GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

Audio Discussions
Topic: Sauna and Music

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Posted by Romy the Cat on 01-21-2012

I have in my basement a room that I do not use and I am in process of building Finnish cedar sauna in there. The pre-sauna room will have a fireplace, shower, rest facility and the rest ordinary sauna suspects. While I am constructing the frame and wiring the all necessary electrical connections in frame I been asking myself if I need to wire cables for loudspeakers? Probably from the Moron as I am it would be expected from me that I have some kind of loudspeaker in sauna but I am not sure.

I know sauna experience but I never listed any music in sauna. So, I wonder if I need to make a provision for audio in sauna. From one perspective it would be interesting to have sound in sauna but from another perspective I have my objections, purely theoretical. Dos anybody have any experience combining sauna and music? Could it be Bruckner at 195 degree Fahrenheit?

Rgs, Romy the Cat

Posted by noviygera on 01-21-2012

I have a sauna almost next to my music room and usually I have music playing while taking a sauna, in someone's company. By myself though, I more enjoy a silent sauna, and I listen to music in my music room during sauna breaks. Sauna, is a very important activity, being completely rewarding on its own, if it's a proper sauna we are talking about. Music listening on the other hand, also important and rewarding on its own. But I don't think mixing two good is necessarily resulting in a better third. Like herring and milk.
So my recommendation would be to put a speaker in the pre-sauna room with a volume control, and try not turning it up more than zero. Why spoil a sauna break with crappy sounding music?
Gera

Posted by Romy the Cat on 01-21-2012

noviygera wrote:
Sauna, is a very important activity, being completely rewarding on its own, if it's a proper sauna we are talking about. Music listening on the other hand, also important and rewarding on its own. But I don't think mixing two good is necessarily resulting in a better third. Like herring and milk.

Gera,

this is exactly how I feel and you have expressed it better than me. Went I am is sauna I do not want to talk or even to think. I do have a feeling that I will not be interested in any music in sauna. Still, after I close the frame with cedar I will have no option to put the speaker wire in and this is why I am asking now. There is an option however that SOME music, some kind of meditative music might be “interesting” for sauna; I just do not know yet. I am very skeptical to what I am thinking, still I have no my own references on the subject. Still, I do have some music that I would like to TRY to listed in sauna but I do not know if I will be feeling to do it.

The Cat

Posted by Paul S on 01-21-2012
fiogf49gjkf0d Perhaps the best use of Sauna excludes hi-fi, and any Music would be of the Other sort? If speakers, why not a TV, or a soft drink dispenser, or a computer terminal?? Best regards, Paul S

Posted by Romy the Cat on 02-27-2012
fiogf49gjkf0d Took today my first new sauna. Yes, I agree that music is not working with sauna. I however am not sure if no sound at all can’t be used in sauna. I think some kind of new-edgy elevator music with a lot of LF might work quite well. Not that I am look forward to implement it or experiment with it…. The Cat

Posted by N-set on 02-27-2012
fiogf49gjkf0d ...or maybe white noise? zbigniew karkowski is one of the noise gurus (having had a fantastic classical composition education)

Posted by jessie.dazzle on 03-02-2012
fiogf49gjkf0d Romy wrote: "... I think some kind of new-edgy elevator music with a lot of LF might work quite well..." Just loop this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biJQYVB7crM jd*

Posted by N-set on 03-02-2012
fiogf49gjkf0d http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMdjcGlNp0A he is also playing such sounds using...symphonic orchestra rather than synthesisers

Posted by Romy the Cat on 03-02-2012

I have been using my new sauna for a week and here are the observations that I came across so far. It is all depend of the conditions. If the sauna has temperature under 200-210 Fahrenheit and humidity around 10% then sound is tolerable in there. I would say that it is not overly desirable but if it is there then it does not bother. I happen that I do like to hear my NPR or BBC radio in my sauna. I do not listen it attentively but if it was here than it did not bother me. I did try music but there was not listening engagement between me and music so it was pretty much irrelevant. As the temperature hits 210 Fahrenheit or higher, of even the temperature is ~210F but humidity let say 20% then any sound or even noise become repulsive. With higher temperature I would like to have absolute silence. I wonder if anode in vacuum tube has the same feeling….?

Posted by rowuk on 07-12-2012

With an orchestra that I play with we had a concert series at a public sauna. We had to wear tuxedos like penguins and had a tent set up outside to entertain the sauna members between their time in the cabin. We played populist stuff like Ravel Bolero for the naked members.

That evening we only provided entertainment - no music!

I think that there must be places where we can be media free. My vote: no speakers!

Posted by Romy the Cat on 06-30-2014

It passed over 2 years as I live with my sauna. As I made it I did not factor in any audio solution as I purely felt that sauna is a meditative retreat and audio in there would not be necessary. To play in sauna some kind of new age crap I did not want, neither had need.

As not after 2 year of use I feel that omitting audio was a mistake. I do admit that whale I am in sauna I do not want to hear any "music: but I do feel great when I hear some kind of entertaining Mosaic Sound. Ironically something like NPR's "Wait, Wait..." does the best., or any new channel for that matter. Of cause I have no demands of any kind for sound quality in sauna....

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