thxcertified's home theater (1 Viewer)

[thxcertified]

want to get a dedicated home theater for my basement finished fast.. I want to get started within the next week or two!!
(yes very short notice I know.. sorry about this)

I already know how I want it setup as I have found contractors for the labor for the carpentry, drywall, electrical, carpeting, etc and know more or less the "look" I want...

But need some final advice and tips from the experts and hobbyists in this forum.

I have also purchased the Projector, HTPC, and most of the Sound Equipment except for the actual screen itself and some Misc. Items.

My equipment list that I have bought already is as follows:

SPEAKERS:
2x Infinity BETA 40s (Floorstanding)
1x Infinity BETA C360 (Center Channel)
4x Infinity BETA ES250 (Surrounds)
1x SVS PB12–Plus/2 (set to 16Hz extension mode)

RECEIVER:
Harman Kardon AVS 7300 110watts x 7.1 receiver

PROJECTOR:
Mitsubishi HC5000BL

HTPC (Custom Built)
HARDWARE:
1x ANTEC P182 Mid-Tower Quiet Case
1x ANTEC TruePower Quattro 850 Watt Power Supply
1x Intel QuadCore 2.4GHz
1x EVGA (Nvidia) 680i SLI MotherBoard
1x COOLIT Liquid Cooling System
2x GB DDR2 RAM (4 GB later)
1x Nvidia 8800 ULTRA 768MB
1x Auzentech PRELUDE 7.1 (X-Fi)
2x Raptor 150 GB (RAID 0)
1x Hitachi TeraByte HD
1x MAD DOG External DVDRW+-
1x Logitech diNovo Edge™ (bluetooth) Wireless Keyboard
1x Logitech MX™ Revolution Mouse
1x Logitech Harmony 1000 All-in-One Touchscreen Remote
1x Logitech G25 Racing Wheel System
2x Alienware RUMBLE (wired) Gamepads

SOFTWARE:
Windows XP (no desire for VISTA yet)
Media Player Classic
FFDSHOW
WinDVD
TheaterTek DVD Player
Winamp
iTunes
AVG antivirus
Various Games


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THINGS YET TO BUY:
2x Infinity BETA ES250 (Surrounds) [ this will get me 2 pairs of side surrounds]
3x BIC Acoustech Cinema Series H100 Powered Subs (to complement the main fronts)
1x A/B Speaker Selector with OHM Protection (for the wiring the 2 pair side surrounds safely)
1x Rack for AV Gear
2x X-Arcade Solo game controllers
Light Dimming system for ceiling lights (must be compatible with Logitech Harmony 1000)
Rope Lights (for floor corners and stairs to basement)
Movie Posters and Poster Frames
?- Fabric for Walls
?- Scoun Lights for Walls
?- 4x Buttkickers.. (one pair for couch and one pair for love seat)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are pictures of my unfinished room (apologies ahead of time for the poor quality pics of basement, I only have cell phone cam):


Front:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/b/b3/htf_imgcache_21946.jpeg] [/url]
[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/8/85/htf_imgcache_21947.jpeg] [/url]


Back:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/8/84/htf_imgcache_21948.jpeg] [/url]
[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/a/a0/htf_imgcache_21949.jpeg] [/url]



Ceiling:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/f/fa/htf_imgcache_21950.jpeg] [/url]
[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/d/d5/htf_imgcache_21951.jpeg] [/url]
[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/e/ea/htf_imgcache_21952.jpeg] [/url]
[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/9/9b/htf_imgcache_21953.jpeg] [/url]

FRONT Stage Speakers:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/a/a0/htf_imgcache_21954.jpeg] [/url]


Fuse Box:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/8/82/htf_imgcache_21955.jpeg] [/url]


-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now.. here are 3D renderings of how i want it to look.. (DRAFT renderings... Raytraced renderings were taking too long)

Front:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/2/2c/htf_imgcache_21956.jpeg] [/url]


Back:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/c/cc/htf_imgcache_21957.jpeg] [/url]


Without Screen:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/2/23/htf_imgcache_21958.jpeg] [/url]


Without Screen corners:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/7/77/htf_imgcache_21959.jpeg] [/url]
[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/f/f8/htf_imgcache_21960.jpeg] [/url]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And.. Here is a rough Schematic of the room:

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/b/b1/htf_imgcache_21961.jpeg] [/url]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK...So now you know the basics....
I'd like ANY and ALL suggestion someone wants to give.....

The following are some things that I definently want in my dedicated HT:

1. 120" - 130" SeymourAV - AT Screen (..I know,.. probably too big for my room size but GREAT for Gaming Immersion!! )

2. Light dimmer controlled by Logitech Harmony 1000 (BASIC light dimming setup using IR remote)

3. Good Sound Blocking to contain sound IN room.

4. 3 pair surrounds (2x pair side walls 1x pair rear wall)

5. 3x Dedicated 12" Subs for the 3 Front channels (NOT including the ".1" LFE SVS Sub)

6. 3x Dedicated (8"-10") Subs for side and rear surrounds



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTIONS I HAVE:

1. I think 120"-130" looks fantastic for 1080p gaming and 1080p Movies.. still.... is it to big for my room dimensions?

2. Where is the ideal place for my SVS Sub..? I have it smack center in the front (and like the sound). Should I do corner placement..?

3. I am going to have 2 pair of side surrounds.. and am wiring it via A/B speaker selector w/OHM protection.. this should keep it stable to 8 OHMs for my receiver right..?

4. How high should I build the riser for the back seat..?

5. Should the SVS Sub be put in the Speaker "hole/ false wall" in the wall or be placed in FRONT of it..?

6. I want to getting 3x BIC Acoustech Cinema Series H100 Powered Subs for the fronts and some generic 8"-10" Subs for the rears to crossover at about 40-60Hz. I am doing this because:

A. I read somewhere that REAL movie theaters not only have discreet amps per channel, BUT ALSO discreet amps per Bass, Mids, and Highs per channel... Is this true..?

B. Most people crossover ALL speakers (even full range) at about 60-80Hz .. but I notice a difference between doing this and having all LARGE settings and letting the SVS Sub handle ONLY the .1 LFE channel. The Bass seems more "dynamic" and not as "muddled" this way. Example = In Jurrasic Park 1, when the T-Rex walks around, ONLY the footsteps kick in the .1 LFE Channel and seems more distinct vs when I have ALL speakers crossed over at 60-80Hz, which just just carries ALL bass including closing car doors, deep voices, etc., to SVS Sub giving it a "generic" rumble. The dynamics of various bass disappear..

And so.. Based on these 2 factors..I want a dedicated sub per channel in addition to discreet .1 going to the SVS Sub.
Thought and opinions on this please..?

7. I am thinking of designing a custom masking system for my screen. (YES.. I have used the search feature of the forum and have seen various artilces on this but not enough to form any conclusion.. aside from spending $10K-20K on a pro system.).. help on this please..?

8. I am buying fabric from seymourAV and building my OWN screen and frame.. any opinions on their sheerweave fabric..? SMX doen't offer their material for DIY screens, right..?

9. Although Ideal construction for sound blocking is:

ROOM-within-a-ROOM as in:
a. Double Studs
b. Double Drywall (both sides w/GREENGLUE)
c. Triple Drywall Ceiling
d. Separate Ceiling Joist
e. Soundproof Doors (too expensive)


I only want to do maybe:
a. 5/8" Double drywall + GREENGLUE (inside room only)
b. 5/8" Double ceiling + GREENGLUE (inside room only)
c. Mount directly on existing ceiling joist (possible use of Spring ceiling hangers, Modern sound clips like ISOMAX or RSIC, or Metal Hat Channels)
d. Metal doors with w/ sound suppression door kits or solid core wood doors with door sound supression kits.

Continued...

Since this is in the basement... I only care about the sound leaking UP to the living room. I don't care if sound resonates through the other "rooms" in the basement itself.

The Reason I don't want to do the "room-in-room" = triple drywall ceiling and double studs is not because of money but rather that the room is only about 23'x12' and 7' ceiling. and 3' feet of the front will ALREADY be a false wall for speakers behind AT screen, thus using 5/8 inch double drywall with false wall in front, I am only getting finished dimensions of most likely.. 11'x20' and 6'6" ceiling. Pretty cramped. Any other solutions to have good sound blocking but keep more "room real estate"..?

10. I was thinking of using fabric for wall and ceiling using my color scheme of burgendy walls and black ceiling. Anyone do this..? Should the fabric have a fire rating to be on the ceiling, close to the ceiling lights..?

11. Is triple drywalling the ceiling really that much better for sound (I am concerned about the weight of triple 5/8 ceiling falling on me due to BASS SPLs) as opposed to just just double layers of 5/8" drywall ceiling? I mean is it THAT much of a difference in sound blocking going fgrom double 5/8" to tripple 5/8"..?

12. Two part crossover question:
A. For the SVS sub.. what should I crossover at for "optimum" performance for my situation..( THX says 80Hz but Dolby I think states all the way up to 120Hz!)..?
B. Should I set the SVS Subs crossover to OFF and control sub crossover via the HK receiver?

13. How does one adjust the level of a sub in addition to the sub-level in the receiver..?

14. How does one mess with the Room EQ setting in the SVS Subs to get "optimum" settings..?

15. Notice the fusebox is BEHIND the screen in the front speaker "hole/closet"? Is this a hazard..? I want my screen detachable from the wall so as to have access to the fusebox, so will that be a problem..? am I breaking code..?

WHEW!!!... Let me catch my breath..!!! ...lol... ; )

Okay I can't think of any thing more to ask.

Once again.. I need advice fast.. and also ANY help or advice is appreciated.

Thank you ahead of time.

-THXCertifed

 

[Robert_J]

You might want to slow down on what you need to buy until you actually get the theater built. I see no reason to use the BIC subs. The SVS should work great. If not, buy a 2nd for more output. Trying to integrate 4 subs that are not the same will be very difficult. Same for the 2nd set of side surrounds. One set may be enough. If you do want more, you can wire them so the final impedance is no less than 4 ohms. Most receivers can handle that without issue. If not, wire them in series. You will just have to bump up the levels by 3db to compensate for the extra resistance. Buttkickers? Have you used them? I don't like the feel of them or the Aura shakers. I'd rather have enough sub output for a tactile sensation.

-Robert

 

[thxcertified]

Robert.. I already bought the Infinitys + SVS Sub, and I will buy the second pair of infinity surrounds and hook it up to a speaker selector with OHM protection so as not to stress the receiver.

Also the multiple subs are to lower the bass extentions of the mains down to about 24hz on all 7 channels. I am making make-shift full range speakers for all channels.

This is NOT for bass direction... as most bass is nondirectional below 80hz. It is for regular deep bass in EACH channel and then a DEDICATED sub for +10db LFE ONLY effects. Again.. When I have all speakers crossed-over at 80hz to the subs+LFE,..... The LFE effects are not "distinct" and blend with the main bass. When I hooked all speakers to LARGE setting and did ONLY LFE for SVS sub.. the bass seemed more dynamic.. as in: Some sound effects used LFE and some did not. This was something that I could always tell in theaters but could never achieve at home. That extra OOHMPH in only certain sound effeccts vs others that did not use LFE.

actually.. I started a separate thread just on this matter here:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...ulti-subs.html

anyway... all suggestions, advice, ridiculing welcome!