Best Acoustically Untreated Room You Have Heard?

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.

It just so happens that my forty-two year old family room is among the best I've heard acoustically. We bought the house 4 years ago and I've had 4 completely different systems in that room ranging from about $4k to $32k retail. Each system had a special sound characteristic that in some ways are not reproduceable with the more current and expensive system upgrades, i.e. a certain mid-bass, etc..

Room description:
o 18'L x 13'W x 8'H
o 3 large ceiling beams going parallel with
the front of the speakers.
o Real wormwood paneling with recessed joinery
every 6 inches or so.
o Built-in book cases behind each speaker.
o Few windows
o Thick berber carpeting with thick pad underneath.
o Large cloth pillowed sofa and large cloth ottoman

The only two things I've done in the room was install 3 dedicated circuits/lines for each component and I installed recessed lighting and dimmer (on opposing phase at the service panel) so that there'd be no floor or table lighting.

They say that room acoustics can make upwards of about 80% of the sound characteristics. I believe that to be true as some of my much cheaper systems in some ways sounded so much better than some $20k, $30k, and higher systems I've heard in dealers shops.

Luck of the draw.

The Totem Winds at Surround Sounds in Exton PA. Best speaker I have heard in an untreated room. Very expressive, tremendous imaging and soundstage.