I need to choose the ceiling for my house theater very soon and I can not decide which type/pattern to choose! I really want a drop ceiling for maintenance, etc...

I want Armstrong tiles (local dealer) and need to figure out which pattern to select. One pattern I like (single raised panel) does not have the top acoustic properties.. Does it matter much since any tile will have better absorption than dry wall? We are doing 100% carpet flooring also..

I am looking to get the thinner rails to help hide the grid - would there be a problem with this for rattling?

What panels do people typically use? I want the ceiling to look very good and it is not only a home theater. Anyone have pictures of their home theater with drop ceilings? I have searched and found a few..

Thank you!

[...]Does it matter much since any tile will have better absorption than dry wall?[...]

According to people here, ceiling tile absorbs nothing, reflects little, and is the worst possible thing you can put on your ceiling from an acoustical standpoint...fwiw.

According to people here, ceiling tile absorbs nothing, reflects little, and is the worst possible thing you can put on your ceiling from an acoustical standpoint...fwiw.

Most ceiling tiles are meant for speech frequencies only, and are not suitable for use in music rooms and home theaters. However, some companies (ahem) offer high performance ceiling tiles that are 1) highly absorbent at mid and high frequencies and 2) thick enough to also absorb bass frequencies.

--Ethan

I need to choose the ceiling for my house theater very soon and I can not decide which type/pattern to choose! I really want a drop ceiling for maintenance, etc...

I want Armstrong tiles (local dealer) and need to figure out which pattern to select. One pattern I like (single raised panel) does not have the top acoustic properties.. Does it matter much since any tile will have better absorption than dry wall? We are doing 100% carpet flooring also..

I am looking to get the thinner rails to help hide the grid - would there be a problem with this for rattling?

What panels do people typically use? I want the ceiling to look very good and it is not only a home theater. Anyone have pictures of their home theater with drop ceilings? I have searched and found a few..

Thank you!

Many on this thread go ALL OUT on their HT and I think that's great. It gives us all something to shoot for. But, the reality is, many people want a nice theater room with a PJ and some acoustic treatments, but can't afford, nor have the resources to go ALL OUT. I also went with a Drop Ceiling for my theater and have had no regrets. If I 'could have', I would have went with drywall, but I had too many pipes and things that I wanted access to, much like you.

So, instead of telling you how bad your room will be because you are doing a drop ceiling, I'll give you some information I found given that I have a drop ceiling. I believe that was your question...not just to find out you shouldn't do it. Drywall does NOT absorb, so tiles will not be any worse in that respect than drywall.

I purchased black rails. I didn't really soundproof my room. I filled the joists with R19, and used 2' x 2' Drywall Tiles in my theater. The tiles I bought had white textured vinyl on one side that looks REALLY nice. I painted them flat black and couldn't be happier.

Because I didn't have the money and resources to go ALL OUT on my room, I was happy with the drop ceiling. Drywall ceiling is better, but I couldn't do it. My buddy has normal Armstrong tiles and his ceiling does vibrate quite a bit in areas during deep bass scenes in a movie. Mine is a better in that respect as my tiles are drywall and are heavier to add mass to the rails so they don't vibrate much.

I'm in a similar situation, just too many things in the ceiling that I'm uncomfortable losing access to like a gas regulator and sump pump controls.

Has anyone ever made their own tiles with drywall? Maybe two layers of 1/4" to 3/8" with luaun glued in between to keep it from warping. This would give more mass than regular tiles. The grid would also need to be supported more than normal.

Somebody go ahead and tell me this is a stupid idea.

I'm in a similar situation, just too many things in the ceiling that I'm uncomfortable losing access to like a gas regulator and sump pump controls.

Has anyone ever made their own tiles with drywall? Maybe two layers of 1/4" to 3/8" with luaun glued in between to keep it from warping. This would give more mass than regular tiles. The grid would also need to be supported more than normal.

Somebody go ahead and tell me this is a stupid idea.

Did you read my post above? I used 2' x 2' drywall tiles that were commercially covered in textured Vinyl that were easy to paint. They look great. I started cutting and making my own until I found a local dealer that had the drywall tiles with the vinyl that looked SO MUCH better than plain 2' x 2' drywall tiles I cut. They are 1/2". The weight cuts down on vibration in the ceiling. You can still hear the LFE upstairs, but it's not too bad. You need to make sure to use 12Gauge Wire every 4 feet when hanging the suspended ceiling to support the weight. I've had the drywall tiles in my HT now for 3.5 years and no issues. I've had the drywall tiles in another room in my basement for 4 years, and no issues. I finished the rest of my basement recently with the same drywall tiles, and no problems.

Did you read my post above? I used 2' x 2' drywall tiles that were commercially covered in textured Vinyl that were easy to paint. They look great. I started cutting and making my own until I found a local dealer that had the drywall tiles with the vinyl that looked SO MUCH better than plain 2' x 2' drywall tiles I cut. They are 1/2". The weight cuts down on vibration in the ceiling. You can still hear the LFE upstairs, but it's not too bad. You need to make sure to use 12Gauge Wire every 4 feet when hanging the suspended ceiling to support the weight. I've had the drywall tiles in my HT now for 3.5 years and no issues. I've had the drywall tiles in another room in my basement for 4 years, and no issues. I finished the rest of my basement recently with the same drywall tiles, and no problems.

You noted that you started cutting these tiles yourself until you found a guy.... Was it still a custom job? Or was there a particular system you used? What did you use to hand the tile? Was it expensive?

I need to choose the ceiling for my house theater very soon and I can not decide which type/pattern to choose! I really want a drop ceiling for maintenance, etc...

I want Armstrong tiles (local dealer) and need to figure out which pattern to select. One pattern I like (single raised panel) does not have the top acoustic properties.. Does it matter much since any tile will have better absorption than dry wall? We are doing 100% carpet flooring also..

I am looking to get the thinner rails to help hide the grid - would there be a problem with this for rattling?

What panels do people typically use? I want the ceiling to look very good and it is not only a home theater. Anyone have pictures of their home theater with drop ceilings? I have searched and found a few..

Thank you!

Builder installed ceiling tile:

http://ericbeth.home.comcast.net/~ericbeth/screenleft.jpg

http://ericbeth.home.comcast.net/~ericbeth/pj.jpg

I think it looks great. I dont' think the ceiling tiles are an issue with sound. I do need acoustic treatments on the side walls though (and front corners). But it sounds great with my 7.1 system nonetheless.

Did you read my post above?
I must have missed the part where you said you tried to DIY it first. Either way, I was thinking about something with more mass and (hopefully) better performance than a regular acoustical tile or 1/2" drywall tile.

I'm a few months away from starting. If I try it and like the results I might post something.

You noted that you started cutting these tiles yourself until you found a guy.... Was it still a custom job? Or was there a particular system you used? What did you use to hand the tile? Was it expensive?

I purchased them from a Company in Charleston, WV. It's called Charleston Acoustics. They have no website, but I could get their number if you are interested. They have tons of different types of tiles for drop ceilings. Their prices are great. I purchased the drywall tiles covered in textured Vinyl for less than the typical tiles found at Lowes.

I must have missed the part where you said you tried to DIY it first. Either way, I was thinking about something with more mass and (hopefully) better performance than a regular acoustical tile or 1/2" drywall tile.

I'm a few months away from starting. If I try it and like the results I might post something.

Then you may want to do a drywall ceiling. If you are looking to do a suspended ceiling, not sure how much more mass you can add than 1/2" drywall Tiles. They are pretty heavy. Using 12 Gauge wire every 4' to hang the rails is fine. But, that's still a lot of weight. I guess you could always use 12 Gauge wire ever 6" on the rails and form some 2' x 2' Concrete if you want more mass than 1/2" Drywall. :D

I have a dropdown screen with the screen attached to the existing to ceiling joists. Now I've decided to drop the ceiling a few inches to hide the screen and other ceiling aesthetics issues in lieu of replacing the ceiling in it's entirety. I'm also leaning towards using indirect lighting at the edges mounting the lights pointed at the side wall on the suspended ceiling frames. I'll also have to figure out how to redo the ventilation and put in some direct lighting for the CD/DVD and equipment racks.

What remains is deciding on which tiles to use. Originally, I was going to go with the "cheap" "industrial" acoustical tile at Home depot, but now I'm looking for something more aesthetic (e.g. wood panels?). Also ooks like I forgot about the LFE issues; can't have ceiling tiles bouncing all over the place when the U-571 depth charges go off.

I thought about a friends sparkly black granite kitchen counter tops, but I suspect they would be inappropriate for the suspended ceiling application (no matter how closely spaced the 12 AWG wire). :)

Is it really worth it to go with a darker color (e.g. black) for the ceiling ?

Is it really worth it to go with a darker color (e.g. black) for the ceiling ?

I have the Metro Ceilume tiles with back panels. I filled them with insulation, taped them, and layed R19 Quiet Batt directly on them. I have a 106" High Power screen and it stays pretty dark. Worth being black tiles? Yes.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/3024632045_11b62118d6_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/2883674073_9d797978c2_o.jpg

As someone else has already noted, ACT isn't the best thing in the world but it's not the end of the world either. You can get by just fine as long as you treat the rest of the room...that's a more pressing issue than the drop ceiling is.

Frank

As someone else has already noted, ACT isn't the best thing in the world but it's not the end of the world either. You can get by just fine as long as you treat the rest of the room...that's a more pressing issue than the drop ceiling is.

Frank

Agreed. I spend more time and money getting it to work than the time I spend getting it to actually help.

Isn't the wide variety of opinions interesting?

Sometimes I marvel at how some focus more on meticulous sound planning than the visual component when - IMO - the visual component most important part of Theater in the Home (of course sound is important).

I am sure dedicated theater with all the little stype accessories is nice to have - we didn't have the space nor the budget for a lobby area and marquee and popcorn machine and movie posters and custom seating - all the little things that acutally have nothing to do with the Theater visual experience cause when the lights go down and the big screen lights up none of those things can be seen nor do the matter (our opinion).

We have a drop ceiling. Standard ceiling panels just like in a store or business. Sound is just fine with our mid-range price 5:1 system.

Bare walls - IMO - more of a sound issue than the ceiling - remember that most all freqs are directional except for bass which is why where you put your sub isn't that important so reflected sound from the ceiling not as important as the surfaces the directional freqs are aimed at and from which they reflect or "bounce".

Our simple room walls are covered with paneling - not expensive paneling but the stuff you can buy at Lowes in 4X8 ft. sheets. To us, this inexpensive wall treatment not only absorbs sound keeping the room from being to "lively" sound wise but also is great for being non-reflective of light.

Most important part of drop ceiling panels for HT in our opinion is that they be non-reflective. Off white is fine but non-reflective is a must.

Geeze - you know there are some people who believe they can hear a difference between a $200 mid-range and a $2000 mid??? LOL and thankful I'm not that kind of an audiophile - LOL again.
Enjoy your theater!!!!!

...remember that most all freqs are directional except for bass which is why where you put your sub isn't that important so reflected sound from the ceiling not as important as the surfaces the directional freqs are aimed at and from which they reflect or "bounce".

I was with you right up til there. Where you put the sub is extremely important *because* the energy it produces is omnidirectional. If you just drop it any 'ol place you're likely to couple it to the structure or into a room mode or two, either of which is not a good thing. This in addition to the possibility of creating phase problems with the other speakers if the crossover point is mushy. Placement is key in terms of avoiding or minimizing this issues.

Frank

I tossed and turned about what to do in the ceiling in my HT until I went on Lowes.com and was looking at the tiles and found that they had mismarked the large packs of tiles with the small pack price:eek: I think it was 10 tiles for around $16 instead of around $50 or $60 something. I ended up with enough tiles for 400 sqf for around $100.

I tossed and turned about what to do in the ceiling in my HT until I went on Lowes.com and was looking at the tiles and found that they had mismarked the large packs of tiles with the small pack price:eek: I think it was 10 tiles for around $16 instead of around $50 or $60 something. I ended up with enough tiles for 400 sqf for around $100.

See, and that's the kind of situation where it makes a lot of sense to go that way rather than spend boatloads on another option at the expense of neglecting the rest of the room acoustically.

Frank