[jparker36]

Large changes from the original post/design, now updated with final design and equipment, plus pictures of the room.

Background:

My wife and I had built a nice house from a builder’s standard floorplan list, which placed the home theater upstairs and above the master bedroom. After a few years, we decided that we wanted to go fully custom to correct many of the mistakes we felt were made in the design. Things such as putting Seaton Submersives into a room right above my sleeping wife ☺.

Original Plan:

I was going to re-use much of my existing equipment, such as B&W CM9 / CMC2 / DS3 speakers and Seaton Submersive HP sub. Epson 8350 projector, Denon 4311ci processor, and various other equipment. Was unsure of exactly how we would soundproof the room, but was considering using a clip/channel system. Plans were to go with a CIH 2.35 screen, two rows of seating with a riser, all in a 16x21 room.

Finished Plans:

I decided after reading more that soundproofing was a major component of this theater, and would be the difference between disturbing the rest of the house or being able to crank it up when I wanted. To achieve this, I hired a local consultant to help design and oversee the construction. The builder agreed to follow their direction for the build. We built the room as a double decoupled wall system, floating ceiling, etc. Double drywall + green glue on all surfaces. 12x12” soffit is built within the outer shell, and all electrical comes in via one sealed penetration.

Door is an isodoor HD from isostore.com. Fantastic quality, heavy duty door (325+ lbs!). Others make their own doors, but I just wanted something pre-made which we could quickly get in and put up. I think it turned out gorgeous now that it is stained.

Equipment:

I decided that, this being a proper theater now, the B&W system wasn't going to cut it any longer. I found a great deal here for some JTR 228HTs, and Mark Seaton stepped up and decided to offer the Terraform for a limited run late last year. I immediately jumped on getting two of those to pair with the JTRs. JBL 8340a speakers will round out the 5.2 system. No Atmos or 7.2 for me, mostly because the vast majority of Blu-Ray are still 5.1, and the placement of the speakers and their disbursement in the room makes 5.1 a great setup for all seating positions. I can always add additional speakers later, though I doubt I ever will (hah!) With these high-sensitivity speakers, I no longer needed an external amp, so I purchased a Denon 4520ci to get a solid quality AVR, with all the features I care about, including Audyssey XT32.

The entire house is controlled via a Control4 system which will also be located on the rack.

- Denon 4520ci Pre/Pro
- Sony HW40ES Projector
- Sony Blu-Ray Player
- Dune HD Smart D1 Media Player
- Dual Seaton Terraform D18 subs
- JTR Noesis 228HT L/R/C
- JBL 8340a Rears
- Whole-Home Control 4 System Controlling all Devices

 

[jparker36]

When using a Fixed Frame AT screen, do we need to be concerned that the metal frame of the screen will disrupt the sound from the L/R speakers? Like do I need to ensure that the speakers are either fully within or fully outside of the screen's frame?


Edit: Reason I'm asking is I'm thinking my LCR will be JBL 3252N's, and with their big size it looks like the L/R will have the screen edge somewhere right in front of the horns unless i push them out closer to the walls, or move them much closer to the center. With two subs up front, it will change the placement of the subs as well (between LCR or outside them in the corners)

 

[LoudDad]


I was worried about the exact same thing.  I just posted a similar question a couple of days ago.

My instinct is that I definitely want to keep the speakers within the visible screen.

My problem is with height.  Sounds like yours is width.

You could go with a wider screen

  You've got a big room and you should be able to go quite large.

I'm planning on a 130" wide cinemascope screen.

Here's my screen wall plan.

 



 

Bill

 

[7channelfreak]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jparker36  /t/1522649/get-it-right-the-2nd-time-around#post_24512773


When using a Fixed Frame AT screen, do we need to be concerned that the metal frame of the screen will disrupt the sound from the L/R speakers? Like do I need to ensure that the speakers are either fully within or fully outside of the screen's frame?


Edit: Reason I'm asking is I'm thinking my LCR will be JBL 3252N's, and with their big size it looks like the L/R will have the screen edge somewhere right in front of the horns unless i push them out closer to the walls, or move them much closer to the center. With two subs up front, it will change the placement of the subs as well (between LCR or outside them in the corners)

You definitely don't want anything crossing in front of the horns. Id look up the suggested spacing of dolby and thx on placement. There are some threads with great suggestions on here. I'd recommend doing lots of research to not have regrets with your sound.

 

[jparker36]

Any thoughts about a large 1.78 vs a CIH 2.35 setup?

I'm thinking about a 115" wide 16:9 screen or a 130" wide 2.35 (100" wide 16:9).


With a JVC projector I think I could pull off either one, and I see the argument for a 2.35 screen. But a 1.78 means I dont have to do any zooming or messing around, and video games/tv/1.78 movies will be a higher use case than 2.35 movies. And even at 115" wide, 2.35 will still be a great size.


Would a 115" wide 16:9 screen be too big with seating positions at 10.5' and 16'?

 

[DavidK442]

No offence, but the questions you are asking lead me to wonder if you have the knowledge to assess your contractor's ability.

As this is your second theater and you are going to the expense of building a dedicated room I suggest that some professional advice be calculated into the budget.


Even so, I can't help but give my unprofessional opinion on your screen dilemma.

The pro's and the con's of 1.78 vs 2.35 litter the forums; "My 16:9 screen just doesn't give me the wide screen impact for scope movies." or "My scope screen is great for wide screen movies but it makes video games and regular TV look so small."

To me the best solution is to pick a screen ratio in the middle; not constant height, or constant width, but constant area. i.e. the Width X Height of a 1.78 movie will be about the same as the Width X Height of a 2.35 movie.

If you use a custom screen ratio between 2.0 & 2.1, then either of the common image ratio's will be optimized.

One added bonus when compared to the 2.35 screen format is that a constant area screen will provide more flexibility when mounting your projector. With a 2.35 screen the difference in zoom ratio between each format is quite large, which means there is less of your projector's zoom available to accommodate varying mounting locations. The constant area screen still eats up some of that zoom range but the difference is reduced. In fact, my constant area screen allows me to change between formats despite the fact that my BenQ W1070 has a lousy 1.3X zoom. (Without power anything I stand on the frame of my sofa to adjust it manually every time I watch a wide screen movie - a pain but the difference is well worth the effort.)


Of course, if you want to go all out and install masking you will need 4-way, which will be more expensive.


I'm surprised that more theater owners don't go for the constant area option. I have been using one for the past couple of years and love it.


Just my two pennies worth (a denomination that we don't even have in Canada any more).

Good luck with which ever path you choose.

 

[jparker36]

I totally agree with you that I'm a bit out of my league. I did hire a contractor/designer for the acoustics who designs and builds professional cinemas - so I'm not worried about the soundproofing so much as the aesthetics.


Screen wise, 2.05:1 was my original plan, but I can't seem to find anyone selling AT 2.05 screens. I'll be placing a call to SeymourAV today to see if they'll make them one-off. This question was really more around people's thoughts about the complication of zooming. I dont think my wife will want to mess with it, so a 1.78 is tempting to just set it up once and forget it.

 

[DavidK442]

I really enjoy having the full envelopement of wide screen movies, but would never watch a 16:9 image that large.

Zooming for me is an absolute necessity. (Can anything in a home theater truly be considered necessary.

)

In fact as I wrote in my first post, I stand on the frame of my couch, between the cushions, and make the adjustments manually everytime I watch a scope movie.

If you buy a projector like the JVC that has motorized controls the process is as easy as pushing a button.

I am certain Seymour will custom make a screen, but if not you can buy the fabric and have your contractor whip one up.

I dont' think you will regret going 2.05 but everyone has their own priorities.

 

[jparker36]

I haven't been updating things on here at all, but the house design was finalized and we are deep into framing.

Final theater is a room within a room at 16x21 finished dimensions.
Sold all of my previous equipment and have purchased or planned to purchase the following:
Denon 4520ci
JBL 3677 LCR
JBL 8340a surrounds (2)
Sony HW40es

I decided to do 5.1 as a 7.1 setup didn't leave much clearance between the rear row and the rear surrounds. Mounting the 8340s in the rear corners will provide an IMAX-like setup and will give the best uniform coverage over all seating locations. Also allows the 8340 vs 8320s, which I understand is a major upgrade and better match to the 3677s.

I will be going with a simple 1.78 120" non-AT diagonal screen. 1.78 because video games + football are a large use case for me so I'm ok with letterboxing on 2.35 movies. If I hate it I can easily switch to a CIH setup in the future. Non-AT screen because it saves depth in the room to allow more distance to the seats, plus it saves quite a bit of money to free up my ability to get some subs. I was thinking of getting a JTR Cap, or a Submersive HP + to replace my old submersive. But in talking to Mark Seaton (and getting wife approval)... I'm about to order a master/slave of his limited run D18-11 (formerly known as the Terraform).

So two of these beasts will be on their sides below the screen, with the 3677s in between.

So these will hopefully be coming my way and teasing me for quite some time before I'm able to use them. But damn they'll be fun to have once I get up and running in December. Just waiting on final approval of the wife to place that order