30 x 30 room, old carpeting...now what? HT flooring/dimensions of course!

[The DirtMerchant]

Large basement. 2 rooms. 1 small, maybe 7' x 12' and then a second, much larger room.
~30' x ~30'. Drop ceiling, about 7 ft high.
The current floor is shag carpeting from the 60s. So, that's got to go. What is good for a HT floor?
Low pile carpet? Berber? Laminate "wood"? Concrete?

The actual HT project would be in the future. $$ is for other things right now, but
the current floor is shag carpeting from the 60s. So, that's got to go. And that would have to go immediately.
I'm thinking eventually I would break up the space into a dedicated HT and...the rest of the basement.
Do the flooring now...

What is good for a HT floor? Low pile carpet? Berber? Laminate "wood"? Concrete?
So I would preemptively section off the HT area, with whatever flooring should be there...and the rest of the basement with
either the same or different flooring. Walls and stuff later...

I remember at some point, a discussion about "perfect" dimensions for a HT.
I was thinking about a rectangular area 12' wide by 20' long or something? W/ space behind the 12' side for a
gear, rack, wires, shelves, mess, etc etc...

Budget is...let's say cheap. Have a lot of other stuff to consider before HT...but I would listen to reason if there were logical
and good reasons to have better flooring or cushioning...

Generally the basement is dry. There are 2 sump pumps, but the carpet is...seemingly original.
So, carpet from the 60s...it's gotta be dry in that basement...

Thoughts?

 

[Flint]

My thoughts....

I think wood floors make for the best sounding rooms as long as all appropriate room acoustic treatments are applied. If you intend to address early reflections, room echo, bass decay, and so forth, with the most appropriate treatments, then a wood floor contributes to a more balanced sound than wall to wall carpet. However, if you are going to go without all the best acoustics treatment options, then a thick, plush carpet is a good idea.

As for the room shape, there are many options, but I know from first hand experience that Heeman's room with non-parallel walls and copious bass trapping is nothing short of stunning. You could copy his size and shape and know it will work well, or you could improve on his room by making the rear wall non-parallel and the room deeper.

Whatever you do, try to avoid dimensions which are equal dirivitives of each other. So, if the ceiling is fixed at 7ft, then I'd go with prime number distances for the others, like 17 ft and 19 ft or 23 ft. Those dimensions ensure there are no common standing wave frequencies or obvious similarities.

 

[The DirtMerchant]

Read through the Heeman thread...
I'll be honest...I'm not sure I'm up to that either in $$, work ethic or actual desire...currently at least.
That would be a future project, like 15+ years when my younger son is out of college future.
Le sigh. Looks like plush carpeting is the best I got right now! lol

 

[Flint]

Do as much as you want. This hobby is nothing if not all of us committing as much as we care to.

I recommend the dimensions not have common denominators, as I mentioned in my post above, if you are putting walls up. That will help the bass sound less boomy and resonate, or prevent huge gaps in the output in ranges you want to hear. Also, if you do put plush carpet down, I still recommend some acoustic treatments at the most effective locations.

 

[The DirtMerchant]

In the Heeman thread you mention that the measurement should be from the actual ceiling, not the drop ceiling.
I'll keep that in mind. Also...what is a common denominator on a measurement? Wouldn't that mean regardless of
the height of the ceiling, all dimension should be prime?

And...what is considered the denominator? 1 ft? 1 in? Can I have an offset wall angled so it is 6" deeper on one side than the other?
Or it should be by ft (2ft, not 1 1/2 ft)?

And...is there a very noticeable difference between having walls and having a completely "open" area of 30' x 30'?
What is the main concern when having such a large open space?

 

[mcad64]

Large basement. 2 rooms. 1 small, maybe 7' x 12' and then a second, much larger room.
~30' x ~30'. Drop ceiling, about 7 ft high.
The current floor is shag carpeting from the 60s. So, that's got to go. What is good for a HT floor?
Low pile carpet? Berber? Laminate "wood"? Concrete?

The actual HT project would be in the future. $$ is for other things right now, but
the current floor is shag carpeting from the 60s. So, that's got to go. And that would have to go immediately.
I'm thinking eventually I would break up the space into a dedicated HT and...the rest of the basement.
Do the flooring now...

What is good for a HT floor? Low pile carpet? Berber? Laminate "wood"? Concrete?
So I would preemptively section off the HT area, with whatever flooring should be there...and the rest of the basement with
either the same or different flooring. Walls and stuff later...

I remember at some point, a discussion about "perfect" dimensions for a HT.
I was thinking about a rectangular area 12' wide by 20' long or something? W/ space behind the 12' side for a
gear, rack, wires, shelves, mess, etc etc...

Budget is...let's say cheap. Have a lot of other stuff to consider before HT...but I would listen to reason if there were logical
and good reasons to have better flooring or cushioning...

Generally the basement is dry. There are 2 sump pumps, but the carpet is...seemingly original.
So, carpet from the 60s...it's gotta be dry in that basement...

Thoughts?

Cork. I have it in my basement and love it.