The room is the most important component you never plug in.
It’s funny—we’ll obsess over cables, power supplies, even fuse direction. But the room? That big, reflective, resonant space we sit in?
That often gets ignored.
Yet it’s the room that can make or break a system. Bass nodes can suck out the low end or bloat it. First reflections can smear imaging. Flutter echoes can drain the life out of the music.
I’ve seen modest systems sing in great rooms—and world-class systems fall flat in bad ones.
You don’t have to turn your living room into a studio, but paying attention to speaker placement, listening position, and a bit of treatment goes a long way.
Fix the room, and you unlock your system’s potential.
Shameless plug. The Audiophile's Guide, The Listening Room can be your best friend.
The gear’s important—but the room decides.
