Recently Completed HT Room

[Totoro]

Recently finished the room. Here are some pics.

Marantz SR4600
Titan Paradigm Fronts
Inifinity SW and Satellites
100 Mbit Internet with wireless keyboard
Dual zone remote dimmer lighting (second zone is for accent lighting behind the TV)
Logitech Harmony 628 (A great little device - it even controls the lights)
Rented SA 8300 HD-DVR cable box (I wish it could record more programs before running out of disc space).

The cabinet is 8ft wide and the TV is a Sony 50" LCD DLP.

Although the components aren't as good as some of the ones posted on this forum (I am sure some of you have speakers costing more that this whole setup), the room acoustics are great and I am very satisfied with the sound.

The wide angle is a merge of two pics since I don't have a WA lens.

Before and After

 

[AVJedi]

Nice setup. Very clean, and elegant looking. I like it. And don't worry, it doesn't matter how much you spend, as long as it sounds good to you. BTW, what kind of TV stand is that? my wife and I just purchased a similar unit, as well as the matching audio piers! She thinks it's for more of her storage. It just "happens" that it will fit a 60"+ TV.

 

[Totoro]

Nice setup. Very clean, and elegant looking. I like it. And don't worry, it doesn't matter how much you spend, as long as it sounds good to you. BTW, what kind of TV stand is that? my wife and I just purchased a similar unit, as well as the matching audio piers! She thinks it's for more of her storage. It just "happens" that it will fit a 60"+ TV.

Thanks for the feedback. The builders made a custom pine cabinet with faux marble laminate countertop. Turned out to be only slightly more expensive than a ready built cabinet. The top shelf specifically accommodates the center speaker and each of the bottom drawers accommodates 3 rows of DVDs with hidden compartments in the back for spare wires and other odds and ends. Also, I was originally planning on using in-wall speakers for the surround, but the builders recommended against it because they would be harder to upgrade and could not be tilted to face the center of the room. You can see one of the surrounds in the picture. It is a white Infinity indoor outdoor.

I'd also appreciate any comments on the layout. I tried a balance between a full natural sound and one that is too bright. I used ceiling baffles and the area rug along with the stuffed leather furniture. I figured with a room this large, that would provide enough absorption to prevent too much reverberation. Any thoughts?

 

[Kai]

Very clean look.
I really like the cabinet.
Nice job.

 

[evilkat]

Gorgeous room! I love the lighting and the layout. I can't see your center channel though...where have you tucked it away? Also when you have the fronts in the shelves, does it not become boomy at all? I guess when you move it up front there won't be any internal reflections.

Very nice layout though! Me likey!

 

[Totoro]

Gorgeous room! I love the lighting and the layout. I can't see your center channel though...where have you tucked it away? Also when you have the fronts in the shelves, does it not become boomy at all? I guess when you move it up front there won't be any internal reflections.

Very nice layout though! Me likey!

The center channel is on the top shelf in the middle of the cabinet. Since it is black it blends in well. I wish all my components were black. As far as the speakers placed in the shelf, I tried to put them as far forward as possible and since they are smaller than the space, there is plenty of room for them to project. I would have liked floor standing speakers and better surrounds, but I also have to deal with the WAF. And of course they want the speakers to be as invisible as possible.

 

[Sheep]

Since your HT is wider vs longer, side reflections won't be the main issue(however, it never hurts to treat them).

However, the spot right above the couch would be the first place I would treat with a trap. You can get some that are colored to match your room. See if the wife will accept this.

SheepStar

 

[evilkat]

Totoro, do you have a fan at the back of this setup to cool your receiver or are just using passive cooling? Didn't seem like there was a lot of breathing room for your receiver...

Your center channel is practically invisible man! I had to go back to the pic and look at it again! Seems like an ultra-thin channel!

 

[Totoro]

Totoro, do you have a fan at the back of this setup to cool your receiver or are just using passive cooling? Didn't seem like there was a lot of breathing room for your receiver...

Your center channel is practically invisible man! I had to go back to the pic and look at it again! Seems like an ultra-thin channel!

The problem is that the picture does not give a very good idea of scale. Remember that the cabinet is 8 feet wide. In fact there is 1.5 inches clearance above the receiver, 4 inches on each side and about a foot in the back. I think that should be enough to allow passive air cooling. Let me know if I am wrong. And the center channel speaker is also bigger than it looks. Maybe when I get some time I'll take a close up picture of the components so you can see the actual sizes.

BTW: I could increase the space above the receiver by swapping the CD player and the cable TV box and then moving the center shelf an inch higher. That would give 2.5" clearance. However, the cable box/DVR seems to run hotter than the receiver. But the cable box is rented, so no big deal if it dies. Let me know your thoughts.

 

[mpompey]

I live the room as well. What part of the country do you live in? Do you have pics during the entire construction? Did you do it yourself or did you hire out?

 

[Totoro]

I live the room as well. What part of the country do you live in? Do you have pics during the entire construction? Did you do it yourself or did you hire out?

I am in Mass. I do have some more pics of the construction, but not of the entire project, unfortunately. I designed the HT room myself, but hired contractors to build it. That caused some delays when they did not follow my instructions and had to restarts some of the work. The electrician in particular had to rewire the room twice because he didn't follow instructions for separating the Cat5e Ethernet wiring from the electrical wiring and not placing the accent lights in the right places. In the end though I got it just the way I wanted. If you have any questions about the construction and design, I'll be happy to answer to the best of my ability.

The builders that ended up doing the work were custom wood and metalwork experts who used to bodywork design on cars for Nascar. I think they did a fantastic job of making the room exactly how I envisioned. Other builders who have seen the room have commented on the great finishing detail. Yes, they were slow, but it definitely does not pay to try and go cheap on the labor. I recommend getting the best qualified people to do the job even if it costs 50% more.

 

[slickster]

Very Nice!!

Very nice setup. I love it. Neat and tidy. The way it should be.
All you need is some framed movie posters on the wall. Just a thought.
You can pick them up at Walmart for around $30.00 CAN. and throw in whatever poster pleases you.

A job well done.

Someday I should take some pictures of my setup and post them. What do you think?


Ciao for now.

 

[AVJedi]

I thought that looked like a custom built cabinet. Too nice for purchase. As for treatments, I agree with Sheep. A trap on the celing would maybe help. But it looks great, and if it sounds nice to you, then don't fret too much on it.

 

[Totoro]

I thought that looked like a custom built cabinet. Too nice for purchase. As for treatments, I agree with Sheep. A trap on the celing would maybe help. But it looks great, and if it sounds nice to you, then don't fret too much on it.

So far, my only complaint is that the center channel is not as clear as I would like. I am looking for a good replacement to match my Paradigm Titans.

 

[j_garcia]

Not enough ventilation over the receiver for cooling. Couch against the wall - never a great idea. Titans are far too low and too close togehter for good imaging, if you don't already, I'd put them at an a slight angle up, toward the listener.

CC-290 would be a good match for the Titans IMO. I don't even see your current center....

Nice looking room.

 

[Totoro]

Not enough ventilation over the receiver for cooling. Couch against the wall - never a great idea. Titans are far too low and too close togehter for good imaging, if you don't already, I'd put them at an a slight angle up, toward the listener.

CC-290 would be a good match for the Titans IMO. I don't even see your current center....

Nice looking room.

I fixed the couch by putting some rubber cups under it. Now it is away from the wall. I know there is too little ventilation on top of the receiver and I may reconfigure the cabinet a bit to give it a couple of extra inches. However, there is tons of room behind and to the sides of the receiver, which may be enough to provide cooling. Not sure about that though. There is currently about 2 - 3 inches above and about 10" to the sides and 14" behind.

To create more room, I would need to take the CD changer out and then raise the middle shelf. That may not be such a problem, since I can always use the DVD player for CDs. I would also need to lower the top shelf a bit for a larger center channel, which will limit how much I can raise the middle shelf.

 

[Vault 35]

That's definitely a well made home theatre / place to make out on that big sofa. So, where are you hiding the anime DVDs?

 

[Totoro]

That's definitely a well made home theatre / place to make out on that big sofa. So, where are you hiding the anime DVDs?

Thanks for all the advice. I have made some of the changes you folks suggested an here are the pics to prove it. And some of the anime is in the drawer shown.

I had to remove one of the shelves and take out the CD player to make more headspace for the receiver. The furniture is no longer up against the wall.

 

[MDS]

Totoro,
Was that media niche built into the wall by the builder or did you make it yourself? That would be the first time I've ever seen a 'media niche' (as the builders call it) that was actually wide enough for a big screen and centered on the wall.

You've done a very nice job with the room.

 

[Totoro]

Totoro,
Was that media niche built into the wall by the builder or did you make it yourself? That would be the first time I've ever seen a 'media niche' (as the builders call it) that was actually wide enough for a big screen and centered on the wall.

You've done a very nice job with the room.

Yes, it is a custom built unit designed into the wall. I designed it and the builders built it to my specs. In fact, the whole room is my design, but I think the builders did a great job following my instructions. The TV is a 50", so I imagine I could eventually put at least a 70" screen or larger in there when prices come down further. My next upgrade will be the speakers though.