[ooshwa]

I'm in the planning stages of a theater barn. Could you guys give me some feedback on the plan I've layed out at oelze.org/barn . A number of the speakers/components I already own, so I would prefer to not replace anything I do not have to.


1. Are my speakers enough to fill this large of a room?

2. Is the size of my propsed screen to big for the seating location? Will the screen look pixelated that big from those distances?

3. What kind of projector do I need to display an image that big? I need to stay under $4000 for the projector.


Any thoughts or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

Holy ****!

Room:

Total Room Size: 48' x 26'

Ceiling Height: 15' (~9' on top resire)

Riser Height: 16" ea. (8" steps)


Speakers:

Center Channel: Definitive Technologies C/L/R 3000

Left/Right Channels: Definitive Technologies PM 900 (x2)

Subwoofers: SuperCube I (x2)

Surround Speakers Side: Definitive Technologies UIW RSS II (x2)

Surround Speakers Back: Definitive Technologies UIW RSS II (x2)

Front "Presence" Speakers: ProMonitor 1000 (x2)

Rear "Presence" Speakers: UIW BP/A (x2)


Screen:

Screen Dimensions: 240" x 120" (2.4:1)

Screen Curve: 40' radius

Screen Position: 48" above floor

Seating Distance: 192", 264", 336", 408", 480"


Components:

Screen: Center Stage by Seymour AV

Screen Frame: DIY (wood)

Receiver: Yamaha RX-Z11

Projector: ?

Anamorphic lens: Prismasonic H-FE700R

Sources: Blu-ray, XBOX 360, DishNetwork, MediaPC

 

[JOHNnDENVER]

I know the Super Cubes are respected but the Subs are to small.... Not enough power in an AVR only to handle the room.


Think basic 7.1 here....

I'd just install two speakers min on each side to handle all the rows of seating.

I'd probably put 4 rear speakers across the back to properly handle all the seating across.


You really should be thinking outboard amplification here, at least on the front L/C/R...


I would not try to do presence speakers in this theater, just your basic 7.1 with multiple speakers on each surround channel seems way best to me.


You would get more out of two lesser cost 15" subs than those subs in this room in my opinion.

 

[In2Photos]

Welcome to the forum!


Pretty impressive space!


My first thoughts are do you need a room of this size? How many people to you plan to have over during a movie?


Now to answer your questions.


1. IMO you will need something else to fit the bill. Take a look at something like the JTR Triple 12LF . Use 3 of them across the front. They are extremely sensitive, 110db and will play to 130db. For surrounds you might be able to use your existing Def Techs. I think you might need some additional subs as well.


2. Screen size might be a little large for the front row. But others should be fine.


3. I think you might have trouble finding a projector to fill that size screen for your budget. Also where are you placing the projector? If at the back of the room that is quite a throw distance! With 15' ceilings you might have too much of an angle to hang it from the middle of the room too.


Another thing about your seating. Are you using recliners? If so 6' between rows might not be enough. Consider 7' or 8' instead.


BTW I can't wait to see this take shape. Are you going to have a build thread on here?

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

You may want to look at JTR speakers for this large of a venue.


What kind of seating are you planning?

 

[ooshwa]



Quote:
Holy ****!

That is simlar to what my wife said. Thanks for posting the pic.


John, thanks for the tips on the subs, what woud you recommend?


John, I've never put multiple speakers on a channel (for surrounds). I like the idea. Just split the signal? Not really sold on the 11.2 just trying to fill the space.


In2Photos, in my previous home we had frequent dinner-and-a movie nights that had 20+ turn out. It was not ideal in my last theater/living room. Looking to make it better.


In2Photos, do you think I could make it with my Def. Tech's for the front? That helps my budget since I already own them.


I've never had a [front] projector before, so placement is a good question. I assume I'd suspend it from the ceiling because the room is so long, but I'm definitely looking for advice on projector selection and projector placement.

 

[ooshwa]

What wattage would be adequate on my front channels?

 

[tony123]

This will be an exciting thread to follow!

Looking forward to your progress. Any photos of the existing space?


My theater (only a third constructed) seats 12 plus room for another 6-8 of overflow. We've had 20 in it a few times already, and it's lots of fun! I love playing host for movie night and it sounds like you do too.

 

[In2Photos]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ooshwa /forum/post/15495177


John, I've never put multiple speakers on a channel (for surrounds). I like the idea. Just split the signal? Not really sold on the 11.2 just trying to fill the space.

This could be accomplished by either splitting the signal from the receiver/processor and running multiple amps or by splitting the amp output to multiple speakers. Depends on what you end up using for equipment. If you have a decent size amp you should be able to hookup multiple speakers to the same channel.

Quote:
In2Photos, in my previous home we had frequent dinner-and-a movie nights that had 20+ turn out. It was not ideal in my last theater/living room. Looking to make it better.

Gotcha. Just know that when you decide to sit down with your wife in the theater and watch a movie it might feel a little "empty".

Quote:
In2Photos, do you think I could make it with my Def. Tech's for the front? That helps my budget since I already own them.

I honestly don't think the Def Techs will hold up. They are not bad speakers but for the size of the room you really need to think of something like commercial speakers. The JTRs mentioned above are used in some of the larger theaters here and are very well regarded. The price isn't bad either. You could probably sell your Def Techs to fund the JTRs!

Quote:
I've never had a [front] projector before, so placement is a good question. I assume I'd suspend it from the ceiling because the room is so long, but I'm definitely looking for advice on projector selection and projector placement.

I am no expert here but the projector section of the forum is a great place to start. With that size screen though I think your budget is TOUGH!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ooshwa /forum/post/15495203


What wattage would be adequate on my front channels?

Depends on the speakers you use. If you use the JTRs I think you could get an amp that is around 200wpc @ 8 ohms which would yield around 300-400wpc at 4 ohms (the JTRs are 4 ohm).

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

Just in case you aren't familiar with this company, I suspect you are going to need a Commercial grade digital projector to fill that screen.


They have projectors that do over 20,000 lumens.

http://www.digitalprojection.com/


I wouldn't get locked into an anamorphic lens until you make the projector decision.

 

[ooshwa]



Quote:
it might feel a little "empty"

...roger...my seven kids usually take care of that!


I'll do some research on the JTRs.

 

[In2Photos]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ooshwa /forum/post/15495486


...roger...my seven kids usually take care of that!


I'll do some research on the JTRs.

Well then. It should always be "full".

 

[ooshwa]

BIGmouth, i'm assuming those projectors are out of my price range, but do you know where I could find some prices on them?

 

[ooshwa]

btw, there are no windows in this barn, so ambient light is completely under control. i was hoping that would help with the projector.


to answer the seating question proposed earlier, I'm looking for a the cheapest theater seats I can find that are at least going to hold together. so far i've found these for around a thousand per 3, but I'd really like to keep total seating costs under 8k

 

[BIGmouthinDC]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ooshwa /forum/post/15495622


BIGmouth, i'm assuming those projectors are out of my price range, but do you know where I could find some prices on them?

I think the boys at AVS have access to the commercial light cannons. I would give them a call and they may have some suggestions for you.

 

[oman321]

Wowzers.... ooshwa,


Very impressive, what part of the country are you from. Don't worry about filling out the space, your gonna make lots of friend here who will be more than happy to help you with that

. Good luck.



I hope he's in New England, I hope he's in New England, I hope he's in New England.

 

[ooshwa]

Maybe I should ask this question:


With a room this big, what size screen is appropriate to allow users to be enveloped into the picture. I would go definitely go smaller (for a better picture) if I was sure I could still get the wow effect (even on the back row!?)


Thanks for all the help. I appreciate the input!

 

[BIGmouthinDC]



Quote:
Originally Posted by oman321 /forum/post/15495744


I hope he's in New England, I hope he's in New England, I hope he's in New England.

For some reason I'm thinking Utah.

 

[jntart]

Utah would have been 7 wives

Have you given any thought to using real theater chairs. You could get more chairs and/or shorten the risers and overall room length to stay with that number of seats. Major savings due to lower cost for seating and shorter room may allow more money for projector choices.

 

[warrenP]

Quick point regarding screen size, etc... In my outdoor theater we use a screen that is 16 x 9 feet, so pretty big. I'm using a Panny AE900 outside now, and projecting from about 35 feet away from the screen. I get constant compliments about the picture quality (granted from non-enthusiasts). The closest most people sit for the movie is about 15 feet from the screen, but it does just fine for the situation. If big is the goal, you can do it without breaking the budget, and always upgrade to better equipment down the road.


On the audio side, you'll need serious power for the subs to get the sound you are looking for. And, I'd echo the multiple surround speakers, with a space that large, one side speaker won't cut it. Here is the Flugel theater, which uses multiple side surround speakers (although not the same as what you're doing, might be worth a read through to see his sides)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=754073


Looking forward to your progress.