So I opened up my finished basement ceiling to start scoping out my HT room...

If you are using a suspended tile ceiling with easily removable tiles I think those electrical junction boxes can stay.

Not knowing your initial layout, and seeing that you have ceiling height at 8 feet, I'd consider sheetrock on the ceiling, and running soffits on the sides of rooms.

For the junction box, you have few options:
1) Leave a little cutout in the drywall (3x3 in or 4x4 in) below the box, where the box can be accessed. You can use a custom cut piece of ceiling tile with brackets to hold it.

2) Re-work the electricity so that a box no longer exists - least preferred route.

3) Lower the box so that it is part of the drywall. Put a blank wall-plate over it.


You can always tile the ceiling per earlier post, I'm just not sure how low it needs to be from the ceiling studs. In my basement I went full sheetrock in the ceiling with soffits. All HVAC, electrical, plumbing are in the soffits. I do have a few cutouts where I needed water or gas valve access.

Get a bunch of opinions, check codes.

QUOTE: "Recessed lighting has to go since I will be insulating to soundproof as much as I can for the LR above this room"

Ceiling tiles won't accomplish the soundproofing. Consider drywall.

They will help a little. You are not isolating casual conversation...

the insulation mainly helps with resonance and maybe some proofing, while the main proofing comes from the drywall.... but I could be wrong.

OK new tiles and insulation is better than what you have now, yes. Drywall will do worlds more than the tiles. The insulation is a good thing, tiles are not at all recommended for soundproofing. They have insufficient mass and are not sealed.

Drywall, on the other hand ($8 a 4x8 sheet) is heavier and sealed when installed.

not really. especially in the low frequencies

They make recessed lighting that is compatible with insulation.

If you are wanting to isolate sound, ceiling tiles are definitely not the way to go. Drywall it (5/8 inch) and insulation. IF you truly want to block sound, double drywall it with a green glue layer in between.

If you should decide on drywall, the larger the diameter of the ceiling can, the worse it will be for isolation. Sorry if that's an obvious point.

If you're doing the tiles, I wouldn't worry an awful lot. But technically you're better off with track lighting and soffit lighting. Wall sconces are holes in the walls themselves, but not as bad, especially since you're concerned about sound travelling up.

Nice looking track lights. Classy alternative to can lights. Wall sconces are really OK, especially if you seal the boxes in the wall with caulk to make airtight. And some R13 insulation in the walls.

If not using a damping material in between the drywall, I would suggest the RSIC-1 clip. More expensive, but they damp a bit and help you in the lower frequencies.

Note the 2x4 blocking. The joists are 16" on center, but you want rows of Hat Track every 24". So the 2x4 blocking allows you to place the next row of Hat Track anywhere between those joists, allowing you to maintain 24" spacing between the rows of Hat Track.

You should be able to use box entenders, if that's your question.

Looking at that box, extenders aren't going to help. It's hard to tell for sure, but it looks like there is enough slack on the cables to allow you to move the box to the new ceiling level.

If there is, just put a new box (or move that one) down and cover it with a round 'ceiling-fan' cover plate. Paint it with the ceiling, nobody will ever notice.

It is a path for sound to get out, so if you want to get really fancy you could build a little box around it. Search for 'light box' in this forum for ideas there. Otherwise, just seal all the openings into the box to keep it airtight.

Hopefully all the boxes you want to move have enough slack.