As summer turns to fall, it's time for another Home Theater of the Month—this time, a smaller, more personal space designed specifically for its tactile response-obsessed owner. As always, thanks to Anthem AV for sponsoring these articles. We encourage you to show some love and check out their amazing products at www.anthemav.com.
As a home-theater geek, Shelby Brannin (@SBuger) started off fairly small. "About 20 years ago, I heard a Bose demo at a store with some friends. I loved it so much that my wife and I ended up buying one of the little Bose systems for the living room in our previous house. Shortly after that, I got a projector for the living room and built a 110" screen for it. I was thrilled to have that kind of movie entertainment at home. Then, I joined AVS Forum and learned that putting your own audio system together would be better. So I sold the Bose and did just that."
![Public address system Home theater system Audio equipment Output device Wood]()
Shelby's experiments started with very near-field subs, Crowson MAs, and ButtKicker LFEs.
About 11 years ago, Shelby, a fine-art pencil artist, bought his current home in Albuquerque, NM, where he lives with his wife and daughter. "Originally, the home theater was in the main living room, and it worked out well for quite a few years. My wife was very understanding and let me do quite a bit to make it about as good as I could in a living room, with a 120-inch retractable screen, projector, 7.1 system (with front heights), several subwoofers, as well as Crowson motion actuators (MAs) and ButtKicker LFEs. She even let me park some of those big subwoofers right behind the seating for more tactile feel."
![Brown Furniture Comfort Couch Wood]()
Early experiments were conducted with Shelby's original recliner.
"Once I experienced what some good subs, Crowson MAs, and tactile transducers all working together could do, I was astonished. The experience was awesome, especially when the tactile feel got to a certain level. That's when my addiction to tactile response really began! I was beyond hooked at this point, bordering on obsession."
![Wood Lighting Output device Studio monitor Floor]()
The front/screen wall is covered with 2" Roxul Rockboard 80.
"However, there is only so much that can be done in a living room, and my wife had tolerated quite a bit already. Plus, I had wanted a dedicated room for quite a few years. So, I started wondering if I could turn a little bedroom upstairs into a dedicated home-theater space. I thought it might be too small, being only 13x13 with an 8-foot ceiling. But I loved experimenting with all this home-theater stuff, so I thought, why not just try it?"
![Property Wood Flooring Flat panel display Event]()
Here you can see the black velvet covering the walls and the retractable screen mounted so the front speakers and subs can fit behind it.
"I already had all the gear that I needed, so I started hauling it all upstairs, big heavy subs and all. I didn't move the projector and screen at first, because I wanted to test the audio before messing with the screen. I was mainly interested in how the bass and tactile response would feel with the same movie demo material that I was so familiar with on the setup downstairs."
![Building Comfort Rectangle Technology Couch]()
With the black velvet and black rug installed, the room is a black hole.
"I started a thread on AVS Forum about the experiment, comparing the two rooms and systems, to help me decide if the new room was going to work. As it turns out, I loved it, and it lit a fire under me. I had found a new place to call my home-theater space."
![Building Light Automotive tire Lighting Door]()
In these three angles, you can see the acoustic treatments on the walls and the projector and equipment rack in the back closet.
"I wanted this room to be as immersive as it could possibly be. That meant a totally blacked-out room, sitting as close to the 120-inch screen as I could, surrounded by amazing and engulfing sound, totally immersed in full-extension bass, and the best tactile response I could get."
![Picture frame Kitchen appliance Kitchen Window Cookware and bakeware]()
Shelby built all the subwoofers in his theater.
"I needed to hang the drop-down acoustically transparent screen out far enough from the front wall to allow for the front speakers behind it, and I had to mount the projector in the back closet to have enough throw distance for the size of my screen. Also, I wanted at least some basic acoustic treatments, and I wanted the room lined with black velvet on all walls and ceiling, plus a black carpet for the floor. I put the equipment rack in the back closet, where the projector was mounted, because I didn't want all the lights from the amps being visible in the room. I started with a 7.1 system with front heights, using the speakers and AVR that I already had."
![Furniture Automotive design Comfort Interior design Floor]()
The three seats are always reclined for watching movies.
"I worked on it as I could, and in two or three months, I had it pretty functional. I had two new home-theater chairs by then as well. About four months in, I got a new AVR and was able to do Atmos, followed by a third seat, a new 4K projector, two more DIY subwoofers, and some more acoustic treatments."
![Audio equipment Grey Wood Gas Kitchen stove]()
One of Shelby's experiments included a subwoofer riser, Crowson MAs, and VNF subs.
"I slowly added things over the next couple years, and then my tactile-response addiction kicked into overdrive. I started building and experimenting with BOSS (baffle open sub shaker), subwoofer risers, and HoverEZe platforms. I absolutely loved having VNF (very near field) subs behind the seats, Crowson MAs, and BK LFEs all working together, but I wanted to check out the supposed latest and greatest. After all, a huge part of the excitement of having a dedicated HT room is trying stuff out."
![Automotive tire Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Automotive design]()
Another experiment was a HoverEZe platform with the sub cones facing downward as well as Crowson MAs and ButtKicker LFEs.
For those who are unfamiliar with HoverEZe and BOSS, they are methods for attaching subwoofer drivers to a seat to create a tactile response. HoverEZe uses a large O ring or innertube to form a sealed air column between the driver and platform on which the seat rests, while BOSS does not seal the driver to the seat, using an open baffle instead. In Shelby's case, the BOSS driver is attached to the seat back.
![Tire Automotive tire Light Tread Black]()
The current configuration includes a cone-up HoverEZe; note the tubes that will seal the air column to the cover plate on which the seats will rest.
"I probably built around 15 or 20 different tactile response platforms and configurations, including a DIY TR seat, decked out with multiple stacked HoverEZe drivers and BK LFEs, called the TR Angel of Death! Here's a link to a post with more info. Most of the experiments were logged in my main build thread and the Tactile Response Thread that I started a while back for TR addicts such as myself."
![Automotive design Office equipment Motor vehicle Bag Engineering]()
The BOSS back includes open-baffle subwoofer drivers and ButtKicker LFEs mounted on the seat backs.
As a dedicated DIYer, Shelby did all the work himself, including calibration. "I did the audio calibration with multiple subs connected to one sub out of the AVR and with a miniDSP for time alignment, and Audyssey was used for final calibration. The TR devices are connected to the other sub out of the AVR, with measurements taken to get an unaltered signal to them as much as possible."
![Automotive design Personal luxury car Armrest Family car Luxury vehicle]()
With the screen partially retracted, you can see the front LCRs and subwoofers.
"One of the best features in my home theater is the HoverEZe. It's great in the bass-frequency band, but what it does in the under-10 Hz range just blows my mind. Marc Silverman (@Longeze) came up with HoverEZe, which is capable of whatever kind of TR someone might want, from super subtle to really intense, depending on tuning. I like it cranked up pretty good, but it could be cranked up even more if I felt the desire." To give you a sense of how Shelby has his HoverEZe system tuned for intensity, check out this short video he shot in his theater while playing the rhino-stampede scene from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle; note how much the seats move.
![Rectangle Slope Font Plot Line]()
Shelby has achieved an impressive frequency response in his room.
"Another element that works incredibly well with HoverEZe is BEQ (Bass EQ), which makes most movie soundtracks extend all the way down to 5 Hz and below. Matt Khan (@3ll3d00d) is the developer of BEQDesigner, which is an application that, according to Matt, lets you 'create BEQ filters, analyze the effect of the BEQ filters on the audio track, remux movie tracks to include the BEQ’d audio track, and apply freely distributed BEQ filters to your own personal miniDSP configuration.' He also created ezBEQ, which loads BEQ filters into a miniDSP or Raspberry Pi. Matt and his team have given quite a gift to the full-band bass movie enthusiast."
![Product Shelf Shelving Automotive design Audio equipment]()
The equipment rack and projector are in a closet at the back of the room.
Of course, such a small room presents some significant challenges. "The biggest challenge was dealing with the room modes in a square room. Multiple sub locations were a must to get good bass frequency response. The other big challenge was dealing with the windows, one up front and one on the left side wall. The room is on the east side of the house, so heat became a problem in the afternoons. Installing dark UV screens on the outside of the windows really helped a lot."
![Building Property Interior design Chair Floor]()
The entrance leads to a bone-rattling, completely immersive experience.
"Probably the greatest moment was when I actually got to experience the full effect, right after all the black velvet was up. Although this was pre-HoverEZe, I still had my VNF subs surrounding my single old recliner, with Crowson MAs and BK LFEs, so the bass and tactile response were still amazing. I remember watching scenes from Jack the Giant Slayer in 3D, and I was so shocked and so happy about it that I could have cried tears of joy and done a happy dance. It's something I'll never forget."
![Light Automotive lighting Symmetry Electricity Technology]()
Watching a movie like Tron: Legacy in this room must be quite mind-blowing.
And the cost? "Around $25,000 to $30,000." Not bad to realize a true basshead's ultimate dream. Well done!
For much more detail about how Shelby's home theater came together, check out the build thread here.
Thanks to Joanna Cazden for her help preparing the photos for this article.
If you'd like your home theater considered for HT of the Month, send an email to HToftheMonth@avsforum.com with a few photos, a brief description, and a link to your build thread if available.
EQUIPMENT LIST
Sources
Oppo UDP-203 UHD Blu-ray player
Zidoo Z9X UHD media player
Microsoft Xbox One X game console
Apple TV 4K streamer
Raspberry Pi 4 for ezBEQ
AV Electronics
Denon AVR-X6300H AV receiver
Behringer iNuke NU6000DSP 2-channel power amps (4: 1 powering the HoverEZe drivers, 3 powering the MegaBossBack 12" drivers and 18" subs)
ButtKicker BKA1000-N power amps (4, powering ButtKicker LFEs)
miniDSP 10x10 HD digital signal processor
miniDSP 2x4 HD digital signal processor
HDFury Vertex 2 video processor
Projector
Epson 5040UB
Screen
SeymourAV Center Stage XD (16:9, 120", retractable, AT microperf, 1.1 gain)
Speakers
KEF Q900 (2, front LR)
KEF Q600 (center)
KEF Q100 (8, surrounds & overheads)
Stereo Integrity DS4-18 subwoofers (4, in DIY sealed cabinets)
Dayton UM22-18 subwoofers (2, in DIY sealed cabinets)
ButtKicker LFE tactile transducers (7: 3 on the MLP, 2 on each of the other seats)
DIY HoverEZe (8 12" JBL CS1214 & GX1200 subwoofer drivers: 4 under center seat, 2 under each side seat)
DIY "MegaBossBack" on each seat back (1 12" JBL CS1214 driver & ButtKicker LFE)
Cables
12 gauge speaker wire
Cable Matters high-speed HDMI
Sewell Banana Plugs
Control
Raspberry Pi 4 for ezBEQ (can be controlled with a phone, tablet, laptop, or PC)
Power Conditioning
N/A
Acoustic Treatments
Roxul Rockboard 80 (2", front wall)
Owens Corning 703 (1", at first-reflection points for LCR speakers)
GIK Acoustics 6A Alpha diffusors (6", side walls)
GIK Acoustics 2A Alpha diffusors (2", side walls)
GIK Acoustics Tri-Trap Corner Bass Traps (4, floor to ceiling in rear corners of room)
Seating
Pembroke HT Design (3)
Room Dimensions
13' x 13' x 8' (LxWxH)
Seating Distance (from the center of each row to the screen)
6.5' (eyes to screen with seats reclined)
As a home-theater geek, Shelby Brannin (@SBuger) started off fairly small. "About 20 years ago, I heard a Bose demo at a store with some friends. I loved it so much that my wife and I ended up buying one of the little Bose systems for the living room in our previous house. Shortly after that, I got a projector for the living room and built a 110" screen for it. I was thrilled to have that kind of movie entertainment at home. Then, I joined AVS Forum and learned that putting your own audio system together would be better. So I sold the Bose and did just that."
Shelby's experiments started with very near-field subs, Crowson MAs, and ButtKicker LFEs.
About 11 years ago, Shelby, a fine-art pencil artist, bought his current home in Albuquerque, NM, where he lives with his wife and daughter. "Originally, the home theater was in the main living room, and it worked out well for quite a few years. My wife was very understanding and let me do quite a bit to make it about as good as I could in a living room, with a 120-inch retractable screen, projector, 7.1 system (with front heights), several subwoofers, as well as Crowson motion actuators (MAs) and ButtKicker LFEs. She even let me park some of those big subwoofers right behind the seating for more tactile feel."
Early experiments were conducted with Shelby's original recliner.
"Once I experienced what some good subs, Crowson MAs, and tactile transducers all working together could do, I was astonished. The experience was awesome, especially when the tactile feel got to a certain level. That's when my addiction to tactile response really began! I was beyond hooked at this point, bordering on obsession."
The front/screen wall is covered with 2" Roxul Rockboard 80.
"However, there is only so much that can be done in a living room, and my wife had tolerated quite a bit already. Plus, I had wanted a dedicated room for quite a few years. So, I started wondering if I could turn a little bedroom upstairs into a dedicated home-theater space. I thought it might be too small, being only 13x13 with an 8-foot ceiling. But I loved experimenting with all this home-theater stuff, so I thought, why not just try it?"
Here you can see the black velvet covering the walls and the retractable screen mounted so the front speakers and subs can fit behind it.
"I already had all the gear that I needed, so I started hauling it all upstairs, big heavy subs and all. I didn't move the projector and screen at first, because I wanted to test the audio before messing with the screen. I was mainly interested in how the bass and tactile response would feel with the same movie demo material that I was so familiar with on the setup downstairs."
With the black velvet and black rug installed, the room is a black hole.
"I started a thread on AVS Forum about the experiment, comparing the two rooms and systems, to help me decide if the new room was going to work. As it turns out, I loved it, and it lit a fire under me. I had found a new place to call my home-theater space."
In these three angles, you can see the acoustic treatments on the walls and the projector and equipment rack in the back closet.
"I wanted this room to be as immersive as it could possibly be. That meant a totally blacked-out room, sitting as close to the 120-inch screen as I could, surrounded by amazing and engulfing sound, totally immersed in full-extension bass, and the best tactile response I could get."
Shelby built all the subwoofers in his theater.
"I needed to hang the drop-down acoustically transparent screen out far enough from the front wall to allow for the front speakers behind it, and I had to mount the projector in the back closet to have enough throw distance for the size of my screen. Also, I wanted at least some basic acoustic treatments, and I wanted the room lined with black velvet on all walls and ceiling, plus a black carpet for the floor. I put the equipment rack in the back closet, where the projector was mounted, because I didn't want all the lights from the amps being visible in the room. I started with a 7.1 system with front heights, using the speakers and AVR that I already had."
The three seats are always reclined for watching movies.
"I worked on it as I could, and in two or three months, I had it pretty functional. I had two new home-theater chairs by then as well. About four months in, I got a new AVR and was able to do Atmos, followed by a third seat, a new 4K projector, two more DIY subwoofers, and some more acoustic treatments."
One of Shelby's experiments included a subwoofer riser, Crowson MAs, and VNF subs.
"I slowly added things over the next couple years, and then my tactile-response addiction kicked into overdrive. I started building and experimenting with BOSS (baffle open sub shaker), subwoofer risers, and HoverEZe platforms. I absolutely loved having VNF (very near field) subs behind the seats, Crowson MAs, and BK LFEs all working together, but I wanted to check out the supposed latest and greatest. After all, a huge part of the excitement of having a dedicated HT room is trying stuff out."
Another experiment was a HoverEZe platform with the sub cones facing downward as well as Crowson MAs and ButtKicker LFEs.
For those who are unfamiliar with HoverEZe and BOSS, they are methods for attaching subwoofer drivers to a seat to create a tactile response. HoverEZe uses a large O ring or innertube to form a sealed air column between the driver and platform on which the seat rests, while BOSS does not seal the driver to the seat, using an open baffle instead. In Shelby's case, the BOSS driver is attached to the seat back.
The current configuration includes a cone-up HoverEZe; note the tubes that will seal the air column to the cover plate on which the seats will rest.
"I probably built around 15 or 20 different tactile response platforms and configurations, including a DIY TR seat, decked out with multiple stacked HoverEZe drivers and BK LFEs, called the TR Angel of Death! Here's a link to a post with more info. Most of the experiments were logged in my main build thread and the Tactile Response Thread that I started a while back for TR addicts such as myself."
The BOSS back includes open-baffle subwoofer drivers and ButtKicker LFEs mounted on the seat backs.
As a dedicated DIYer, Shelby did all the work himself, including calibration. "I did the audio calibration with multiple subs connected to one sub out of the AVR and with a miniDSP for time alignment, and Audyssey was used for final calibration. The TR devices are connected to the other sub out of the AVR, with measurements taken to get an unaltered signal to them as much as possible."
With the screen partially retracted, you can see the front LCRs and subwoofers.
"One of the best features in my home theater is the HoverEZe. It's great in the bass-frequency band, but what it does in the under-10 Hz range just blows my mind. Marc Silverman (@Longeze) came up with HoverEZe, which is capable of whatever kind of TR someone might want, from super subtle to really intense, depending on tuning. I like it cranked up pretty good, but it could be cranked up even more if I felt the desire." To give you a sense of how Shelby has his HoverEZe system tuned for intensity, check out this short video he shot in his theater while playing the rhino-stampede scene from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle; note how much the seats move.
Shelby has achieved an impressive frequency response in his room.
"Another element that works incredibly well with HoverEZe is BEQ (Bass EQ), which makes most movie soundtracks extend all the way down to 5 Hz and below. Matt Khan (@3ll3d00d) is the developer of BEQDesigner, which is an application that, according to Matt, lets you 'create BEQ filters, analyze the effect of the BEQ filters on the audio track, remux movie tracks to include the BEQ’d audio track, and apply freely distributed BEQ filters to your own personal miniDSP configuration.' He also created ezBEQ, which loads BEQ filters into a miniDSP or Raspberry Pi. Matt and his team have given quite a gift to the full-band bass movie enthusiast."
The equipment rack and projector are in a closet at the back of the room.
Of course, such a small room presents some significant challenges. "The biggest challenge was dealing with the room modes in a square room. Multiple sub locations were a must to get good bass frequency response. The other big challenge was dealing with the windows, one up front and one on the left side wall. The room is on the east side of the house, so heat became a problem in the afternoons. Installing dark UV screens on the outside of the windows really helped a lot."
The entrance leads to a bone-rattling, completely immersive experience.
"Probably the greatest moment was when I actually got to experience the full effect, right after all the black velvet was up. Although this was pre-HoverEZe, I still had my VNF subs surrounding my single old recliner, with Crowson MAs and BK LFEs, so the bass and tactile response were still amazing. I remember watching scenes from Jack the Giant Slayer in 3D, and I was so shocked and so happy about it that I could have cried tears of joy and done a happy dance. It's something I'll never forget."
Watching a movie like Tron: Legacy in this room must be quite mind-blowing.
And the cost? "Around $25,000 to $30,000." Not bad to realize a true basshead's ultimate dream. Well done!
For much more detail about how Shelby's home theater came together, check out the build thread here.
Thanks to Joanna Cazden for her help preparing the photos for this article.
If you'd like your home theater considered for HT of the Month, send an email to HToftheMonth@avsforum.com with a few photos, a brief description, and a link to your build thread if available.
EQUIPMENT LIST
Sources
Oppo UDP-203 UHD Blu-ray player
Zidoo Z9X UHD media player
Microsoft Xbox One X game console
Apple TV 4K streamer
Raspberry Pi 4 for ezBEQ
AV Electronics
Denon AVR-X6300H AV receiver
Behringer iNuke NU6000DSP 2-channel power amps (4: 1 powering the HoverEZe drivers, 3 powering the MegaBossBack 12" drivers and 18" subs)
ButtKicker BKA1000-N power amps (4, powering ButtKicker LFEs)
miniDSP 10x10 HD digital signal processor
miniDSP 2x4 HD digital signal processor
HDFury Vertex 2 video processor
Projector
Epson 5040UB
Screen
SeymourAV Center Stage XD (16:9, 120", retractable, AT microperf, 1.1 gain)
Speakers
KEF Q900 (2, front LR)
KEF Q600 (center)
KEF Q100 (8, surrounds & overheads)
Stereo Integrity DS4-18 subwoofers (4, in DIY sealed cabinets)
Dayton UM22-18 subwoofers (2, in DIY sealed cabinets)
ButtKicker LFE tactile transducers (7: 3 on the MLP, 2 on each of the other seats)
DIY HoverEZe (8 12" JBL CS1214 & GX1200 subwoofer drivers: 4 under center seat, 2 under each side seat)
DIY "MegaBossBack" on each seat back (1 12" JBL CS1214 driver & ButtKicker LFE)
Cables
12 gauge speaker wire
Cable Matters high-speed HDMI
Sewell Banana Plugs
Control
Raspberry Pi 4 for ezBEQ (can be controlled with a phone, tablet, laptop, or PC)
Power Conditioning
N/A
Acoustic Treatments
Roxul Rockboard 80 (2", front wall)
Owens Corning 703 (1", at first-reflection points for LCR speakers)
GIK Acoustics 6A Alpha diffusors (6", side walls)
GIK Acoustics 2A Alpha diffusors (2", side walls)
GIK Acoustics Tri-Trap Corner Bass Traps (4, floor to ceiling in rear corners of room)
Seating
Pembroke HT Design (3)
Room Dimensions
13' x 13' x 8' (LxWxH)
Seating Distance (from the center of each row to the screen)
6.5' (eyes to screen with seats reclined)
