Carada New Masking System - Page 9

Thanks for the write-up paulromi. Glad you're enjoying the Masquerade! Now how about some pics?

David Giles

Man I have to save some $$$ because I want one of these!!!!
Thanks for the reviews now I want one more..
STEVE

Steve I noticed that your location is Chicago. You might want to send a PM to Joerod. He lives near Chicago and has a Masquerade that he might be willing to audition for you.

David Giles

Ok David, I'm trying to get some decent pics....but due to the black hole fabric it blends so well it doesn't photograph all that good.

I know. That Black Hole material is so black!

After seeing all the strong Carada recommendations and the raves on the new masquerade system, I have decided to make the move. The order was placed earlier this week and I am looking forward to getting this set up in the new HT!

Thanks Rex for spending time on the phone answering my questions.

You will not be disappointed!

You're very welcome Jim. I have enjoyed working with you. Thank you very much for your business!! You'll be hearing from us again soon when your Masquerade ships out.

You will love it!

I'm trying to figure out what the difference is between the MMS screen and the Precision screen. Both are same price. Initially I thought that the MMS snapped onto the Masquerade frame but from reading the install notes it sounds like it has a frame. Confused?

Hi Scrimpin,

The MMS Series projection screen is similar to the Precision Series screen but is designed specifically for the Masquerade with the screen surface material snapped to the front of the frame. That puts the screen surface as close to the masks of the Masquerade as it can be. This eliminates any chance of shadowing that might be caused by the masks on a screen surface that is set further back. Also, the MMS Series screen looks more integrated with the Masquerade for that "one-piece" appearance. But it actually mounts to the wall surface independently just like a Carada Criterion Series and Precision Series projection screen or as many of our competitors' screens too.

Currently the pricing for the MMS Series screen is the same as the Precision Series screens as you noted.

Sounds really sweet...........but is going to take some work to get the WAF in place. One thought is to spring for the Masquerade with BW screen and some other environment adjustments to improve contrast. The 1.4 gain BW will likely get me some more mileage out of my HS-20 ............ What do others think?

Masquerade + HS-20 or Epson 1080UB + DIY (Behr SS)

The MMS screen and the masquerade system arrived today. The bad news is that the drywall guy messed up last weekend and I had to fire him. The replacement crew has just finished up and I still need to do considerable work to the room before I am ready to hang the screen. I am hoping to get this thing up in the next 7 to 10 days and can't wait!

By the way, the box/crate for the masquerade is very impressive (and also heavy).

I have almost everything installed, but have a couple questions. I ordered the masquerade without the attached power cord. Do the electricians hook up the power to the last two screw sets on the power block (the two closest to the wall)? Also, do you connect the ground wire to anything?

Also, when connecting straps to the bottom bar, I noticed that the mask is slightly above the masquerade frame. Do I adjust the straps so that it is just below the frame?

Hey Jim,

Yes your electrician will connect power to the two open holes on the terminal block. He will run the "hot" lead (normally black) to the terminal block opening opposite the preinstalled black wire that runs to the control board, and he will run the "neutral" lead (normally white) to the terminal block opening opposite the preinstalled white wire that runs to the control board. He can wire-nut the ground wire directly to the green motor wire OR he can run the ground wire to the BACK side of the terminal block opposite the word GREEN on the label (he'll have to temporarily remove the terminal block to do this) and then attach the green motor wire to the opening on the front side of the terminal block next to the word GREEN (and then reattach the terminal block to the chassis).

The straps are probably just a bit "drawn up" from being folded during packaging. I'd let them sit over night and they'll probably be right in the morning (as you surmised, the top of the bottom mask should be just slightly below the edge of the fascia). But if the bottom mask is still a bit high, it's very easy to adjust it by simply sliding the buckles downward. Hold onto the back of the strap below the buckle with one hand and gently slide the buckle down with your other hand. If you over-adjust, it's just as easy to slide the buckle back up to raise the mask.

Let me know if you have any other questions (although I'm about to call it a night, so if you do have any other questions I'll have to get back with you in the morning). Thanks Jim, and I'll look forward to hearing how you like the system!

David Giles
Carada, Inc.

Thanks David. I will let you know how it goes.

Jim

Well, the masquerade is up and running. I would have posted last night, but I sat up until 2:00 in the morning watching a few movies. In short, it was worth every penny! The visual impact is more profound than any other option I can think of. Also, the build quality is top notch. For those in the Atlanta area that want a demo, I should have the rest of my room finished up by the end of April.

David and Rex - Thanks again.


Jim

Glad to hear you're pleased Jim! Thank you again for your business, and a special thanks for offering to demo your theater to other AVS members in your area. Anyone within a reasonable drive distance of Atlanta should definitely take Jim up on his kind offer (at least when his theater is complete).

David Giles

I received my Masquerade a couple weeks ago and just finished the installation of it and the MMS screen (custom verson with screen material on the front of frame). WOW! This setup says "I am VERY serious about home theater". Very very impressive...

I am not much of a do-it-yourselfer, or at least I have bungled my share of projects that should dictate I ought not attemt DIY projects. Well, I tackled the Masquerade, and I "got 'er done". It took me and a helper several hours, but that included unpacking (runreal packing by the way), figureing out where exactly it was to go, installing the MMS screen, and finally installing the Masquerade. All went well with only some minor hiccups. I snapped a couple screws driving them into wall studs, and I took LOTS of time to be sure I understood the directions and measured/marked everything perfectly. When all was finished, I thought "that was pretty easy"......or at least is was pretty straightforward.

A recommendation would be to include the information David posted in #255 regarding the wiring in the installation instructions. Luckily I had read that post and remembered it when I went to make the connections. Hacks like me would not have figured that out (or might have done it differently) without those instructions.

What people have said about the improvements in the overall picture are spot on! I had my doubts that it was THAT good, but it really does make an obvious improvement when watching wider aspect ratio content. The ability to "mask" with a touch of a button is awesome! I love it and think the Masquerade is worth every penny. It is an incredible product, and the custom MMS screen that goes with it is a no brainer if you don't already have a screen (and even then, you might want to go this route too).

Color me VERY satisfied...

Thanks for another great review likemav! We're definitely going to put the hardwiring details in the instructions ASAP.

That's exactly the kind of installation experience we were trying to ensure with the Masquerade's unique design. We unpacked, assembled, and installed SEVERAL competing systems early in our R&D phase, so we're very familiar with the hair-pulling that can go along with installing some masking systems. So I'm pretty happy with a grade of "pretty straightforward" (and almost easy).

likemav said:
Jim1921 said
Couldn't resist quoting those comments since we've taken so much heat regarding the price of the Masquerade.

Thanks again guys!

David Giles

I just have to chime in here and give some big thanks to Carada. I ordered my Criterion series screen late last year and they were the best company I have ever had the opportunity to work with. Rex was awesome in answering all my emails. My installer had never heard of Carada. But he has now and is recommending them to his clients.

Thank you for making a great product and having outstanding customer service!

Does anybody know what the minimum recommended clearance is between the top edge of the Masquerade frame and the ceiling? With past screens I needed about 1 inch to fit an allen wrench for mounting purposes.

Thanks Whiskey!!

BOM, the minimum clearance between the top of the Masquerade and your ceiling is 3/4" (there are no external fasteners on the Masquerade AT ALL - the clearance is simply needed to hook the top structure over the wall bracket).

David Giles

Thanks David... I just ordered a Masquerade/MMS in BW (and will report back when I install it). With a ceiling height of just under 8' and a second row riser, mounting height is critical to this application. The external fasteners on the last (diff brand) screen posed a problem since there is a wall mounted center speaker plate that is height sensitive too.

Okay cool. Since height is so critical I thought I'd give you those exact numbers. The assembled height of your system will be 64.5", so with the extra clearance needed at the top, the MINIMUM distance from your ceiling to the bottom of the Masquerade frame will be 65 1/4". Let me know if you have any questions about that.

Thanks BOM!

David Giles

That's exactly what I came up with. Thanks for validating it and for laying it all out there on your (well done btw) website.

Yeah if you only have 1" of space above your screen, and if you aren't able or willing to move your screen down, then unfortunately you won't be able to accommodate a Masquerade (or any other automated masking system on the market I would dare say).

But as you mentioned, a 2.35:1 system might fit your space perfectly because of the reduced height of the screen. Of course we don't have a 2.35:1 version of the Masquerade available currently, but keep your eyes peeled...

David Giles

Eyes peeled !!!
hmmmm ... how long should I hold them?
Side masking will be huge for us height challenged HT's ( was that PC? )

Bean spilling time has come ...

David;
Like probably a lot of others I would love to see a Carada CIH / side masking option.
I am still looking for something to up fit my 10.5' wide 2.35 Criterion. Thus far people seem to end up with either home brewed albeit some of them very nice DIY versions or on the other hand of the spectrum with some very expensive high end solutions. There seem to be no offerings for the segment in between (yet). While I have come across some promising products here in the forum, thus far there are nothing more than vapor ware at best .

Carada to the rescue!
____
Axel