New house, New room, New system!

[Rowdy S13]

Well, I can FINALLY say I am a home owner!!! It has taken us almost 18 months, and 3 different places, but we finally closed at the end of June. Of course we have been busy moving, fixing small things, changing things, and I have been planning all sorts of projects One of my main projects is building out a "home theater" room. I am not going for a fully dedicated theater space, but that will probably be the main use of it. Before I get too long winded, why don't we move on to pics and a drawing. These are pics we took before the old owners moved out, later tonight I will add current pics of it empty.

A few things to note, it is laminate flooring on a slab. The walls are half under ground (41" from floor to step). The doors on the right side (when looking where the screen will be) are for a bathroom/laundry/utility room, and a bedroom/office. In this drawing there is one slight mistake, I don't have the ledge along that back wall. That also means that the ledge on the screen wall is shown deeper than it actually is. I will redraw it when I take new measurements, but its not really important right now.

The speakers shown are all EMPTek impression series (E55Ti towers, E56Ci center, E55Wi side, and E5Bi back), and SVS PB200 sub's. You will also notice that I added in a couch (poorly drawn) and a bar behind. The dimensions on the bar are 2' deep, and 8' long. I didn't really want to do tiered seating because it would be a bit awkward with the stairs and the bathroom door placement, but I also wanted more seating available. I figure most of the time it will be used is for things like the Superbowl and people probably wont be sitting in one spot for hour's in that case, so good stools at a bar should suffice for additional seating. For movies the wife and I will claim the couch

Anyway, I am planning on a 7.2 as you can see. The space is not very large, but the EMPTek speakers are also not very expensive, and I have plenty of options with my receiver, so I figured go big! Also I am pretty much locked in to dual subs, I REALLY like my bass! I want to shake the whole damn house when I'm watching a movie!

For wiring I am planning on having all of the equipment located in the closet of the bedroom. I will be running 12ga for all the speakers. I am also going to run HDMI, and two CAT6 to the projector location. I can really do whatever I want as far as wiring, we will get to specifics below.


Alright on to questions, comments, concerns, etc..

What kind of future wiring should I do?
Speakers
Subs
HDMI
Network
Anything else
I do want to do 7.X, but is it worth it?
What do we think for screen size? I am thinking a little over 100"?
Where should I have the wiring for the projector?
Speaker/Sub location, what is best?

That should get us all going for now. Eventually I will start to get into some specifics like room treatments, projector make and model, screen make and model etc. but for now I am just planing out the wiring really. I have never had a projector set up, so I am a complete noob when it comes to everything about them. Now is my chance to rip open walls, build out for things, and run any wiring I may need. I am going to build the bar out later, but I want the ceiling work, and all of the AV/Network wiring done soon.

ANY ideas, suggestions, observations, comments, and so on are greatly appreciated. This is my first house, and so my first "theater" build and I want to get it right


Thanks guys,
Sean

 

[agarwalro]

Congrats on the house purchase.

I would say swap the towers and subs. Subs will load better in the corner and towers will give better imaging and a wider soundstage when at about 3-4 ft. from side walls.

The listening position should be slightly ahead of the line connecting the two side surround speakers. This is required to get the correct 5.1 location

Mount the side and surround speakers about 2 ft. down from the roof (based on drawing showing them flush with the ceiling).

With all the hard surfaces (floor, walls, glass, etc.) you will have a high treble reverberation. Are you planing for acoustical treatment, at minimum of 1st reflection points for LCR?

 

[Rowdy S13]

Congrats on the house purchase.

I would say swap the towers and subs. Subs will load better in the corner and towers will give better imaging and a wider soundstage when at about 3-4 ft. from side walls.

The listening position should be slightly ahead of the line connecting the two side surround speakers. This is required to get the correct 5.1 location

Mount the side and surround speakers about 2 ft. down from the roof (based on drawing showing them flush with the ceiling).

With all the hard surfaces (floor, walls, glass, etc.) you will have a high treble reverberation. Are you planing for acoustical treatment, at minimum of 1st reflection points for LCR?

Thank you! and thank you for the reply as well!

How far off the walls can/should the subs be? My only worry is that the mains would be too close together in that configuration. Lucky for me though I can move them around in CAD, and also tape out the floor to get a better idea.

I was under the impression that you should be slightly behind the side speakers. If I am listening to a 5.X configuration, would the side surrounds, or the rear surrounds be active?

I know that the drawing is not very easy to follow, but the side speakers have to be pretty much flush to the ceiling. On the left side I have that window to contend with, and on the right the doors. The doors actually set the positioning as I centered that right speaker between the two doors, and then the left straight across from it. That put them ever so slightly in front of my listening position, which again I though was the preferred placement.

I do plan on doing some treatments at some point. For now I will at least try to get down a thick area rug to help out some. I really know nothing at all about treatments, and it is something that I will tackle separately when the time comes. Right now I am concerned with overall layout, and wiring. Then comes scrutinizing gear, then set up, then treatments.



Sean

 

[agarwalro]

The subs can be as little as 1" from side and front walls. The only caveat is that for ported subs, the vent should not be blocked. In that case, minimum 6" to ensure port is free enough that even during serious bass output, the port characteristics are not changed due to constricted air flow.

The typical locations are slammed into the corners, 1/3 room width and 1/4 room width, center of front wall. The corners cause all sound energy to be redirected back towards the room. 1/3 and 1/4 are used to alleviate issues with room modes and center of front wall is the easiest location for seamless bass management.

The mains should be as wide as you are far from them, making an equilateral triangle or less with the primary listening seat.

Dolby says the location for sides and surrounds should be like this,

So, they should never be ahead of your ears when comfortably seated. From anecdotal/internet opinion, slightly behind works best for ambient sound effects.

When is 5.x the side surrounds are active. Terminology is consistent for L, C, R, but, side surround and rear surround are also called, surround and surround back. Varies form AVR company to format to processing.

Right now I am concerned with overall layout, and wiring. Then comes scrutinizing gear, then set up, then treatments.

That is a good plan.

 

[agarwalro]

Here is a good primer on projector setup, How to Install a Home Theater Projector and Screen from Start to Finish | Audioholics

Are you going to have a dual screen setup, TV for casual and projector for serious viewing?

If not, you can do an acoustically transparent screen and go biggest advisable for viewing distance. With the projector, you will need to light control the room quite a bit. Dark walls/roof/doors, dark carpet, heavy window treatments (think blackbout level), etc. Just fyi for budgeting purposes.

 

[j_garcia]

Congrats on the house!

 

[ImcLoud]

Congrats on the new house, I like the color of them floors and they did a great job with them stairs...

Looking at the pictures I think I would do it a little different...

First I would go 5.2, I have played with 7 and to me its not worth the effort, kind of like more time, energy, and money for less results... but that is just my opinion if you have used 7 and like it , that is awesome, but if not, its something to think about... the rear channels always surprise me and pull me out of the material I am watching, sounds unnatural, although the movies that are made for it are OK, but they are few and far...

Next it looks like you want your screen in front of the window {or am I reading the drawings wrong?}, I would use the longer walls for the seating put the tv on the wall next to the stairs... With out having to wary about putting th couch off the wall for the rears you can push it up to the wall with the windows on it, you will make the room larger and have that entire wall for seating, maybe a sectional with double chaise lounges or a couch and recliner... As far as the bar goes you can put it on that wall, I have a convertible bar in my parlor and we never use it, I keep whiskey in it but most everything else is in the kitchen... Do you already own the furniture for this room or are you going to buy it new?

I would use bookshelf's over towers too... I would go with...
HSU vtf3 dual drive- $1500
Ascend sierra 1's lcr $1050 bstock
fluance xlbp surrounds $200

That would be really nice in that room, mount the books on wall mounts around the screen, subs in front of it. It would be nice either way though, the emps are nice too, but I would definitely step up to the hsu dual drive for the subs...

Anyway good luck with the new house, lots of planning to do, we built our house and my wife still wants things changed everyone and a while when she gets a new idea or see something in a magazine...

PS- I am just giving you ideas, your plan looks solid and no one knows better what you want than you, I didn't want to come off like I was trying to insult your design...

 

[Rowdy S13]

Thank you guys for the replies! I am going to just respond to what I remember from reading because I am too lazy to quote everything

Good to know on the subs, I will move them around in the model (and fix that rear ledge) and see how it all shapes up.

Positioning the sides is not a big deal, and I want them to be placed the best for sound rather than looks. However I am questioning the 7.X over the 5.X still. I feel like if the sides are used in the 5.X (BTW, thank you for explaining it. I should have put that terminology together.) that it may loose some of the overall effect since they will be close to the seating area. If you are sitting on the left side of the couch, that left speaker is pretty much above you head (and a little back). I think the rear speakers (placement) would work better for enveloping you when in 5.X if that makes sense. Pretty much I think 7.X would sound great, but times when its a 5.X track (more often) it would leave something to be desired. PLEASE correct me if I am wrong, or over thinking this.

Initially the plan was to do a dual screen, and that is still an option, but I am kind of leaning away from it. My very first thought was to mount a 50-60" flat screen on the wall, and have a motorized screen come down for movies. What I don't like about that idea is really the center channel placement. If I use a acoustically transparent screen then I can have the center, well, centered I feel like on such a large screen that is going to be more important than say a 40" screen with it on top. Also the added cost of the flat screen and wiring, and the hassle of mounting it are making me shy away from the idea. I think if I go that route, I'd push to close off that window and make it a flat wall there. That is something that still needs to be figured out though.

Moving on to screen(s) placement. The idea of using the wall next to the stairs has been brought up, actually by the wife I believe. Anyway, my issue there is the placement of the mains. That wall is only 92.5" wide across the floor to the stairs, which means that is as wide (outside to outside) as the mains can be. I could hang a bookshelf on the outside wall, but I don't really like that option for aesthetics mostly. Also the screen would be shifted right in relation to the speakers in that scenario.

Speaking of bookshelf's, that is another thing I have considered. I am a bit worried that the subs would overpower them, but that depends on many things I am sure. I will say that they are still an option, but I like towers


Now to really muddy up the responses! As I mentioned I had wanted to do a motorized screen, and I still think that is something I (and the wife) would like to do. That would make that room less imposing when not watching movies, and leave that window as usable. Also, really has the WOW factor when it comes down The bar idea is not so much a true "bar" as it is probably mostly a counter to sit at. I may do some shelving on the back wall to put liquor, which would make it more of a "bar", but my initial idea was more of additional seating for non-movie viewing. It is more usable than a couch since you can eat and drink there easy, and move around easier. We do not currently have anything for this room, other than my Yamaha receiver. Our couch ended up not fitting down there like we had planned, so the TV along with my Canton's and old Integra receiver are set up in the upstairs family room. I have plans for that room too, but that is later and another thread.

So really, I need to decide 5.X, or 7.X, or ??? I also need to decide what kind of future proofing I want to do, such as additional cables just in the walls, along with anything else I feel I may need going forward. Gear is a very long discussion that we can really get into later Keep the responses coming guys, I really appreciate it!


Sean

 

[ImcLoud]

Sean,
I am not sold on putting the screen in front of that window, I think you may regret that...
as far as the speakers not being set apart far enough, I have set up many many many speakers in my guest room parlor {I use that room like a testing lab, lol} and the speakers are close with the seating far from it, the room is actually very similar to yours minus the stairs, it is long and narrow, and I have never had a speaker {except for a pair of maggies} that placement was an issue...
As far as bookshelfs getting over powered by the subs, in that room you can get a pair of psb imagine minis and they will easily keep up with a pair of sb2000's... Your avr is giong to cut out all the benefits of having towers, I know they look cool, but seeing peoples faces when huge amounts of clean clear sound come from a couple tiny little boxes is even better...
As far as 5 vs 7 you know where I stand, others will chime in but its just one of them things, the money you save going from 7 to 5 and towers to books, will get you a better sound every time...

I am partial to bookshelfs I used to love towers, but since I started playing with books I am now a believer, you get more for your money, sure the low end isn't as prominent and you loose a little efficiency, but no resonance, smaller footprints, less cost, and more for your money out weigh any positives you can find.... Plus, if you are the type to upgrade and swap stuff around books are much easier to resell and replace... I have a few sets of towers I would love to sell but I am forced to wait for a local buyer because I don't want the headaches of shipping them...

Think about sierra 1's, philharmonitors, ect in the under $1000 range and then try to imagine a tower that can compete for around the same money, you end up with a vinyl covered cabinet, lesser quality unit with better bass that you are going to cross out with your avr on day one...

I would figure out the seating before the layout, as far as wiring, I would put in a wall mount tv box {throw a picture over it if you wont use it rite now}, and wire for what you think you will use, cat6, hdmi, with a chaser rope, wire in the ceiling box for the projector, wire for a pair of subs back to your avr and cable box, ect as far as future proofing, maybe a good time to read the article about ceiling speakers for the new Atmos stuff..

 

[Rowdy S13]

OK, so you would put both main speakers on that wall, or you would do one on the side wall in front of the stairs? What kind of spacing would I want from the walls with any of the speakers? I am going to do another lay out with that configuration soon, so I want to know the spacing.

Another concern I have is that the screen will have to be smaller if I flip things around. A 106" screen is the exact width of that wall, which means I would likely have to go smaller. Not that a 92" screen isn't big, but bigger is better I do know that if I have that window behind the screen I will have to have some good way of blocking the light. There is also a vent in the ceiling over there which may cause some problems. I have not ruled out anything at all yet, just weighing the pros and cons of each. I lean to having the larger screen, but there are advantages to having the room flipped around.


Sean

 

[agarwalro]

With out having to wary about putting th couch off the wall for the rears you can push it up to the wall with the windows on it

This is not recommended. Pushing the seating right up against the back wall will be terribe for surround. If anything, you will have to heavilty treat it just to absorb sufficient energy coming from the LCR and not muddying the front stage. On the plus side, bass will be awesome since the walls are a room mode peak. Pretty much anything other than bass will be sub optimal. There is also some belief that the acoustics are better with setting up a room so that front wall is the shorter of the dimentions. This is the layout recommend by RealTraps too, RealTraps - How To Set Up a Room

However I am questioning the 7.X over the 5.X still. I feel like if the sides are used in the 5.X (BTW, thank you for explaining it. I should have put that terminology together.) that it may loose some of the overall effect since they will be close to the seating area. If you are sitting on the left side of the couch, that left speaker is pretty much above you head (and a little back). I think the rear speakers (placement) would work better for enveloping you when in 5.X if that makes sense. Pretty much I think 7.X would sound great, but times when its a 5.X track (more often) it would leave something to be desired. PLEASE correct me if I am wrong, or over thinking this.

The choice between 5.x and 7.x is simply governed by ability to properly place the rear speakers. Unless you can have them least 4-5 ft. behind you, don't consider 7.x. Regarding having them close to the seating area, the bipole type side speakers (like the Fluance ImcLoud mentioned) will work best. You cannot optimize that small of a room for everyone to get good surround. The people closest to the primary location will get best effects and the further one goes, it gets worse. It's the nature of the small room home theater acoustics. Cannot beat physics. A lot of movies sound great in 5.x or 7.x. A lot sound horrible in 5.x or 7.x. It depends on how well the soundtrack lends itself to surround sound and on the skill of a recording engineer mixing the track.

What I don't like about that idea is really the center channel placement. If I use a acoustically transparent screen then I can have the center, well, centered I feel like on such a large screen that is going to be more important than say a 40" screen with it on top. Also the added cost of the flat screen and wiring, and the hassle of mounting it are making me shy away from the idea. I think if I go that route, I'd push to close off that window and make it a flat wall there. That is something that still needs to be figured out though.

The center does not have to be located at ear height. As long as you angle it so that the tweeter axis is alligned to the ear height. If you search for HT pictures, you will see several folk have the center 1-2 ft. off the ground or mounted above the screen. You can get a entertainment stand that has a TV stand built into it. No need to wall mount or wall off the window. Just get a really heavy screen that minimized light entry/exit. If going PJ, you will need such screens for the wall of windows opposite the doors.

Moving on to screen(s) placement. The idea of using the wall next to the stairs has been brought up, actually by the wife I believe. Anyway, my issue there is the placement of the mains. That wall is only 92.5" wide across the floor to the stairs, which means that is as wide (outside to outside) as the mains can be. I could hang a bookshelf on the outside wall, but I don't really like that option for aesthetics mostly. Also the screen would be shifted right in relation to the speakers in that scenario.

Don't do that primarly since the L and R sides will not be mirrored. This is not desired if you want a nice balanced phantom center created by L, R mains. Also, the L main will be in an area of heavy foot traffic. An accident waiting to happen.

Speaking of bookshelf's, that is another thing I have considered. I am a bit worried that the subs would overpower them, but that depends on many things I am sure.

This is unfounded. A properly configured/calibrated bookshelf and sub setup will not reveal the presence of a sub at all. It will be as if all bass is coming from the bookshelf alone.

So really, I need to decide 5.X, or 7.X, or ??? I also need to decide what kind of future proofing The crux is future proofing.

Going with 5.x now, there will be huge inertia to add in wall calbes later and a huge curiosity to know what is missing. On the other hand, if you put 7.x and don't like it, you can always remove the speakers and properly terminate the wires. It could be a benefit if see yourself selling the place.

Your avr is giong to cut out all the benefits of having towers, I know they look cool, but seeing peoples faces when huge amounts of clean clear sound come from a couple tiny little boxes is even better...

+1. For a setup with a sub in the mix with and AVR doing bass management, a tower is 100% waste.

you get more for your money, sure the low end isn't as prominent and you loose a little efficiency, but no resonance, smaller footprints, less cost, and more for your money out weigh any positives you can find.... Plus, if you are the type to upgrade and swap stuff around books are much easier to resell and replace...

+1. A bookshelf that is the same price as a tower will not have low end bass, but, (hopefully) will have better drivers and crossover, and if designed well, play clearer. That said, there are plenty of towers that play better than bookshelf speakers of higher cost.

OK, so you would put both main speakers on that wall, or you would do one on the side wall in front of the stairs? What kind of spacing would I want from the walls with any of the speakers? I am going to do another lay out with that configuration soon, so I want to know the spacing.

Some of this depends on the speaker itself. If it is rear ported, you want it to be at least 1 ft. from any adjouning surface. Ideally, the LCR should be 2+ ft. away from any adjoining wall.

Another concern I have is that the screen will have to be smaller if I flip things around. A 106" screen is the exact width of that wall, which means I would likely have to go smaller. Not that a 92" screen isn't big, but bigger is better I do know that if I have that window behind the screen I will have to have some good way of blocking the light. There is also a vent in the ceiling over there which may cause some problems. I have not ruled out anything at all yet, just weighing the pros and cons of each. I lean to having the larger screen, but there are advantages to having the room flipped around.

Screen size needs to be based on viewing distance. Based on how far you end up sitting, use this guide to determine screen size, TV Size to Distance Calculator and Science

 

[ImcLoud]

OK, so you would put both main speakers on that wall, or you would do one on the side wall in front of the stairs? What kind of spacing would I want from the walls with any of the speakers? I am going to do another lay out with that configuration soon, so I want to know the spacing.

Another concern I have is that the screen will have to be smaller if I flip things around. A 106" screen is the exact width of that wall, which means I would likely have to go smaller. Not that a 92" screen isn't big, but bigger is better I do know that if I have that window behind the screen I will have to have some good way of blocking the light. There is also a vent in the ceiling over there which may cause some problems. I have not ruled out anything at all yet, just weighing the pros and cons of each. I lean to having the larger screen, but there are advantages to having the room flipped around.


Sean

The reason I am saying push the seating back to the wall is to keep the room as large as possible, there is nothing worth more than usable space. We all have different priorities comfort, aesthetics, and function come before sound quality in my house, like I always say my speakers may sound way better if I took everything out of the room and put egg crates on the ceiling, but I would be getting divorced the same day so its not worth it...

As far as that front wall, I am not very familiar with screen sizes and the video side of the hobby, to figure out what size tv I should buy for a space I sit on the couch, hold a credit card 9 inches from my face close one eye and then have someone mark the sq on the wall, then measure the square, that is how big the tv should be {lol}... But seriously I buy the tv that doesnt make me feel guilty about spending that much on a tv, they change too fast now to invest more than $700 on one, I learned that the hard way, I bought a pioneer panel when they first came out, had to go to NY to pick it up because no one in RI had them, I paid $9300 for it and 2 years later I could buy a similar size model for $1200 {different brand}... SO now I don't pay more than $800, 55-60" is plenty, if it lasts 3-4 years I am happy, by then a thinner better one is available for $800 and I start all over...

Anyhow, You kind of need to find comfortable furniture and then build your sound system around that, I wouldn't do the opposite..

Keep in mind with a new house you are going to have a huge list of wife wants as well as your own.... We built our house and tried to think of everything and my wife still came up with $5000 of upgrades to do to the kitchen
pot filler http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af107/turbobike1/aapotfill_zps772ff93e.jpg
oscilating ceiling fan http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af107/turbobike1/aafan_zps68bf21b4.jpg
another sink http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af107/turbobike1/aasink_zps2d20422a.jpg

So that little 11 sq ft corner of the kitchen that she initially wanted empty cost me almost $4000 to add a fan, sink, faucet, cabinet, and granite, while I was doing the plumbing she mentioned the pot filler so I figured might as well be proactive about it.... I admit for parties that long skinny sink is awesome, fill it with icy water and it keeps about 30 bottles of beer ice cold... You guys must have a huge list of wants and needs and it sucks to do things twice, obviously you know that since you are here asking for advice...

SO my question is will you notice a sonic difference if your ht speakers are not as wide, as long as the center and l r are equal I think you will have a fine sound stage...

 

[Rowdy S13]

OK, not that I am back from a short vacation in Vegas we can get back to business. I am going to try and cover everything discussed, in order, as best as I can.

First off the wife and I talked about this over the weekend, and its pretty much settled that we are going to stick with my original lay out, so screen on the wall with the window. That will put me roughly about 12' from the screen, and about 4.5' from the back speakers. Those dimensions can easily change, but in the drawing I posted that is about what they are. My plan from the start was to have bookshelf speakers for the rears, and Bi-pole speakers on the sides. I think I am going to stick with at least wiring for 7.X right now, and if I change my mind I can easily put up some blank wall plates and run just the rears.

Moving on to speakers, I think you guys have me sold on going bookshelf for the fronts. I didn't really want to make this thread about the gear, but here we go anyway The plan from the start was to go with the EMPTek impression series. That whole 7 speaker system (with the towers) would be $1,760 plus shipping, which is a lot of speaker for the money. What could I look at that that would be comparable in overall quality for the same cost. I would be OK stretching that a little, and also only getting 5 speakers for now. I have always wanted some Aperion Audio speakers, and if I go with the Versus Grand for mains, Forte center, and Forte surrounds, that would come in a bit cheaper (albeit for 2 less speakers) at $1,600. Now that they make a set of matching Di-pole/Bi-pole speakers, that could fill out the full 7.X if I decide to go that route. What do we think of that option in comparison to the EMPTek's (which I have experience with)?

While we are talking gear, lets get to the screen. I am going to be looking for a motorized screen, that is acoustically transparent. Having 0 experience with projector setups, I really don't even know where to start. I have found some, but lets pretend I haven't for now and see what we come up with. Again, I am thinking somewhere just a little over 100" will be good with the 11-12' seating distance. My general plan is to mount all the speakers to the wall at (or about) ear height, and have the screen come down just in front of them. Anyone see any issues with doing that?

And now for those pics of an empty space I promised oh so long ago

I still need to get un-lazy and remeasure a few things so I can fix the drawing I have. I will probably get to that later this week though.


Thank you guys for all of the help so far, it is really appreciated.

Sean

 

[agarwalro]

A few quick things that came up,

1) Amazing floors. A shame that you will need to cover up a lot of it with thick carpeting.
2) Remove the mirrors and put acoustical panels there. Or, if that is going to be the bar, try to design it such that it acts as a diffuser.
3) Any chance you can put a heavy door to close off the room? It will help keep sound energy in the room and give two benefits, mainly, a sub will pressurize the room better and secondly, you get sound isolation to/from the upper level.

Will post more info afterwards.

 

[Rowdy S13]

Thank you! We like the floors as well, and they are pretty much thought the house (except kitchen and bathrooms) so we can still enjoy them
The mirror is already gone (heavy SOB!) We will have to talk about design to be functional, as well as help the sound as that project gets rolling.
It is possible, but I am not 100% sure yet. I would have to look at it, and talk with the wife a bit. I plan on changing out the two doors down there to something more substantial to help out though.

In my searching around today I came across this screen.
Amazon.com: EluneVision Reference AudioWeave 4K Tab-Tensioned Motorized Screen - Audio Transparent - 120" (105" x 59") Viewable - 16:9: Electronics
They seem to be well regarded on AVS, and priced well for what you get. Any input over here on it?


Sean

 

[agarwalro]

It is possible, but I am not 100% sure yet. I would have to look at it, and talk with the wife a bit. I plan on changing out the two doors down there to something more substantial to help out though.

I don't think the two doors need changing unless you want to keep sound out of those rooms. Yes, it will take something very substantial over and above a solid door, maybe even double door. I'm thinking heavy frame that almost seals the room off with the door shut. Even then, it will be near impossible to completely isolate the bedroom. It may not be worth. Unless, there is a lot of overlap between someone using the HT and someone wanting to sleep/work at the same time.

 

[Rowdy S13]

There is no need to separate the rooms, just thought it would help to have them more sound proof. If it doesn't really matter then I will probably just change them to solid doors which I want to do throughout the house.


Sean

 

[agarwalro]

Oh cool. The bottom of that staircase though, IMO, is high priority for getting sealed off, maybe not as OCD as an acoustical double door, but, at least a heavy door with a rubber seal all around.

 

[Rowdy S13]

OK guys, lets talk gear! As much as I wish I had the budget to go all out, I just don't. With that in mind I am thinking of going with EMPTek bookshelf's

Front main EMPTek E5Bi
Center EMPTek E5Ci
Side EMPTek E55Wi
Rear EMPTek E5Bi

Honestly, if that set up leaves something to be desired I wouldn't really be all that upset. I can easily find uses for those speakers elsewhere in the house if I decide to change them out later, and the cost $1,090 it is hard to argue. My main question there is, do I spend the extra $200 and go with the larger center? A good friend of mine has the EMPTek impression series in his house with the Towers for the mains, and the smaller E5Ci center, and I feel like the center gets lost in the mix (and is actually bumped up a few dB). However his center is also placed up high (on a mantle) and is not aimed at the listening position, so not exactly a fair comparison. I know that EMPTek says that they came up with the larger E56Ci to match the E55Ti towers, but how would it blend with the E5Bi bookshelf's? The cost difference is so low that it is pretty much a moot point, but what is going to perform better as a whole system?

Moving on to subs, I had wanted to go with two SVS PB2000's but now I am second guessing that. Not that you can ever have too much sub, but they are rather large. Way back when in this I wanted two SB2000's because the sealed boxes are just so much smaller. After talking it though, ported is where its at for what I like (movies with earth shaking bass). What do we think about going with two PB1000's instead? Or should I think about placement more? The issue is the screen will come down above the subs, and while I can adjust the stop I would rather it come down further. So options there are smaller subs, or different placement. I could position the screen to be in front of the subs, but that moves it pretty far out into the room since the SB2000's are over 2' deep plus space for wiring.

I am pretty happy with how everything is shaping up though! I have been drawing out screen's trying to determine what what size and type to get. I think I can get away with a non acoustically transparent screen (in about 100-120") if I position the speakers right. It will mean having the center mounted low (below the screen would be the only option) but it is a big cost savings in the screen.


Sean

 

[agarwalro]

Run only 3.1 for now (but, drop cables for 7.2). IMO, you definitely want to go with the E55Ti and E56Ci, even if it means forgoing the side and rear speakers for now.

Ditch the 2x (insert any sub up to $800). For now, get just one Hsu VTF-15H (You want vented for solid bass feel. Sealed will require considerably higher capacity subs to get same effect, meaning more cost. You want to stay in budget and one cannot beat physics, therefore, play around with location. A room has several places where the sub can give good bass at listening position.) (The VTF-15 is only 18" wide, since you need some room behind the speakers, this should fit behind the screen too .)

When the Thanksgiving sales hit, pick up the E55Wi, E5Bi and a second VTF-15H (though I doubt you'll need it). You will be shocked how much EMP discounts its gear at that time.

At 12 ft. you need 107.4" diagonal 16:9 screen to achieve THX viewing angles. This is already in excess of SMPTE angles, so you don't want to go larger than 100" to be on the safe side (in case you choose to sit closer).