This might begin to read like an 'Off Topic/Misc' thread, but bear with me. 
After 17 years of putting off the evil day we finally jumped in and rid our living room of the rather disreputable carpet we inherited with the house. Enjoying the occasional party and having various small furry critters running amok (not to mention the perceived logistics involved) had meant that we kept putting it off and putting it off. However, we had to face it, the wretched thing needed to go.
So, what have we replaced it with? Yep, the ever popular poor man’s floor boards, ‘antique oak’ to be precise. It took one man just 4hrs to do the job. It probably would have taken us days! I have to admit that with the majority of the furnishings back in place it all looks very nice – almost as if it has always been there – it looks right. It fits in just nicely.
Or does it? What about those room acoustics? We soon noticed an extra reverb to the sound in the room. On Saturday night there were six of us enjoying a sociable evening and I must admit that on occasion I was finding it difficult to catch what was being said if there was more than one conversation going on. This bodes ill for the upcoming experimentation with new hi-fi equipment.
Typically, as my luck runs, with the OH away from tomorrow through to Friday, I had planned some auditioning during the evenings of Tuesday to Thursday. Once the purchase and installation of the new flooring became a reality (it was pretty much an impulse buy, brought on by a free fitting offer – yeah, that old chestnut) it was ‘agreed’ that this weekend just past was the ideal opportunity for the fitting. “You can put your hi-fi and other bits back in while I’m out of your way for a few days”.
Fortunately, with the fitter taking just half a day to finish the job, and Herself deciding to take an afternoon snooze (watching all that hard work tired her out), I managed to get a wiggle on and by the time our friends came round that evening to view the new installation, 90% of the room was back to normality. We even had music from the fully operational hi-fi…albeit at convivial conversation friendly levels.
But as to how it will sound when I crank the volume up to proper listening levels, that’s the concern. Admittedly, on Sunday morning I had a quick listen, but I cannot say one way or the other what the acoustic effect really is. That will have to wait for Wednesday evening – when all the new boxes of delights have arrived; which, of course, means I will be coping with new kit and new room acoustics, both.
Yet that may not be a bad thing. If I am listening to my existing set-up under slightly changed conditions, it won’t have the comfortable familiarity that can possibly prevent you listening to it critically. Everything will be on an equal footing, arguably. Maybe those harsh veneer surfaces will be just the kind of test environment to sort the ‘men from the boys’ as it were.
Watch this (floor) space…
After 17 years of putting off the evil day we finally jumped in and rid our living room of the rather disreputable carpet we inherited with the house. Enjoying the occasional party and having various small furry critters running amok (not to mention the perceived logistics involved) had meant that we kept putting it off and putting it off. However, we had to face it, the wretched thing needed to go.
So, what have we replaced it with? Yep, the ever popular poor man’s floor boards, ‘antique oak’ to be precise. It took one man just 4hrs to do the job. It probably would have taken us days! I have to admit that with the majority of the furnishings back in place it all looks very nice – almost as if it has always been there – it looks right. It fits in just nicely.
Or does it? What about those room acoustics? We soon noticed an extra reverb to the sound in the room. On Saturday night there were six of us enjoying a sociable evening and I must admit that on occasion I was finding it difficult to catch what was being said if there was more than one conversation going on. This bodes ill for the upcoming experimentation with new hi-fi equipment.
Typically, as my luck runs, with the OH away from tomorrow through to Friday, I had planned some auditioning during the evenings of Tuesday to Thursday. Once the purchase and installation of the new flooring became a reality (it was pretty much an impulse buy, brought on by a free fitting offer – yeah, that old chestnut) it was ‘agreed’ that this weekend just past was the ideal opportunity for the fitting. “You can put your hi-fi and other bits back in while I’m out of your way for a few days”.
Fortunately, with the fitter taking just half a day to finish the job, and Herself deciding to take an afternoon snooze (watching all that hard work tired her out), I managed to get a wiggle on and by the time our friends came round that evening to view the new installation, 90% of the room was back to normality. We even had music from the fully operational hi-fi…albeit at convivial conversation friendly levels.
But as to how it will sound when I crank the volume up to proper listening levels, that’s the concern. Admittedly, on Sunday morning I had a quick listen, but I cannot say one way or the other what the acoustic effect really is. That will have to wait for Wednesday evening – when all the new boxes of delights have arrived; which, of course, means I will be coping with new kit and new room acoustics, both.
Yet that may not be a bad thing. If I am listening to my existing set-up under slightly changed conditions, it won’t have the comfortable familiarity that can possibly prevent you listening to it critically. Everything will be on an equal footing, arguably. Maybe those harsh veneer surfaces will be just the kind of test environment to sort the ‘men from the boys’ as it were.
Watch this (floor) space…
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