(Above: Gilles Laferrière and Norman Varney.)
Copper has an exchange program with selected magazines, where we share articles between publications. This one's from PMA Magazine: the Power of Music and Audio.
For an interview with Norman Varney of AV RoomService, and for background information leading up to this article, please click on the links here and here.
When I decided to transform a swimming pool area into a listening room, I knew I was stepping into something wholly unconventional. What I didn’t fully grasp at the time was just how demanding this project would become—technically, intellectually, and in terms of discipline.
In the first two articles of this series, I shared the origin of the project and my thought process that came with it. At that stage, many decisions were still conceptual. Today, things are more concrete. The margin for error is smaller, and the need for rigour is much greater.
That is precisely what led me back to Norman Varney of AV RoomService.
The Acoustician Returns
I first met Norman in May 2022 at the High-End show in Munich, where I had the opportunity to interview him for PMA Magazine. What struck me at the time was not only the depth of his knowledge, but the clarity of his thinking. His approach to acoustics was structured, methodical, and grounded in physics—not trends or subjective opinions.
Facing the front of Gilles’ previous listening room.
Following that interview, I invited Norman to Montréal to help optimize my listening room. Norman was not involved in the room’s design or construction; his role came later, more than two years after my room had been completed. But his contribution was significant. Through measurements, analysis, and targeted adjustments, he helped me better understand what the room was doing—and what it wasn’t. That experience changed the way I approach acoustics.
When this new project began to take shape, it made sense to me to involve him from the outset, this time not as an external observer arriving after the fact, but as an acoustic consultant during the construction process.
Noise Control
One of the first things Norman emphasized during our discussion was something that may seem obvious yet is often overlooked or not taken seriously enough.
“Before we can talk about sound quality, we have to talk about noise control.”
Norman worked in acoustics at several companies, including at Owens Corning, pictured here, where he’s performing acoustic tests outside two rooms.
In a typical residential environment, background noise sits around 40 db. It feels quiet, but from an acoustic standpoint, it is not sufficiently low to reveal all the content of a recording, especially in the quieter passages and the smallest detail.
“You start hearing low-level detail, ambience, the space of the recording,” he explained about the advantage of less background noise. “Things that were always there, but masked.”
We're not talking about a subtle improvement. Lowering the noise floor changes bot the perceived resolution and the dynamic behavior of a system. It allows the music to project with greater presence, without needing to compensate by raising the volume.
Another key point that I hadn’t fully appreciated before working with Norman, is that noise doesn’t go in just one direction.
“Sound transmission is always a two-way street. If it can get out, it can get in.”
This has direct implications for the project. It isn’t only about isolating the room from the rest of the house, but about preventing external noise from entering the system.
HVAC systems, structural vibrations, environmental noise—all of these should, ideally, be considered, measured, and addressed. Even if you don’t hear them, they can affect the listening experience.
Design Process
From there, the discussion moved organically toward the design process itself.
“What are your goals?” Norman asked me.
This question is more important than it might seem. The answer to it will decide everything that follows. Without a clear target—whether in terms of noise criteria, frequency response, or how often we listen—decisions become arbitrary.
Once the goals are established, the process becomes structured.
“We’re dealing with room modes,” he explained. “They’re tied directly to the dimensions of the space.”
Room dimensions can’t be overlooked. They determine how low frequencies behave, where resonances occur, and how energy is distributed.
“Once we know the dimensions, we know where the speakers go. We know where the listener goes,” said Norman. “It’s all geometry.”
It’s the difference between intuition and predictability.
One topic that often generates debate is the use of non-parallel walls. The idea is widely accepted in some circles: by introducing angles, reflections are reduced, and standing waves are minimized. Norman takes a different position:
“For a critical listening room, I want symmetry. I want predictability.”
In his view, non-parallel surfaces introduce unnecessary complexity.
“With a rectangular room, I know exactly what’s happening,” he said. “If you start angling walls, everything becomes unpredictable.”
In the context of a project where performance is the priority, predictability is essential, especially as the project progresses from design to construction and the level of precision required increases significantly.
“The system is only as good as its weakest link,” Norman reminded me.
This applies to every element of the room: walls, ceiling, floor, doors, openings for HVAC and electrical systems.
“Even a one percent gap can dramatically reduce performance.”
This is not theoretical. It has direct consequences on the effectiveness of the entire structure.
For that reason, coordination between the various contractors and technicians becomes critical. Each participant must understand that they are contributing to a system, not just completing an isolated task.
“It’s a team effort,” Norman said. “If one person doesn’t do their job properly, it can negate everything else.”
One of the more counterintuitive aspects of Norman’s approach concerns low-frequency behaviour.
“We actually want the structure to move,” he said.
In many discussions about audio, rigidity is associated with better performance. However, at low frequencies, the situation is different.
“Bass energy is significant. Small treatments are not sufficient.”
The pool before being emptied of water and prepared to be filled with gravel.
Instead, the structure itself—walls, ceiling, and floor—can be treated to act as a large-scale absorber to control low-frequencies. “If everything is rigid, the bass has nowhere to go. It remains in the room.”
This perspective has direct implications for construction methods and material choices. Once structural considerations have been addressed, attention can shift to the room’s interior acoustic response, where the objective is not simply to reduce reflections, but to achieve a balanced decay across the full frequency range.
“For critical listening, we’re typically aiming for a reverberation time between about 0.25 and 0.4 seconds above 125 Hz,” explained Norman.
Below that, a slightly longer decay is acceptable and can even contribute to a more natural presentation.
“There’s a psychoacoustic aspect,” Norman added, highlighting the interaction between measurable parameters and human perception. “If the room is too dead, it becomes uncomfortable.”
Electrical design is also part of the acoustic equation, where circuits, isolation transformers, and proper grounding are used to minimize interference and ensure stable operation.
“It’s about performance, but also reliability,” said Norman.
Svanå Miljöteknik AB (SMT)
At this stage of the project, another element was part of the discussion: the involvement of Sweden-based acoustic consulting firm Svanå Miljöteknik AB (SMT).
Their approach is different from more traditional acoustic methods, and their work is based on proprietary ideas that aren’t always described using standard measurements.
I asked Norman how he viewed their approach.
“When we’re talking about acoustics, we’re talking about physics. So we should all be speaking the same language.”
For Norman, there needs to be verifiable data.
“Absorption coefficients, diffusion characteristics—measurable performance. That’s what allows me to evaluate and determine a solution.”
Without that data, it becomes more difficult to properly assess a situation.
Norman laser-aiming a speaker in one of the rooms at Owens Corning.
“That doesn’t mean it won’t work,” he said. “But without data, I can’t confidently apply it.”
Still, he remains open-minded: “If something can be demonstrated and supported by measurable results, I’ll consider it.”
He noted, however, that certain aspects of SMT’s approach raise questions.
“There are some red flags,” he said. “I’m not drawing conclusions, but I do have questions.”
In a project of this scale, the details matter. Modern tools, including the type of computer modeling used by SMT, play an important role throughout the process. But modeling is not a substitute for verification.
“It’s still just modeling. Once the room is built, you have to measure it,” he said.
Final assessment involves both objective measurements and listening tests to ensure the two work in tandem.
Food for Thought
Despite the importance of room acoustics in sound quality, they’re often overlooked and under-appreciated by audiophiles.
“People will spend thousands on cables, but they hesitate to invest in acoustics.” Part of the reason stems from the complexity of the subject and the amount of conflicting information available.
“There’s so much bad information out there. People don’t know who to trust,” said Norman.
The decisions being made now will define the performance of the room for years to come. But in the end, “The room has the final say,” Norman reminded me.
Based on my experience with my previous listening space—and now with this project—that statement is not theoretical.
It is a constraint.
And ultimately, it is what makes this project both challenging and, if things go according to plan, worthwhile.
Afterword: The Final Say
Two acoustic philosophies now sit on the workbench: SMT’s proprietary modeling and Norman’s measurable, verifiable physics. The pool will be drained, the structure framed, and somewhere along the way these voices will have to converge. The room, as Norman reminded me, will let me know how it went.
To be continued...
All images courtesy of PMA Magazine.
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