how do you listen to your music?

[admin_exported]

my question is relating to a hi-fi setup, but specifically what room do you have your hi-fi in, where does the hi-fi and speakers sit and where do you sit.

i'm asking because i am not sure whether to use my lounge or bedroom. ideally i would go for lounge but i may be renting my spare room out so not sure i would want all my hifi stuff in a communal area.

if i use the bedroom then space is a bit limited and with a double bed there isnt much space behind to put everything. in this case i wonder if wall mounted speakers would save floor space and sound better?

i'd be interested hear how you enjoy your music, i guess a sofa would be most comfortable set a fair distance away from the speakers.

 

[chebby]

In your case I would use the bedroom.

If your hifi is going to be used by tennants in a communal area then you almost know for certain what is going to happen when you are out or away.

I know quite a few people who have had lodgers (including their own relatives and friends) and the hifi being trashed, stolen, hammered for parties was inevitable. (Relatives seemed to be the worse culprits followed by IBMers and Naval officers! Students tended to be the best behaved and stole the least and paid rent most regularly.)

(Hopefully your bedroom is securely locked.)

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for the quick reply.

so if i use the bedroom, will the double bed affect the path of the sound at all. with a sofa there would be empty space where half the bed is. should i put the speakers higher up with wall brackets?

or possibly a sofa bed might be an option? except making it might be a pain every day.

 

[Anonymous]

i was thinking how high can you adjust speaker stands? can they go high enough to compensate for a standard bed height? my room fits a double bed but there isnt much space behind it (where the hifi + speakers would go). or should i look at wall stands and put them higher up?

has anyone got a small room as well and how do you cope with it to get the best sound? does anyone have a room they convert from living area to bedroom by using a sofa bed? does anyone prefer a single bed to give more space for listening?

 

[a91gti]

I'd go for some wall mount brackets and avoid the bed as much as possible while saving space. This is'nt going to be ideal in strictest "HiFi" terms but why suffer a sofabed? If you can enjoy your music and keep your stereo safe its a winner. You could even try mounting the speakers upside down as this will give the bass something to bounce off.

 

[up the music]

I live in a shared house and have my kit set up in what in theory is a bedroom. It is set up like a lounge though.

Fortunately I'm in the attic and have 2 storage cupboards 14 ft long built into the eaves. The main room is 14 ft square. I've put the base for my bed in one of these cupboards and the mattress is stored out of sight behind a cupboard.

I have a three piece suite for listening and sleep on the floor. One quilt under me and one over. My floor is springy wood and I find this perfectly comfortable. During the day the quilts are stored under my CD drawers. Hey presto, it looks like a lounge again.

I'd say this arrangement isn't suitable for anybody with a sex life, but it's fine for the celibate audiophile. Now all I need is an understanding lady.

 

[Anonymous]

If it is just you who is doing the listening, then perhaps a good headphone amp and some nice headphones might be an option. Keep the room in a reasonable layout (no offence up the music) and have great quality music.

You can get speaker stands at a range of heights too, I guess it depends on the flexibility of your speakers

 

[Anonymous]

how much for a headphone amp any suggestions/reviews on this site?

would i also need to upgrade my head phones? currently have px100 and cx300's

prefer the cx300's as i can listen when i go to sleep (head on pillow)

 

[Anonymous]

Headphone amp reviews here http://whathifi.com/Reviews/Accessories-Reviews/Headphone-amps-Reviews/

Headphone reviews http://whathifi.com/Reviews/Accessories-Reviews/Headphones-Reviews/

You might want something a bit more upmarket to make best use of a headphone amp. I'm not a huge fan of in-ear headphones, but there was a good comparative review in what hifi a month or so back, so there should be plenty of reviews on the site.

In terms of a headphone amp, my iBasso D10 is a headphone amp and dac and was about 220 on import or 275 here, there are a good range of them here http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/headphone-amplifiers-ct-57.html

The project ones and the graham slee ones seem to be well thought of.

You could easily spend the guts of 300 quid without trying too hard. My rig would have been about 600 new in UK, but I've paid about 350, actually the headphones were a present so closer to 200 =) I use it in the office and commuting daily so I think I've had great value for money.

 

[idc]

There is usually a Musical Fidelity X-CANS or X-CANV2 on sale on ebay. I have tried mine with the Sennheiser mx500 and was pleasently surprised, so your cx300s will be fine. As for headphones, try the Koss PortaPro, available on Amazon and ebay, less than £30 and highly rated. For less than £100 you will get a headphone setup that will sound brilliant.

EDIT - add a pound to get an adaptor plug as the PortaPro has a 3.5mm jack and the MF takes a 6.35mm (1/4") jack