I ran across something a couple weeks ago that might interest some of 
the harder core among us. While talking with a contractor I spotted a new 
product for home construction. It is a weather sealed 3/4 inch chip board 
sandwich with six inches of extremely heavy density polyurethane foam middle, 
formed at high pressure into panels. They are used for freestanding (read: no 
studs or framing) wall and roof construction. They have a Plus R40 insulating 
factor for walls and ceilings and are the closest thing to soundproof I have 
seen. In a house constructed of these and with good double pane windows, I 
was unable to here a big D9 Cat bulldozer less than 50 feet away, leveling 
the side yard !!!
        I inquired about using them for interior walls as well and yes they 
can be used very easily.
        Interior wiring is accomplished through bored holes or set in place 
PVC or conduit pipe. This also allows easy access for extra wiring later on. 
An enterprising audiophile could go nuts with this feature alone. You could 
wire speakers, bring in more power, etc, etc, all without getting in the 
attic or tearing your home apart.
        We are going to look into it closely. We want a little bigger house 
and I have been thinking of the ideal entertainment room...within my budget. 
I have thought about PVC in the concrete slab floors before they are poured, 
to handle any speaker wiring I might want to do, and electrical run anywhere 
I might be subject to set up my system. This would make all the very 
difficult mess me up tasks of adding on, easier to cope with. And do so 
quietly too!
        Heck, if my new neighbors were to know what they are in store for, 
they would probably pitch in for the panels just for the soundproofing! Hmmm. 
Maybe I'm on to something. Perhaps my present neighbors would pay the rest to 
get me the hell out of their neighborhood?
        All kidding aside, it looks like the ideal materials and construction 
for the Home Theater/Listening room to end all listening rooms.
Cheers, John
--- Maximus/2 3.01
---------------