She let me have a room!!! ;)

[Sounds Good]

I finally have the extra space in my house to have a theater/listening/sitting room. It is on the small side (10x13) but beggars can't be choosers right?

I am looking for some budget friendly, DIY tips. The entire room will be empty. It currently has laminate flooring. I plan on getting a few acoustical artwork panels and probably a rug of some sorts.

Thinks Ive been thinking about...
Spray in insulation to further deaden and quiet the room.
Projector Vs Flat panel
in wall wiring
Hide a/v gear in the closet

 

[TheWarrior]

Just add a second layer of drywall to all walls and the ceiling. If this room has another room above it or below it, that is where you'd really want to beef up insulation. And accessing the floor and ceiling will make running speaker wires much easier.

Go on Amazon and buy whatever size Panasonic Plasma you can afford, particularly the last remaining ZT60 models! (ZT and then ST are your next best in order) And do it soon, they're discontinued!! But arguably to the best possible picture you can get for the money!

Unless your seat is all the way against the back wall, (which I think would sacrifice much of the performance of 5 tower speakers) you wouldn't benefit much from front projection.

 

[Sounds Good]

Just add a second layer of drywall to all walls and the ceiling. If this room has another room above it or below it, that is where you'd really want to beef up insulation. And accessing the floor and ceiling will make running speaker wires much easier.

Unless your seat is all the way against the back wall, (which I think would sacrifice much of the performance of 5 tower speakers) you wouldn't benefit much from front projection.

Good Idea! probably a lot cheaper than spray in foam. I only have access to the ceiling and walls; second story bedroom. There is a bathroom below and two adjacent rooms upstairs. Seat will most definitely be against the back wall, 10'. I wanted to get a small hide-a-bed for last minute guests.

I only have 2 towers, the others are the matching center and dipole surrounds..

 

[ski2xblack]

Small rooms need treatment. You can DIY inexpensively with some R30 (thick denim insulation), lumber, some fabric, and elbow grease. Do it. (Don't over do it, however.) It will make your small room seem larger.

 

[Sounds Good]

Small rooms need treatment. You can DIY inexpensively with some R30 (thick denim insulation), lumber, some fabric, and elbow grease. Do it. (Don't over do it, however.) It will make your small room seem larger.

I was thinking about getting some of the large wood framed artwork from the local craft store when they go on sale and lining them with insulation.

 

[ski2xblack]

The thicker the panels, the more broad band their absorption. This is why I suggested R30 denim. It expands up to 8" thick (you'll want something like this behind the couch; you really should get the main listening position further from the back wall, if at all possible). "Art" or printed fabrics will alter a panels absorption properties as well, so you should aim for acoustically transparent types of fabric. There is a ton of available info on DIY room treatments out there (too much to summarize here), so read up and fully assess your situation before you dive into specific solutions.

Get a mic and become familiar with REW so you're not shooting in the dark with this whole process. Maybe a copy of Toole's book too.

 

[Sounds Good]

The limiting factor would be the space the hide a bed part of the couch requires.

This truly will be a multipurpose room, theater, hangout, guest room.

 

[ski2xblack]

Understood. We have to work within the constraints we have. That being said, addressing the room will cost less and take you further than any other improvements/tweaks/gear changes you'll ever do, so play around with it. And fwiw, even the shot in the dark (but still educated guess) approach will improve things, so don't worry too much.

 

[Sounds Good]

No worries. I've though about placing a small on wall shelf at couch level to space it out from the wall. But the fold out is the main concern.

It's a bummer that I can't use the 13' wall but there is a window on one end and closet on the other. So I get to do it all in 10'. Probably a little less once the couch and tv stand are in there.

On the bright side I won't need much amp or tv screen size to have a killer set up!