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Have you ever wondered what a $500,000 surround sound system would sound like? Yeah, I haven’t either. Being a poor college student who doesn’t have any grand scheme to make millions of dollars in the near future, the thought of building an entire room to indulge my gaming desires is something that will likely never be a reality. I would be willing to bet the same goes for most of you, and that the story below is more fantasy then reality. It is still worth hearing (no pun intended) what a half-million-dollar entertainment room sounds like, and the thought should give all of the gamers in the world something to strive for.

Goldmund doesn’t just make the speakers; they make the entire room with every bit of electronics being custom made. The speakers are hidden in the walls, the ceiling is two-tons in weight (to keep the sound in), and it makes movie theatres feel pathetic and dated. Goldmund is the highest of the high end and have reached a point where they don't have any competition. No one else has systems starting at 500k...

The first demo they showed was of Halo 3. As said before the video started, these people are not gamers. It was funny seeing one of the most expensive systems put to test by someone running into walls and getting stuck on rocks in the first level of Halo 3. While the game is not really known for its sound effects it was still an interesting experience. It felt like you were in the jungle with Master Chief, and even though the gunfire sounded muffled and weak the environment was alive.

Much more impressive was Half-Life 2 on the PC. They hooked up a computer to the Goldmund Media Room and loaded up Ravenholm, the darkest and scariest level of the game. It completely floored me. As the player climbed ladders and ran from headcrabs and zombies I was able to place the exact spot they were coming from just from the sound. This isn’t like saying “I heard it from the left speaker” or anything of the sort, it was just a natural feeling as if it was literally coming at me. The scratches of claws and mumbles of pain were as real as the clicking of the mouse, and the experience was as intense as any possible with a game.

The technical workers for Goldmund were impressed with the game industry’s commitment to sound. They played a few CDs from Grammy nominated artists that sounded muffled, explaining that the record companies are cutting corners with the development of their music because of how popular MP3 players are. On your iPod you won’t notice what you will in the media room, and it gives them respect for the gaming industry that they spend as much time as they do on their music.

The experience was, well, an experience. The Goldmund media room is amazing and there is nothing like it, but it is also obnoxiously expensive. If you have the money to spend it is definitely an improvement to gaming, and if you are a gamer who needs something to strive for this wouldn’t be the worst thing.

Here is their website if you are interested or know someone who is. This thing (or place, whatever) is amazing  - what a shame it is that most of us will never be able to enjoy it in our own homes. 

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