I'd like to throw in my two cents on this topic:
After being in this business for over 18 years now, and being a lifelong "audiophile", I have set up hundreds of systems in all types of rooms. I have been involved in and present for the evaluation of numerous new room builds, ranging from simple to extremely complex in terms of acoustic treatment. Based on this wide range of information, these are the rules I live by and recommend to customers:
1. If you are building a new construction room or home and have the option, the most important thing you can do is to build the room following "golden ratio" dimensions.
2. If you are building a new room from the ground up and think that lossey channels, staggered studs, double drywall, etc. will result in a "better" sounding room you might be disappointed by the results. I would suggest actually finding a room built in this manner and doing some listening.
3. There is nothing wrong with adding room treatments to an existing room, but don't think you will be able to make a "bad" speaker into a "good" one.
4. Whatever room treatments you think you need, make sure that they can be easily added and removed. In most cases I have found that proper placement combined with the addition of simple items such as area rugs, drapes, and a bookcase or two can fix the majority of issues in a typical room...assuming you are starting with a "good" speaker.
5. Always trust your ears over whatever your measurement system might be showing you. If it sounds good, it is good, regardless of what the measurements tell you.
Thanks,
Andrew
