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AUDIO FORUMS >> Member's Systems Picture Gallery >> Caintuck Audio He Shed
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Message started by Randy in Caintuck on 05/14/19 at 02:04:59

Title: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 05/14/19 at 02:04:59

I always presumed that when I reached the "golden years" my life would be somewhat simpler ..... less complicated.

Hoo boy .....

It seems that my family is quickly moving toward what is quickly becoming one version of the "typical" American family ..... with two or three generations living under one roof, sometimes even more.

For the past few years, my daughter (early 30s) and her two sons (late teens) have been residing with us ..... and we are now in the process of moving my son (late 30s), his fiance and his six year old daughter and three year old son in as well .....

Now, this information is not meant as a complaint ..... since I love them all dearly and things might well change in the near future ..... or not .....

The point of all of this is that even though we have a pretty good sized home, something had to give to accommodate all of these warm bodies ..... and my current listening room and man cave are being re-purposed as bedrooms for the new additions.

What to do ? What to do ?

I recently saw a TV commercial for an insurance company that involved a "she shed" in the policy holder's back yard ..... so it occurred to me that this might be an option for me.
Not a "she shed", but a "he shed" dedicated to audio.

So, I ordered a 12' x 16' "garden shed" with a vaulted ceiling and have been working on it for the past few weeks.
Several of my friends are in various building trades, so running electric wasn't a problem and I will be having a "mini split" system installed to take care of the HVAC duties.

Here are a few photos of the results .....

I decided to use some diffuser panels that are based on plans from the Decware website from several years ago ..... a fresh coat of paint and they look pretty fine and work very well.

Sheer curtains added to the remaining windows

The windows are double pane, the entire structure is insulated and the sub-floor is 2" x 6" (12" on center) with 3/4" plywood.

Initial listening sessions are good ..... with a little fine tuning the sound should be very good.

I am very happy with the results and this will provide a nice "sanctuary" for me if things get too crazy on occasion in the "big house" .....

As always ..... I welcome visitors. So, if any of the forum readers find themselves in northern Kentucky (near Cincinnati, OH) ..... please drop in for a visit. Just let me know a day or two in advance and I will roll out the red carpet .....

Happy listening,
Randy

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Geno on 05/14/19 at 03:01:05

That is awesome, Randy! He shed indeed!!! What a cool getaway/audio room. Great job and congratulations. You should be very proud!

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by JD on 05/14/19 at 12:40:24

Randy,

That looks like a fantastic respite and listening room. Congratulations on adapting to life and making the most of it.

Well Done.

JD

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by deucekazoo on 05/14/19 at 14:32:09

Randy,
That looks awesome and a great idea. This way no one will tell you to turn it down.
Also I like your table.

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 05/14/19 at 14:45:07

Thanks guys .....

Deuce,
The equipment stand was something that popped into my head when I saw some untreated Douglas Fir 4 x 4s at the local Lowe's Hardware.
I expected that it would be pretty heavy and massive ..... but after getting it put together it was too heavy for me to move by myself.

Thank goodness for one of those teenage grandsons mentioned in my initial post .....

Best wishes,
Randy

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by charlieboy on 05/22/19 at 20:41:13

Very nice Randy! I have always wanted to do a room like this and hopefully will next year. I have a dedicated room but I would love something like this totally separate from ANY house ties.

Charlie

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by maddog07 on 06/28/19 at 23:43:44

Randy....

have seen that commercial... and had the exact same thought! Nice setup.

my wife has also suggested that I "detach" my listening room... since my listening room is in our walkout basement right underneath the master bedroom on the main floor (story and a half floor plan). And I tend to want to listen to music late at night.

I never thought of doing a wood floor though. I had just assumed, if I did this, it would have a concrete slab floor. But now you've put new thoughts in my head.

Mike.

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Steve Deckert on 06/29/19 at 02:19:42

I love wood floors because they carry energy from the speakers to the listener. I have found this to be far more engaging than a concrete slab so any time it's possible I would recommend it too!

Steve

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Blueone302 on 02/04/21 at 09:00:33

I love your shed. I've entertained similar thoughts. Even after building a new house, I still am. Then again, my wife might suggest I add a he hide a bed and a bucket. :-[

Seriously, you did good.

Jim

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 02/04/21 at 16:39:06

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the kind words .....

The audio he-shed has worked very well for me and I have spent many enjoyable hours there ..... especially considering that I have grown kids and their kids living with me .....

Larger photo here.

The room sounds good and I occasionally have visitors from out of town who end up being customers.

Happy listening,
Randy

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Blueone302 on 02/05/21 at 17:25:25

Randy,

Is that a curtain or a diffuser on the back wall?

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by will on 02/06/21 at 01:59:29

Hey Blue,

If you scroll up toward the beginning of this thread, check out the first two images of the building in the finished/painted state. On the second one with with a system installed, the way the light is, with my computer it is a little easier to see the details of the diffusor panels on the back wall. There is even a caption above the first finished system/room image referring to the diffusors. Also, midway, the image just above the outside view of the building, the image with a closeup of the gear/table gives a closer view of the panels where you can pick up more on the different widths and depths.

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Blueone302 on 02/06/21 at 02:19:21

Thanks Will. I was checking it out via my phone. Much better view via computer. Even nicer. Wish I had some in the front of the current shared listening room/den.

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Steve Deckert on 02/06/21 at 05:02:16

Diffusion on the font wall behind the speakers is what separates the serious about sound from the serious about looks.

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 02/06/21 at 14:57:43

As usual ..... the Zen Master is absolutely correct .....

These simple diffuser panels do some amazing things for the sound.

On well recorded music, the sound stage / image extends several feet behind the front wall of the room and several feet past the side walls of the room .....

I will be enjoying the music and an instrument will appear outside of the side wall of the room .... spooky, but very cool.

Happy listening,
Randy

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Blueone302 on 02/06/21 at 17:18:10

Okay, so a question. At present, my listening room doubles as the den. Or, the den doubles as my listening room. On the front (listening) wall, we have a TV mounted. Rig is on console in front and speakers to either side. I could mount a diffuser on either side and above/behind TV. Because of the TV, would this be a waste of time?

J

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Donnie on 02/06/21 at 17:28:57

I'm thinking that there are acoustic covers for TV's out there, at least I think that I've seen them.
If you can get rid of that great big reflector that is your TV, things would sound better.

I have a 24" monitor between my speakers that I lay on its face when I get serious about listening.
But I'm kinda weird about stuff like that. I have a chair that I have to move too, because sometimes the only thing that I can hear is that damn chair!

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 02/06/21 at 18:26:37

Hi Blueone302,

Donnie's suggestion sounds good to me ..... an acoustic cover for the TV.

Truthfully, any diffusers that you can position behind the speakers and between them should have a positive effect on the sound .....

Best wishes,
Randy

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Geno on 02/06/21 at 21:00:11

Ok, I’ll bite - literally🤓

Seriously though, I’ve known all along that the window and TV behind my speakers are a problem. I’m still about a year out on selling my house (almost paid off) , and building a new one. All of these issues go away with the new build. Diffusion behind and at first reflection points.

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by JBzen on 02/07/21 at 10:01:07

I would think open baffle speakers would benefit more with diffusers mounted behind on the front wall.
In my case using boxed speakers with current room conditions, diffusers work better on the back wall and first reflection points of sides and floor. Absorbshion seems to work better on the front wall. New plan is to archive CD collection and move diffusers to back wall. The quest continues....

Randy you had me fooled. Looked like curtains. What is in the corners? Good luck on the shop retooling!

John

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Blueone302 on 02/07/21 at 16:23:58

Thanks for the ideas/input. Snow day here, so we're on it. (Looking at diffusers online) Got to find/figure out some kind of design the wife finds acceptable. But hey, at least she's willing.

Thanks again!

J

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 02/07/21 at 17:36:04

JBzen wrote .....

Quote:

Randy you had me fooled. Looked like curtains. What is in the corners?

Hi JBzen,

The corners have 8" wide boards fastened diagonally from floor to ceiling to eliminate a 90 degree angle. From my experience, bass tends to "load up" in a 90 degree corner.
I'm not sure that the difference is night and day ..... but if nothing else, it looks pretty cool .....

Best wishes,
Randy

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by JBzen on 02/09/21 at 09:35:15

It does look cool Randy! Yes those standing waves are usally a big issue in rooms but one that can be tamed relatively with ease. I always liked your he shed. One day, hopefully soon, I am going to plan a audio listening tour around this great country.

Cheers
John

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 08/14/21 at 00:27:51

I recently made a couple of changes in the audio he-shed .....

One of my current pairs of "main" speakers is the Silver-10 drivers in some 1 1/2" thick curly maple baffles.
They look pretty nice .....

I decided to make a new baffle for the Lii Audio W-15 bass driver, using 1 1/2" thick Wenge and rear mounting the driver.
That turned out pretty nicely, as well.

I kept the "tombstone" shape for the bass baffle and made it a little bit shorter so that it would fit under my equipment stand.
The surprising thing was how much it changed the sound by moving it back behind the plane of the main speakers.
The focus has improved noticeably and the soundstage is actually deeper.

I guess that the bass baffle was creating some conflict with the main speakers in the previous location .....

A couple of photos .....

Larger photos here and here.

As always ..... I welcome visitors if any of the forum readers is up for a road trip or finds themselves in northern Kentucky (across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio).
Just let me know that you're coming.
Of course, I will not be available during the 2021 Decware Audio Fest .....

Happy listening,
Randy

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Geno on 08/14/21 at 01:40:18

Nice, Randy! It’s funny how sometimes just a small change in setup in a room can make a big difference.

And I like the lower profile of the bass baffle, and that it’s tucked back more. I think the room looks better being just a bit more open in the center.

Very best,

Geno

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by 6sigma on 01/13/22 at 16:27:56

Randy:

I'm just learning of your work & the "he shed." Your Aug, 2021 improvements sound really fabulous. I'm searching for the right entry point into the high efficiency, open baffle, tube amp world. I've been a long-time Magnepan customer along with numerous other speakers. (I'm old.)

Eager to figure this out and place some orders!

SP in Memphis

Title: Re: Caintuck Audio He Shed
Post by Randy in Caintuck on 01/18/22 at 17:59:21

Hi SP,

Good to hear from you ..... I'm pretty old myself .....

I have always been a big fan of Magnepans and once owned a nice pair of the 1.6 model.
There is something special about the sound of dipole speakers and I am guessing that is why I like open baffles as well as the Maggies.

The benefit of many single driver open baffle speakers is that you can power them with a couple of watts per channel.
The Decware SE84UFO (and all of the other Decware amplifiers) works very well with any version of the open baffle speakers that I am building.

If you would be up for a road trip from Tennessee to Kentucky, you are more than welcome to visit my "audio he shed" and hear several versions of open baffle speakers with various drivers paired with the SE84UFO amplifier.

Caintuck.OB@outlook.com

Best wishes,
Randy