[mrjeffryes]

Hello Group!!!

I am in aw of all of your home theaters. You guys rock. I'm starting to build my Theater now. I build homes every 2 years. Kind of a "Build this house" rather than "Flip this house." We I finally made room in this house for a movie theater room. I really thought I had it all planned out until I stumbled across this website a few weeks back.


So now that I feel completely stupid, I have to ask some questions. Any feedback would be great.


1. First off, How do you like my design?

1a. Everyone else usually has a symetrical room. How bad will mine be since it's asymetrical?

2. I never thought of putting a stage in. But I want to now for looks. Do I have to put sand in it or Insulation in it, if my speakers are built into the wall or hanging off the wall?

3. Risers... I want light in there, but not the bass kickers. Do you still worry about sound resinance? And fill them with sand or insulation?

4. Not attaching your riser to the walls or stage... Are you guys playing the movies with the volume at 1000? Do you really notice sound travel through the platform to the walls/concrete then through the house?


I'm sure I'll have more questions.


Again, even if no one replies... You guys ROCK!


ummm... I'll get the pictures in the next post...

 

[mrjeffryes]

Photo1 of the design

 

[mrjeffryes]

Photo 2 of the design

 

[David F]

Other than the fact that the poker table is right where all of the foot traffic will be coming through, it looks good. It's a little hard to say much without knowing all of the room dimensions. The front row may be kind of close to the screen, or the back two rows too close together, but it's difficult to tell from these renderings.

 

[mrjeffryes]

Here is the same with some dimensions.


Anyone have thoughts on building risers and stage before sheetrocking?

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

Welcome please keep us posted of your build.


Some feed back. Get rid of that little tongue on the step up to the back riser. Not sure how you are going to place the side surround speakers?


Sand in stage is to avoid resonances, No speakers means you can probably do just fine stuffing it with insulation but I would do a minimum of two layers of 3/4 sheathing with layer of heavy roofing felt between. Don't forget about sub woofers they might not go in the wall and if they are on the stage sand will really help.


For the seating riser, insulation is fine but do double layers of decking. You know if it's quiet enough if walking on the riser in sneakers sounds the same as walking on a concete floor i.e. no foot steps.


A sub woofer sitting on a stage vibrates the stage if the stage is coupled to the walls will send the vibration to the rest of the house. It's just a samll amount but every design element adds up.


If you are planning on punching holes in the ceiling for recessed lights then that swiss chesse of a ceiling probably would negate any benefit of building the stage a 1/2 inch away from the wall. Just an example of how attention to detail on all aspects of sound containment and accousical planning will give a certan level of results.


build the risers and stage after the sheetrocking.




Here are some notes I posted in another thread:

HVAC - sound control


If your house is like most of ours, you have large metal ducts called "trunks" that supply heated and cooled air and bring it back via returns. Off of these trunks you will have individual take off ducts that each supply an individual register somewhere in the house.


The worst cast scenario is you have metal take off ducts,


So you build a theater and it should have both supplies and returns. The most common technique is to just cut in a couple of supplies and returns and use metal ducts to connect up the theater.


If you or your contractor does this, it is nearly identical to cutting a hole in the ceiling to the room above from a sound containment perspective.


There are are number of solutions and generally the amount of sound isolation is dependent on how much you are willing to spend.


The cheapest solution is to not connect the theater with metal ducts. Instead use flexible Acoustical Ducts. or duct board. Include a few 90 degree bends so that the sound carrying capacity of the duct is reduced.


see the two products on the right of this chart:

http://www.flexmasterusa.com/pg/fdpp.php


You could construct baffle boxes for the supplies and returns.


While I'm not wild about the final product of the attached write up it shows you the concept of building a serpentine pathway lined with acoustically absorbent material. I think you can do it 3/4 plywood or MDF and linacoustic versus the authors choice of materials. You could build a baffle box inside the joist space.

http://paulmadison.com/baffle.html



There are other solutions including zoning the theater, or installing a totally separate HVAC for the basement or theater.


BUILD an Aquarium first, keep holes to a minimum.


For the most sound contained space (if that is critical) you basically build an aquarium first then build everything else inside.


Use isolating techniques for framing, isolation clips, then do your DDW +GG.


Inside this "air tight room" build stage and risers. Build soffits around the perimeter and add cove molding mounted below ceiling height. build columns on the sides and rear to house speakers and balance the room aesthetically.


Think twice about Recessed lights. Instead put up a rope light in cove molding, sconces on the columns, down lights in the soffits. All mounted inside the drywall shell. Put the outlets required by code in the base of the columns


Run electrical wiring inside the soffits, columns, riser and stage penetrating the room only once where the power enters the room. Seal any gaps in the hole around the wires.


If you must put a hole in the drywall aquarium for something (wall switch) build a beefy back box equal to the quality of the walls or use putty pads.


Obviously you need HVAC but seal the gaps around the penetrations well and use the acoustical ducts.


Others here have built back boxes for recessed lights with MDF/DW and GG. But if you have ceiling RSIC clips it will defeat them unless you can float the back boxes on the ceiling drywall.


Invest in a good beefy door and make sure it seals tight.

 

[mrjeffryes]

Great points!!! I never even thought about the sound leaving through my recessed lights. Another question. All of this sound barrier work is just to keep the sound from going through the house, right?


So in a perfect world where my Wife and 3 kids are watching the same movie and no one is upstairs sleeping, does keeping the sound in matter?


Sound going through the house via vibrations, doesn't change the viewing experience, does it?

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

Trust me, if you have a wife and three kids, you (with or without the the misses) want to be able to enjoy the theater without disturbing the sleeping/studying kids.


If you enjoy a good action movie played at theater sound levels, and you own a Sub-woofer, you need to plan for sound containment.


Also having a quiet theater (keeping sound out) allows you to enjoy the movie at lower sound levels.

 

[GreyWiz]

Regarding your sand question. I personally had the stage and riser built and filled with Roxul Safe n Sound insulation. I had the studs spaced perfectly for the insullation and had two layers. I also used two layers of 3/4" plywood screwed and glued. I don't get any echo hammering it or when sound plays.


As for duct work.....built a room within a room as a previous poster stated you should do. I don't hear anything outside the room. I used double drywall with RISC clips, I surrounded the ductwork with 3/4" mdf and Roxul. I then insulated the ceiling below the mdf/ductwork with Roxul, with nothing touching to transmit vibration.