Building a home theatre in my basement

[Muthira]

I have a pair of Klipsch R 28F for front left and right and RP250C for the Center channel. For the side and rear surrounds i have four Polk Audio RC65i in-wall speakers. Four Klipsch R-2650-C II In-Ceiling Speakers for Atmos. purchasing one Klipsch R-100SW 10" Subwoofer now and second may be later.

Planning on setting up a 11.4.1 Dolby Atmos setup for my new home theatre dimensions 16x20x9 (WxLxH) that I’m building.

For the receiver i need recommendation on a Denon 9.2 or Denon 11.2.

Can 9.2 be configured for the 11.4.1 setup using splitters for the Atmos channels. Will the receiver and speakers match, or is there a chance of overloading. Or should I wait and purchase the 11.2 itself?

Budget is a constraint, purchased the above from best buy and Amazon over 2 years as and when deals became available . Some time in future I’ll replace the Polk to Klipsch in-wall.

 

[bigkrazy155]

What you are setting up seems to be a 7.2.4 system. I'll leave the wiring question to the experts, but I'd recommend you start looking at external amplification to power some of your 11 speakers. You would likely be spending a very similar amount for a 9.2 with additional pre-outs + an amplifier vs an 11.2 receiver. Maybe less.

 

[2channel lover]

I have a pair of Klipsch R 28F for front left and right and RP250C for the Center channel. For the side and rear surrounds i have four Polk Audio RC65i in-wall speakers. Four Klipsch R-2650-C II In-Ceiling Speakers for Atmos. purchasing one Klipsch R-100SW 10" Subwoofer now and second may be later.

Planning on setting up a 11.4.1 Dolby Atmos setup for my new home theatre dimensions 16x20x9 (WxLxH) that I’m building.

For the receiver i need recommendation on a Denon 9.2 or Denon 11.2.

Can 9.2 be configured for the 11.4.1 setup using splitters for the Atmos channels. Will the receiver and speakers match, or is there a chance of overloading. Or should I wait and purchase the 11.2 itself?

Budget is a constraint, purchased the above from best buy and Amazon over 2 years as and when deals became available . Some time in future I’ll replace the Polk to Klipsch in-wall.

This does seem like a 7.2.4 system.

If you want one AVR to power all channels...I think that's where you go the 11 from maybe.

The Denon x6500H

Or

You could get a 7 ch AVR and add small 4ch power amp for the Atmos

 

[Muthira]

Thank you BigKrazy and 2Channel Lover.
Yes you are right, Its a 7.2.4. I already have a Denon 2400H which is a 7.2 I use for my living room. When I add additional amplification for the atmos, is there a thread I can refer to, in terms of configuring via audissey. How do I make my connections. Checked Youtube as well could find any nor came across any.

 

[BMXTRIX]

What are you doing for video in the space? If your answer doesn't include the word 'projector', I will be very disappointed.

It seems like you need to go to the Yamaha RX-A3080, or the Denon AVR-X4500H, 6500H, or 8500H. The 4500H will need an external amp for a pair of the ceiling speakers to do it right. All of these receivers IMO have a LOT of expense associated with them for a ton of connections that won't be used. But, that's how they roll with the full 7.2.4 setups. Pricey.

Just an addition, that finding receivers which can handle 7.2.4 setups is ridiculously hard. As this is often a specific goal of people, it's just ridiculous that you have to dig into every single product to find out if it can even handle the processing.

So, you could go with something like this for $550...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...P44NL&linkId=a5acdb0178c576cd820021ddd71c26d5

And you can get external amps for all of your speakers if you really want to deliver the goods on sound without breaking the bank on the receiver.

 

[2channel lover]

Uhmmm. Not ideal.

From what I can tell the 2400 does not have pre outs to add auxiliary amps. Maybe someone will chime in with a remedy, but from my experience, for your basement HT I think would will need another AVR. One capable of powering X amount of speakers and has pre outs to allow you to add another amp to handle the Atmos speakers.

 

[Muthira]

What are you doing for video in the space? If your answer doesn't include the word 'projector', I will be very disappointed.

It seems like you need to go to the Yamaha RX-A3080, or the Denon AVR-X4500H, 6500H, or 8500H. The 4500H will need an external amp for a pair of the ceiling speakers to do it right. All of these receivers IMO have a LOT of expense associated with them for a ton of connections that won't be used. But, that's how they roll with the full 7.2.4 setups. Pricey.

I have a plan to set up a 135" or 150" screen, I have a BenQ 1080p ShortThrow projector at the moment. Next year I'll upgrade to a 4K.

Seating Im planning on 2 rows of 4 with a 8" riser. I'll post pictures some time soon.

 

[Muthira]

Uhmmm. Not ideal.

From what I can tell the 2400 does not have pre outs to add auxiliary amps. Maybe someone will chime in with a remedy, but from my experience, for your basement HT I think would will need another AVR. One capable of powering X amount of speakers and has pre outs to allow you to add another amp to handle the Atmos speakers.

I do have my old pioneer 5.2 receiver, will i be able to use that to add additional amplification along with 2400.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I do have my old pioneer 5.2 receiver, will i be able to use that?

For amplification to additional speakers? Probably not the best way to go, but it MAY be usable for two channels of audio. You just have to NEVER touch the volume on that receiver. So, set it to stereo, use the pre-outs from the new receiver into your old receiver and you can get two channels of amplification. It's not typical, and it's not recommended, but it is something that will work.

Better to look around for a deal on a dedicated amp or two. Some of the older Crown gear is super cheap and works very well.

Be aware that the BenQ ST models may lose a bit of focus at the larger screen size, and you MUST pull conduit to your projector location. Do NOT plan on a short throw 4K projector if you can avoid it. I will strongly encourage you to consider JVC if you are truly building this out as a home theater space.

Make sure you look at wall, ceiling, and carpet colors, and DO NOT FORGET TO DO YOUR LIGHTING RIGHT!!!
http://www.avintegrated.com/lighting.html

People mess up lighting all the time during construction which completely bugs me. Multiple zones on dimmers. No main lights should be LED as LED can't dim down all the way properly. Lighting over each row of seats should be on a separate dimmer. You should have at least one light over each seat. Dark rooms soak up light, so use twice the amount of lighting that a bright white room would normally use to achieve good brightness for cleaning and maintenance of the room. You can always turn lights off, but it is tough to add lighting after the fact.

 

[2channel lover]

I do have my old pioneer 5.2 receiver, will i be able to use that to add additional amplification along with 2400.

I'm not sure...if the Pioneer has pre outs you can add an external amp to it, but I'm not sure about adding another AVR to it.

It seems like you're really setting this space up to be nice...while the amps are not the most importantly part of this, I think you're going to need to invest in an AVR with pre outs, (say the Denon 3500H) then you can add an external amp to power the atmos speakers.

Click the link and see the back of the 3500H...you'll see the pre out jacks.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_033AVX3500/Denon-AVR-X3500H.html#&gid=1&pid=2

 

[BMXTRIX]

...I think you're going to need to invest in an AVR with pre outs, (say the Denon 3500H) then you can add an external amp to power the atmos speakers...

Just wanted to point out, in case the OP is confused, the X3500H is not a 7.2.4 receiver. It doesn't have the pre-outs for the 4 ceiling Atmos speakers.

This is where things are really confusing with Atmos, as it can be applied from 5.1 receivers to the 13.2 Denon flagship. I found that $500 Onkyo with full 11 channel processing, but only 7 channels of amplified output (would need four more channels of amplification elsewhere).

We would need the model # of the old Pioneer to know how useful it would be as a multi-channel amplifier for his new receiver. If the old unit has analog inputs for 5.1 or more, then he could gain 4 channels of amplification quite nicely. Like my old Yamaha RX-Z1. It has a great amp section, but no HDMI at all. I could totally use pre-outs to run through the Z1 to get the power of that beast. But, it's not good for much else anymore.

 

[2channel lover]

Just wanted to point out, in case the OP is confused, the X3500H is not a 7.2.4 receiver. It doesn't have the pre-outs for the 4 ceiling Atmos speakers.

This is where things are really confusing with Atmos, as it can be applied from 5.1 receivers to the 13.2 Denon flagship. I found that $500 Onkyo with full 11 channel processing, but only 7 channels of amplified output (would need four more channels of amplification elsewhere).

We would need the model # of the old Pioneer to know how useful it would be as a multi-channel amplifier for his new receiver. If the old unit has analog inputs for 5.1 or more, then he could gain 4 channels of amplification quite nicely. Like my old Yamaha RX-Z1. It has a great amp section, but no HDMI at all. I could totally use pre-outs to run through the Z1 to get the power of that beast. But, it's not good for much else anymore.

Good pick up on the 3500h...didn't realize it couldn't process 4 Atmos.

Maybe the Pioneer can help him out...4 surround speakers are nice if you have the space for it and he appears to but, so little 7.1 audio out there (especially streaming, most are 5.1) that I might not bother with 4 surrounds unless he already has those speakers.

 

[Grandzoltar]

The anthem mrx 1120 Marantz sr8012 are very nice avr’s

 

[Muthira]

Good pick up on the 3500h...didn't realize it couldn't process 4 Atmos.

Maybe the Pioneer can help him out...4 surround speakers are nice if you have the space for it and he appears to but, so little 7.1 audio out there (especially streaming, most are 5.1) that I might not bother with 4 surrounds unless he already has those speakers.

I already got the speakers. Im getting this 7.2.4 setup so it's compatible in future too, when content becomes available.

 

[2channel lover]

I already got the speakers. Im getting this 7.2.4 setup so it's compatible in future too, when content becomes available.

I'm not really expecting content to shift to 7.1 in a big way. As physical media is on the decline (if you don't have one, you might want to get a Blu ray player while you still can fairly cheap) I don't expect the streaming services to offer much ramp up 7.1 content either. That said, you already have the speakers, so go for it!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

FWIW, Atmos is mixed with a 7ch bed layer. And if I can find the list again, you might be surprised how many movies are in 7.1. Not to mention DSU and dts-NX upscale to all available speakers much better than PLIIx ever did.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

https://web.archive.org/web/2013102.../movie/release/dolby-surround-7-1-movies.html
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=159814

These are NOT the list I was looking for but should get you started. Also, 7.1 is only an increment increase in performance and if it’s on the table, 5.1.4 is definitely better than 7.1.2

 

[2channel lover]

https://web.archive.org/web/2013102.../movie/release/dolby-surround-7-1-movies.html
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=159814

These are NOT the list I was looking for but should get you started. Also, 7.1 is only an increment increase in performance and if it’s on the table, 5.1.4 is definitely better than 7.1.2

That's a good 7.1 list!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

That's a good 7.1 list!

Definitely a lot more than I expected.

This is the one I was looking for earlier. The cool thing is how many ways you can filter. Pretty awesome that someone built such a catalog.
http://www.blu-raystats.com/Stats/Stats.php

 

[2channel lover]

Definitely a lot more than I expected.

This is the one I was looking for earlier. The cool thing is how many ways you can filter. Pretty awesome that someone built such a catalog.
http://www.blu-raystats.com/Stats/Stats.php

Very impressive.