To Jeff Fritz,
In reading about TWBAS 2012, there were several comments made about the optimization of the Music Vault room. Can you discuss and detail its construction?
Michael Goldin
The Music Vault listening room was constructed in 2005. There were three articles that detailed its design and construction: "Building the Music Vault -- Part One," "Part Two," and "Part Three." The room stayed essentially unchanged until the lead-up to TWBAS 2012 when I decided to address a few small but important items, one of which had a larger-than-expected impact on the sound: The polycylindrical diffusers on the walls were placed under tension with a combination of fiberglass insulation and polyethylene foam in order to damp any resonances that might ensue. This manifested itself as more linear bass response, which I immediately saw in the in-room measurements I conducted of several loudspeakers I had in for review. The sonic payoff was smoother low bass that was more articulate and clean than ever before. I also had a trap-door-type opening in the floor installed to facilitate the installation and removal of large speakers and amplifiers. You can see this in action by watching the "TWBAS 2012 Setup and Kickoff" video on SoundStage! Global. . . . Jeff Fritz
