Dana's $20,000 Home Theater Build -- From the Ground, Up (3 Viewers)

[JohnRice]

LOL! I read your post and was like, is "roun tuit" Latin or something? Kristian has been amazing with the speed (and quality) of this build. I'm a little amazed, too.

I just might go with Dune as the second movie, today. I have it on 4K UHD BluRay. Thanks for the prompt.

DO IT!

I really do think it's the best "blow me away" movie in quite some time. An absolutely perfect choice to show off a new theater.

I'm referring to the new one, of course.

 

[JohnRice]

To clarify something the other John said. This isn't an AT (acoustically transparent) screen is it? The speakers aren't actually behind the screen, right?

 

[smithbrad]

As for the glass on the projector, it's to keep dust out, completely get rid of the fan sound, and also it will just look more polished, more of a fine finish.

I was curious if there was any sound leakage from the projector. We will be moving in two years, and I'm planning to also have a room behind the back wall to hold the equipment. My hope is that the room separation would be enough to contain the projector fan noise. Sounds like you can still hear it at times. Are you running the projector in economy mode? Economy mode lowers the sound of the fan and should still be bright enough for a light controlled room.

 

[DanaRuns]

I was curious if there was any sound leakage from the projector. We will be moving in two years, and I'm planning to also have a room behind the back wall to hold the equipment. My hope is that the room separation would be enough to contain the projector fan noise. Sounds like you can still hear it at times. Are you running the projector in economy mode? Economy mode lowers the sound of the fan and should still be bright enough for a light controlled room.

I can hear the fan a little bit only when nothing is playing. It's not completely silent, but probably no one else would notice it. I'm not running it economy mode, so maybe that would be better.

 

[DanaRuns]

To clarify something the other John said. This isn't an AT (acoustically transparent) screen is it? The speakers aren't actually behind the screen, right?

Yeah, I noticed but didn't think it was worth nitpicking. No, it's not an AT screen, and the speakers are not behind it. They are below and to the sides.

 

[Nelson Au]

Congratulations Dana on your successful inaugural HT viewing! That’s really great!
Now I’m really curious what kind of sound I could achieve by updating a few components after reading about your results.

i have the smaller center B&W speaker that is of the same generation as yours. Sounds good I think. And my left/rights are B&W 804 Diamonds. I’d been eying the 803 or 802. And then adding another pair of speakers to go from 5.1 to 7.1.

In your photos, I can see your front set-up of speakers and from one photos, it looks like the rear surrounds are on stands to the left and right of the seating.

I’ll be watching this thread to see the completion of construction and the fine tuning! Happy Christmas!

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I just might go with Dune as the second movie, today. I have it on 4K UHD BluRay. Thanks for the prompt.

I might've suggested the new Dune as well, but thought maybe something that could more fully use the 16x9 screen would be preferable... at least for a 1st/inaugural choice.

It's too bad they decided not to offer variable AR for a 4K release to come closer to the IMAX experience. Of course, no HT can possibly match the full IMAX experience on a giant 1.43:1 AR screen like the one in Manhattan's Lincoln Square AMC...

Anyway, looking/sounding awesome indeed, and amazing you guys got this just about all done so quickly... just in time for Christmas. Congrats!

_Man_

 

[John Dirk]

Of course, I like La-Z-Boy recliners, so there's no accounting for taste, I guess. right @John Dirk ?

 

[John Dirk]

Yeah, I noticed but didn't think it was worth nitpicking. No, it's not an AT screen, and the speakers are not behind it. They are below and to the sides.

Yea, I guess I just had AT on the brain. Either way, the speakers are not noticeably visible when viewing a film, which I think brings an entirely new level of realism to the experience.

 

[DanaRuns]

Getting there, slowly but surely.

 

[John Dirk]

Does Kristian travel? "I want one."

 

[DanaRuns]

Does Kristian travel? "I want one."

He does, actually. I flew him up here to build my theater, and he goes all over to do AV work. His resume is pretty impressive. And he's fast. He has done my entire HT by himself, just one guy. I think you're kidding about "wanting one," but in case someone is interested, he's great, he's reasonable, he travels, he's fast, and his work is excellent. He's also a great guy. I recommend him for anyone who wants a quality HT build, and he's fast and reasonable.

Today he's building bass traps, surround enclosures, and electric curtains. In one day. He thinks it all out before he starts, and he's very efficient once he begins work. I can't tell you how impressed I am with his work. And I'm glad he's my friend. (He's my friend, but I am paying him. I'm not a monster...)

 

[John Dirk]

I think you're kidding about "wanting one," but in case someone is interested, he's great, he's reasonable, he travels, he's fast, and his work is excellent. He's also a great guy. I recommend him for anyone who wants a quality HT build, and he's fast and reasonable.

Not entirely. I did originally plan to build something similar but needed my equipment to be in the same room and have full access to it. The only solution I found was adding hydraulic pistons to the screen. I'm a DIY guy to my heart but construction and woodworking are just not my thing, so I abandoned that idea in favor of something I felt more comfortable with. If I were closer and had I known of him at the time I'd absolutely have contacted Kristian for a quote.

We have a "classifieds" section here. It's mostly used to advertise goods but I don't see why it couldn't be used for services as well. It might not be a bad idea for Kristian to join HTF.

And I'm glad he's my friend. (He's my friend, but I am paying him. I'm not a monster...)

I'm filled with jealousy and envy so maybe I'm the monster.

 

[Dave H]

How are you enjoying the Black Panther couch? My girlfriend bought what looks like the same one couple of years ago and I recently got it for my theater room.

 

[DanaRuns]

How are you enjoying the Black Panther couch? My girlfriend bought what looks like the same one couple of years ago and I recently got it for my theater room.

Black Panther? LOL! That's funny, because just 8 hours ago I watched Black Panther while sitting on it. Is there such thing as a Black Panther couch? This is Valencia theater seating.

I can't recall what the model is. But it's big and wonderfully comfortable. I like it. I was going to go for the traditional theater seat configuration, but my spouse likes to lie on the couch sometimes, so I went with this one. So far, it's perfect, and if there are two of us on it, we fold down the console in the center, which acts as another tray table and has reading lights, cup holders, electrical outlets, and chargers for phone or computer. I like it.

 

[DanaRuns]

Work continued yesterday. Bass traps, surround enclosures, electrical being put in, etc. Getting closer!

Here's a structure that functions as both a bass trap and a surround enclosure. Also, dangling from the top is a controller for theater curtains that will be put to use. We'll be building an arch from that point to the front of the room. The arch will hide theater curtains (which will affect both look and sound) and ambient LED lighting, and that white thing is the motor that will move the curtains via remote control.

 

[Robert Harris]

Dana - Very nicely done.

One point re your original comments of compromise.

Having used both Anthem as well as Marantz, your Marantz should not be considered a compromise. They make great gear.

 

[DanaRuns]

Dana - Very nicely done.

One point re your original comments of compromise.

Having used both Anthem as well as Marantz, your Marantz should not be considered a compromise. They make great gear.

The Marantz has wonderful qualities. Separation and imaging are superb. There is a big and deep sound stage. It handles complex sound elegantly. But compared to Anthem, it's not as forward but has more of a veiled presence, and the midrange is audibly colored. I'm not unhappy with the Marantz. I'm actually quite impressed with it. But I definitely preferred the Anthem, just couldn't afford it and stay within my budget.

Even with the compromises (or, rather, lower cost choices), I'm so thrilled with how this system performs I can't even tell you. It blows me away at reference levels, and even in a small room it sounds big and airy, and as good as any theater I've ever been to.

I'm just really fussy about sound, as a person who for 20 years was a professional commercial musician, and who recorded the soundtrack for many of the movies that are in my library. Maybe I'm a little too picky, even. Last night when Kristian (friend who is doing my HT build) was proudly exclaiming how good it sounds, I kind of burst his bubble by pointing out that I still hear a tiny bit of resonance at 200-300 Hz from left and right fronts, and how the highs get a bit brittle when peaks exceed 100 dB. I think I hurt his feelings.

But yeah, overall I'm super happy with the Marantz AV7706 (one compromise) paired with the Emotiva XPA11 Gen 3 (another compromise). They both outperform my expectations. I'm just a bit of a perfectionist with regard to sound.

 

[Dave H]

Black Panther? LOL! That's funny, because just 8 hours ago I watched Black Panther while sitting on it. Is there such thing as a Black Panther couch? This is Valencia theater seating.

View attachment 168680

I can't recall what the model is. But it's big and wonderfully comfortable. I like it. I was going to go for the traditional theater seat configuration, but my spouse likes to lie on the couch sometimes, so I went with this one. So far, it's perfect, and if there are two of us on it, we fold down the console in the center, which acts as another tray table and has reading lights, cup holders, electrical outlets, and chargers for phone or computer. I like it.

Ha. Sorry, it looks like we actually have something a little different. Mine is called "Panther" which comes in black or red, hence "Black Panther".

 

[John Dirk]

Ha. Sorry, it looks like we actually have something a little different. Mine is called "Panther" which comes in black or red, hence "Black Panther".


View attachment 168724

Yea I'm not aware of a couch but these definitely exist. I only have the mug which, while cool looking, is lousy for coffee so I just use it for pen storage on my desk.