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The Unfinished Basement Theater & Whisky Guitar Lounge

160K views 361 replies 144 participants last post by  PioManiac 
#1 · (Edited)
The Unfinished Basement Theater & Whisky Guitar Lounge

HT v1.0 plans started in August 2006,
When my GF said No Toys in the Living Room of the New Home!

..."Do what ever you want in the unfinished basement, but your AV toys are off limits in the Living Room"



Fair Enough, Challenge Excepted!!

Little did she know I would eventually add 14K+ watts of LFE/ULF audio gear,
So it will be whole-house audio that can be heard/felt right to the top floor of the Two Storey home.

While anticipating a move to the new home in 08', and two years to plan it out...(while its being used as a Show-Home) I started stock piling a LOT of Mission speakers (14) that were discontinued half price back in 2006, Enough for Two full 7.2 systems (long before ATMOS/DTS:X would allow me to combine them into One Ring to Rule them All)

My first HDTV's were a pair of 50" Pioneer KURO's, (one for the Man-Cave, one for the Master Bedroom) But once we moved to the new house I quickly added an Epson 1080UB projector and a 120" motorized BIG screen. ...and picked up 4 Velodyne subs (also discontinued models, for half price) a pair of 12's + a pair of 15's.

HD Home Theater v1.0 would be powered by a 7.1 Yamaha RX-V3900 + 2 Front Presence speakers.

I cleaned, prepped and painted the basement concrete floor a week before possession, (BEHR Rich Brown) to keep the concrete dust to a minimum and would later staple Velvet directly to the studded insulated walls (sound/light reflection control and bass trap duty).
No drywall, no mud/tape, no sanding and no paint. No cleanup required. Cheap, Fast DIY, no tools except a measuring tape, scissors and a staple gun.

I put down some cheap discounted area rugs for the seating area and just in front of the TV. Then went shopping at IKEA for: a low height TV Stand/Bookcases/Shelves/End Tables/Lamps/Track Lights/Curtains and decorated with some spare items from the main floor. ....Saved the Big money for the Premium Leather Powered Recliners, and AV gear instead, where it really counts!

Pictures and Details of the early planning stages and google sketch-up designs here:
Unfinished Basement Layout Design Plans


=====================================================

Floor Plan/Speaker Layout for future 7.4.6 Here

2016 was Finally the year for 4K/UHD/HDR/DV/ATMOS/DTS:X/7.4.4 Upgrades!

Yamaha RX-A3050 7.2.4 AVR was first step for ATMOS audio! (Feb.2016)
UPGRADED to a Newer Heavily discounted discontinued RX-A3070 September 2018.

...with My old RX-V3900 AVR re-purposed as a 4 channel amp for the 4 Height/ATMOS Speakers. more info here: Hooking up Second AVR for Extra Speakers

JVC X750R (RS500) 4K projector replaced the Epson 1080UB in August 2016,

4K/UHD/HDR Player: Panasonic UB900 and Video Processor: HDFury Integral
later Upgraded to the HDFury Vertex + GoBlue Bluetooth for Smartphone App controller.

LG 65" 65B6P OLED replaced the old 50" KURO on Black Friday 2016,

Sceenshots from 4K movie comparisons between the JVC vs OLED Click Here



100% Matched to my Surrounds...Mission Bookshelf Speakers on swivel mounts for all 4 Height/Presence speakers (ATMOS/DTS:X).







Velodyne 15" Near Field Kidney Pounders, 2000w peak (each) Directly behind the MLP "Sweet Spot"





Quad Sub EQ via MiniDSP-2x4HD REW UMIK-1

Marshall Stack Bar Fridge, Single Malt Scotch Whisky collection,
Watched over by Angus my Scottish Gargoyle.



New 2" Thick Shag Area Rug from Costco in Charcoal Grey



My new Funk Audio 18.0 subs (Feb.2017) with High Gloss Walnut crotch veneer.
4800 watts peak (each) and extension down to ~10Hz, Easily my most expensive HT purchase to date, shortly behind the JVC. But SO worth it!

Just unwrapped and plugged in to test, so they have not been permanently placed yet,
But I Do kind of like them sitting where they are for now...so nice to see them from every possible angle on display



Home Made Sub-Dude's (24"x24"x2" Graphite Rigid Insulation samples, 24" carpet tiles)



Media storage v1.0, consisting of Bluray, HD DVD, PS3 and XBOX games, hiding just behind the micro suede curtains.



More recent BD's, 4K UHD's, 3D's, XB1/PS4 Games in the Storage area, Costco Kettle Popcorn Popper on the right.



IKEA FINNBY bookcases



SteelBooks!!!



3030039




Coolest SteelBook EVAR!!!


Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (((3D))) UK import (Salazar's Revenge) at 9 feet W-I-D-E




Oppo 203 added to the system Oct/2017 (Dolby Vision for the OLED, Region Free mod for 3D imports on the JVC, SACD Music)






Blade Runner 2049





IT



Atomic Blonde


Kingsman: The Golden Circle


XBOX ONE X Scorpio upgraded from my 3 y/o fat XBO

XB1 X Dashboard current games loaded after Day 1

Forza 7 with the new XB1 X 4K/60/HDR/ATMOS Gaming and Netflix ATMOS on the JVC at 120" ROCKS!



Next Level Upgrades to take my 7.4.4 system to 7.4.4.4 by adding 4 Tactile Transducers

miniDSP 2x4HD, UMIK-1 + REW + BEQ, Crowson Motion Actuator system...

Link to more recent postings (page 14)
 
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#184 ·
ive followed this thread from the beginning great choice in equipment
 
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#187 ·
Looking really good!

Sent from my XR6P10 using Tapatalk
 
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#188 · (Edited)
We share your passion and excitement in ultimate PQ home theater experience! Thank you for your hard work posting & taking time to take excellent photos.

Many of us would aspire to do a similar home theater setup. Maybe one day I can upgrade my current room too!

Size matters and your 120" Trumps my 78". It seems every near decade when I afford a major TV or A/V upgrade I go bigger. Once you go bigger in screen size, one can never be satisfied with less!

I started off with a 25" > 32" > 55" > 65" > 70" > and now finally the 78". I am in awe year after year with all the PQ improvements they come up with.

PS: Happy anniversaries! Also it appears a sequel to Prometheus is coming in 2017! Here is a link & info: http://www.prometheus2-movie.com/


:cool:
 

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#191 ·
Sweet!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 
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#196 ·
Calibrated by eye. But been doing that a long time and my grey scale is spot on.

After Cedia I'll contact Mike and see if he can get me in touch with a forum member near me.

Thanks

BTW I have a felling the issue viewing reds might be that most monitor can't do WCG rec2020 correctly ?
And probably a handheld phone can't capture it either - just guessing.
 
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#198 ·
So what's next?

...other than finally getting some black velvet panels on my ceiling, :rolleyes:

Hint: http://www.funkaudio.ca/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

I need me some ULF that a pair of 18" slave/master Funks can deliver
down to 10Hz and output is 4800w/9600 peak ...and they are a Canadian company
(on my radar for at least 6 years now)
I was at a GTG in Vancouver a couple years ago and the owners of Funk Audio came with one of their 18's. Gorgeous finish and prodigious output. During one of the Oliphant scenes in Lord of the Rings it felt like the concrete slab under my feet was vibrating. My preference would still be DIY for the money, but for anyone with the cash to support a Canadian craftsman Funk would be top of the list.
 
#199 ·
Great job man!! Those screen shots are amazing!


What kind of settings are you using on that smart phone...... anytime I try they look terrible.... but my phone sucks and my one camera isn't much better
Are you paused to get them????
 
#203 ·
Just finished reading the entire thread and loving your build. I actually prefer builds like yours vs the rooms you mention you strive for but don't have the cash to do. Builds like yours imo is more practical and reachable for those of us with the passion but not the funds. Unfortunately I can't yet afford a house where I can get a decent sized room for HT-only use, so only a very modest HT in the living room will do for now. I am still waiting on Xbox One S to drop to $250 as well as gain ability to stream HD audio so I can become UHD BD capable.

Would you mind posting some shots of Lucy UHD BD? Saw that one in the theaters and while the story was meh, the visuals and audio were amazing. I found myself just staring at Scarlet Johanson the whole way through.
 
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#208 ·
Nice! Quite a deal to get Celebration Day at that price!

And I got to admit to having more and more of those DOH! incidents... :( At least there are good folks like you to adjust my aged mind. ;)

I have a Samsung 10.1 that sits almost unused except when I travel! I mostly use my smartphone for the AV Controller app and totally forget about the tablet. :eek: Even when I noticed how nice the app is on the tablet, I haven't made that adjustment to keep it as part of my listening room. That is corrected as of right NOW!

Just one more reason to be thankful for your input and advice. :cool: :devil: and big .
 
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#209 · (Edited)
New Toy :D

I do have the deeper fade to black now that the dynamic iris is on again, so there's that I guess :rolleyes:
I think you did.... HDR looking pretty good there...

Sent from my XR6P10 using Tapatalk
 
#210 ·
Done
 
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#211 ·
It all looks really good, and you're right. On the comparison shots, the hdr looks a bit better I think. But, that's screen shots for ya. Not like truly being there.

Sent from my XR6P10 using Tapatalk
 
#213 · (Edited)
Hi Pio, it's been some time since i spoke with you. I got the x750 installed this week and the basement work is almost getting there. Unlike yours, my baby didn't come with the latest firmware or the BT.2020 profile. Not surprisingly, it took some time to find the software and the hardware to get it installed.

Right now i have just watched a few snippets of upscaled Blu Rays and some 3D BR discs. I know you don't like 3D. But Gravity in 3D wa just mind blowing, specifically when space debris come right at you.

I find the Cinema 1 default setup to be good enough. But I haven't had the time to test anything else. I found tge BT.2020 profile too dark for my regular discs. Let me know, if possible, the picture settings you are using.

I will perhaps get a calibration work done later after a 100 or so burn in hours. Haven't got the 4k player yet. But hopefully around Black Friday Boxing Day period.
I see you have a new toy in the Integral. Congratulations! Keep the pictures of your setup coming. Oh! One more thing. I am not sure how to get the Rec.709 profile. I have gone through zombie 10k's setup. But still not surebwhat to do to activate the Rec. 709. Any hints?

Somehow I could not find your setting pictures any more. A few snapshots with your settings will really help.

Once again, thanks.
 
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#218 ·
Pio,

I really enjoy all of your pics, the quality is incredible, particularly given you are using a smartphone camera!

You mentioned you needed to get a 30` cable earlier in your thread, what cable did you end up purchasing?

I have the same PJ, HDFury and Panny UHD player as you, but a Marantz prepro. I have a 40 ft Celerity fiber optic cable. I get images from Ultra BR discs, but the sync times are very (>2 minutes) long, even just playing an upconverted regular BR on the Panny. Sync times are much quicker playing a BR on my XB1.

How long are the sync times for you when playing a UHD BR or regular BR on the Panny vs another BR player? I asked on the JVC thread but nobody really said what their sync times were like.

Thank you,

Basa14
 
#219 ·
Pio,

Thank you for checking those sync times. From looking at some of your posts, it looks like you use the default settings on the UB900? Do you have the HDFury between your 3050 and the RS500? When it checks for the 4K 60 test under setting on the UB900 my screen goes blank for a long time. The OSD of PJ doesn't display. But if I switch to cable or the XB1 things sync the normal 15 seconds. I'm not certain if the UB900 is at fault or I don't have the HDFury setup properly. When I try to play 4K content off of Amazon all I can get is 1080p.

Thanks a lot for checking those sync times.

Basa14
 
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