AV layout in new house design

[Acardans]

I am presently getting a 2000Sqft house designed, and I notice in all the designs presently they have an AV closet about 15-20 feet away from where the TV will be mounted to a wall over a fireplace. I am not an audiophile but do enjoy listening to music during the day and watching a good film in the evening before bed. I am interested in purchasing one of the new Denon's AVR-X3700/4700 models with eArc and HDMI 2.1 on 1 channel only. I plan to have only a few devices attached. The receiver, PS5, Apple TV, Nintendo Switch, and Tivo box. My question is, receivers have always been the central device in entertainment setups, with all the gear in the closet, just the TV exposed, which sounds clean. As I read about the new receiver it looks like the newer gear is heading toward having all your items plugged into the TV with the one cable from the TV to the receiver. Should I stick with an AV closet, or just have all my bits mounted under the TV somewhere to future proof things? The wife was having happy thoughts about not seeing any electronics and cables exposed, but now I'm having second thoughts on stashing everything in a closet.

 

[johnny45]

DO YOU HAVE SO PICS OF YOUR LAYOUT OR TO ROOM THAT YOU PLAN TO HAVE BUILT
WHATS YOUR SURROUND PREF 2.1 , 5.1 OR 7.2 HOW MANY SUBS
IF YOUR HAVE THE WHOLE HOME BUILT FROM SCATCH INCLUDING YOUR HT ROOM TELL ME YOUR ROOM SIZE
AN AV GEAR SETUP AN I COULD DO A CAD MOCK UP FOR YOU ,PERSONAL ID DITCH THE AV CLOSET AN GO FOR SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM THAT COULD DOUBLE AS A SMALL OTTOMAN LIKE TABLE

WITH ALL YOUR AV GEAR IN A SLIDE OUT DRAWER FOR EASE OF AN CONCEALMENT THIS IS A MOCKUP OF MY PLANED AV SETUP WHICH IM IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING

 

[johnny45]

ITS A ROUGH CONEPT FOR ME THE FRONT SPEAKERS ARE A PIPE DREAM OF A DESIGN BUT THE CENTER IS REAL AN ALL READY BUILT THE SIDES ARE YET TO BE BUT ARE IN THE WORKS IM CURRENTLY GETTING ALL THE DRIVERS THE SOFA IS JUST A MOCK

BUT I CAN DO TO SCALE CAD BLUE PRINTS IS YOU'D LIKE

 

[johnny45]

HOW BIG IS YOUR AV ROOM TO BE AN HOW MANY SPEAKERS WHAT THE BUDGET

 

[johnny45]

AN IF YOU WANT REAL FUTURE PROOFING GET THE OUTLAW AUDIO 976 4K RECEIVER INSTEAD OF THE Denon's AVR-X3700 ITS A 100$ CHEAPER EVEN AFTER SHIPPING AN TAX PLUS ITS GOT AN 8 BAND PARAMETRIC EQ FOR EACH CHANNEL AN BALANCED XLR OUTS FOR SOME NICE AMP HOOKUP

ITS WHAT I HAVE VERY NICE AN RUNS VERY COOL

BUNDEL AN SAVE 180$ WHEN YOU BUY WITH THE Model 7000x 7-Channel Amplifier

 

[Acardans]

Thank you very much for the input. Attached is present plan, awaiting on adding a closet or not. Will look into Outlaw Receiver. I do not have a Home Theater, just a home with I hope a good entertainment system. Nothing is purchased or committed to yet, until I approve this plan. This plus a few other small changes is left to put this into full gear. I will do 7.2, the plan is to have as much stuff as possible from cluttering the area. I don't have a budget set as currently it seems like a big pit until I work out the last few detail and then can put prices on things. I'm looking to spend around $1200 on receiver, $1500 on TV, and around $200 for each speaker. I love the idea of stuffing it all into an object and will place all units into a pull out cabinet if possible. Highest priority is clean look for spouse, then good sound and fun for me.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Welcome to AH.

Hopefully it is still in design stage. TV over the fire place is not a good place to mount it. You will get tired of looking up at it.

Yes, AV closet 20 ft away is not ideal.

Hopefully you will get other feedback.

@johhny45 please don't use capital letters in your whole post. Hard to read.

 

[johnny45]

IF THE 18X24 REFURS TO THIS AREA AN NOT THE WHOLE ROOM AN DEPENDING ON HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT BASS AN SOUND IN THE REST OF THE HOUSE MY HOME LAYOUT IS NEAR THE SAME WITH THE DINING AREA

BEHIND THE HT SPACE AN LIKE YOUR LAYOUT WITH THE TV IN THE CORNER BY THE WAY ID SUGGEST DONT ADD AN AV CLOSET DO A CUSTOM AV RACK UNDER THAT TABLE BETWEEN THE TV AN SOFA AN IF YOU DO

ADD SUBS WEITHER YOU LIKE 12IN OR 15IN ID SAY SO AS TO FOCUS THE BASS AN CONTROL IT DO TWO 3FT BEHIND THE THE SOFA FACING THE TV AN IF YOU WANT THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK DONT BUY BRAND

NAME PRE-BUILT DO COMPLETE CUSTOM FROM SCRATCH IT WILL SOUND BETTER AN COST LESS I WILL JUST TAKE A LITTLE EFFORT TWIN BASS RADIATORS WILL BE MOST EFFICIENT AN TAKE UP THE LEAST SPACE

FOR TV AN AV GEAR MY SUGGEST TO BASED ON WHAT IV GOT VS WHAT IV YET TO GET

IF THE 18X24 REFURS TO THIS AREA AN NOT THE WHOLE ROOM AN

DEPENDING ON HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT BASS AN SOUND IN THE REST OF THE

HOUSE MY HOME LAYOUT IS NEAR THE SAME WITH THE DINING AREA



BEHIND THE HT SPACE AN LIKE YOUR LAYOUT WITH THE TV IN THE CORNER BY

THE WAY ID SUGGEST DONT ADD AN AV CLOSET DO A CUSTOM AV RACK UNDER

THAT TABLE BETWEEN THE TV AN SOFA AN IF YOU DO



ADD SUBS WEITHER YOU LIKE 12IN OR 15IN ID SAY SO AS TO FOCUS THE

BASS AN CONTROL IT DO TWO 3FT BEHIND THE THE SOFA FACING THE TV AN

IF YOU WANT THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK DONT BUY BRAND



NAME PRE-BUILT DO COMPLETE CUSTOM FROM SCRATCH IT WILL SOUND

BETTER AN COST LESS I WILL JUST TAKE A LITTLE EFFORT TWIN BASS

RADIATORS WILL BE MOST EFFICIENT AN TAKE UP THE LEAST SPACE



FOR TV AN AV GEAR MY SUGGEST TO BASED ON WHAT IV GOT VS WHAT IV

YET TO GET

IV GOT THE VIZIO M 55IN 2018 SERIES - IM AIMING FOR THE

VIZIO P-Series Quantum X 65” Class (64.50" Diag.) 4K HDR Smart TV

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MY CURRENT RECEIVER - OUTLAW Model 976

MY AMPS ARE FOUR CROWN XLI 800 FOR FRONTS , SIDES , BACKS , CENTER

FOR YOU AN TO SAVE SPACE ID GO WITH THE Model 7000x IT WILL GIVE YOU

130 watts RMS x 7 (all channels driven simultaneously into 8 ohms

MY CURRENT SPEAKERS

CENTER - BIC Acoustech PL-28II Center Speaker - Black

MY FRONTS - BIC Amercia Acoustech Platinum Series PL-89 tower speaker (A

LITTLE OVER 200 BUT WORTH THE SLURG)

I CURRENTLY SOLD OFF MY SURROUNDS AND IM PLAN A CUSTOM BUILD FLAT

DESIGN TO SAVE SPACE

HERE ARE MY DESIGNS IF YOUR INTERESTED FOR LOW PROFILE SURROUND AN

SUBS

CUSTOM TUNING IS PART OF THER DESIGNS

FOR MY SURROUNDS AN BACK

PER SPEAKER THESE PARTS YOU MY BE ABLE TO AFFORD BEFORE ME

ITS A LITTLE OVER 200$ ABOUT 275$ THAT INCLUDES TAX& SHIPPING

BUT YOU'LL GET 99DB SPL FLAT DOWN TO 50HZ AT 10FT SO VERY GOOD FOR

SURROUNDS

ALL YOU WILL NEED TO BUILD ALL FOUR IS

ONE - 2 in. x 10 in. x 8 ft. #2 Prime Kiln Dried Southern Yellow Pine Lumber &

ONE - 3/4 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. MDF Panel

DIMS FOR UNIT ARE

INTURNAL SPECS = 10.75 IN WIDE BY 36 IN TALL BY 9.25IN DEEP

EXTURNAL SPECS = 12.25 IN WIDE BY 39 IN TALL BY 10.75 IN DEEP

DRIVERS

ONE - Beyma 8BR40/N 8IN WOOFER & Morel CAT 308 1-1/8" Soft Dome Tweeter

TWO - Dayton Audio DSA215-PR 8" Designer Series Aluminum Cone Passive Radiator

Dayton Audio BPA-38G HD Binding Post Banana Jack Pair Gold

Dayton Audio XO2W-2K 2-Way Speaker Crossover 2,000 Hz

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dsa215-pr-8-designer-series-aluminum-

cone-passive-radiator--295-549

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-xo2w-2k-2-way-speaker-crossover-

2000-hz--260-140

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-bpa-38g-hd-binding-post-banana-jack-

pair-gold--091-1245

Home

Morel CAT 308 1-1/8" Soft Dome TweeterA new version of Morel's classic MDT-30, the CAT308 is a very fast tweeter capable of high dynamic range without SPL compression. It features a single magnet system vented into a damped rear chamber that lowers resonance. The ferrofluid cooled aluminum voice...

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[johnny45]

Welcome to AH.

Hopefully it is still in design stage. TV over the fire place is not a good place to mount it. You will get tired of looking up at it.

Yes, AV closet 20 ft away is not ideal.

Hopefully you will het other feedback.

@johhny45 please don't use capital letters in your whole post. Hard to read.

MY CAPS KEY STICKS UNTILL I GET NEW KEYBOARD ITS EASIER TO LEAVE IT ON , YEAH I KNOW NOT IDEAL

 

[johnny45]

HEY
Acardans
THIS IS THE AV TABLE RACK CONCEPT I HAD I MIND FOR ME BUT IT MIGHT BE JUST RIGHT FOR YOU ITS

DESIGNED FOR THE OUTLAW 976 RECEIVER AN Model 7000x AMP AN ENOUGH SPACE FOR YOUR STATED

EXTRAS WITH FOUR 120MM FAN CUTOUTS FOR VENTILATION OF WHICH YOU CAN USE PC FANS AN POWER

ADAPTER ITS COOLER AND QUIETER AND CHEAPER THAN A PREBUILT AV COOLER

 

[TLS Guy]

Thank you very much for the input. Attached is present plan, awaiting on adding a closet or not. Will look into Outlaw Receiver. I do not have a Home Theater, just a home with I hope a good entertainment system. Nothing is purchased or committed to yet, until I approve this plan. This plus a few other small changes is left to put this into full gear. I will do 7.2, the plan is to have as much stuff as possible from cluttering the area. I don't have a budget set as currently it seems like a big pit until I work out the last few detail and then can put prices on things. I'm looking to spend around $1200 on receiver, $1500 on TV, and around $200 for each speaker. I love the idea of stuffing it all into an object and will place all units into a pull out cabinet if possible. Highest priority is clean look for spouse, then good sound and fun for me.

Sorry but that room is totally unsuitable for a 7.2 system. Installing one in that room will be a complete waste of money.

Never ever put a TV over a fireplace. It is far too high. The bottom of the TV should be 30" above the floor. Heat from a fireplace is death to a TV anyway.

Sound across a corner will be awful anyway.

You need a much better house plan if you want a decent AV system

To get good sound you need a closed space, NOT open plan.

Do you have a basement to build a decent AV room? You need a dominant dimension to the room. The front three and the TV need to be on one of the two short walls.

That great room is not really suitable for any AV system as is.

I would get rid of the end windows.

Then build the wall out from the wall with the door. That will leave a space for your electronics in the space created. Center the TV on that wall. You will need to find somewhere else to locate the fireplace.

That room is suitable at the most for a 3.1 or 3.2 system.

Builders and architects are just hopeless clowns on the whole. Many, many people want good AV rooms and home entertainment in their home spaces. Very, very few builders have the first clue how to make this happen. You have to run herd over the lot of them, and continuously bash them about the ears to get any reasonably functional home on just about any level.

I know I have just been though it!

Quite honestly you need a totally new home plan. That is just not fit for the modern age. I can bet also the infrastructure might be adequate for a home of 20 years or more ago, but not now. If this is anything like round here, you have to be a total and fierce force of nature to get a house worth paying for.

Sorry but that house looks like yesterday's construction and not good construction at that.

One last point with climate change and the need for energy conservation you should not be building a wood frame house now. Insulated concrete form is the way to go.
That is a far stronger home, highly energy efficient, quiet and very comfortable with very, very even temperature control year round. It is far, far superior to, and safer than wood frame construction. It costs very little more, and you will recover the slight extra cost fast.

Insulated concrete form construction (ICF)

Great room system

Note that the TV is not above the fireplace. The chimney breast is built out and the equipment installed in the space created.

AV/media room.

You can walk in behind the equipment. The AV room is the nerve center for Internet and TV throughout the home. TV and Ethernet is run via tech tubes all over the home. This makes for quick easy cable change. No Internet, TV video or audio cables are placed in wall without being in conduit.

Heating and under floor heat is from a combined tank less Navien system. There is a two stage furnace AC with separate independent zones for the upper and lower levels. There is year round tight central humidity control. The dehumidifier is vital as the AC hardly runs even on hot 90 degree plus days.

There is a passive ERV to recapture the energy of air exchange. In addition the is balanced heated air flow for extracted air, like the kitchen hood fans. The control is via neutral lead current sensors.

Temperature and humidity are remaining rock steady in all seasons, not varying one degree, without adjusting thermostats. It is all set and go. Utility bills have been pleasingly low.

 

[mtrycrafts]

That is a super house and design.
I doubt the OP has that kind of $$$$$$ though.

 

[johnny45]

sorry
TLS Guy
i got to disagree that room layout will be fine previded they dont mind the sound throw out the rest of the room ,hince why i suggest custom front firing subs aim inward from behind like my setup with proper tuning he can hit the sweet spot but i do agree that aint the best spot for a fireplace an this is to
Acardans
if the whole house is custom id say for that layout do two fireplaces parallel to the sofa an away from the gear

an keep your tv at seated head level that is absolutely the best position
an to taper sound an reverb id suggest some bass traps an diffusers like this

if you'd give me your email i could if your interested send you the cad files that you could open in audiocad fusion 360 its free

the bookshelfs an subs are actually real designs tuned for real speakers on which i could send you driver details an cabnet specs an if you wanted the subs i could build an send you said subs cabnets depending where you are you know shipping cost my design is just 350$ for the pair an ther for two Fi Car Audio IB315 v2 S2 subs

so for a complete pair including cabs drivers an amp crown xls 1502 would run you about 1400$

just a thought

 

[johnny45]

Thank you very much for the input. Attached is present plan, awaiting on adding a closet or not. Will look into Outlaw Receiver. I do not have a Home Theater, just a home with I hope a good entertainment system. Nothing is purchased or committed to yet, until I approve this plan. This plus a few other small changes is left to put this into full gear. I will do 7.2, the plan is to have as much stuff as possible from cluttering the area. I don't have a budget set as currently it seems like a big pit until I work out the last few detail and then can put prices on things. I'm looking to spend around $1200 on receiver, $1500 on TV, and around $200 for each speaker. I love the idea of stuffing it all into an object and will place all units into a pull out cabinet if possible. Highest priority is clean look for spouse, then good sound and fun for me.

HEY HERES A UPDATED CONCEPT DESIGN YOU MIGHT LIKE ILL LABLE LATER BUT THIS IS JUST A CAD MOCH UP FOR A 2400SQFT HOME A SEMI - EXSPLODED VIEW
MY OFFERED CONCEPT TO YOU IS NEAR SAME AS YOURS IN THAT ITS GOT A KITCHEN , PATIO , TWO CAR GARAGE ,4 BATHROOMS 1 PER BEDROOM A 1 GUEST , EACH ROOM HAS CLOSET AN THERES INTURNAL AN EXTURNAL STORAGE AN A OFFICE

MIGHT BE A BIT OVERKILL BUT IS WHAT I DESIGN A FEW YEARS AGO AS WHAT MY DREAM PLACE COULD BEGAIN TO LOOK LIKE FEEL FREE TO USE IF YOU LIKE ,,,,JUST A THOUGHT

 

[Acardans]

TLS Guy amazing setup, beautifully done. How many SqFt did your house end up being? From the all the inputs I have received, I have told the Architect to make another stab at the plans. Gave him some of your input, and will not have it over fireplace. Have burned through some hours of homework learning about ICF from your post and will definitely be using that. Sorry I have not heard of it before, thank you for all the input. I am not an audiophile or will not become one, but attention needs to be given to the items and toys that gives you a little peace and fun, after working long days and weeks away from home. Johnny45. Thanks for the input on the Outlaw receiver, when it comes time to actually buy equipment for the house, hopefully 5-6 months from now I will revisit their equipment and probably pick up the 976 or current model and the 7000 amp. Thanks for the different audio room layouts, I'm not quite there yet as I'm first trying to find the basic design that makes everyone happy. I will probably not have any speakers or only 2 that actually touch the floor. I do not mind putting them on stands bolted to the wall such as in TLS guy's HT room. Wife has made it clear if wires are hanging out she will remove it. She wants clean design this time.

 

[johnny45]

if you'd give me your email i could if your interested send you download my cad files an open in audiocad fusion 360 or blender its free they contain all my dims for home concept an for my wall mount speakers design spec each is a 220$ total design an a 8in driver

av an home concepts folder via my dropbox

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

with the design with the three holes it could be wall mounted an wires hide in wall

feel free to use or download any of my files

once opened just touch the edges of the items in layout to get the dims

 

[johnny45]

descipted layout

 

[NatySmeeth]

Remember, finding the perfect setup that satisfies both aesthetics and functionality is key.

 

[Molly4dolly]

Hey there! Designing a new house can be exciting, especially when planning your entertainment setup. If you're considering the placement of your AV equipment and cables, finding the right balance between aesthetics and functionality is essential. To make an informed decision, you may want to consult with professionals like the team at https://www.sjonessurveying.co.uk/. They can provide valuable insights and expertise on optimizing your space while considering future-proofing options.

 

[Javendeagle]

I think, in situations like these, it's often a good idea to seek guidance from specialists or designers who can provide expert insights. From what you've described, the option you've chosen might be considered somewhat outdated and not ideal for achieving the best sound quality. Specialists can help you optimize your setup for both aesthetics and audiovisual performance, ensuring you get the most out of your equipment. It's worth considering a professional's advice to enhance your overall entertainment experience.