[rickeame]

Two years ago, we started down the road of putting in a media room. As you can see from the attached pictures, we never got very far. We have a 100" Stewart (I think it's a firehawk, but I have to check to be sure), and a JVC HX2U (which will soon be replaced by the RS1). Now we want to really get serious and finish it up.


As you can see from the attached diagram my room is not exactly setup for proper acoustics. It's fairly square with the 10x7 extension off to the side really keeping it from being a full square. So that worries me for sound.


We have thought of a lot of options:

• Draw a line from where the staircase is all the way to the back wall and build a wall all the way across. This would create a hallway into the room. We'd put french doors in, and try to do something interesting with the dead space. It might help deaden sound from reaching the bedrooms.
• Enclose the 10x7 with another wall and door. In this mini room, I would put the equipment rack and on the other wall a small kitchen area for refreshments. It would keep the noisy kegerator behind a door and not disturbing the movie.
• By doing both of the above, I would end up with a 14x18x8 room for the theater, which I understand to be pretty "good."
• Put the speakers then behind black acoustic fabric and hide them, highlighting only the screen.
• Potentially increase the screen from 100 to 120 or 130 in size.

So I'm putting this out here to see what you guys would do. I also could face the staircase the other way and turn the room around with the 10x7 cutout behind me. I have to imagine redoing a staircase is tough though -- it's 3 stairs.


How much should I worry about the acoustics?


Oh, and yes, we need to paint.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[rickeame]

Sorry, additional pictures.

 

[LoudandClear]



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


Two years ago, we started down the road of putting in a media room. As you can see from the attached pictures, we never got very far. We have a 100" Stewart (I think it's a firehawk, but I have to check to be sure), and a JVC HX2U (which will soon be replaced by the RS1). Now we want to really get serious and finish it up.


As you can see from the attached diagram my room is not exactly setup for proper acoustics. It's fairly square with the 10x7 extension off to the side really keeping it from being a full square. So that worries me for sound.


We have thought of a lot of options:

• Draw a line from where the staircase is all the way to the back wall and build a wall all the way across. This would create a hallway into the room. We'd put french doors in, and try to do something interesting with the dead space. It might help deaden sound from reaching the bedrooms.
• Enclose the 10x7 with another wall and door. In this mini room, I would put the equipment rack and on the other wall a small kitchen area for refreshments. It would keep the noisy kegerator behind a door and not disturbing the movie.
• By doing both of the above, I would end up with a 14x18x8 room for the theater, which I understand to be pretty "good."
• Put the speakers then behind black acoustic fabric and hide them, highlighting only the screen.
• Potentially increase the screen from 100 to 120 or 130 in size.

So I'm putting this out here to see what you guys would do. I also could face the staircase the other way and turn the room around with the 10x7 cutout behind me. I have to imagine redoing a staircase is tough though -- it's 3 stairs.


How much should I worry about the acoustics?


Oh, and yes, we need to paint.

Thanks for any advice!

Here is an idea.


Wall off the area to the right and make it a concession area/kitchenette with 1 door entering in the middle or 2 french doors like you mentioned for the left.


Then wall off the left side and on the far end of the hallway, make it an entrance into a half bath. The you can put double french doors lined up with the ones on the right side for balance. That would make the room rectangular and you can place your speakers on the sides the same distance from the seating area.


OR


Split the walled area on the right into the half bath and concession area and use the end of the hallway on the left for an equipment room.


How good it will sound will depend on the level of acoustic treatments you apply and how critical your ear is. Also your budget has a huge impact on how you can make it sound. I personally think 130 inch screen would be too big for the room and you won't have room on the front sides for your speakers without jamming them deep into the corners..... not good for soundstage.


You didn't mention what you do or don't like about your system. Remember it is for you and your family.


Mike

 

[rickeame]

It doesn't feel like a theater. I want to paint, and by painting that one wall black, I will be making quite a big room a very dark room. I also don't like seeing the front speakers (I don't exactly like the big honkin' speakers on the wall, but they sound great, so I can't complain). I essentially want to "finish" the room.

 

[rickeame]

Any other feedback? I'd like to get crackin' and you guys are about 10x more knowledgeable than I am.

 

[rickeame]

Okay then, I'll wing it.

 

[bpape]

I'd almost think about that 10x7 area being just a false wall area and have the screen on/in that false wall. Turn the couch to be facing and force yourself to keep it away from the rear wall.


If you box off the area you're talking about and leave the layout as is, you're going to be in a very non-symmetric situation and not much you can do because of the stairs.


Bryan

 

[rickeame]

Thanks for the response -- if I put the screen in that 10x7 area, I still have a fairly square room, and from what I have read, that is acoustically "bad." Right?


What if I walled off the 10x7, and also walled off the staircase all the way to the wall. I'd create an odd hallway to have to walk up through to get to the theater, but I'd be left with a 14x18x8 room, which I think is better for the sound.


If I keep it at the 18x18x8 that I have now, are there acoustic treatments I can do to make the situation better? I'd still like to do something with that dead space (10x7).

 

[rlj5242]



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


Thanks for the response -- if I put the screen in that 10x7 area, I still have a fairly square room, and from what I have read, that is acoustically "bad." Right?

There are always compromises. You may have a few more acoustical problems but you have to work with what you have unless your budget allows a complete re-build. At least your room would be symetrical.

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


What if I walled off the 10x7, and also walled off the staircase all the way to the wall. I'd create an odd hallway to have to walk up through to get to the theater, but I'd be left with a 14x18x8 room, which I think is better for the sound.

That's close the the size room that I have. I like madtexan's ideal of the long hall with an equipment closet at the end. Moving the equipment and cleaning up the screen wall will go a long way towards the theater feel. Dark paint and some curtains will also help. Here's a slightly blurry example of what I did - link . The R/C/L speakers will soon be replaced with some tall, thin models that I'm building.


-Robert

 

[mmoeller]

There are a lot of things you can do with the 10x7 area. This link puts some cabinets I like and sort of a wall separating the area. Something like that might be nice in a 10x7 space.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6&page=4&pp=30


I would either do that or use it for the equiptment. Wall it off and put a rack and mabey a door for access to cableing.


Mabey turn it into an IB subwoofer

. Might not be the best placement, but a really overkill idea.


Personally I would build the bar/concession area there. It would seem silly just to wall off the space. Consider the next owner as well.


Walling off the stairs and adding some french doors might be nice as well. If your concerned about acoustics that would seem to be a first step to help control it. There are tons of bass trap ideas and stage setups here that may work for you as well. Being able to use some acoustic damping on the front wall behind screen would be benificial, as well as moving the seats off the back wall.


I attached just a quick sketch of what I would be thinking. I'm definately not a professional, but I think your going to have to make some sacrifices acousticly in order to use that 10x7 space, but I think if you build something in there alot of the sound will be diffused. Bass on the other hand will need to be handled differently. Ceiling or soffit bass traps??? Mabey.

 

[LoudandClear]



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


There are a lot of things you can do with the 10x7 area. This link puts some cabinets I like and sort of a wall separating the area. Something like that might be nice in a 10x7 space.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6&page=4&pp=30


I would either do that or use it for the equiptment. Wall it off and put a rack and mabey a door for access to cableing.


Mabey turn it into an IB subwoofer

. Might not be the best placement, but a really overkill idea.


Personally I would build the bar/concession area there. It would seem silly just to wall off the space. Consider the next owner as well.


Walling off the stairs and adding some french doors might be nice as well. If your concerned about acoustics that would seem to be a first step to help control it. There are tons of bass trap ideas and stage setups here that may work for you as well. Being able to use some acoustic damping on the front wall behind screen would be benificial, as well as moving the seats off the back wall.


I attached just a quick sketch of what I would be thinking. I'm definately not a professional, but I think your going to have to make some sacrifices acousticly in order to use that 10x7 space, but I think if you build something in there alot of the sound will be diffused. Bass on the other hand will need to be handled differently. Ceiling or soffit bass traps??? Mabey.

What I was suggesting is similar to mmoeler's picture but instead of putting the equipment on the right, put it on the left and then make a door at the end of the hallway to access the back of the equipment if it's showing through the wall into the theater or just place the equipment in the room with an IR sensor in the theater. Be sure to place the doors as far back in the theater as you can so they aren't at the first reflection points.


mike

 

[rickeame]

Awesome ideas. If I didn't wall it off and just dealt with the square room with the bar area, what acoustic treatments would you recommend to offset the sound oddities?

 

[LoudandClear]



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


Awesome ideas. If I didn't wall it off and just dealt with the square room with the bar area, what acoustic treatments would you recommend to offset the sound oddities?

You would have to pay extra attention to the reflections causing gain and drops in the bass region since that is much worse in a square room. You can try a mode calculator (by entering your room dimensions) to find your problem region (frequency wise) and build good bass traps to handle it. I got my mode calculator from the RealTraps website.


Otherwise you can/will have areas of the room with boomy bass and other areas where there is no bass. Cause by cancellations or amplifications in the notes.


How much this is noticable depends on how critical your ears are. If your room sounds good now, it will still sound good later if you only paint the walls and do nothing to improve the sound. If you do some proper acoustical treatments, it will sound even better than before.


I recommend bass traps and treating first reflection points to your favorite seating positions

 

[mmoeller]



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


Awesome ideas. If I didn't wall it off and just dealt with the square room with the bar area, what acoustic treatments would you recommend to offset the sound oddities?

I would also recommend some bass traps. As to the location I'm not an expert. I would tend to believe that some bass management should be in the bar alcove. Just to make sure that nothing that goes in there comes out.


The picture attached shows the ceiling area. It would really be a sort of enclosed soffit area, filled with the bass trap material of choice. It may be best to then cover with a paper barrier, then GOM fabric. Just a wild guess though.


SandmanX's soffit bass traps really gave me the idea. The link below is the SMX site. Might have to register to see his construction thread posted there. Or you can search his thread here. Excellent work.

http://www.smxscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29