Tiny metro NYC apartment that i've lived in forever with a tiny extra BR that is a dedicated home theater room now. it's a whopping 9 x 11 feet.

This room has 4 huge windows. It's basically a tanning booth there is so much sunlight. So I had to block all the light. I have done so by cutting up black curtains that I thumbtacked around the window and then putting drapes on top of that. Works great. Zero outside light. Anyways . . .

Another week or two and I should be done with the redesign and upgrade of this mansion.

this is what it used to look like:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture162.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture099.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture092.jpg

First (failed) attempt of redesign/upgrade: paint it burgundy and black. That was a nightmare and I hated the process and the look. This is what it looked like before I decided to go all black on walls/ceiling.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture179.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture183.jpg

This is the progress so far. All black room, except for rug. Speaker stands arrive this week so that all speakers will be same height and I'm painting the sub black today or tomorrow.

Screen is DYI using DW laminate but I've been playing around with borders and masking, so the borders in the pic look like crap. I'm gonna rebuild the screen a little bigger, but not too big because seats will only be about 9 feet from the screen; anything less than 2.5x height makes me nauseous. It will be CIH.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture207.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture208.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture226.jpg

this coming week's to do list:

pick up sconce from the shop
receive MBM12
receive GIK acoustic treatments
receive Berkline 12000 seats
receive Buttkicker Minis
paint sub black
rebuild the screen (or do the sensible thing and just buy one)
calibrate everything and pray i don't start a fire or hurt myself

I'm impressed! Is the throw 9 or 11? What pj will you be using (I'm guessing probably a panny due to short throw considerations)?

Good work so far

Victor

Looking good. I am curious about the issue faced by many apartment dwellers. Can you crank it without getting neighbors into a revolt mode?

I'm impressed! Is the throw 9 or 11? What pj will you be using (I'm guessing probably a panny due to short throw considerations)?

throw is 11 feet; well, less because PJ is over a foot long. i use the Mits 4900. debating on whether to go with the 5500. but i'm not in a hurry to move up in PJs at the moment, tho the black levels during scenes like space scenes (in Star Wars for example) suck on the 4900 and look gray next to velvet border.


Looking good. I am curious about the issue faced by many apartment dwellers. Can you crank it without getting neighbors into a revolt mode?

yeah i've had my svs for about 3 years in this apartment i think the floor must be concrete or something because i get no complaints; i'm good about checking with my neighbors on whether they hear anything. they say they hear a little rumble now and then but nothing loud. they don't know that i'm looking into possibly upgrading to the MFW-15 or an Epik :) this room is great for bass. FR measurements with REW are close to flat and there is not much ringing, but i'm gonna add some treatments anyway for reflections and to reduce what ringing there is. i'm really excited about trying out the MBM12 because midbass really sucks with the Infinity Beta 20 bookshelves/SVS PB10 combo (tho i might be doing something wrong).

it's a tiny room but when you sit down and watch a movie it doesn't feel so small (i guess partly because it's pitch black in there, tho not sure how reflective the rug will be; just got it and haven't turned on PJ yet with the new rug in the room; ive already returned the last two rugs because of reflectivity; this one doesnt have a sheen to it tho).

Very nice Apartment Theater room. I also have my theater in an apartment and did similar with blocking the windows. I even got sort of crazy and built a frame inside the room and hung curtains 360 degrees around. The total blackout really enhances the picture.


Looking good. I am curious about the issue faced by many apartment dwellers. Can you crank it without getting neighbors into a revolt mode?


The Buttkicker really helps here since you can use them to make up for any LFE you loose if the subwoofer isn’t turned up.

GIK acoustic panels arrived and so did the MBM-12. Also I got my sonce back from the shop: they made it so that I could plug it into an outlet.

Sconce: I learned a lot about sconces this summer. I went to a bazillion lighting stores here in NY this summer. We have a lighting district that's probably 5 blocks of nothing but lighting. Anyways, I wanted something kinda rustic because room is pure black (except for rug).

After all the super duper fancy stores I visited this summer and all their amazing lighting, which sconce did I like best for this room? A $40 one at Home Depot. Go figure. Looks better in person. Need to get lower watt bulbs because it's too bright. The acoustic panel will cover the wire. My first drill attempt has the sconce too low. So have to redo it.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture239.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture248.jpg


MBM-12: Arguably the one thing I've been most excited to receive because - if you've ever been to a great sounding cinema - you know how awesome midbass reproduction is. Played a few tracks and movie clips tonight - without calibrating the two subs - and the LFE does hit harder but, I dunno, maybe my room is so small that the PB10 is sufficient because so far I have not noticed a huge difference. However, I haven't received my FMOD yet so that I can cross the SVS at 50 hz (it has no internal crossover) and I haven't done any calibration via the receiver andI haven't done any parametric EQing yet (I need to order the 8003 eq already, or whatever the number is).

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture243.jpg

GIK acoustics: I love acoustic treatments. When I bought Auralex foam panels for reflection points 4 years ago I was blown away how $50 made such a huge difference. Foam always looked tacky. I ended up with GIK this time. Sure I can build my own panels but honestly it's not worth it for me because of all the hassle of the trips to Home Depot (cab $$) to get lumber and the lack of space to do anything DYI here and my lack of DYI skills. So far Ive only bought the 242 panels for reflection points. Gonna measure with REW to see how many bass traps to go with. The 242s have made an amazing difference - I was running sans treatments for the last 2 months. They're pretty big.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture245.jpg

Here you can see most of the room (seats arrive tomorrow; ignore the screen, i removed the velvet borders for the time being ). As you can see the acoustic panel is a little too tall. I can order a custom one so it fits under the window. With the lights off/movie on, can't really see them; so, not a big concern.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture254.jpg

Stuff I did before starting this thread

Painting

I went flat black (Benjamin Moore). I have to say that painting flat black can really suck. Anything that touches the wall leaves a mark. But . . . the good news is that with the lights off/movie on, none of the smudges are visible - and that's what matters to me. Actually they're not visible unless you shine a bright light on the wall and put your nose up to it. This room is really dark; well it was until I bought the bulbs for the new sconce. They're too bright and will be replaced.

I was gonna hire painters but they're crazy expensive here. So I painted it myself. Took forever but I'm lazy too.

Flooring

Room has hardwood floor. I don't like the acoustics with that floor and it reflects too much light from the screen.

So at first I wanted to get carpet. But that's a hassle for many reasons, plus I can't keep the carpet when I move out. But a rug I can keep. And rugs look nicer for the most part (patterns, etc). I went to so many carpet places. ABC Carpet in Manhattan is awesome. And expensive. But if you want to see amazing rugs, go there. The first rug I bought I hated because it reflected way too much light. I looked all around for nonreflective carpet and rugs. Carpet was pricey and I never found anything that excited me. Of all places I ended up finding the color I wanted in a rug at Bed Bath and Beyond. All the those great stores I went to and I end up at BB&B. Go figure.

You bum - it's about friggin time you started a thread.

As crappy as you say your screen is, I think it looks very good in these pictures. The scones rock as well. Be sure to take some pics of the seats tomorrow. I'm excited to see how they blend into the room.

seats arrived today: berkline 12000

it took me almost 3 months to decide on seats. i sat in probably every recliner in manhattan. in the end i liked these for features (power recline, head support, chaise design) and price. i waffled this summer a lot. one week i thought the berk 45016 were the ones. then it was the private collection from roman. then it was the 45003. then it was the showtimes. then it was who knows what.

anyways, what i did not realize about ordering the 12000 online was how nice the leather was. definitely better than the local berklines i tried and most of the other no-name local leather recliners. and the power recline doesn't squeak (thank goodness).

quick note: i went for curbside delivery. i live in a walkup. don't do what i did. get white glove. these things are heavy, even with two people.

exciting seat pictures (ignore wires, screen, etc in the room; i'm not done yet):


http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture260.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture263-1.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/vinnyanddaisy/Picture259.jpg

a few random observations from me on building a small home theater:

Heat

wow does this room get hot quickly. projector, receiver, PS3, and 2 subs. it was 68 degrees outside and about three hundred thousand degrees in the room. running the window a/c is annoying because, like all window a/c's, it's loud. but with summer almost over what's the point buying a new one.

A/V rack

i have it behind the seats. but i dunno what to do. it sucks because my new receiver (denon 1909) doesn't pick up signal unless i'm aiming the remote at it, which is impossible when it's behind the seat. my old pioneer could pick up a signal from the remote no matter where the remote was.

CIH

we're sitting so close to the screen that we noticed tonight that watching 2.35 movies without velvet masking was no big deal. we didn't notice there was no masking because image is so big your eyes don't really see the top/bottom in my home theater closet . . . errr . . . room. and i kinda hate losing that huge 1.78:1 image (yeah yeah then scope movies look smaller in comparison but i rarely watch two different AR movies back to back). i dunno. i'm up in the air but CIH doesn't seem as critical now as it was when i seated further back against the wall.

Lossless Audio (i digress)

tonight was the first night i watched a movie in lossless audio. holy crap. i have a sacd and dvd-a collection so i'm familiar with lossless but with movies it really is something. outstanding.

having used the theater for a few days now, there are some regrets:

1) Not buying seats with storage compartments in the armrests. The remotes situation is annoying.

2) Buying a LCD projector. I just received my Mits 4900 from repair for 4 dust blobs. 2 days later: another big green dust blob. I think I'm gonna sell it and get a DLP. Each time a dust blob shows up, that means at least a week without a projector, plus the hassle and cost of shipping it for repair.

3) using bookshelf speakers for LCR. even though i have the MBM-12 for midbass (and it is truly awesome now that i've calibrated it with my svs sub) and even tho my beta 20 bookshelves have 6.5 inch woofers, and even tho i used audyssey for calibration, there is still that bit of emptiness in the midrange. i should have done towers. it's not a huge deal - sound is very good - but i'm picky and want more fullness and impact in the soundstage.

4) not setting up the room for food. not sure what to do with popcorn, chips, etc. or even real food - like dinner. i should have looked into movie theater trays of some sort. oh well that can still be done.

5) Lighting. My sconce was altered so that it plugs from outside and has a switch on the cord. The room has no light fixture other than my sconce. Didn't go itno the wall with wires because it's an apartment. Very annoying looking for the switch on the cord in the dark. Welcome to nyc and our lovely 1910 era buildings.

Nice space. Very cool for an apartment theater.

Check out Geeks.com for some remote control sockets for your lighting issue. If you have a universal remote, you should be able to program the sockets to turn on/off from it.


http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=BH9936&cpc=SCH

oh my. that is awesome. thanks.

having used the theater for a few days now, there are some regrets:

1) Not buying seats with storage compartments in the armrests. The remotes situation is annoying.

2) Buying a LCD projector. I just received my Mits 4900 from repair for 4 dust blobs. 2 days later: another big green dust blob. I think I'm gonna sell it and get a DLP. Each time a dust blob shows up, that means at least a week without a projector, plus the hassle and cost of shipping it for repair.

3) using bookshelf speakers for LCR. even though i have the MBM-12 for midbass (and it is truly awesome now that i've calibrated it with my svs sub) and even tho my beta 20 bookshelves have 6.5 inch woofers, and even tho i used audyssey for calibration, there is still that bit of emptiness in the midrange. i should have done towers. it's not a huge deal - sound is very good - but i'm picky and want more fullness and impact in the soundstage.

4) not setting up the room for food. not sure what to do with popcorn, chips, etc. or even real food - like dinner. i should have looked into movie theater trays of some sort. oh well that can still be done.

5) Lighting. My sconce was altered so that it plugs from outside and has a switch on the cord. The room has no light fixture other than my sconce. Didn't go itno the wall with wires because it's an apartment. Very annoying looking for the switch on the cord in the dark. Welcome to nyc and our lovely 1910 era buildings.

You can purchase trays that work off the cupholder in the seats. They basically have a round base that fits in the cupholder. There's a vertical rod attached to the base that then connects to the tray. Very similar to airline trays in the first class cabin.

Heat

wow does this room get hot quickly. projector, receiver, PS3, and 2 subs. it was 68 degrees outside and about three hundred thousand degrees in the room. running the window a/c is annoying because, like all window a/c's, it's loud. but with summer almost over what's the point buying a new one.

I know what you mean. I was watching season 4 of Lost and after about 6 hours into it one day sweet started driping down my face. I decided to get up to check the pj temp and said 103 degrees was in there and the room was around 88 degrees. I immediatly opened the door to the HT and after the episode ended the temp had dropped about 10 degrees. The safe operating temp for my pj is up until 104 degrees. Checking the max minimum recorded temps on my monitor I see that it was a record 109 degrees in the pj hush box where all the hot air is pumped out of :eek: and 91 degrees in the HT where I am cooking this summer. :eek: If you could do as we are and move the equipment to an adjacent area for better ventalation that would really help, but if not I highly recommend one of these temp monitors. They can really give a peice of mind knowing what is going on and could make your gear last longer even. I picked mine up at wal-mart for less than $20.00.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=117642&d=1219537135

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=117643&d=1219537135

thanks definitely will pick one of those up. i moved my seats a little bit away from a/c and now it's not annoying anymore but i'll pick that thermometer up anyway just because i'd like to know how how it is in the room when i give the a/c a rest.

I know what you mean. I was watching season 4 of Lost and after about 6 hours into it one day sweet started driping down my face.


Season 4???????? ;)

Sorry, Lost freak here.

You can purchase trays that work off the cupholder in the seats. They basically have a round base that fits in the cupholder. There's a vertical rod attached to the base that then connects to the tray. Very similar to airline trays in the first class cabin.

god bless you. i can't live on pepsi alone during a movie