Vol. 01 Private Residential Practice · By Referral & Inquiry

Reference systems, engineered for the room they live in.

Schaeffer Audio is the private-residential practice of Schaeffer Engineering Group. We design, measure, install, and tune bespoke high-fidelity systems for a small number of private clients each year — single rooms, full residences, dedicated listening environments. Components are specified by program, not by allegiance.

NEW YORK · HAMPTONS · LOS ANGELES · MIAMI
§ 01
The Practice

Six disciplines, one room at a time.

01
Dedicated listening rooms
Purpose-built rooms engineered around the listener. Modal analysis, treatment, and component specification developed together as a single design — the room and the system as one instrument.
From plan stage
02
Whole-residence audio
Distributed systems designed to disappear into the architecture. Zoned playback, source management, and discreet integration with millwork, ceilings, and wall assemblies. No visible kit unless you want it visible.
New build & renovation
03
Home theater
Immersive playback environments built to commercial reference standards — calibrated screen geometry, controlled-acoustic enclosures, theatrical-grade processing. Sized for the room, not the brochure.
Reference / immersive
04
Acoustic treatment & room design
Treatment integrated into the architecture — diffusers behind veneer, bass traps in millwork, absorbers in soffits. Coordinated with your architect and interior designer so the acoustic work reads as design, not equipment.
Design coordination
05
Integration with existing AV
Audio brought up to a separate, higher standard alongside an existing crestron, control4, or savant ecosystem. We coordinate with your integrator; we do not replace them. Audio remains its own signal path and its own engineering responsibility.
Coordination scope
06
Calibration & ongoing tuning
Annual measurement and re-tuning. Rooms change — furniture moves, drapery is added, gear is swapped. We return on a schedule and keep the system performing the way it did at handover. By retainer.
Continuing service
§ 02
Measurement

The room, measured first.

Every engagement begins with measurement. Before a single component is specified, we characterize how the room actually behaves — modal response, decay times, isolation between adjacent spaces, structure-borne transmission, ambient noise floor at the listening position.

The measurement methodology is the same one we use for hospitality work in New York, where it answers to municipal code. Deployed to a residence, it answers a different question: what is the room doing to the music before the music reaches you?

The measurement set produces a written report with recommendations. Recommendations are room-first — design changes, treatment, isolation strategy — before they are component-first. Speakers and electronics are specified to the room, not selected from a brand catalog.

Measurement Capabilities
Class
IEC 61672-1 Class 1 sound level metering
Modal
Room mode mapping, decay-time analysis, RT60 across octave bands
Isolation
Airborne and impact sound transmission between spaces; structure-borne pathways
Tuning
Impulse response, frequency magnitude, time-aligned multi-source calibration at the seat
Output
Written report with prioritized recommendations and component specification
§ 03
Selected Work

Recent engagements, held in confidence.

№ 01 Confidential
Townhouse Listening Room
Upper East Side · New York
Scope
Dedicated room, full design
Treatment
Millwork-integrated
Discipline
Acoustics · Audio
Year
2024
№ 02 Confidential
Oceanfront Residence
East End · Long Island
Scope
Whole-residence, six zones
Treatment
Architectural integration
Discipline
Audio · Theater
Year
2024
№ 03 Confidential
Hillside Estate
Bel Air · Los Angeles
Scope
Reference theater, listening room
Treatment
Custom enclosure
Discipline
Theater · Acoustics
Year
2025
№ 04 Confidential
Bayside Penthouse
Sunset Harbour · Miami
Scope
Distributed audio, terrace zone
Treatment
Marine-rated, weatherized
Discipline
Audio · Integration
Year
2025
§ 04
Engagement

How a project begins.

Step 01
Inquiry
A short conversation. We discuss the room or residence, the program, the architectural context, and the timeline. If we are the right fit, we schedule a site visit. If we are not, we say so and recommend who is.
Step 02
Site Visit & Measurement
A half-day to full-day visit. Measurement, photography, and conversation with you, your architect, and your interior designer if relevant. Output is a written report with findings and a fixed-scope proposal for the engagement.
Step 03
Design, Install, Tune
Design and component specification, coordination with your build team, on-site installation and commissioning, and final calibration at the listening position. Continuing service is offered by retainer.

Begin a conversation.

We take on a small number of residential engagements each year. New work is by referral and direct inquiry. The first conversation is always private and carries no expectation.

For hospitality, nightlife, and venue work, the parent practice is at schaefferengineeringgroup.com.

Telephone
Geography
New York · Hamptons · Los Angeles · Miami
Other locations by arrangement