Hello everyone (1 Viewer)

I joined because I'm planning on converting my guest bedroom into a small home theater, and I have alot of questions. So far, these are the things I know:

The display will be a large LCD because the room doesn't lend itself to projection.
The LCD will be wall mounted and will have dynamic LED ambient lighting behind it (Lightpack).
There will be LED indirect lighting installed above a crown molding to light the room.
This is the surround sound setup I'm thinking of using:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GSJROBA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3CXRBDDKKZ7DZ&coliid=IG8VILJVS6AN2&psc=1
This is the molding I'm planning on using...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0073OMF3G/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3CXRBDDKKZ7DZ&coliid=I18XI4XOGB8WPQ
This is the seating I'm planning on using...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GN96JFW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3CXRBDDKKZ7DZ&coliid=I31MRKZMD8TDAN&psc=1

Here's what I don't know:
What color to paint the wall behind the display (to maximize the dynamic LED lighting effect)
What color to paint the other three walls and the ceiling
What color/type of carpet to install

The nice-to-have features I would like are:
The indirect LED lighting in the crown molding to be addressable (controllable). Similar to the video below, except totally programmable:


A sky scene painted on the ceiling, and the LED indirect lighting to cycle (slowly, maybe every 5 or 10 minutes) through a day cycle of light from sunrise on the eastern corner of the room, to sunset in the western corner of the room.


Any pointers or advice are very welcome! Thanks in advance.

Welcome Jowah. I'm going to move this thread to the Beginner's questions forum because your post is more in line with that than an actual introduction. Will leave a link here in this original forum for you!

Hi Jowah,

I'm curious why you are getting a soundbar for a dedicated room? Normally people get these as a compromise for their shared living area. Since you are creating a dedicated space, why not get the best sound you can? Having a great sounding theater makes the experience much more enjoyable.

Stick around I'm sure somebody will have a few good tips on your paint and carpet questions...

Hi Babbling,

I decided to get the soundbar with the wireless sub and rear channels because wiring this room for surround would be difficult. It's almost at the furthest point away from my attic access, and the roof also pitches down to nothing on one side of the room. I mean... I could do it, I wired the room next to it for surround (my office) a long time ago. I guess I'm just being lazy . Now that I think about it... you are right, why skimp on quality. I'm going to change my plan to a wired 5.1 surround. Or maybe I should go 7.1?

Just in case you need a second opinion, or start to weaken - a soundbar for that beautiful room would be a horrible, horrible idea.

Hi Al,

Thanks for the input. I agree, the soundbar idea wasn't a good one. I'm already working out in my head where to mount the speakers, as they have to be under the molding that holds the LED lights.

Now we're talking.

The choice between 5.1 and 7.1 really comes down to budget. If you have the money to get 7.1 without sacrificing the quality of the speakers, then do it. If it means getting lower end speakers then stick with 5.1.

For the wiring you may be able to use some sort of channeling (Wiremold?) to run the wires along the wall. For mounting, the side surrounds should be just above head level when seated. The rears (if you go with 7.1) should be slightly higher (but not at the ceiling).

If you provide your budget for this project we can make a few suggestions. Keep in mind with speakers you will need to budget for a receiver as well.

Is it realistic to think I could get 7.1 for under 500/600 dollars?

This is a little above what you were expecting to pay for the soundbar. It's the Onkyo HT-S5700.

It would give you 7.1 It would get you started. And one of the nice things about the Onkyo systems is that they have a good rep for building dependable receivers and they are upgradeable if, in a few years, you get what we call "upgradeitis" and decide, say, you want to bring in some better speakers. A lot of other all-in-one sound systems have proprietary connections, etc.

I have heard these systems and they always surprise me how effective they are. My son has one in his apartment. it performs well at both high and low volumes.

Good luck with your project!
.

Thanks for the advice Mike. It looks like the link you sent is for a 5.1 system. I did find this one though...

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S9400THX-7-1-Channel-Network-Receiver/dp/B004VK0IOS/ref=sr_1_3?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1417801734&sr=1-3

Huh. the 5600 system was 7.1. Maybe you could find one of them somewhere...

I just added this one to my wish list...
Onkyo HT-S9400THX