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Fetch's Theater Build - 95% complete!!!

35K views 175 replies 34 participants last post by  cdika17 
#1 ·

Hello folks

Moved into this House in 2007, always had plans and ideas to use this room as a theater room, but to help out with the mortgage I had roommates that occupied this space until 2009, when I met, who is now, my wife. I wanted to tear it apart then and build it into a dedicated theater room but then decided I would do just enough to get a big picture and loud un-treated sound until I had researched enough to feel comfortable in tackling the big project


Room as it were when roommates moved out:



Room after. Say good bye to this room as major deconstruction happens, see below for theater 2.0!




 

Uh oh, what have i done.

 

 
 
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#2 ·
Theater Specs/Equipment

Room: 14'9” x 21'10” x 8’8”, 2x4 stud walls secured to joists with IB-3 clips, Hat channel and whisper clips on ceiling and walls, 5/8" OSB + 5/8" drywall with Green Glue, soffit and light tray with rope lighting
Screen: Seymour 130” Diagonal AT Center stage XD
Projector: JVC RS48
Speakers: Front - eD[c]12's upgraded woofers and drivers, Sides/Rear - eD[c]6's slants upgraded woofer and drivers, Subwoofer - SVS PC-Ultra 13 x 2
Electronics:

- Pre Amp: 7.1 - Denon 4311CI

- Amps: 5 X 200 - Emotiva XPA-5

- Bluray player: Oppo 93
Rack: Two, 23" x 18" x 39" used racks
Power: (3) 20A dedicated circuits for Subs, Amps and APC H15 & (3) 15A dedicated circuits for lighting(Grafik Eye), outlets(12) and APC S15
Lighting: Lutron Grafik Eye QS 6-zone
Control: Logitech Harmony One, iRule app
Seating: Fusion Escape, |O|O|O|, |O|O|O|
Color Scheme: Black, Brown, Tan, Neutral colors
Acoustic Treatments: Bacon Race inspired, 2" 3lbs OC703, Full Coverage Front wall, Full Coverage side walls to stage, Half Coverage side walls to back wall, 4" Full Coverage on rear walls with 4-6mm poly on front.
Gaming: Black Wii, Microsoft Xbox360 elite 120gb, Sony PS3
Cable Provider: Telus TV
HTPC:

-Amd Phenom Ii X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor AM3 3.2GHZ

-Gigabyte MA790XT-UD4P AMD790X ATX AM3 DDR3

-Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM 32MB

-SAMSUNG EcoGreen F2 HD154UI 1.5TB x 2

-SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit

-G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-4GBNQ PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1333 x 2

-Corsair Professional HX650W 650W

-LG CH08-LS10 Black BLU-RAY 8X Reader & 16X DVD Writer Combo

-ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

-Silverstone Lascala LC17B Black ATX HTPC Case

-Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 32BIT DVD OEM

-OKGEAR 18" SATA II Cable x 2

-SABRENT SBT-USC6M USB to Serial

-Logitech Dinovo Edge Keyboard

-Logitech MX Revolution Mouse

Server:

-Running Unraid

-BIOSTAR TA785G3HD AM3 ATX

-AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz Socket AM3

-Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2TB x 6

-COOLER MASTER STB-3T4-E3-GP 4-in-3

-COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

-StarTech 6" USB A Female to USB Motherboard

-CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 Power Supply

-OKGEAR 18" SATA 6 Gbps Cable

Rack Configuration:







Index:



1) Exisiting Dimensions

2) Design Stage of theater reconstruction

3) Demolition

4) Low voltage plan

5) Wiring plan for Lighting and Planning the Grafik Eye
 
#3 ·
I agree with the AT screen and false wall. Sell off the SVS sub and do an infinite baffle subwoofer system where the utility room behind the theater is the actual subwoofer enclosure. The cleanest output imaginable as there's no 'box' artifacts working against the cone. Not unusual for this type of system to get serious output to 10hz and below for less than $1k. Your setup is perfect for IB.
 
#4 ·
You could, and should, have sound dampening up to ear level while sitting around the room. Also cover the wall behind the screen. It is pretty easy to do. You would then cover it with GOM or other flame retardant material. Bass traps are easy adds as well. Look at just about any of the builds here to see these done.


It is much more difficult to sound proof the room since it is pre-existing. I guess you could put another layer of drywall up. Others might offer help on this.


Hope this helps.
 
#7 ·
You do have good equipment, so if you're unhappy with the sound it could be that you need some acoustical treatments. There's the master thread of accoustical treatments stickied at the top of the dedicated theater build forum that would be a great place to start. Its really long, but make it through and you can get an idea of where to start/ what to do. Bass traps and sound absoption/diffusion for example. Its definitely an art form (as you'll find out when reading it), but there are plenty of experts on that thread that discuss acoustic treatments.


Or if you want to do the shorter way, hire one of the experts to help you. They can look at your floor plans and recommend where the improvements can be. A few of the experts are Dennis Erkine and Bryan Pape (bpape).


The plans that you have look good though. The riser could be built as a bass trap if you went that way, and absorption/diffusion in certain spots would probably help as well to improve the sound. I'm at a similar stage myself, so i'm just doing research.

Let us know how it goes, or what in particular you have trouble with for sound (eg. too boomy, poor soundstage, trouble understanding dialog in a movie, etc.?)


Darren A.
 
#8 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by optoguy /forum/post/0


You do have good equipment, so if you're unhappy with the sound it could be that you need some acoustical treatments. There's the master thread of accoustical treatments stickied at the top of the dedicated theater build forum that would be a great place to start. Its really long, but make it through and you can get an idea of where to start/ what to do. Bass traps and sound absoption/diffusion for example. Its definitely an art form (as you'll find out when reading it), but there are plenty of experts on that thread that discuss acoustic treatments.


Or if you want to do the shorter way, hire one of the experts to help you. They can look at your floor plans and recommend where the improvements can be. A few of the experts are Dennis Erkine and Bryan Pape (bpape).


The plans that you have look good though. The riser could be built as a bass trap if you went that way, and absorption/diffusion in certain spots would probably help as well to improve the sound. I'm at a similar stage myself, so i'm just doing research.

Let us know how it goes, or what in particular you have trouble with for sound (eg. too boomy, poor soundstage, trouble understanding dialog in a movie, etc.?)


Darren A.

Thanks for your response, ya I thought about tackling that thread sooner than later.
 
#9 ·
I'll just throw a few thoughts out there, hopefully better than nothing.


- if the storage room isn't being used for anything else, it would make a nice Infinite Baffle subwoofer chamber - at the potential expense of more stuff ratting and certainly more issues with sound treatment that you might not want

- can you post a layout of the room with dimensions? the pictures definitely help, but hard to say what to recommend structurally without knowing that. For example, you could put a false wall even with the alcove, but not sure what you seating distance it, and what impact it would have on that. Especially if you're thinking about a complete overhaul, which seems to be the case based on discussion of columns, stage, soffit, etc.

- you could try a larger, thicker area rug - or was your question about carpet vs. a rug?

- are you familiar with REW (Room EQ Wizard)? If you're stumped what to do, that could help shed some light on where your problems are if you're having issues with peaky / boomy bass, ringing, reverberation, dialog intelligibility

- for soundproofing an existing room, you could add a layer of drywall with Green Glue; but the first thing you'd need to do would be to seal the room up (door)

- as far as things rattling - crank it up and find what specifically is rattling, and either remove it or do something to make it stop ratting (stick on pads, etc.)
 
#10 ·
Here are some dimensions:


Seating is basically 12' and 17' from screen wall on sketchup.


I only got 18" of space for a false wall because on my electrical panel, now i don't know the specifics, but i i don't know if that will be sufficient.




I've heard of Infinite Baffle, any links to how to's, threads or users known?


Heard of REW, haven't read to much on it.


Adding a layer of drywall could eventually be a possibility, wonder how that would work for a textured ceiling?


I believe that rattling is in the ceiling somewheres.
 
#11 ·
There is a lot of information available regarding infinite baffle subwoofers - do a google search for cult of the infinitely baffled - Good forum dedicated to Infinte baffle. There are also several build threads with infinite baffle subs.


If you're not interested in soundproofing, my recommendation if you are just interested in making the room sound better would be acoustic treatments. It will do nothing in terms of soundproofing, but I'm sure you'll be surprised at the results. Usually panels are made of rigid insulation like owens corning 703 (OC703). Putting bass traps in your corners will also help. There are many resources for DIY acoustic panels on this site and the web in general. I did this in my listening / theater room and it was without a doubt the best investment in sound I have ever made. I used rockwool (roxul) insulation which was available in my area and made a bunch of treatments for $700 or so. Much better results from that, than I could have gotten with an equipment upgrade.
 
#13 ·
I would caution against building an IB sub if you are having problems with stuff rattling in the room. I had a IB with 4 15" drivers in a manifold in my last theater. In theory, having the drivers mounted opposed in a manifold is supposed to cancel out any vibrations. In reality, you end up with two sound waves, 180 degrees out of phase working to shake the hell out of whatever wall the IB is mounted in. Even with two layers of drywall the IB shook the whole house at anywhere near reference level. Read up on some IB reviews and almost everyone comments on this. A lot of people like the effect of it sounding like their house is about to some down, but IMO it's not tight bass or good SQ when the house structural resonances are contributing nearly as much sound as the movie.


The can lights could be a likely source of rattles. You can try to remove the covers and go to work with some silicone caulk to fasten together any peices that come in close contact.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by rader
I would caution against building an IB sub if you are having problems with stuff rattling in the room. I had a IB with 4 15" drivers in a manifold in my last theater. In theory, having the drivers mounted opposed in a manifold is supposed to cancel out any vibrations. In reality, you end up with two sound waves, 180 degrees out of phase working to shake the hell out of whatever wall the IB is mounted in. Even with two layers of drywall the IB shook the whole house at anywhere near reference level. Read up on some IB reviews and almost everyone comments on this. A lot of people like the effect of it sounding like their house is about to some down, but IMO it's not tight bass or good SQ when the house structural resonances are contributing nearly as much sound as the movie.
You did something wrong, unless the hundreds of others with NO structural vibrations are imagining things. A correctly made Infinite Baffle subwoofer manifold works the same as any other subwoofer with opposed drivers. There are NO signifigant vibrations besides the ones caused by the sound from the drivers. The ONLY people who have complained about structural vibrations are ones who had their drivers wired wrong. Opposed driver subwoofers (IB or otherwise) are famous for being able to have a glass put on top of them with water, and having nary a ripple at full volume.


I don't post much, but when I see something that absolutely, utterly wrong, I have to say something. A manifold mounted IB subwoofer, given the right environment, is one of the simplest, best sounding solutions there is. I would hate for someone to dismiss this solution because of a false statement like the one above.


The only thing a IB does differently than most subwoofers that could cause rattling is produce output down to 10hz with ease. Like a Danley DTS-10. If your structure can't handle that kind of bass, just use a high pass filter or (better solution) fix the rattles.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the suggestions David! Greatly appreciated.


Haven't done anything lately to the home theater.


First thing i would like to do is put in some doors, carpet and then room treatments as you suggested above. I think with these upgrades i would vastly improve the sound in my room.
 
#16 ·
Here is a new before and after that I am currently working on.


Before




After




I want 26" ID for my false wall area, so I have move the false wall to the edge of the electrical panel and pushed the back wall a few inches into the storage room to give me the room, now the partial back wall is only 5' 10 7/8" tall because of the sunken living room above, hope this wont interfere with sound, screen height and such.

 
#17 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidK442 /forum/post/21283298


Just my two cents again apparently. Looks like you have maximized the space available for the theater. The 45 degree viewing angle of the first row will be quite spectacular but not nausea inducing. Column location looks pretty much by the book and should yield great results after level and delay balance out that one on the left side. I'm jealous of your space.

Curious: Was the Elemental Designs upgrade primarily to gain extra output? I can't imagine them sounding better than the Nautilus. I'm assuming you researched the SMX screen vs the Seymour Centerstage XD fabric. Seems to be a huge price differential for no better performance.

When do you plan on swinging the hammer?

Your 2 cents are better than none!


Primary reason for the change of speakers basically came down to what I could afford. To add another 2 speakers, which would have had to of been another set of the 805's to match the rest, would of costed me another

$2000 or so. I decided to sell all of my nautilus line and purchase the eD speakers, in the end I came out ahead and this way I have my 7 speakers instead of just the 5 and didn't have to spend anymore money, but made a but in the end to go towards something else. And early reviews of these speakers with the upgrades are being compared to the Klipsch KL-650's in performance. See this thread for the discussion, in the later pages: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1353217


Hammer swinging will start soon, just need to make sure I have a game plan before i start and am debating whether or not i need help from the Erskine group or not. Also need to contact Soundproofingcompany for those needs and make sure I have an acoustic plan as well.
 
#19 ·
Update

Room has been emptied.

Lights, switches and trim have been removed.

Removal of existing drywall has started.

Order from John @ soundproofing company coming soon...

Shawn with Erskine group working on layout...

Contacting BPape about acoustic plan and supplies coming soon...

Drywall, furring channel and insulation priced and ready to order...


And it starts....
 
#22 ·
I have some questions on how I should do the room.


2 exterior walls - bottom portion has a gap of about 1.5” from foundation walls, then upper portion sits on top of foundation. Should I continue my lower portion straight up to ceiling then attach with IB-3 clips? Or redo the 2 walls, start in same spot as existing walls, build 2 new staggered stud walls with IB-3 clips? How would I incorporate my breaker panel into that wall? What about the window? Can I just board it up from the inside and seal it some way and frame over it?


1 interior wall - 1 wall has existing rooms and drywall attached on other side, on theater side, would I just add in furring strips and build a staggered stud? There is no way to decouple this wall with IB-3 clips I guess.


Screen wall I am still debating on what the plan is, still waiting to hear back from Shawn with Erskine. But looks as though I will have a chamber of sorts plus a bit of a false wall.


Ceiling and walls will be the planned Two 5/8″ layers of drywall + Green Glue + 7/8″ Drywall Furring Channel @ 24″ OC + WhisperClips.


Still also having issues in deciding my entrance to theater as well as if I take out the alcove in the front corner of theater where I would put a door to theater and storage room. There is a bit of room to move door to storage further down that wall(so that I could remove alcove and give front of theater a bigger area) but that’s where the landing is for coming down the stairs and I think for moving things in and out it would be a tight fit.


Still a lot of unknown I guess, will have to figure things out first I suppose.
 
#23 ·
I'm thinking "acoustically transparent" might be a solution.


It's a little out there in creative solutions, but if the storage space is simply storage, then perhaps a pair of sliding panels and some minor reconstruction would be a design option.


If the door access to the storage isn't touchable, perhaps an angled wing wall at the ends of an AT screen, could act as a flex "body space". A hinged panel would swing into the ht, and create passage space to a an access door on the front wall where the opening is. A symmetrical matching wing wall would offer up electrical panel access. sketch coming...
 
#24 ·
Treatments and bass traps would be tricky for behind the screen.


I plan to put my rack where you have the new door.


The storage room has my computer and will host my rack. Also in there is our freezer, so the storage room will be used often, so the way you have things setup might be a pita.


I could put in a shortened door at the landing of my stairs and have door swing into storage. I just don't know if it will violate any codes or be a pain, since it will be a tight space.
 
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