:yes:I'm hoping people will share their experiences and advice from hosting a listening room either this year or in previous years, so that those planning on doing so in the future can learn some lessons ahead of time and make the most out of their weekend. Some of it might seem obvious, but it's worth mentioning anyway.
Here's my advice:
1) Choose a speaker appropriate for the room size
2) Bring plenty of extra cables
3) Make sure to leave a little room in the vehicle when you pack (in case you win a prize or buy something!)
4) Make takeaways with a list and descriptions of your gear (like Punker and Wojo did)
5) Don't bother too much with classical music, stick to catchier stuff
6) Turntables can be a pain to travel with like this, but if you can swing it people dig it
Elaborating on 1), dipole midrange doesn't really work in these smaller rooms - imaging and tonal balance suffer. I think that's partly why Magneplanar set their 1.7's up along the long wall, even though their room was much larger anyway, plus it probably boosted their bass a bit. Our hand was forced with the big Infinities since I was taking delivery of them at the Fest, but I can tell you that with more space at home, they sound noticeably better in every way. Direct-radiating speakers are really the way to go, at least for the midrange. Larger speakers in general don't work as well either, since the dispersion patterns tend to stabilize a bit farther back. And depending on the depth and quantity of bass, it might be easy to overwhelm the room.
(that being said, I'm still glad people got to hear the ol' girls :yes
Here's my advice:
1) Choose a speaker appropriate for the room size
2) Bring plenty of extra cables
3) Make sure to leave a little room in the vehicle when you pack (in case you win a prize or buy something!)
4) Make takeaways with a list and descriptions of your gear (like Punker and Wojo did)
5) Don't bother too much with classical music, stick to catchier stuff
6) Turntables can be a pain to travel with like this, but if you can swing it people dig it
Elaborating on 1), dipole midrange doesn't really work in these smaller rooms - imaging and tonal balance suffer. I think that's partly why Magneplanar set their 1.7's up along the long wall, even though their room was much larger anyway, plus it probably boosted their bass a bit. Our hand was forced with the big Infinities since I was taking delivery of them at the Fest, but I can tell you that with more space at home, they sound noticeably better in every way. Direct-radiating speakers are really the way to go, at least for the midrange. Larger speakers in general don't work as well either, since the dispersion patterns tend to stabilize a bit farther back. And depending on the depth and quantity of bass, it might be easy to overwhelm the room.
(that being said, I'm still glad people got to hear the ol' girls :yes