Help with my Dream Home Theater

[samcguire]

After years of aiming a projector at an appropriate wall and hoping for the best with the audio, I am now building my dream, forever home theater.

It is located in the attic of a 1930s home, remodeled, on a large, rural lot with exceedingly rare neighbor/traffic noise. I have framed up a 13x20x8 foot space, 2x4s on 16-inch centers. No windows, one door just off center in the rear wall. The screen wall (13ft by 8ft) is framed in but can change with your suggestions.

Original plans for walls/ceilings to be finished with ½ inch sheetrock over O-C Fire and Sound (3inches thick). The area behind walls is open and the volume is greater than the theaters. The wall behind front wall is about 4 feet.

The audio plan is 7.2.4 with 3 matching towers behind the screen on shelves in the wall. Front of speakers flush with the wall.

Primary desire is intelligible center channel (getting older).

Subwoofers on floor in front of screen. Blackout curtains behind screen.

Options:

• Speakers on separate bench behind wall and not connected for isolation, placed flush with wall front
• Leave screen wall open (no sheet rock) for absorption? Base trap?
• Fur out from 2x4 to 2X6 and increase insulation/absorption – layer pink fluffy stuff on back of Fire and Sound? Replace F&S with thicker fluffy stuff?
• Subwoofers on floor as above? Behind screen? Center front/rear of room (hardest to wire)?

Setting up room for 2 listeners. May add more later. Mostly watch musicals, Rom-Coms, documentaries, with occasional (<10%) high energy audio (space operas, explosions, car chases).

Thanks for your help.

 

[shadyJ]

If you left the screen wall open for some acoustic treatments, you would inevitably have a less lively space. The thing is, I don't think anyone here can tell you how effective that will end up being. If you really want to know, you should consult an acoustician. There is a science to all of this stuff, but it seems like you are just guessing.

The subs will work best if spaced out over the room.

 

[Movie2099]

After years of aiming a projector at an appropriate wall and hoping for the best with the audio, I am now building my dream, forever home theater.

It is located in the attic of a 1930s home, remodeled, on a large, rural lot with exceedingly rare neighbor/traffic noise. I have framed up a 13x20x8 foot space, 2x4s on 16-inch centers. No windows, one door just off center in the rear wall. The screen wall (13ft by 8ft) is framed in but can change with your suggestions.

Original plans for walls/ceilings to be finished with ½ inch sheetrock over O-C Fire and Sound (3inches thick). The area behind walls is open and the volume is greater than the theaters. The wall behind front wall is about 4 feet.

The audio plan is 7.2.4 with 3 matching towers behind the screen on shelves in the wall. Front of speakers flush with the wall.

Primary desire is intelligible center channel (getting older).

Subwoofers on floor in front of screen. Blackout curtains behind screen.

Options:

• Speakers on separate bench behind wall and not connected for isolation, placed flush with wall front
• Leave screen wall open (no sheet rock) for absorption? Base trap?
• Fur out from 2x4 to 2X6 and increase insulation/absorption – layer pink fluffy stuff on back of Fire and Sound? Replace F&S with thicker fluffy stuff?
• Subwoofers on floor as above? Behind screen? Center front/rear of room (hardest to wire)?

Setting up room for 2 listeners. May add more later. Mostly watch musicals, Rom-Coms, documentaries, with occasional (<10%) high energy audio (space operas, explosions, car chases).

Thanks for your help.

What is your budget?

 

[samcguire]

The budget is about $10K additional. There is some flex to go slightly higher. I plan to upgrade the projector and subwoofers for sure. Add Atmos speakers. Probably change out the front speakers. The side and rear speakers at some point. My receiver will need an amplifier for the fronts to reach 7.2.4.

May have gone down a rabbit hole reading about THX, baffle walls, etc. You may need to help me back. Certainly some guessing here so I need your assistance. Lead me to whatever I need. I love research. Youtube is stuck on the Audioholics channel.

I'm retired to a very rural area. A unicorn might be easier to find than an acoustician .

Trying to get to Very Good at the beginning. When I used a series of 3-tube projectors in the past it seemed I was tweaking them almost daily. My wife openly wondered if we could ever just sit down and enjoy a movie! Can't forget the WAF.

At present my equipment is:

Receiver – Marantz SR 6010
Front Speakers - Athena AS-F2 (two)
Center Channel – Athena AS-R1
Side and Rear Speakers – Athena AS-R1 (four)
Subwoofer – Athena AS-P400 (one)
Blue Ray Player – Oppo BDP-103
TiVo Edge Cable
Projector - Epson HC8350

The AS-F2 received good marks from Audioholics around 2008. May be worth keeping, but open to change.

 

[Movie2099]

The budget is about $10K additional. There is some flex to go slightly higher. I plan to upgrade the projector and subwoofers for sure. Add Atmos speakers. Probably change out the front speakers. The side and rear speakers at some point. My receiver will need an amplifier for the fronts to reach 7.2.4.

May have gone down a rabbit hole reading about THX, baffle walls, etc. You may need to help me back. Certainly some guessing here so I need your assistance. Lead me to whatever I need. I love research. Youtube is stuck on the Audioholics channel.

I'm retired to a very rural area. A unicorn might be easier to find than an acoustician .

Trying to get to Very Good at the beginning. When I used a series of 3-tube projectors in the past it seemed I was tweaking them almost daily. My wife openly wondered if we could ever just sit down and enjoy a movie! Can't forget the WAF.

At present my equipment is:

Receiver – Marantz SR 6010
Front Speakers - Athena AS-F2 (two)
Center Channel – Athena AS-R1
Side and Rear Speakers – Athena AS-R1 (four)
Subwoofer – Athena AS-P400 (one)
Blue Ray Player – Oppo BDP-103
TiVo Edge Cable
Projector - Epson HC8350

The AS-F2 received good marks from Audioholics around 2008. May be worth keeping, but open to change.

I think $10k will be fine. You don't need to find an acoustician. That's just hogwash. Look online for some good sound panels. Prices range is all over the place. You could even make your own. Simple youtube videos can help with that. As far as speakers go, I think your current speakers will be fine. If you don't like the sound of them then by all means check out something else. Sky is the limit with speakers. Check out a few brands. If you want a full system that rocks, a lot of people on here like SVS Ultra lineup. Their subs are also kick ass as well. They also have a 45 day trial period and they offer free shipping on your stuff if you don't like it. I think for amps you should check out Outlaw. You can get 3-Mono amps that will give at least 200w/channel into 8ohms for $1k. It's a great deal. Monoprice is another great company to find amps, speakers and subwoofers. Both companies offer amazing price to performance. I think your Marantz will be just fine. If you want the latest and greatest features, they just released new AVR's. If you get something in the $1500 range you'll be set for awhile.

If you need a screen check out Elite Screens, you can get an 150" AT screen for under $1k. Upgrade that projector. JVC has a 4k laser going for less than $3700. You could also check out the Epson 6050. Would be a nice upgrade from what you currently have.

For cables, check out BlueJeans cables or monoprice. Obviously there are other companies, but those places are good starts.

If you have questions on specific speaker brands just let us know.

 

[samcguire]

Thanks for the response. Monoprice is one of my favorite suppliers and I am considering their speakers, especially the subwoofers.

My main concern before putting up the treatment on the screen wall is bass trapping.

If I need to leave room at the corners of my 13' wide wall, I may need to limit my screen width to 8'. If I can incorporate the absorption into the wall itself, I can possibly increase the screen size to 10' and have greater depth for the absorptive material.. Most threads I have read are wanting to add trapping with the wall already in place. I have the option of starting from scratch. An absorptive corner instead of a place for bass build up.

Please let me know if I am down the rabbit hole.

 

[Movie2099]

Thanks for the response. Monoprice is one of my favorite suppliers and I am considering their speakers, especially the subwoofers.

My main concern before putting up the treatment on the screen wall is bass trapping.

If I need to leave room at the corners of my 13' wide wall, I may need to limit my screen width to 8'. If I can incorporate the absorption into the wall itself, I can possibly increase the screen size to 10' and have greater depth for the absorptive material.. Most threads I have read are wanting to add trapping with the wall already in place. I have the option of starting from scratch. An absorptive corner instead of a place for bass build up.

Please let me know if I am down the rabbit hole.

are you able to post pictures?

 

[samcguire]

Developing plans in Sketch Up. May take a couple of days and will add then. Thanks.

 

[DigitalDawn]

I highly recommend Triad Speakers. Triad is a Portland-based company that hand builds speakers in just about every configuration you can imagine. They will even color match the speakers and grills to match the paint on your walls. In addition to InRoom speakers, Triad has In-Wall and angled InCeiling speakers and subwoofers that work amazingly well for spaces in which you have no floor space, or when you wish to hide the speakers from view. The company has speakers in many different price ranges, starting at $300 per speaker.

While not a household name, Triad is a favorite of custom installers and has won numerous industry awards. The company is also a prototype partner for Dolby, helping to design speaker systems for immersive audio. Most recently, Triad Gold Monitor speakers won Best of Show, at this past CEDIA Expo in Denver.

The Bronze Series would work well with your size room and budget. I would go with Bronze LCRs for the fronts, Bronze Bipole Surrounds for the Surrounds and Atmos speakers and OmniSub 12's for the sub positions. The OmniSub series comes in black only.

INROOM BRONZE LCR

triadspeakers.com

INWALL BRONZE/4 SURROUND

triadspeakers.com

INROOM OMNISUB 12

triadspeakers.com

 

[samcguire]

I tried to attach the stl file from Sketch Up but it is a disallowed file type to the forum. I pulled some 2D images and they are attached. The room is 13' wide, 20' depth with 8' ceilings. The "back wall" in the drawings is the screen wall. I can add the Sketch Up file to my website if interested.

The walls are mostly covered with stacks of sheet rock. We had to move them into the attic during construction as the new stairs have a 90 degree turn half way up. Almost impossible to get it upstairs now. Can do one sheet at a time with a lot of struggle. Moving them around as I build the walls. So no useful pictures.

Thanks

 

[Movie2099]

I tried to attach the stl file from Sketch Up but it is a disallowed file type to the forum. I pulled some 2D images and they are attached. The room is 13' wide, 20' depth with 8' ceilings. The "back wall" in the drawings is the screen wall. I can add the Sketch Up file to my website if interested.

The walls are mostly covered with stacks of sheet rock. We had to move them into the attic during construction as the new stairs have a 90 degree turn half way up. Almost impossible to get it upstairs now. Can do one sheet at a time with a lot of struggle. Moving them around as I build the walls. So no useful pictures.

Thanks

you should have no problems doing in-wall speakers for the entire job. Normal in-ceiling speakers as well. Looks pretty standard. Based on those pictures. Look at some in-wall brands. I use Bowers and Wilkins for my in-walls. They are great. Look at $1k per speaker for front three. Then you can go about $500 per for sides and surround. $500-$800 for in-ceiling. Plenty of good brands out there.

 

[samcguire]

Planned to use my present receiver (Marantz SR6010) but would like to have 7.2.4 setup in the new theater. With an added 2-channel amp this receiver is 5.2.4 or 7.2.2. It's preamp outputs are only active for one lpair at a time so cannot add additional amplifiers for 4 channels. Suggestions on whether to go 5.2.4 or 7.2.2? Other options?

I may wire the room so I can get 7.2.4 in the future. Looked at the Marantz SR 7015 but is a chunk of change and back ordered in several places.

Planning so build my own sound absorption panels. From a previous project I have a "ton" of suspended ceiling tiles. Tested and no asbestos. Has anyone used these in their panels with success? Is there a diy way of measuring their absorption coefficient?

Thanks to everyone for their help.

 

[Kingnoob]

Get pics of room most people say 5:2:4 is best but I don’t have atmos yet .
I got no clue on panel absorption stuff try diy or different spot if you get no replies.
I prefer box speakers but are you doing in wall also ?
Endless brands to choose from !!! You can try yours first see what your looking for .