Dedicated HT Room - How small is too small?

[hifisyd01]

I'm strongly considering converting our bonus room into a nice dedicated Home Theater room. The primary reason I'm hesitating is that it seems a bit on the small side to be an ideal candidate. The room measures 10 x 16, with a 9' celing. I'm sure acoustic treatments can correct a lot of the room's shortcoimngs, but I'd like to get some input from you guys before I take the plunge. It really only needs to seat 4 or 5, but I'm really looking recreate the whole "Theater" type atmosphere. (From a performance standpoint, not from a sticky floor and funky seat standpoint.) Thanks in advance for all your input.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Good question. I have considered turning one of my spare bedrooms into a dedicated HT room but fear it is too small. (10x12x9) Mine seems too small and the seating would have to be right up to the back wall which would kill the surrounds. I bet my Servo would tear up the room though. 1080 cubic/ ft compared to the 8000 cubic/ ft. it is dealing with now.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

Technically speaking..... virtually NO ROOM IS TOO SMALL!!

Even a large walk-in closet could easily be converted into an excellent HT for 2.


In your case......If you include a riser into the mix....the room should be large enough for two rows. Either Two x2 theater seats or two couches should easily fit into your HT-space.

 

[BMXTRIX]

10x16 = 106" diagonal screen with a decent projector and killer sound.

I have no issues at all with that room size. You can get plenty of screen in there, and plenty of enjoyment out of it all. The fact that you have a space you are able to dedicate at all is really a good thing.

 

[mazersteven]

I have a 7.0 Polk Audio LSi9 system that I was going to install in a 12x11 room. I am only going to put in one couch for seating.

I say work with what you have.

 

[Crackerballer]

Totally agree with mazer. I think you take the room and just build a sutiable system. Obviosuly in a 10x16 you probably only need 5.1 Get you a 720p projector, mid level receiver, some good front bookshevles and dipoles/bipoles for surrounds, and something like an smaller sub, SVS or something.

I think MANY people would be very impressed with such a setup. IT'S NOT THE SIZE IT'S WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH IT! I couldn't resist.

 

[skizzerflake]

My HT is in a room about 10 by 14, in the basement, with a very low ceiling. I really like it. Aside from limitations on how many people can view (I rarely ever have guests to watch movies) it really works. It's a good idea to have it accoustically dead (Upholstery, carpet, etc) but the advantage is that you don't need to spend so much money on a huge screen and your sound system doesn't have to be epic in scale. I love the sound in this little room.

 

[mafiaahem]

I'm strongly considering converting our bonus room into a nice dedicated Home Theater room.

One caveat - you said bonus room. Is it above the garage? If it is, then in my opinion better to consider an alternate room if you can. I finished my first HT venture last month and setup the system in my bonus room above the garage. I already saw a bolt fall off from my garage door couple of weeks ago and I don't even have a sub yet. It may not be due to the vibrations from the room above, but it kept me wondering what happens once I get a sub. The garage ceiling is already under load and stress with bolts and nails driven into it, and the room above is not built with HT specs either to reduce any vibration transfer, etc. Others can comment more or share their views on this but I just wanted to share what I am thinking about my HT room.

 

[AdrianMills]

I'm strongly considering converting our bonus room into a nice dedicated Home Theater room. The primary reason I'm hesitating is that it seems a bit on the small side to be an ideal candidate. The room measures 10 x 16, with a 9' celing. I'm sure acoustic treatments can correct a lot of the room's shortcoimngs, but I'd like to get some input from you guys before I take the plunge. It really only needs to seat 4 or 5, but I'm really looking recreate the whole "Theater" type atmosphere. (From a performance standpoint, not from a sticky floor and funky seat standpoint.) Thanks in advance for all your input.

I have a similarly sized "bonus room" and I've recently been considering building a 2nd system in there - I already have a 50" Kuro based system in my living room and although it's a great screen for TV and the odd DVD it doesn't give the full movie theater experience.

I did some measuring and research last weekend; I figure I can fit a 103 or 110" AT screen (from SmX possibly) in there with speakers placed behind. With a 1080p projector (Mitsubushi HC6000 maybe) and 1080p source the viewing distance (3.5m) should be fine.

For sound, as this will just be used for movies and considering the good reviews I was considering going for a set of SVS SCS-01 LCR and SBS-01 surrounds with an Onkyo 805. I have a SVS PB12plus/2 that can be moved in once my pre-ordered Ultra13 arrives for my living room.

I'm torn between 16:9 and 2.35:1 screens though!

 

[hifisyd01]

One caveat - you said bonus room. Is it above the garage? If it is, then in my opinion better to consider an alternate room if you can.

Luckily it's not above the garage, it's just off to one end of the house on the main floor. Good advice though... the last thing I need is to rattle the garage door off the track.

 

[solomr2]

My HT room is 13 by 13, with 12 ft. ceiling. There is nothing wrong with such a room, in fact I find it better in some cases because it is more manageable.

My gear consists of 50" Samsung 1080p Plasma display, Denon AVR-3808CI Receiver, Oppo 980 DVD player, Definitive Technology Mythos-1 towers, Mythos-3 center, Mythos Gem surrounds and Supercube-2 sub.

My leather reclining couch is about 9 ft from the display, the front speakers are about 7.5ft from the listener. I love the sound and immersion I get in this room. Everyone who has experienced it has told me they love it and wish they could build their own system like it. So, it definately is feasible.

 

[Phil Taylor]

Your room is a fine size for a dedicated home theater room. You may even be able to use a large scale TV rather than a front projector (if your budget so dictates) and allow closer-to-the-screen seating. Of course if at all possible the front projection route is the way to go for the best home cinema look and feel.