[ahmedreda]

1982 Arcade / Home theater

Current Equipment:

■Denon X6200
■2x Minidsp 88a with Dirac Live (16 channels total, 12 channels used)
■Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 1: Fronts
■Emotiva XPA-5 Gen 2 : Center / Surrounds
■Emotiva XPA-5 Gen 2 : Atmos
■2x Buttkicker BK1000N amplifier : Crowsons / Buttkicker LFE
■Fronts: 3 x JTR 212HTR (2015 Edition)
■Surround: 2x JTR Single 8LP
■Surround Back: 2x JTR Triple 12LF
■Subs: 10 x UXL 18 drivers in sealed enclosures (7 in the fronts and 3 Nearfield)
■Tactile Transducers: 3x Buttkicker LFE, 5x Crowsons Shadow 8


Video
■JVC RS400
■155" diagonal DIY 16:9 screen using Seymour Center Stage XD material.
■4 way masking.

Sources
■Sony X800 UHD player
■Tivo Premiere
■Panasonic BDP-220u
■Seiki SR212S (Region Free)
■Roku 2 XS (Angry Birds Edition)

Video Processors:
■KanexPro Cubeup 4x1 3d converter.
■Darbee DVP5000S
■HDFury Vertex


Final Pictures:

The current seating distance 10' 4". The current masking allows for 4 way masking of scope, 16:9 and I-Max.

Scope 147" diagonal:

16:9 121" diagonal.

IMAX 155" diagonal:

Under the hood

Nearfield subwoofers covered with a table top:

Seating / Surrounds:

Atmos Speakers (4 x Volt 10LX)

Build:

It is time to upgrade my home theater:

My room is 12x20x8. My current/former setup consists of:

■Denon 4311ci
■Emotiva XPA-2 Fronts
■Emotiva XPA-5: Center / Surrounds
■2x Buttkicker BK1000N amplifier
■Fronts: 2xRTI A9
■Center: CSI A6
■Surrounds: 4xRTI A5
■Subs: 3x Rythmik Audio FV15HP
■Tactile Transducers: 3x Buttkicker LFE powered by the 2x BK1000N , 5x Crowsons Shadow 8


Video
■BenQ W7000 projector
■130" DIY 16:9 screen (Da lite Da-Mat)
■5x Optoma ZD201 3d glasses
■1x Optoma ZD301 3d glasses

Media players / Devices
■Playstation 3
■WDTV Streaming Live
■Tivo Premiere
■KanexPro Cubeup 4x1 3d converter.
■Slingbox
■Panasonic BDP-220u
■Seiki SR212S (Region Free)
■Roku 2 XS (Angry Birds Edition)

I have been fairly content with my setup until recently when i picked up a couple of JTR triple 12LFs from the local craigslist for $900. I tried them at home and realized what i have been missing all those years so I decided it is time for an upgrade..

I placed an order for 3 JTR 212HT for LCR and 2 Single 8LP for side surrounds. The speakers are due to arrive in about 2 weeks.
I am planning to use the Triple 12LFs for back surrounds

I also placed an order for 4 Volt 10LXs to be used as ceiling speakers for ATMOS.. I am planning in constructing the speakers and wiring them but I will hold off the purchase of an atmos enabled receiver until the 2nd gen receivers are released and when they go down in price (~1 year time frame).

I also decided to take the leap and move to an AT screen / False wall setup and while I am at it I will increase the screen size to 140". My current viewing distance is about 13 feet and with the AT screen i will be down to about 11-11.5 feet which should be a big difference in size / immersiveness. I decided on the Seymor centerstage XD fabric.

Here are pictures of my current setup:

https://www.avsforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=695178[IMG]
[IMG]https://www.avsforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=695170

I already started construction and i made the screen and the framing for the false wall / speaker stands.

Execuse the mess.

The screen is almost done except for a few ripples at the bottom that I need to get rid of.


So here is a current list of things i need help with:

1. The room is currently covered with 1" panels some full with OC703 and some empty. I now know that 1" is not going to be effective so now i am considering doing 3 or 4" behind the wall behind each speaker and a 6" column at the front corners.
I am also considering putting panels at the first reflection points of the LCR and removing the OC703 from the rest.
How thick should i go? Would 2 inches be sufficient.. May be raise the panels at those locations by an inch? Or do I need to go thicker / leave spacing?

2. My room is covered with panels and they don't exactly line up so I am looking for ideas to give it a cleaner look such as columns etc??

3. What do i do for masking with an AT screen? Especially for 1.37 masks where even a frame with an AT fabric will interfere with the mid range driver of the lr speakers..

Any help / feedback would be appreciated!

 

[wse]

Looks nice!

 

[JRock3x8]

you have a single 3 chair row? 20' ought to be enough for a riser?

 

[ahmedreda]

I should be able to use a riser with one row. Two rows would make things a little crammed. We are a small family so the 3 seats serve us well. For guests, I use directors chairs and I can accommodate up to 8 people total if I wanted to.
Would there be an advantage of using a riser with one row of seating?

you have a single 3 chair row? 20' ought to be enough for a riser?

 

[JRock3x8]

Would there be an advantage of using a riser with one row of seating?

no not at all - if three seats are all you want/need then a riser just changes your viewing angle.

 

[DavidK442]

The increased viewing angle and speakers behind an AT screen are going to be huge improvements.
Columns, risers, stages, and all the other fancy theater stuff might just make your room appear cramped.
There is something to be said for a simple, sleek, clean appearance.
My own small room turned out a bit "busy"; partly form, partly function.
If I was to do it over I would go for a cleaner, paneled look.

 

[ahmedreda]

Thank you for your reply.. I checked your build thread and I think you did a great job with your space..

For mine, I think I will start by raising some of the side panels by 2 extra inches so that should make it look a little less uniform.. I am planning to add 3 inches of OC703 at the first reflection points around the raised panels.

I am not sure yet what to do behind the screen. I am thinking about adding 3-4" panels one behind each speaker. I have seen some use floor to ceiling absorbers at the 2 front corners but I am not sure if it is necessary or will make things better..

The increased viewing angle and speakers behind an AT screen are going to be huge improvements.
Columns, risers, stages, and all the other fancy theater stuff might just make your room appear cramped.
There is something to be said for a simple, sleek, clean appearance.
My own small room turned out a bit "busy"; partly form, partly function.
If I was to do it over I would go for a cleaner, paneled look.

 

[RedStripe88]

A few ideas for reworking your panels look cleaner and avoid having to make the panel edges line up perfectly


1) Use panels of different sizes similar to the Lemonade build.

2) Route the panel edges with a chamfer bit. A bit more forgiving if panels don't line up perfectly. Combine with putting a slight space between adjacent panels. Maybe 1/2 inch. A couple good examples of builds that did this.

3) Use panels with different depths similar to the Staggerd Wall build

4) Panel on top, chair rail around 28", panel below. Would dramatically reduce the number of panels and look much cleaner. Then, place OC703 only where you need it behind the panels

 

[ahmedreda]

Thank you.. Great information there..
My original plan was to do the chamfer bit method but I chose the easier route with the straight edges.. Now while it is still doable, it will require taking the fabric off for all the panels..
I think a variation of the staggered look finish may work best for my purposes and it might not require redoing all the panels..

I am not sure I understand #4 , Do you have an example?

A few ideas for reworking your panels look cleaner and avoid having to make the panel edges line up perfectly


1) Use panels of different sizes similar to the Lemonade build.

2) Route the panel edges with a chamfer bit. A bit more forgiving if panels don't line up perfectly. Combine with putting a slight space between adjacent panels. Maybe 1/2 inch. A couple good examples of builds that did this.

3) Use panels with different depths similar to the Staggerd Wall build

4) Panel on top, chair rail around 28", panel below. Would dramatically reduce the number of panels and look much cleaner. Then, place OC703 only where you need it behind the panels

 

[ahmedreda]

My progress so far:

I fixed the ripples on the bottom of the screen.. I am very happy with the end result..

I constructed the stands to hold the Triple 12LFs as surrounds.. Dimensions are 16.5x16.5x32:

After being covered with fabric:

With the speaker on:

Now I need to find a way to get a grill for it. I think it will look better with the drivers covered..

 

[RedStripe88]

Thank you.. Great information there..
My original plan was to do the chamfer bit method but I chose the easier route with the straight edges.. Now while it is still doable, it will require taking the fabric off for all the panels..
I think a variation of the staggered look finish may work best for my purposes and it might not require redoing all the panels..

I am not sure I understand [URL=http://www.avsforum.com/forum/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=4]#4 [/URL] , Do you have an example?

My theater is one example of #4 , but I also have columns and trim between the columns and GOM panels.

Other examples are Rawlinsway and Cinemar. Both have large panels on the upper two-thirds of the walls and wainscot/MDF panels below the chair rail.

If you want OC703/OC705 below the chair rail (my acoustic design called for that), then you could replace the wainscot/MDF panels with fabric frames, but only put OC703/OC705 where needed.

Make sense?

 

[rcohen]

Wow! Very nice work! Looks like it will be awesome for audio and video!

A couple ideas to try...but whatever works best for you.

1) Paint the wood behind the screen in matte black, so it doesn't pick up light that penetrates the screen.

2) When you get the 212s, try positioning them in the corners and angling them in a bit more - slightly in front of the MLP. This will avoid reflections off the side walls, reinforce the midbass, broaden the sound stage, and grow the sweet spot. Thanks to the horns, the 212s don't need room to breathe, like typical speakers, as long as they aren't obscured by the screen frame.

 

[ahmedreda]

That sure looks good but I think it may be beyond my wood working abilities.. and it would require me to get completely new fabric since mine is cut for the smaller panels..
For now, i am leaning more towards the staggered / raised panels.. I may get away by using the same pieces of fabric since i have a little in excess in the back.

My theater is one example of #4 , but I also have columns and trim between the columns and GOM panels.

Other examples are Rawlinsway and Cinemar. Both have large panels on the upper two-thirds of the walls and wainscot/MDF panels below the chair rail.

If you want OC703/OC705 below the chair rail (my acoustic design called for that), then you could replace the wainscot/MDF panels with fabric frames, but only put OC703/OC705 where needed.

Make sense?

 

[ahmedreda]

Thank you.. I used black flat sheets to cover the wood on the false wall as well as the wooden frame of the screen.. It took some effort but I didn't want to deal with painting at this time..

Regarding the screen frame, I am planning to raise the speakers to be right above the bottom part of the screen frame.. The horn should be well above at 10-11".. I am planning to make AT masking panels and when i researched it the frames for the masking panels were going to fall in front of the 12" drivers for the most common aspect ratios.. Would that be ok as long as the horns are clear?

Wow! Very nice work! Looks like it will be awesome for audio and video!

A couple ideas to try...but whatever works best for you.

1) Paint the wood behind the screen in matte black, so it doesn't pick up light that penetrates the screen.

2) When you get the 212s, try positioning them in the corners and angling them in a bit more - slightly in front of the MLP. This will avoid reflections off the side walls, reinforce the midbass, broaden the sound stage, and grow the sweet spot. Thanks to the horns, the 212s don't need room to breathe, like typical speakers, as long as they aren't obscured by the screen frame.

 

[rcohen]

Yes, I think so. It's good to have the horns at ear level, if possible.

 

[ahmedreda]

Here is my progress so far:
I raised the panels at the first reflection point as well as the ones behind the seating. I used 3" oc703 at the first reflection points.

I still need to take straighten it up some and stretch the fabric at some places.

 

[ahmedreda]

I also worked on the masking panels for the screen. I created 5 panels total, 3 to mask the top and bottom and 2 to mask the sides.
They top / bottom masks will allow me to mask the screen to 2.35:1,2:4 . I created an extra set to allow me to mask it to 2.2:1 and 2.25:1
The panels have stretched acoustically transparent fabric from GOM. The model number is fr701.

Top / Bottom panels:

One of the side panels:

I plan to hang them using neodymium magnets. I did initial testing and they should be held with a couple of magnets one of each side. If I can get away with that I will just use the two. Adding more magnets than necessary will make them harder to remove.

For storage the top / bottom panels fit nicely right above the subwoofers and below the screen. The left/right can go next to the screen.

 

[ahmedreda]

I made 3 panels (2'x4'x4") full of oc703. They would go right behind each speaker.

This is what the screen wall looks so far:

 

[rcohen]

Lookin good!
Still waiting on the 212s?

 

[ahmedreda]

Yes, they should be here Wednesday finally. I am hoping to get done with the room by the time they arrive..

Lookin good!
Still waiting on the 212s?