I would like to understand the best sound system options for a home theater that is approximately 39 feet long, 24 feet wide, and with ceilings 9 1/2 feet tall or approximately 8900 cubic feet. TV or Movie use 99% of the time. High SPL's. I have some recent experience with B&W but not there Custom Theater 800 series. Please share any experiences / perspectives you have relative to the B&W CT800 line, or other options you may have implemented. Thank you.

For utter insanity, read this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=867248&page=1&pp=30

For utter insanity, read this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=867248&page=1&pp=30
you stole my thunder Curte! :D

that's gonna be 12 x 18" Q18 long throw drivers in an infinite baffle doing the LFE work alone!!! :eek: :D

Overkill?? what Overkill?! there is no such thing....only insanity! I LIKE IT!!!!

Joe,

There are many fantastic systems out there below are merely my views on what is available and what will drive a space of 9000 cubic feet well:

1. Talk to Paul Scarpelli (Triad Dude) about his Triad Platinum LCR speakers + Power Subs and Inwall Gold Surrounds. Incredible system, partnered with Classe or Mark levinson amps and these speakers are Wucking fonderful!

2. Secondly, I would look at the System that Mark Seaton Has produced which Art has installed in his Theatre. I would imagine that a setup on this scale would be fantastic - and alot better for the Wallet as its an active design.

3. If you do go for B+W go with their 800 series instead of the CT800 because they have much better drivers. However you will need plenty of power for a room your size so stick with Krell, Bryston or Sim Moon Audio on this setup.

3. Go commercial and check out Genelec , Dynaudio and ATC, all of which brilliant active systems which when pushed can rearrange your internal organs if SPL's are what you are after.

4. Go completely insane, and follow dirtyharriett.

Hope this helps,

Paddy

Thanks for the insights. It appears there is a world of audio options for home theater beyond what I was aware of.

I would like to understand the best sound system options for a home theater that is approximately 39 feet long, 24 feet wide, and with ceilings 9 1/2 feet tall or approximately 8900 cubic feet. TV or Movie use 99% of the time. High SPL's. I have some recent experience with B&W but not there Custom Theater 800 series. Please share any experiences / perspectives you have relative to the B&W CT800 line, or other options you may have implemented. Thank you.

Hi Joe,

A serious room of this scale is what I would politely describe as beyond B&W's comfort zone. The CT800 mains and center would probably do better than many other speakers, but are a bit expensive IMO for something that I expect you would regularly find the limits of and is unlikely to deliver the uniform response to the multiple rows in such a deep room. The sealed 15" subwoofers won't have a chance to impressively fill the room unless the count is into double digits. I hope/expect that such an undertaking where you are considering such an investment you have in some form retained services of some acoustic consultant/designer. There are caveats to such a large room, but there are also many benefits. In general you can deliver an even better and more impressive end result, it just tends to cost a more, or take more horsepower to get there. :rolleyes:

If the room is acoustically controlled in a ballanced manner, you will want to insure that not only do the speakers & amplification you choose sound good, but that they are not pushed beyond their intended operating limits. I don't care how good a speaker or amp is, none sound great if regularly overdriven. More for the sake of more can be wasteful, but you do need a tool suitable for the job.

Thank you Mark. Valuable advice. I/T systems and sales is my expertise developed over several decades of work experience........ not audio / video......at least I now know enough to know what I don't know, and what I do not have time to become expert in. While this is an interesting hobby, and one where a bit of knowledge does add to the enjoyment and appreciation, ultimately I will need to rely upon the knowledge of professionals. Thank you again.