has its own system. It’s very comfy up there. Hardwood plus area rugs sounds like best of both worlds. It’s definitely a beige-bomb if a house, paint to come!Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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Anyone know how well the engineered hardwood would do acoustically? If it were laid down as a floating floor as opposed to gluing it down, would it matter? Probably overthinking things, but I only get to do this once!Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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Gators in the lake?
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Engineered wood floors can be very good as long as you don't have children or pets as few can be properly refinished if severely damaged. There are very nice choices available and you don't have the messy install, sanding and finishing. Cost is slightly less than new wood. I think it would be a very good choice. Check with local installers as to their preference for nailing or floating.
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Some Magnepan MG-20.1's would sound sweet up there.
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/planars-magnepan-mg-20-1-2017-10-19-speakersThe Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Get a Murphy bed for times you're in the dog house. Congrats on the house looks nice.
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Hi Neil,
Beautiful home and slam dunk on your man cave search!
What's under your bonus room? If the MBR is on that side, don't know if I'd go with a hard floor (although I absolutely love wood and orientals).
Where do you visualize your soundstage to be -- end or sidewall of the room?
The CRS's are nice, but I thought you had some toys in the closet.
This is going to be a fantastic space when done, no doubt. -
Nah, I sold all the toys when I sold the closet!
It's mostly living room under the bonus room, but it does touch a bit of master bedroom. A floating floor will have an underlayment that can be quite effective at limiting noise.
Do any turntable setup experts want to share any opinions on flooring? I have this for a rack:
Not sure if the flooring would have any effect on turntable performance. Something about a floating floor just doesn't seem like it would be ideal for a turntable!
As big as this room is, I'm having a bit of a hard time envisioning how I'm going to set it up. You walk into the room in the middle of a long wall, looking at the long wall on the other side with the windows. Knowing I want to keep the speakers on the longer wall, it really only lends itself to setting the gear up on the window'ed wall. But then you would walk into the room from the back, staring at the back of all the seating. Not sure how fungshui that is.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
These would be interesting in your new space....
Innersound Isis MKIII in old living room setup
They have the newer ES panels, like my larger Eros, and internal crossovers removed (work done by Roger Sanders) with custom built Marchand electronic crossover. Need to be bi-amped, though. I've run them for several years now with a Dynaco ST-70 for LF and DCM 75+75 for HF.
Just sayin'....
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Nice blank slate to work with and a nice house to boot, congrats.
I noticed the tray ceiling appears to have a scuttle, can lights and some hvac vents, some times those can vibrate like crazy depending on your sound levels.
Can't tell, but I'll assume the doors are 6 panel solid core. I have some and had to retighten all the knobs and hinges. Also re-tacked a few pieces of the floor molding.
As far as flooring, I have a floating laminate wood floor, not sure of the thickness but went with a thicker than average type that has a thicker attached pad. Threw in a few area rugs which works ok for me.
Have fun... -
That's going to be a great room to work with. Good luck!Magico, JL, Emm, ARC Ref 10 line, ARC Ref 10 phono, VPI, Lyra, Boulder, AQ Wel, SRA Scuttle Rack, Bluesound
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Oops forgot. If you got a mortgage on the house, should be a sketch in the report showing the dimensions.
If not and you want an idea on the dimensions, go to your county assessors web page, most have a copy of the floor plan in the county records.
That being said, be advised that sometimes the sketch they sometimes have are not 100% correct but usually close enough to give you an idea. -
Oh I'm just going to go there and measure, don't worry about that. This deal came together very quickly yesterday, haven't had time to measure it yet.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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Oops forgot. If you got a mortgage on the house, should be a sketch in the report showing the dimensions.
If not and you want an idea on the dimensions, go to your county assessors web page, most have a copy of the floor plan in the county records.
That being said, be advised that sometimes the sketch they sometimes have are not 100% correct but usually close enough to give you an idea.
David: They have this all over? And are the plans just a generic floorplan, or the actual architectural drawings? I've been interesting in getting a copy of the schematics of my house for quite some time so I know where wires/plumbing, etc are and what rooms connect to what walls, etc..."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Hey Neil, when you do the floor, have the installer use an acoustic underlayment...
https://www.amazon.com/FloorMuffler-Flooring-Underlayment-Acoustical-Moisture/dp/B005IPLWQ8
They also sell it in the big box home improvement stores for around the same price. It makes an amazing difference."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
I just love this place... especially when a member opens their wallet and lets us spend his money.
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
For engineered flooring, on the second story that I believe is over joists not concrete, wouldn't I want to glue the floor down. Which obviously won't help as far as noise transfer goes. But I thought you only float the floor over a slab?Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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nooshinjohn wrote: »I just love this place... especially when a member opens their wallet and lets us spend his money.
This is a one time opportunity. Only way to get the WAF required is to do it right out of the gate! A year down the road, the door will definitely be closed!
Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
A budget would help here, otherwise I’m going all in with a full MBL setup. The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
If you think this is fun, you should see what we’re doing in the backyard!Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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nooshinjohn wrote: »A budget would help here, otherwise I’m going all in with a full MBL setup.
This isn’t about the audio system, I’m hoping what I already have will be just fine. I’m just trying to figure out the room right now. Whatever work I need to do is going to kick off the minute they hand me the keys!Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
Outside of paint and flooring, it is hard for me to see what else may be needed until you have gotten ears on everything and it’s all set up.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
I'm interested to see what you'll do for window treatments, if anything. Reason is I have a wall of large sliding glass doors and I'm trying to figure out what type of blind/drape/curtain (or something else) to put over them.. . . looking at the long wall on the other side with the windows.
Integrated Amp: Marantz PM-10
Speakers: Usher MD2
Subwoofer: Rythmik F15HP
DAC: North Star Design Supremo
Streaming Source: AURALiC Aries Mini
SACD Player: Marantz SA8004
Power Source: PS Audio PP3 on dedicated 20amp circuit -
Do any turntable setup experts want to share any opinions on flooring? I have this for a rack:
Nice audio rack! Nice place!
I consider myself a very serious vinyl enthusiast. My audio rack is on a suspended floor and can be affected by footfalls near the rack. IF you have an issue, the absolute best turntable isolation I have used and continue to use, is a Gingko Audio Cloud isolation base. They are available with clear covers. Pricey new, I got mine used.
Basically it's handballs between the upper and lower platform, with the lower having divots for the balls to sit in. The heavier the turntable, and I have a heavy turntable plinth, you add balls. (heh heh, he said balls)
Or go wall mount if you can.
Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
Regarding window treatments, I've seen folks make (or have made) acoustic panels that they could easily hang in the window opening. Remove them when you want to let the sun in.
Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
EndersShadow wrote: »Oops forgot. If you got a mortgage on the house, should be a sketch in the report showing the dimensions.
If not and you want an idea on the dimensions, go to your county assessors web page, most have a copy of the floor plan in the county records.
That being said, be advised that sometimes the sketch they sometimes have are not 100% correct but usually close enough to give you an idea.
David: They have this all over? And are the plans just a generic floorplan, or the actual architectural drawings? I've been interesting in getting a copy of the schematics of my house for quite some time so I know where wires/plumbing, etc are and what rooms connect to what walls, etc...
Some assessor offices have actual building plans some don't. Might be at Area Planning or some other office.
I think with your house, the previous owner were the original owners??
Most times they'll have a copy of the original building plans, maybe they'd be willing to give them to you or if know someone else with the same design in your subdivision might have that model plans.
I know what company built your house, not sure if they are still in business or are in business under another name, is so they would have access.
Let me check my records on that floor plan, might have an extra copy in a file cabinet somewhere.
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Congrats Neil. Looks like a beauty. Doubt your CRS+s will be able to pressurize that space though.Home Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
I went back there today and took some measurements. I have more detail about door/window placement, etc. The main room is 25' x 15'. All said I have about 700 square feet up there with that carpet that we'll be pulling. There's another big room next to this one, it will be my wife's office.
The one downer about this space is that the double doors in the back next to the staircase are the two air handlers for the split-zone AC. They were on today when I was there, very quiet units but still a bit of sound of air movement can be heard from behind the doors. Once music is playing it won't be noticeable. Plus, half the year the AC is off.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
