Building a Home Theater Room with $25k Budget

[uurfantasy]

I am a newbie to home theater.

1. Currently building a custom home and the theater room is 21'6" X 15'6". In the design plans I had the rear wall curved instead of flat. The room is set up right now to be rectangular. Any other ideas I should implement in the design phase, since its cheap to do so now?
2. I have a budget of about $25k including projector and screen. I will not be using any existing audio equipment I have. I was told to go 7.1. I want the best bang for the buck in my budget range. I understand I will need the following: Projector, screen, amplifier, blue ray dvd player, (2) towers, (1) center, some rear surrounds and (2) subwoofers. Is there anything that I am missing?

This room will only be used for Movies or Video games. What are brands which will fall under my budget for each component that are pretty good?

Thank You.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

At this budget you'll also be needing a pro-level control system and pro installation and calibration. In short you need a find a reliable AV Installers in your area.
You CAN do a lot of it yourself if you have good DIY skills, but based your post I get the feeling you should take my first suggestion.

If you are serious and trully interested in learning, you should start here:
The $25k Home Theater System | Audioholics

 

[ImcLoud]

I would go to monoprice and buy all of the cable and have it all ran before construction is complete, HDMI's, RCA's, Speaker cables, ect...

As far as 7.1 I would go 7.2 at the minimum, you don't need to spend $25K on equipment, you can get a really nice system for much less, and I don't think you will tell the difference between it and a system for $25K {on the screen and projector side I am not in tune with them items, others can help with that...

I would go with Ascend Acoustics 340se for your front 3 and 200se's for your surrounds Audiophile Loudspeakers and Subwoofers for Home Theater and Music - Ascend Acoustics, renowned speakers,subs,audio, HSU Research VTF15 dual drive for your subs VTF-15H DualDrive Package

For electronics I would go with an Emotiva XPA3 to power your front 3 XPA-3 | 200W x 3 | Emotiva Audio | High-end audio components for audiophiles and videophiles, spanning 2-channel music systems, as well as 5.1 and 7.1 home theaters. Products include multichannel amplifiers, stereo amplifiers, and monoblock amplifier and a Denon 3313ci for your processing and let it power your surrounds....

All of that will cost you around $5000 and sound really good...

 

[uurfantasy]

Thank You for the information. I have used the same username since highschool for all the forums I am a member of. For the sake of remembering my sign in credentials I always keep the same username for forums.
I will not be wasting anyone's time.

What brands are big players in the home theater game and that I can get within my budget? ( brands for speakers and receivers. I was thinking of Sony for projector?)

Thank You

 

[ImcLoud]

I would go with internet direct for speakers, subs, and amps.... You get more for your money...

I listed some ID companies with links in my above post...

If you are just looking to spend a ton of money, B&W for speakers, Mcintosh amplifiers and processors, and JL audio subs... whats a mx151 cost now $8500, and an mc8207 for $6000, then a JL audio gotham for $12000 ... what I am getting at is, I have listened to a lot of systems and before you sound a lot better than what you can buy for $5000 you need to spend $30K {just audio}.... for Home theater, music is a different story... So if I were you I would look into a pro and look into ID companies for worry free trials... Get the building built and wires in, then see where you stand, I wouldn't spend $25K just because you can, since you asked for the best bang for your buck...

 

[chaluga]

Speakers are where you want to spend your dough. With a big budget I would want to spend more then 1k on my front 3 in a large room . He is right that id companies give you great bang for the buck. Stay with ascend acoustics and get 3 of there sierra tower with raal upgrade . Get two funk audio 18.0. Those five speakers are the most important in your setup. About 8k for those.

With your budget there is a dozen top quality options .

Have fun

 

[uurfantasy]

I appreciate the info...

Speakers are where you want to spend your dough. With a big budget I would want to spend more then 1k on my front 3 in a large room . He is right that id companies give you great bang for the buck. Stay with ascend acoustics and get 3 of there sierra tower with raal upgrade . Get two funk audio 18.0. Those five speakers are the most important in your setup. About 8k for those.

With your budget there is a dozen top quality options .

Have fun

 

[shadyJ]

For a $25k dedicated home theater, forget conventional speakers. Get an installer who can work with pro cinema stuff, especially if the speakers and subs are going behind an AT screen. I would be looking at JBL's cinema speakers, also Klipsch, QSC, Danley, and JTR. I would give some of those guys a call and see what they recommend within a certain budget and if there are any installers or dealers in your area. Some other good choices for a room like that would be Pi speakers, and if you are feeling spendy, JBL Sythesis and SeatonSound. Using something like Ascend speakers for a dedicated room would be awful and completely inappropriate.

 

[uurfantasy]

I think I am going to consult a few local installers. I was just thinking of getting some basic stay away from brands or way overpriced brands..... I was even pondering the Sony 4k projector... Best place to purchase one? The local guy wants like $25k for it... I am going to be doing 120" screen and I was told to go 4k for that size.

For a $25k dedicated home theater, forget conventional speakers. Get an installer who can work with pro cinema stuff, especially if the speakers and subs are going behind an AT screen. I would be looking at JBL's cinema speakers, also Klipsch, QSC, Danley, and JTR. I would give some of those guys a call and see what they recommend within a certain budget and if there are any installers or dealers in your area. Some other good choices for a room like that would be Pi speakers, and if you are feeling spendy, JBL Sythesis and SeatonSound. Using something like Ascend speakers for a dedicated room would be awful and completely inappropriate.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I would add that you really have some serious choices on room layout, acoustics, projector placement, screen placement, and the rest. I have put in some really great sounding Martin Logan in wall speakers with a acoustically transparent screen and a good sub and it not only sounded great, but looked amazing when things were done. So, if you want floor standing speakers which are visible, by all means, plan for it. If you want to hide the gear, then plan for that. Lighting is the #1 thing people blow when they install a home theater (less lights is worse). They pick lousy placement for their gear, and they don't have a hard button remote control which is easy for everyone in the family to use.

It's great that you have a respectable budget, but unless you are doing this work yourself, and have the skill to do so, then I would speak to a local integrator, or actually several, and find out which one has the knowledge to ensure your money is well spent on the right gear and not overpriced gear which will fail or just be a waste of your money.

 

[uurfantasy]

Much appreciated. I am leaning towards Martin Logan for all the speakers. They have a VERY WIDE range of prices for their speakers. Anyone with experience can point me towards the series I should buy and stay away from if I am aiming towards real theater like sound. Which brand amps would you recommend with Logan's?

I would add that you really have some serious choices on room layout, acoustics, projector placement, screen placement, and the rest. I have put in some really great sounding Martin Logan in wall speakers with a acoustically transparent screen and a good sub and it not only sounded great, but looked amazing when things were done. So, if you want floor standing speakers which are visible, by all means, plan for it. If you want to hide the gear, then plan for that. Lighting is the #1 thing people blow when they install a home theater (less lights is worse). They pick lousy placement for their gear, and they don't have a hard button remote control which is easy for everyone in the family to use.

It's great that you have a respectable budget, but unless you are doing this work yourself, and have the skill to do so, then I would speak to a local integrator, or actually several, and find out which one has the knowledge to ensure your money is well spent on the right gear and not overpriced gear which will fail or just be a waste of your money.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

You don't need towers. It could be all monitors + subs.

One option is the superbly measured (FR +/- 1 dB) Klipsch KL650-THX Ultra2 system. The whole system retails a lot (speakers and subs retail $1500 each), but you can get them for 50% off MSRP if you do it right.

Both Audioholics and Home Theater Magazine have reviewed, measured, and totally APPROVED this system. On-axis and off-axis are superb. This THX Ultra2 system will play extremely loud too of you need.

You can also read more about the THX Ultra2 certification.

This THX Ultra2 certified system should be a great movie system option, especially at 50% off.

 

[16hz lover]

You need the new Stereo Integrity 24" IB subwoofer drivers- the new displacement king of drivers. Each driver is equal to about 5 of the normal 18" drivers. Massive output
Stereo Integrity | 24" IB subwoofer

 

[GranteedEV]

Much appreciated. I am leaning towards Martin Logan for all the speakers. They have a VERY WIDE range of prices for their speakers. Anyone with experience can point me towards the series I should buy and stay away from if I am aiming towards real theater like sound. Which brand amps would you recommend with Logan's?

I would not personally be looking at Martin Logans... I'd be looking at something of the calibur of Seaton Sound Catalysts, with four 18" sealed subs (while the funk audio stuff is awesome and awesomely priced, you may not need that level of aesthetic excellence. Perhaps some DIY is on order for subs). Beyond that though, I second all the suggestions about local integrators.

As for amps, I wouldn't budget too much of it until I figure out everything else - Front Speakers, Projectors, Subs, Surrounds, Screens, and Processor. That's because even some inexpensive amps - Marantz, Outlaw, Emotiva, Crown XLS - will have world-class results - and yet it's easy to get caught up in the amp-game and lose half your budget to it. Of course cost no object I'd personally be looking at the Mola-Mola stuff, but there's no real good reason why. In the case of the Seaton Catalysts, they are a powered loudspeaker, so each speaker is already amped up.