The Room

This room was never designed as a showroom, but as a quiet place to enjoy music. When we purchased the home, the space was a “man cave.” It wasn’t a terrible place to listen, but at higher levels, the sound began to smear and become confused.

I was fortunate to find an acoustic engineer who measured the room and assured me she could make it sound good. But what I liked even more was what she said next: It’s important for me to build rooms that not only sound good, but that feel good.

Most visitors notice it immediately. The room has a calm, quiet character you can almost feel. Occasionally someone will pause and remark on how peaceful the space seems. Within a few minutes of sitting down, you begin to sense it. The atmosphere encourages you to settle in, relax, and let the music take center stage.

Rather than emphasizing any one audiophile attribute, the room allows the music to simply breathe. In that sense, the space becomes a canvas. Loudspeakers and amplifiers paint their own character across it, while the calm balance of the room remains constant.

From the listening chair, the speakers frame a view through the windows into the forest—the depth seems to extend the room itself. During the day, the landscape provides a quiet backdrop. In the evening, when the room lights are dim and the trees softly illuminated, the effect becomes quietly enveloping. Thoughts of gear fade quickly, and the experience becomes all about listening.

When the room fades and the music hangs in space, the character of each loudspeaker becomes easier to recognize. Differences between designs reveal themselves naturally—the room lets those nuances emerge. You’ll hear the speakers as their designers intended, without the influence of typical showrooms or trade show conditions.

The main listening seat offers a slightly near-field perspective with exceptional clarity. Moving back a row introduces a bit more bloom and immersion—much like shifting seats in a venue.

Loudspeakers of this caliber are seldom available to hear in person in the Pacific Northwest. Occasionally, visitors travel some distance to spend an afternoon—or an evening—listening here.

Listening sessions are intentionally relaxed. Familiar recordings often reveal something new. Before long, the conversation drifts away from the equipment and toward the music itself.