It is has been two weeks since we’ve taken possession of the space in Reno. In that time we moved a few things into the space and started to beat the drum a bit on IG about the space. There has been a lot of confusion about what we are doing, so I think I will clear it up here.
What are the objectives of Reno Listening Room
Act as a show room for our Cafe Sound speakers and gear for Listening Rooms
Act as a space to experiment with the Listening Room concept
Act as workshop for our Cafe Sound equipment
Operate as a listening room for specific events 1-2 days per week by reservation only
I am working on designs with my brother-in-law and we are making good progress. The next step will be to hire an architect to draw up a schematic we can present to the city for permitting.
In the mean time we will continue to tear out parts of the space we don’t plan to use, and get a better understanding of what is behind the walls, and better measurements for the final build. We are also working on security in the space, and plan to replace the doors as the first step in the build.
Prior to permitting we plan to have a reservation only open house on September 16. We will have the space partially operational. After that event, we do not plan to operate the space until the first version of the build out is complete.
I probably won’t share all the details of what is planned for Sept 16 prior to the event to maintain some element of surprise for those who plan to attend.
I want to provide an update on Reno Listening Room. I want to re-iterate our objectives for the space as mentioned above
Act as a show room for our Cafe Sound speakers and gear for Listening Rooms
Act as a space to experiment with the Listening Room concept
Act as workshop for our Cafe Sound equipment
Operate as a listening room for specific events 1-2 days per week by reservation only
Regarding point one, we did have customers visit from Seattle to preview our Cafe Sound High Output system, so the room is proving useful in that way. Also for point 3, we were able to complete the Cafe Sound High Output in the space. Our workshop is still a work in progress, but the listening area gives us a place to test in a larger space and with other people in the room.
Regarding using the space as an active listening room, we still have a lot of work to do there. In our original drawing we had the bar in the listening room. We now think this won’t work and are updating our designs.
Physical work on the building is focusing on security and we are adding a new security wall / fence behind the building. Eventually we want to use this space for outdoor events and will we extend our sound system to include an outdoor component.
We appreciate the support, but the reality is opening a listening room for the public, and we will stay pretty low-key event only for the time being. As always if you want a private listening, feel free to reach out.
Things are moving slowly here in Reno. The real problem is the lack of engineers and architects which are bottlenecking construction throughout the area.
In the meantime we are trying to do updates which don’t require permits, like replace doors, paint, etc.
I’ve also been trying to think of ways to describe Reno Listening Room.
The way I think of it now, it is is a workshop, show room, and DIY listening room. The listening room aspect focuses on sound quality and music over consumption.
Fortunately our cost structure in Reno doesn’t require us to generate a lot of revenue from the building itself, so we can run it very modestly, the way we want. We aren’t forced to “party it up” to generate income, and we won’t. We really want the room to remain for those who are serious about music and audio.