Best Acoustically Untreated Room You Have Heard?

My old home with cathedral ceiling opening up from wall where speakers were placed. Very few direct refecting wall with plenty of carpet. Lively, but not echoing.

Don Nigro had a room which was plaster walls, about an 8' high new sheetrock ceiling with a random pattern of joint compound as decoration and a t&g wood floor(yellow pine) with a carpet above. The effect was electric. He had drapes on the windows. In spite of doors to the back of the speakers and an open arch to the front of the speakers on one side it was very good.

I surmise that the plaster was so stable that it made up for the defects.

There was no sound isolation, nor intended absorbtion and the room was great.

Bill E.

I agree with you on the looks of a "treated" room. They can look pretty aweful. However, they don't have to. I sometimes think that much of the room treatement was designed to look ugly to please some audiophiles. For example, Sonex foam. It is no more effective than Owens Corning Fiber board covered with fabric. In fact the fiber board has a broader band absorption. So, if you want a great sounding room, but don't want to look at the typical treatment--you don't have to.

My home, which was built in the mid 50's, has really surprised me. I have a dedicated listening room that measures 14' x 23'-6" with an 8'-6" ceiling. There is a six foot opening into the rest of the home. The speakers are placed along the long wall, two feet into the room, and my listening position is at the opening to the rest of the home. Because of doors, etc. the entire system is somewhat off-centered in the room. The side walls are very different from each other. The only tweak I need to do when listening seriously is positioning the vertical blinds at the patio door so they act as a mini-trap/diffusor.

I'd be really happy with this except it's the only room in the home that hasn't been remodeled. Guys, this may be the ugliest room in the neighborhood but I'm too busy enjoying the music to bother with this upgrade.

Happy listening,
Patrick

Bookshelves, lots of bookshelves. Where there are no bookshelves a rough brick wall is also ideal. Normal furnishings should round things out to create a close to ideal acoustical environment. You don't want to cancel too much reflected sound or the room will sound dead. I agree with the above poster that cathedral cielings can sound great. The best room I have heard had a big stone hearth at its boundary - and the room extended all the way around it into a sort of foyer. Something magik happened as the sound travelled around that large defining element in the room.