Newbie needs help

Hi all. I am completely new to HT and this forum. I have lived in China for the past 16 years and don't go to the cinema here mainly casue I like to dsee movies ..not read them I do really miss the movie experience though and when the chance came via the purchase of my new home here I decided to retain one room for a home theatre.

The home decoration is finished now other than one room (HT) and I have begun researching the basics. With the wealth of information available on the web I am becoming overwhelmed and slightly afraid that I am going to miss something or make a mistake. The technology, terminoligy Wow I didn't realise it was all so complicated.

I am not in a hurry and have begun planning but I want to do it right - the first time. So I need input. My first hurdle is with accoustics and room dimensions. I cam across a spreadsheet on the web where you input your room dimensions and seat locations and it automatically calculates the accoustics. Everything else in the spreasdsheet is way over my head.

I cannot seem to input dimesions and seating positions to eliminate peaks and nulls. Am I being overly cautious here? It is only a small (16' X 11'X 9' high) room and I do not want to decrease the size too much for fear of losing space. All surfaces are currently concrete (everything in China is concrete) and I am planning a floating floor with insulated drywalls about 1" cavity to concrete on 4 sides and dry wall ceiling. Stage and floor to ceiling built in cabinet on front wall to house 50" flatscreen is also planned.

Am I heading in the right direction and how much should I reduce the size of the room for optimal accoustics?

Re: Newbie needs help

Thanks Glenn,

I checked out the Onkya on the web and can only find great reviews and comments so I gues that is a good starting point. Also I have always been a great fan of Bose so I'll probably go with the Acoustimass 16 Series 2.

I guess with the Onkya I simply build the room as large as possible. I a planning a floating floor which will end about 1/2'' form all walls. On top of this floor I plan to build the drywalls 3" frame 1/2" sheet both sides and glass fibre insulation between. Because the walls will line up with the edges of the floor they will also be away from the existing walls as will the ceiling. This was I am hopeing to create the room within the room concept.

My next dilema would be whether or not to proceed with the 52" flat screen TV or go with a larger screen and rear projector. Is the room large enough to warrant this or do you think it is too small?

Appreciate any and all advice.