Home Theaters

[cute330xigrl]

We''re working on our den (home theatre) room. It''s not a big room... probably smaller than most. Wondering what others have done component wise and room furnishings. Any HT lovers out there? Selfishly looking for ideas, so pls share ''em.

 

[noobie]

Check out www.avsforum.com . You''ll find everything you need there and then some. They have a member''s gallery with some incredible HTs and some modest ones as well.

Before I stumbled on that site I was toying with a 50" plasma and then a 60" RPTV DLP. I ended up with a a 110" front projection with 5 individual recliners with a raised second floor second row. We love it. You can save a lot of money with the recommendations and on line vendors. Mine ended up being less than than half what a local shop wanted for the job (still about a good 3 carat diamond though

)

 

[diamondlil]

Hi Cute.

We are also in the process of a putting in a home theater. Ours will be in our basement. The sound would be better if it were in a room by itself, but since the theater area will also be part of a rec room/game room, we made some compromises along the way.

The technical aspects are my husband''s department.

I enjoy the layout/design part of the project, and then I turn the rest over to him to implement my ideas. Here is the basic floor plan I came up with (http://racer.home.comcast.net/wsb and go to photos). The footprint of our house is a bit unusual (not a rectangle), so we used the space as efficently as possible. Since we had the space, we decided to put a second laundry room, 2 bedrooms (actually 1 bedroom and 1 workout room), a full kitchen/bar, game area (pool table/pinball/slot machine), and a full bath. The basement has a separate entrance, so I thought for resale purposes, the area could be either a rental apartment or in-law/nanny apartment for the next owners.

www.avsforum.com has been very helpful in answering all my husband''s technical questions (he''s an engineer so he really digs this stuff). Me, on the other hand, prefer sparklies and am clueless when it comes to any of it. But I do know we are going with an LCD projector (Panasonic AE700U). The speakers came from www.axiomaudio.com. He''s making the screen himself using a product called Polywall made by Parkland Plastics. I''m sure they have a website too. The screen size will be 92" diagonally (45" x 80") widescreen.

The seating area and decorating is not finalized, but I have some ideas. The front row of seating facing the screen will be a sofa/recliner (Berkline has some interesting options). I like the recliner type theater seats from Lane and Lazy Boy, but since the space will also be a rec room seating area, I think a reclining sofa would work better. The second row of seating will be a step higher than the front row and will consist of 5 movie theater seats made by Irwin. We found a great price on them at www.uniqueconceptseats.com. I''d like to also fit in 2 small seats to face the sofa to create a nice conversation area when we are not actually watching a movie.

Like I said, I really know very little about any of the tech stuff. The design/decorating is definitely more fun for me. I just want the project done, but since my husband is a control freak and is doing it all himself, I''m trying my darndest to be patient -- not my strong suit.

The framing and plumbing is complete. He put a lot of soundproofing in the walls and ceiling so that very little will carry to the main level of the house. He''s working on the electrical now so I''m working on the lighting plan. One step at a time. Hopefully we''ll have it completely finished by Christmas.

I hope you find some of this information helpful. Tell us more about your project.

DiamondLil

 

[diamondlil]

Noobie,

I just finished my post after a long break (kids are off school today), and I see you posed the same website. You and my husband would have lots to talk about.

DiamondLil

 

[noobie]

Diamondlil,

I think we would indeed have a lot to talk about. Even though I contracted out the heavy stuff, walls, drywall, framing, I still ran all the wiring and the 2" conduit for the projector wires as well as installing all of the gear. I also had the contractors insulate double drywall the ceiling and walls (did not get into the fancy spacers and double walls)

My stuff is a year and half old (ancient for electronics), but I have:

BenQ PE 8700 HD2 DLP PJ
Carada 110" 1.4 gain screen
Anthem AVM 20 pre pro
Sherbourne 7/2100 amp
Pioneer Elite DV 59avi dvd player (my third try at a DVD player)
Cox HDTV DVR box
ACI Panorama, Essence and Sapphire speakers (these are sweet)
SVS PB2+ sub
Sound Anchor stands
Tons of cable and wire

5 Berkline 090 black leather recliners

One thing to keep in mind is heat. All that gear and five or six people makes it very hot and stuffy. I doubled the vents but also ran electrical wires for a separate split cycle air conditioner if I ever needed it.

Good luck. If he has any questions, you know where to reach me

 

[Libster]

Home theatres are so much fun. When we built our home we designed a soundproof room in the basement for a home theatre. We purchased an InFocus projector, ceiling mounted, from www.tigerdirect.com and an 84'''' pull down projection screen from an Ebay vendor. Hubby is a musician, as a hobby, and has these huge sound monitors that his band used and we use those along with a computer system. I don''t pretend to understand how it all comes together.

I didn''t do the specialized seating, as I had some really cool Eames sofas that were perfect for seating. Noobie is right about the heat all the equipment generates, so you want to make sure you have air conditioning.

 

[cute330xigrl]

WOOOW! All of your projects sound insane! I too know lil' about all the components (except what they are). Andre's doing everything himself as well. We're using suede fabric panels on the walls. An upholstery shop is helping with this , b/c we just couldn't get the math down right re: how many diamond cut-outs to create. The fabric arrrived last week Saturday. While in home depot, we read this AWESOME article in the design book "Trading Spaces" about fabric walls and using it being our sound dampener. The other benefit is we were able to run almost all the wires on the outside wall. Then the fabric panels will just be vecrowed on top. We have a few ideas we're trying to incorporate from Divine Design to make a "candle fireplace" underneath the tv. We unfortunately ordered our seats from Macys.... the upholsterer yelled at us, that she could have made us a nice wrap around Morrocan style seating w/ tons of throw pillows to maximize the space. We're now trying to figure out how to cancel our Macy's order. lol! Anyways, I hope what we're invisioning turns out EXACTLY how we're playing it out in our minds. Since the space is small, we're thinking the components we have should sound insane. Our friend thinks we may not even need a sub... so we're holding off on that.

Components:
Pioneer Elite Pro 1000 50" plasma
Paradigm Studo 40 Front Speakers
Paradigm SA-25 rear inwalls
Marantz 8600 Reciever
Mybe Marantz or Pioneer dvd player

Diamondlil, that layout is awesome! Even though it will take you a while, it sure sounds incredible! We just completed some remodelling on our main floor (master bdrm, 2nd bdrm, lvg rm & bathrm). We soooo love the real theatre look w/ the seats. We figured we'd hold out on getting 'em until we expand the house. But the links you provided are definitely going into archives! I told Dre about the components listed here, he said "WOW, that's some REAL hi-end stuff!"

When we installed the central ac over the summer, we thought about equipment cooling. I HOPE we accounted for enough cooling, thinking of how to strategically place the vents. lol!

Noobie you bring up an interesting point. I wonder if we ran a separate split? Do you have UPS's? I'm always scared, we may have another power outage (we had a freak one in my neighborhood 2wks ago).

Libster, 84" pull down projector

!

 

[diamondlil]

Yowza, Noobie! Your theater sounds incredible.

Thanks for sharing all the details -- very helpful. Have any pictures?

Mr. DiamondLil is also running conduit for the projector cables so that other cables can be snaked through later if needed. No double sheetrock, but we
will have the rubber spacers on the ceiling and soundboard behind the sheetrock on the screen wall. He soundproofed around the stairwell and duct work too so hopefully that will help.

We went and saw a demo of your projector at Ritz AV. He liked it, but I had a fear of headaches and rainbows with the DLP, so we went with LCD instead.

We are working on a bit of a budget

, so we will be using a receiver (Pioneer Elite 56TXi) rather than the pre/pro and amplifiers.

The Pioneer Elite DV 59avi DVD player is EXACTLY what Mr. DiamondLil really wants, but the price tag is weighing heavily on the pocketbook. It's the only decision in the system that he can't seem to make. Did you try other options that were unsuccessful? What do you think of the Panasonic S97? We may get the Panasonic DVD player and a jumbo DVD/CD changer. We have plenty of time before we need to make our choice, so I always say, when in doubt, do nothing. The answer will become clear as time passes.

You are right about the heat. Our basement is pretty cool in general, and I hope that since our equipment will be in a cubby/closet just outside the theater area that the heat will stay out of the room. The plan is to install a return air duct at the top of the closet so that heat from the equipment is pulled into the HVAC system.

Where did you purchase your Berkline seats from?

DiamondLil

 

[diamondlil]

Hi Christina.

Thanks for the compliments. My husband and I work pretty well together on these *projects*. He''s the technical guru and I make it look pretty.

I like the fabric panel idea. My dear husband ordered a sample of some sort of egg-crate-looking stuff which I have vetoed -- definitly not what I had in mind to look at on MY walls

.

The guru and I were talking this morning, and he wanted me to ask if there are any suggestions for an integrated/universal remote?

DiamondLil

 

[noobie]

Wow, that suede fabric sounds great. When I designed mine, we weren't sure how long we were going to stay in our house, so I wanted to only out about $500 if I had to pull everything out. So alas no, GOM fabic on the walls and columns. If I ever do it again, I 'd like to do that with insulation on the lower half a chair rail and fabric covering.

Cute, all the components are on two separate 15 amp circuits. In hindsight I would have probably run 3. My amp has two power cords! I don't have UPS, but have considered it for the PJ since power outages decreases bulb life. The extra 14/3 wire I ran was to add an air conditioner if I needed it. I could buy one with a split condenser, to keep as quiet as possible and punch a small hole in the wall.

D'lil, I hear you about the budget. I tried to get the nicest stuff I could find without getting into insane diminishing returns on that super high end stuff. I actually thought about a $12K Marantz projector and then slapped myself into reality. Guys can get so testosterone driven about this stuff. I got fabulous deals on everything. I bought my rear speakers used from a guy that didn't like them after 3 months and most of my cables are from Blue Jeans Cables. My neighbor bought a $25K Runco PJ that has never really worked properly and connected it to a $200 DVD player; my system is put together so much better.

Regarding the DVD, have Mr D'lil email me. I started with a Denon 3800, didn't like the greens and colors and I need the other inputs for HDTV. I then tried a cheap $250 Zenith 318 with DVI output upconverting to 1080i. It looked like crap. Sold it on ebay and then bit the bullet and bought a Onkyo SP 1000. I had a slight lip sync problem that I couldn't fix so I sent it back. I really loved that player ($2K). Then I bought the Pioneer. I can't use the HDMI to DVI out to my projector. I think I have a HDCP compatibility problem. So I have to run it through component. It's just as well since the HDTV inputs through DVI and I would have to buy a DVI switcher, which are finicky. So now I may get a DVDO Iscan HD+ when they upgrade it to allow 480i through HDMI and put both the DVD player and HDTV through the external scaler. I've decided to take a break from it. Besides I just ordered a bunch of 2000 Bordeaux (anyone want to talk wine?), my other hobby so no more toys.

I'll try to find the Berkline source (way cheaper than Home Theater Store) and muster up some modest pics.

 

[diamondlil]

Oooooooh nooooooo, Noobie. Don''t let Mr. DiamondLil hear you say wine.

You guys are in for a loooooooooong conversation.

LOL!!!!

I''ll have him email you about the DVD player.

DiamondLil

 

[cute330xigrl]

Diamondlil,
Dunno if you really wanna share this after u see the price tag, but...Andrae suggests this one:
http://us.marantz.com/shop/_templates/Proddetail.asp?model=74&cat=22

I jus dont have the heart to tell him

after spoiling me of late. He says its BALLER! lol! There's also a monochrome one that's $650.

 

[cute330xigrl]

Noobie, thanks for the details.. I''l lbe forwarding this thread to the FI.. esp. since he''ll be interested to read the comments on the dvd players.

We had 2 test panels made... WOOOHOOOO! This thing is gonna look sweet!

 

[diamondlil]

Thanks, Cute. I forwarded the link to my husband. Hope you''ll post some pics of your panels.

DiamondLil

 

[noobie]

I''d like to see the panels as well! I ended making about eight acoustical panels out of Owens Corning 705 to tame the brightness and covering it with some GOM fabric. Looks OK, but I''m sure not like your suede ones.

Regarding DVD players, I wanted great audio as well which complicated things. The Denon was not good on redbook CD and only OK on DVD-A. By far, the Onkyo was the best I had in my system for audio. As far as video calibration, the Pioneer was easiest, Onkyo was second and the Denon was the hardest. I never got it balanced with either Avia or DVE. However, this is highly display dependent. Eventually I will get an ISF calibration when I finally decide what to do with the DVD source. By that time HD DVD will be out

If money was no object, I''d probably take a chance on the Denon 5910, but $3500 is a bit much for a DVD player.

That marantz remote is really nice and complicated. The AVS section discusses them at length. Make sure you have PC programming and upload of macros. Progam on your PC and them download to the remote. It saves punching it in on the remote every time you make a change. You probably nee UHF and IR capability. I ended up with a Home Theater Master MX800, a more more economical solution.

Diamondlil: When are we going to see your little bauble? I saw pictures of.... you need to share.

 

[cute330xigrl]

errr.. if you can see past the mess, here''s the beginning of the wall paneling. tv will be mounted where the yellow wires are(which is now suede also)... the box underneath will be a "candle fireplace" (it will never be lit btw. lol) w/ mirrors on the 3 sides to reflect the candles. The 2 side compartments wont be closed @ the top the way it looks now. We''ll open the tops somehow and have the speakers mounted on stands.The center channel will be in the hole above the tv. And the walls will be filled w/ diamonds suedes all the way around. It looks kinda scrappy in the photo. In person looks better... but you get the idea. It''s a long and painful process measuring the squares to end in fulls and halfves.

 

[cute330xigrl]

Date: 3/31/2005 11:59:20 AM
Author: noobie
I''d like to see the panels as well! I ended making about eight acoustical panels out of Owens Corning 705 to tame the brightness and covering it with some GOM fabric. Looks OK, but I''m sure not like your suede ones.

Regarding DVD players, I wanted great audio as well which complicated things. The Denon was not good on redbook CD and only OK on DVD-A. By far, the Onkyo was the best I had in my system for audio. As far as video calibration, the Pioneer was easiest, Onkyo was second and the Denon was the hardest. I never got it balanced with either Avia or DVE. However, this is highly display dependent. Eventually I will get an ISF calibration when I finally decide what to do with the DVD source. By that time HD DVD will be out

If money was no object, I''d probably take a chance on the Denon 5910, but $3500 is a bit much for a DVD player.

That marantz remote is really nice and complicated. The AVS section discusses them at length. Make sure you have PC programming and upload of macros. Progam on your PC and them download to the remote. It saves punching it in on the remote every time you make a change. You probably nee UHF and IR capability. I ended up with a Home Theater Master MX800, a more more economical solution.

Diamondlil: When are we going to see your little bauble? I saw pictures of.... you need to share.

I thought complication is what men love most about gadgets. The more buttons, the more drool.

 

[cute330xigrl]

Things have not been going so well. The upholsterer ran out of the fabric and apparently it was discontinued when we ordered it. So she had to search hi and low for it. Since my last post, nothing has been done. What WAS the best experience has turned into the WORST!

I just want it done already. She claims to be coming over tomorrow. Dunno.. have this gut feeling that something else happened that hindered her from completing our project. Yet, can''t fight the lady, I need the job done, y''know. *sigh* Such a difficult time. And all we want is to just enjoy our new den and couches, which btw were already delivered. They''re now sitting in our tiny living room. It''s a minor issue in the grand scheme of life... but yet so aggravating.

 

[diamondlil]

Oh no, Cute, I hope you can track down more of the same fabric. The wall detail looks really neat!! I used to have an interior decorating business, and it was my worst nightmare when fabrics were discontinued after a I had worked out an entire coordinated design which the client had already approved.

Now that your job is partially done, the problem is even worse!!!

My theater has not progressed significantly either. Now that spring has arrived, our priorites have changed focus to the growing grass and flower beds that need tending. Once that''s under control, I''m locking Mr. DiamondLil back in the basement.

Also, all the electronics have been delivered, and the wireless remote that we got is the Philips Color Pronto TSU7000 with LCD -- very similar to the one you posted above, Cute. After it''s been programed properly, I think even I will be able to run things!!!

Keep us posted.

DiamondLil

 

[lost on 5th]

good luck to both of you on the ongoing projects. cute... hopefully they track down some fabric for you...

since i missed the start of this thread, i thought i would add some eye candy for all of you... talk about your nice "home theaters" this is actually the display theater for http://www.crestron.com pretty much the size of a mid-west starter home. and yes.. one VERY nice remote

 

[lost on 5th]

and remote

 

[cute330xigrl]

almost complete w/ the den. needs a few fabric pieces recut to fit tighter, the candle fireplace needs to be contructed (it''ll sit right under the tv) and some accessorries/furnishings. But we''re coming along....

 

[cute330xigrl]

curtains need to be hung above the window AND in the two corners. If you look closely, the corner pieces werent cut to be exact mirrors of ea. other , cos the idiot upholsterer, worked her way across from the farthest sides into the corners... versus working from the corners out.

. Anyways, the speaker grills will be inserted. We made them outta speaker mesh, so it''ll tie in and look like the center channel above the tv. We''ll put molding up all around the ceiling (looks neater than whats there now), bring in a rug, coffee table and accessorize.

 

[belle]

oh wow cute, that looks awesome! very, very cool. can i come to your house to watch movies?

what size is the other window? is it the same as the one pictured?

 

[JohnQuixote]

It's ah-verra nice----ah. Looks like a great zone, when's the shindig?

Pioneer makes a sweeeet Elite plasma. I'm a Sony XBR man myself but I like'm Pioneer plenty. Anyone speak Martin Loganish here? Aeon electrostatics are my next installment unless I spring for Ascent - but that might be overkill for my space (12'x16'). I can't wait to get my hands (ears) on the MLs though.

Noob speaks wisely. Onkyo is a good DVD player. Denon is also tops and has been for a while. They were producing some of the most progressive digi-audio gear way back when Nakamichi had the monopoly for the sweetest analog with their cassette tape players. I know some of you are saying 'what' players?... Please don't be player haters.

I'm still using Adcom all-American power for front and center. I am stooging the onboard power that came with my Yamaha brain for the rear, but that will change with the changing of the speaker guard.

Anyone remember the Infinity Kappa 9s from back in the days before sub-woofers, when cowboys only kissed their horses? It was a limited production, but they were reference standards - in the early 90s to the speaker world what Viking is to barbeque grills now. I still have a pair as my fronts - 5'5" towers with 2 subs built into each, bass and midrange horns both and 2 rear-firing tweeters in back (as well as 2 in front) to balance acoustic reflections, since bass is omni and treble is unidirectional. Problem is the impedence is so low that the lights on my block go dim when I dial it up.

Cute, make sure you guys get CLEAN POWER. Even an inexpensive filter/spike prevention system is a good investment. And warn the neighbors.

 

[cute330xigrl]

Date: 9/12/2005 11:08:44 PM
Author: belle
oh wow cute, that looks awesome! very, very cool. can i come to your house to watch movies?

what size is the other window? is it the same as the one pictured?

Thank you! Oh, thats a door Belle. There''s only 1 window in the den space. And the popcorns ready and waiting.

John, We''re using a panamax pro5110 to clean up the power. We decided to wait for the HD DVD , so we bought a cheap panasonic player for now. Everything else you posted I''m too green to understand. lol!

But thank you for the compliment. hehe

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 9/13/2005 2:59:32 PM
Author: cute330xigrl

Date: 9/12/2005 11:08:44 PM
Author: belle
oh wow cute, that looks awesome! very, very cool. can i come to your house to watch movies?

what size is the other window? is it the same as the one pictured?

Thank you! Oh, thats a door Belle. There''s only 1 window in the den space. And the popcorns ready and waiting.

John, We''re using a panamax pro5110 to clean up the power. We decided to wait for the HD DVD , so we bought a cheap panasonic player for now. Everything else you posted I''m too green to understand. lol!

But thank you for the compliment. hehe

Cute - LOL, I thought I recognized those classic dials in your cabinet but wasn''t sure. That''ll do - it''s just good insurance. As for the rest, I became a ridiculous audiophile right before I got bit by the diamo-phile bug... I used to haunt the audio forums like many of you wannerful regs do here nowadays

 

[noobie]

JQ, I did not know you were an electrostatic fan. Martin Logans are indeed fab, but take up too much space for me. For some reason I prefer old driver technology, but I''m sure you have a much better ear than me. You know I wanted a Nakamichi tape deck for the longest time, but dollars was a problem. They still make good mid range receivers and redbook CD players.

John, as a fellow XBR fan, I have an original XBR squared 32" TV. IMO, one of the best tubes made, just before the Wegas came out. They didn''t sell well, because they were too pricey. I still have it after ten years. It''s running with my second system, Rotel amp and prepro with B&W speakers. When the TV dies, a plasma or LCD/DLP rear projection is a likely replacement. Too bad you aren''t closer, we could swap war stories and gear to try out.

I think cflutist has a pair of Inifinity Kappas, but I''m not sure. Huge and awesome

Cute: Nice panels, the Pio plasma is wonderful. Where''s the popcorn maker and soda machine?

That Panamax conditioner is plenty unless you get into the some really high end stuff. I have Pananmax myself (Besides insurance covers spikes as well). I don''t know about HD DVD, it may be awhile with the Blue Ray format war. I think with existing software DVDs will be around for quite some time. You can go crazy with players though. One of the reasons I bought mine was to output 480i through HDMI into an external scaler. I''m actually thinking of upgrading my PJ, which is crazy. I need to wait for a reasonable priced three chip DLP.

When''s opening night?

 

[belle]

okay...door. got it.

do you really think that anyone (besides you or dre) that walks into that room will notice the corners? also, have you thought about not hanging curtains on the window? i like the clean lines of the casing without curtains. maybe you could go with dark wood blinds?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 9/13/2005 12:48:13 AM
Author: JohnQuixote


Anyone remember the Infinity Kappa 9s from back in the days before sub-woofers, when cowboys only kissed their horses? It was a limited production, but they were reference standards - in the early 90s to the speaker world what Viking is to barbeque grills now. I still have a pair as my fronts - 5''5'' towers with 2 subs built into each, bass and midrange horns both and 2 rear-firing tweeters in back (as well as 2 in front) to balance acoustic reflections, since bass is omni and treble is unidirectional. Problem is the impedence is so low that the lights on my block go dim when I dial it up.

Cute, make sure you guys get CLEAN POWER. Even an inexpensive filter/spike prevention system is a good investment. And warn the neighbors.

John Q
i bought a pair of Infinity R.S. 2.5 for $2500 in 1982 it had 2 tweeters 1 facing the back. i ran 250 watts Denon mono blocks on them, i should of try bi amp with my mono blocks,use one to drive the midrange & tweeters and teh other one to drive the woofers.

in 1995 (out dated now)

i bought a new systerm (all made in the U.S.)

A pair of John Dunlavy model 4 speaker systerm

Mesa Baron power tube amp (made in Petaluma,Ca) those tubes sure heats up the room when its on.....too hot in the summer.

Audible Illusions L1 tube pre-amp

EAD cd player
They don''t get much playing time these days but, my daughters want me to teach them on how to operate it. heck... i probably forgot myself .

just sitting there to collect dust.