"Once more unto the breach"
About a year ago, we decided to sell our house and build a smaller home with a more efficient use of space. That meant saying goodbye to the Lewis Family Cinema, our first dedicated home theater. I started planning v2.0 while we were still contemplating whether or not to move, so I was more or less prepared when the time to build arrived. Unlike v1.0 where my family and I did everything except mud, tape and carpet, we had our builder do most of the work until we moved in to finish up. Of course, not everything went as planned, but the process was relatively smooth with experiences gained from v1.0 and the contributions of many across AVS. I’ve decided to start this thread to share our journey, again…
Here is the floorplan of the space in our basement with the screenwall intended for the bottom exterior wall of the plan:
Here is my rough attempt at a 3D render of our plan:
From the screenwall the HT room is about 17’L x 18'W x 8"H. I wanted to put the in-wall equipment rack in the rear right corner of the room, but, the furnace and water heater are on the other side of the wall there. So, I moved the rack to the front right corner.
My initial plans for an enclosed, fully isolated room like v1.0 were significantly revised by the CEO of household affairs, albeit with reasoning I ultimately agree with, so sound isolation is not a primary concern. Acoustics will remain a focal point balanced by the compromise of aesthetics. I’m planning two rows of seating. The first row will be HT seating about 12’ from the screen and the second row will be a bar and stools at 15.5’. Based on seating and room dimensions, I’d planned for a 120”D scope screen. With a push from the family, additional room depth to move back if necessary and based on 4K's higher resolution I ultimately decided to go larger. We are not using any lighting control systems at this point, but I did plan for it in the future, just in case.
INDEX – updated if necessary
Room Details and Specs
Dimensions – 17' 4" L x 18' 2" W x 8' H
11.x Audio
Front Mains – Paradigm Studio 20 Rosenut
Center – Paradigm Studio CC-590 Rosenut
Front Wides – Paradigm Studio 20 Rosenut
Front Heights – Infinity Entra One Black
Side Surrounds – Sonance VP63 In-walls
Rear Surrounds – Sonance VP65R In-ceilings
Subwoofers – DIY Sound Group Flat Pack Dayton HO 18" (4)
Subwoofers – Dual driver front firing cabinets with Dayton Ultimax 15" (2)
Video
Projector – Sony vpl-vw600ES
Screen – 133"D 2.35 Screen Innovations BD Zero Edge with LED backlighting
Electronics Rack (top to bottom)
HDTV – DirecTV Genie
Media Player – Sony 4K Ultra HD FMP-X1
Media Player – Oppo BDP-103D
Power Center – MonsterPower HTS2600
Pre/Pro – Marantz 8801
7-Channel Amp – Marantz 8077
Power Amp Rack (top to bottom)
Subwoofer Power Amp #1 – Crown XLS2500 powering 2 Dayton HO 18"
Subwoofer Power Amp #2 – Crown XLS2500 powering 2 Dayton HO 18"
Subwoofer Power Amp #3 – Crown XLS2000 powering 2 Dayton Ultimax 15"
Subwoofer Power Amp #4 – Crown XLS2000 powering 2 Dayton Ultimax 15"
7-Channel Amp – Emotiva UPA-7
ButtKicker Amp – ButtKicker BKA 1000N
Accessories
Seating – 4 Berkline 13175s in Brown Leather w/ ButtKickers and Quick Connect Kit
Seating – Bar and Stools for 3-4
Remote Controls – iRule on Sony Xperia tablet
Acoustic Treatment – Undecided