Mancave story

[specialidiot]

I finally configured a basement room for my use. My house is 70 years old, the floor is asbestos tile, cinder block walls, but it does have a couple of windows (walkout side) and a fireplace. I set up my Cornwalls, stacked my Polk 7B's on them, and set up some gear. I also have a wicker rocker with a side table and lamp, a bit of workspace, and my treadmill. Pretty cozy.

I've been listening to a fair amount of vinyl, mostly on a combo of Thorens/Yamaha/Klipsch. Last night my wife popped in from the garage and kind of turned up her nose...

her: You actually like it down here?
me: Well it isn't optimal but its all mine
her: its kind of cold, and dark too.
me: yeah.
silence
me: Maybe I can move some of this gear upstairs to the family room?
her: Yeah, right, nice try
me: So I have my gear set up down here, I have my laptop, a comfy chair, great tunes, and you don't really want to spend any time down here?
her: yeah.
me: OK

:scratch2: :music: :D

http://www.specialidiot.net/audio/Basement2.jpg

[TheCrunge]

That looks like a nice setup. I can't wait till I have some space like that and the money for the system. My listening space now really is a cave, it is the small back portion of my room. Enjoy the space.

[Snade]

A fireplace, rocking chair and Cornwalls.

Sounds ideal.

You may want to move the treadmill out. :D

Snade

[KeninDC]

Good story.

Don't push it. You've got it good.

[OhioEric]

...a stereo....a fireplace...a rocking chair...a workspace...and a treadmill to hang your coat on to dry...

Dude...nice....

[thisOne]

Great story. Great dialogue..., :thmbsp: I'm doing a similar setup (no fire place though) and my wife doesn't yet see it as the extension of HER house, but I'm sure she will begin to lay claim when it's finished and it has the HT set-up.

Good luck with keeping it your own....:D

[spartanmanor]

I am jealous. :D

[similost]

hhhhmm.. I think this is about to be a double edged sword...

before long the line will be "You would much rather spend all your time downstairs with your computer friends on AK and your stereo. Why don't you want to spend time with me?"

There will be a fine line developing... been right where you are now.. I'm wishing you luck and hope I'm wrong..

[Redboy]

silence
me: Maybe I can move some of this gear upstairs to the family room?
her: Yeah, right, nice try:lmao:

That's not an answer, it's an all too familiar punchline!

[analog addict]

I finally configured a basement room for my use. My house is 70 years old, the floor is asbestos tile, cinder block walls, but it does have a couple of windows (walkout side) and a fireplace. I set up my Cornwalls, stacked my Polk 7B's on them, and set up some gear. I also have a wicker rocker with a side table and lamp, a bit of workspace, and my treadmill. Pretty cozy.

I've been listening to a fair amount of vinyl, mostly on a combo of Thorens/Yamaha/Klipsch. Last night my wife popped in from the garage and kind of turned up her nose...

her: You actually like it down here?
me: Well it isn't optimal but its all mine
her: its kind of cold, and dark too.
me: yeah.
silence
me: Maybe I can move some of this gear upstairs to the family room?
her: Yeah, right, nice try
me: So I have my gear set up down here, I have my laptop, a comfy chair, great tunes, and you don't really want to spend any time down here?
her: yeah.
me: OK

:scratch2: :music: :D

http://www.specialidiot.net/audio/Basement2.jpg

I'd set up the beer fridge, and microwave and if you have access to water/sewer lines, a wet bar. Then hang some pix or posters of partially clothed women and cars around along with the stuffed head of an animal or two, and Voila!....Your wife won't even come downstairs to tell you what a pigpen the place is....:nono:....:D...:thmbsp:

One side note, if that fireplace is wood burning, and you plan on using it, I'd figure out some way of trying to keep the ash out of your gear. Wood fireplaces are great, but they do create that fine layer of ash that settles on everything....:thumbsdn:

[beemer]

Too bad the "family" room excludes the things the man of the house enjoys.

At least you have decent space to enjoy your music in the basement. enjoy!

That system looks very nice, I bet your vinyl sounds great!

Best,

Paul :thmbsp:

[specialidiot]

thanks for all the comments "guys"

I'd set up the beer fridge, and microwave and if you have access to water/sewer lines, a wet bar.

The "second fridge" in in the laundry room, about 15 feet away.

One side note, if that fireplace is wood burning, and you plan on using it, I'd figure out some way of trying to keep the ash out of your gear.

I'm looking to convert it to gas.

but I'm sure she will begin to lay claim when it's finished and it has the HT set-up.

The family room has a decent enough HT setup. Right now I have a little 13" screen, and I'm looking through CL for something a bit... more appropriate.

...a stereo....a fireplace...a rocking chair...a workspace...and a treadmill to hang your coat on to dry...

Yeah dang near perfect. But I do use the treadmill a couple times per week, believe it or not.

"You would much rather spend all your time downstairs with your computer friends on AK and your stereo. Why don't you want to spend time with me?"

I'm actually pretty careful about this. I've had that pointed out about my home office setup. Which does have great audio gear (see sig) and I get tv on my Mac courtesy Elgato EyeTV.

[cubdog]

Very nice. Looks great!

cubdog

[specialidiot]

Too bad the "family" room excludes the things the man of the house enjoys.

At least you have decent space to enjoy your music in the basement. enjoy!

That system looks very nice, I bet your vinyl sounds great!

Best,

Paul :thmbsp:

oops missed this one.

It is strange how the "family" room excludes us, kinda like our bedrooms. Mrs Specialidiot has her magazines on the coffee table, yet my copies of "European Car" seem to disappear. Not to mention the frilly foo foo crap in the bedroom!

The vinyl does sound nice down there. I've been playing with speaker placement and I think I have it down. Which is nice, because horsing those cornies around is dangerous.

[Jack Lord]

Love the dialogue. Hope it does not become a mini Siege of Bastogne.

[superdog]

Yeah.My wife also has no desire being in my area."It's too cold down here".Just curious are those shelves adjustable?

[RWFE]

I don't have a basement here and my stereo is in our living room. We have a "rec room" where we watch tv etc so the living room was basically an abandoned room anyway much like the other totally useless room called the "dining room". At my house the dining room is a room filled with nice furniture that no one goes in and the table is covered in papers and assorted crap.

[specialidiot]

Yeah.My wife also has no desire being in my area."It's too cold down here".Just curious are those shelves adjustable?

She'll be down there in July and August, you can be sure.

Those shelves don't adjust, which is why the Mac1900 is on top and the TT is on a side table.

I had to take the feet off of my CR-1020 too!

The rack is solid as can be though.

[chillwolf]

Nice setup there special! My mancave is in a spare bedroom. All my audio and guitar stuff is in there and my wife has no desire to go in there! It's nice to have a little sanctuary of your own! :music:

[hypertone]

Awesome. I'm envious! What I wouldn't give for a mancave, especially one in a basement.

[Sportlark64]

That's cool to have a comfy Man-Cave -in the "main" cave ! I have a small system in my office next to our room so I've got to be "civil" (ie:very conservative) on my volume levels :tears:. So it's my Late Nite Man-Cave .Good goin' !
Steve

[beemer]

Love the dialogue. Hope it does not become a mini Siege of Bastogne.

So true. A man must pick his battles carefully. :yes:

Mrs.Beemer is very tolerant. I am very lucky. Fortunately she enjoys the music nearly as much as I do, however she is a dyed-in-the-wool TV fiend.
We end up in two orbits that intersect by convenience. I give her space, and she does the same for me.

Best,

Paul :thmbsp:

[opt80]

When I was married I had the entire finished basement as my mancave,I called it the Decompression Chamber.She'd come down to the cave to inquire when I was coming upstairs.Right after this song was my usual reply.I listened to very long songs back then.

Nice space,enjoy

[Spectrum77]

Baesments- I 'spose they keep good noise in and bad noises out; such as, "Darlin'... come'n fix this (fill in the blank)".

[Arkay]

Nice cave there -- I could easily see spending plenty of time in a space like that, spinning the tunes, watching the fire and relaxing... sweet! :thmbsp:

Hope the "balancing act" with the Missus turns out well for you, too.

[Rotoplooker]

Thanks for posting your humble abode! There's a thread elsewhere here about posting pix of your listening room/mancave, and to be honest, I was pretty intimidated cause all I was seeing was manshrines.
Great people here and I know nobody's judging, but my space is is little more like yours, probably even a bit more rustic. Low ceiling basement, a bit cool, etc. And I also share it with the laundry and try to constantly deal with it being the village dumpsite on a daily basis.(all the crap ends up in the basement.)
But I do have my beer fridge, a full bathroom, tv, sofa's and an Internet connection and until the wife starts seeing "potential", it's mine, all mine.

[Clmrt]

Does your basement have thin ceilings like mine? Anything above 65db gets the stomp.

[specialidiot]

Does your basement have thin ceilings like mine? Anything above 65db gets the stomp.

Well yeah there is that. The family room is directly above. But I don't spend a lot of time down there when family is around anyway.