[austinHodge]

Hello,


Much to my wife's chagrin, I am posting pictures of our "junk room" which will eventually be converted to a dedicated home theater. I am fairly new to this, but I've been lurking on the forums for a couple of months. Here are the pics of the room (don't laugh):

Here's a Sketchup image of the plan I'm currently thinking about:

Questions:


1. Is this setup ok for a 7.1 system, or is the back row too close to the back wall?


2. I'm planning on purchasing a Panasonic PT-AE4000 projector and 136" 2.35:1 Carada BW screen. Any feedback on these choices?


3. I'm thinking I'll go with a two-tier riser since the home theater is already dropped 12". That is of course if I go with two rows of seats. I'm really trying to decide if one row of 4 seats would be better, but I'm not sure if 14' is enough space for this. I would probably have to push the seats up against the left wall instead of centering them. I really think it's going to be pretty rare that I'll have more than 4 people using the theater any any time.


4. I'm considering purchasing 6 Berkline 13217's from Roman. I am trying to decide if adding Buttkickers is worth the expense. Any input here? Any feedback on the 13217's?


5. Any other comments?


Thanks!

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

Make the back riser 7 ft deep you will still have 12 ft+ viewing for the first row. You need at least 6 1/2 for the berks to recline.


You can add Aura Pro bass shakers instead of Berkline factory Butt Kickers it you want to save money. (partsexpress.com). Not as powerful but still create the effect.

 

[Mike_Stuewe]

have you considered closing off the nook on the top right of your drawing and storing your gear there?

 

[SierraMikeBravo]

One suggestion regarding 4 chairs in one row...don't try to stuff 10 lbs. into a 5lb. box.

Often in home theaters...less is more. I think your two row 3 chair layout is a good one. Good luck!

 

[Dr Lecterr]

IMO, the screen size may be a little too big for the front row.


Great choice on the screeen! Carada is A #1


Projector - I personally prefer the Epson brand, but I have heard some good things about the Panasonic too

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

Visit Tupalev's thread for reference on this projector and screen. Also screen size.

 

[jamis]

I probably wouldn't do the two tiered riser.


I'd make the back riser flush with the entry, have it be 7' deep as BIG suggests, and just put steps down on the sides. Put the front row on the floor. I actually regret not making my riser a few inches taller and in most cases, 12" should easily do the job.


I also second the idea of turning that nook into a space for your equipment (preferably making it flush with the rest of the walls).


lastly, given that you are looking at the AE4000, have you thought about going 2.35:1 instead of 16:9?

 

[adammb]

I like your plans and think you are on the right path. Don't let others sway you from your preference. You have plenty of distance from your front row to the screen. I am sitting my front row 11' from a 12' wide screen. It's a 2.35 screen though. You should look into this before hand to see if you would prefer it. If you are going to do mostly movies I would recommend 2.35 though.


2 rows of 3 would be great for your room.


I'm not sure how deep that alcove is but you may want to do something with it. It looks like it might be too shallow for the equipement but I can't really tell.


One thing to really consider right now in planning stages is sound isolation. I dont know where this room is compared to others but right now I am going through completely gutting my old theater and revamping it only because I could not listen to it comfortably with others sleeping in my house as it would wake them up. I'm not talking about reference levels. I could just hear the people talking but the bass was what would wake them.

 

[Stew4msu]



Quote:
Originally Posted by austinHodge /forum/post/18158403


Questions:


1. Is this setup ok for a 7.1 system, or is the back row too close to the back wall?


2. I'm planning on purchasing a Panasonic PT-AE4000 projector and 136" 2.35:1 Carada BW screen. Any feedback on these choices?


3. I'm thinking I'll go with a two-tier riser since the home theater is already dropped 12". That is of course if I go with two rows of seats. I'm really trying to decide if one row of 4 seats would be better, but I'm not sure if 14' is enough space for this. I would probably have to push the seats up against the left wall instead of centering them. I really think it's going to be pretty rare that I'll have more than 4 people using the theater any any time.


4. I'm considering purchasing 6 Berkline 13217's from Roman. I am trying to decide if adding Buttkickers is worth the expense. Any input here? Any feedback on the 13217's?


5. Any other comments?


Thanks!

1. Yes. The front row will be the prime seats anyway.

2. Good. Good (Carada).

3. I'd go with 1 riser.



Your room dimensions are very similar to mine (12.5' X 20'). I have 4 seats in the rear and 3 seats in the front row. I'm using Coaster seats and a set of 4 is almost exactly 12.5' wide. I also have a 6' deep riser, and it's never been an issue (but it might with Berklines). I have a 7.1 system and the rear row is just about right up against the back wall. The front seats sound a little better, but the rear is still very good. Since that seems to be your entrance at the back, you'll need some space and will need to go with a 3-3 configuration. You might need to put the far seats up against the side wall to give you a big enough aisle space, but you'll still be OK

I'm using a 126" diagonal 16:9 screen and it's great from the front row (which is about 13' from the screen). The equivalent on a scope screen would be about 161" (maintaining the same 62" height). The problem is that my room isn't that wide, so when I do finally go with a scope screen it'll probably be about 144" diagonal. Assuming your figure of 136" is diagonal, I think you'll be fine, but since you have the width, I might even go a bit bigger.

 

[austinHodge]

Thanks for all of the great comments! I'm going to change a few things based on your feedback. I'll post pics when I am done with this project.

 

[adammb]

No No No

. You post during the build.

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

At least post the revised plan.

 

[austinHodge]

Here are some things I'm planning on changing:


1. Switching to a single riser that is flush with the entrance.


2. The riser will be 7' deep, 1' tall and will have a step down to the floor.


3. I'm going to go with butt kickers on the front row only since those seats will probably be used 90% of the time.


4. I think I'm going to stick with the Carada BW 136" diagonal 2.35:1 screen. It sounds like others have had luck with this setup. I really hope it's bright enough with the help of the BW screen and dark room.


5. I am planning on putting my gear in the niche on the right side. It is 2' deep, so I was planning on purchasing a StudioTech U-60 rack and just sitting it in the niche. I think it would certainly look cleaner if I walled it off as suggested, but I also need a place to put a beverage center and popcorn machine. My big concern is that this area is going to seem cluttered. Do you guys have any advice here?


6. I'm going to switch to the Berkline 12000's. I got a chance to try out some Berklines at a local furniture store and found that I prefer seats with more head support. I'm nervous because I haven't had a chance to sit in a 12000, but it has received good reviews here.


Here's the updated sketchup:

Thanks again for all of the help!

 

[austinHodge]

I have another quick question. My builder pre-wired this room for 7.1 surround. The front and center speaker wires are exposed via face plates, however the 4 surround speaker wires are not. This makes sense to me since the builder didn't really know where the surround speakers would be placed or if the setup would be 5.1 or 7.1. My question is, once I choose the position for the surrounds, what are the chances that the builder ran speaker wire to that location? Should I just poke a hole in the wall and hope a wire is there? It seems like I'm going to go on a fishing expedition.

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

use something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00023RYRC/...SIN=B00023RYRC