Advice needed on curtains for HT (1 Viewer)

[Steve U]

Great new forum: wanted to get some feedback on an old topic I had posted elsewhere. Sheet rock is up (click the logo below for pics) and I'm getting close to the curtain decision.
>Hiya folks. I was hoping someone could help me with this. Halfway through construction of a 14' x 12' dedicated home theater, and I'm looking to run a curtain across the back wall. Back wall is 7+' long, which leaves about 4+' open to a 9' x 4.5' "lobby", which leads to the door out.
I want to run the curtain across the entire back wall to deaden sound reflection, and keep it going across the entrance to separate the lobby. What material should I use? Should I head to KMart and buy a bunch of matching curtains and string them up next to each other, or bulk fabric (what type?) to cover the distance? My wife suggested using a comforter, but I think the stitching patterns would look ridiculous. Need a solid color.
Anyone do this in their setup? Suggestions please...I'm getting close to decision time...
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We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams...
- W. Wonka

 

[Brian Corr]

For premade stuff, check jcpenny. I got my curtains there and they have one of the largest selections of premade stuff.
Another alternative is go to a fabric store and find a fabric you like. Ask one of the little old ladies there if they can refer you to someone who would sew them up into drapes for you. good luck.

 

[Ron-P]

Should I head to KMart and buy a bunch of matching curtains and string them up next to each other

Steve,
I went to my local Target (same as K-Mart) and purchased 3 pairs of black curtains. Each curtain measured 36"x84". I bought a 1" diameter wood dowel and ran it from one end of the room to the other about 3" off the back wall with a support in the middle. I then hung the curtains across the entire wall, all-n-all the cost was somewhere in the $65.00 range. Looks great, but even better it did wonders for reflection and absorbtion. With just a bare wall and a window, the mains were overpowering the surrounds and I had to crank the surrounds to about +8, now I have them set at -2 (calibrated with Avia). The difference was nothing short of amazing with the curtains up. Also, I placed acoustical sound panels up on the side walls, which also helped.
Check out my Green Room for pics.
Peace Out~

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The Green Room

 

[Deane Johnson]

Steve:
If you find the curtains don't give you enough sound reflection control, and they may not, you could put some foam on the wall behind them. 2" foam absorbs a lot of sound.
Deane

 

[andyg]

I purchased upholstery fabric in black with a flower pattern of black(No flames please). I then had my mother gather the curtain to make rolling pleats to give a ridge and valley effect. Basically each valley was 1" deep and about 3/4" in width. Although this more than doubles the material need, it does create an uneven surface when sound hits the fabric. I also glued 5/8" acoustical ceiling tiles(unpainted) to the drywall behind where I was going to place the curtains. I ran a furring strip around the top of the room where I needed to attach the curtains. I only used this in the front 1/3 of the room. I left the back of the room untreated to see how the surrounds were going to work since I am using direct radiators in the rear and di-poles on the side walls. After adding all the furniture in the room, I find the rear sofa is enough to break up the reflections between the two walls.
---Andy Garabedian

 

[David_KW]

Steve,
I'm struggling with a similar problem in my dedicated HT which is slowly coming together. My issue is slightly different in that I have 13 feet of sliding mirrored doors at the back of my room that I need to cover.
A couple of options I'm considering... A company (I think called umbro?) has some cool curtain hanging hardware that basically are brushed aluminum ends and center support and a wire strung between them. Looks neat and allows you to put as many segments in as you need.
I'm still stinging from having just spent about $500 to cover 4 simple windows with suede / velvet window treatments, hardware, etc.; I want to minimze what's hanging on the back of the room. I haven't looked for these yet, but I plan to go out and evaluate some of the higher-end cloth shower curtains. They feel just like fabric and they're BIG and cheap. I'm not sold on this approach yet - I'll only use it if I can find hardware and curtains that don't make me feel like I need to pull out the loofa.
Best of luck,
David

 

[RAF]

If you can stand the sticker shock, velvet (or velvet-like materials) make an excellent choice. I used this material at the front of my HT. My original intent was to completely block the light coming from three windows on the front wall (required by building code in the room I had built) and to provide a movie theater atmosphere at the same time. (While the curtains are operational I don't use them to cover the screen but to provide the front wall treatment.
It looks great and comes with a benefit I hadn't thought of originally. The absorption of sound by these heavy curtains eliminates any reflections from the front sound stage. In fact, my HT passes the infamous Mike Knapp Clap Test whereby you clap your hands in a room and don't hear any echo. Mike did this over and over again as we toured sound rooms in Hollywood on one of the HTF meets and kept smiling when the room came up "dead." I now know what he was talking about firsthand.
If you check my HT web site you will see what I did in this area. If you do it yourself you can save quite a bit of money. My curtains cost me ~$2800 (with blackout lining) and the guy who did it is a personal friend so I was at the low end of what velvet can cost you. If you use other materials you don't have to go for as much money, but I don't know what the sonic trade-offs are.
I got the look I wanted and ended up with the sound I wanted as a bonus.
Hope some of this helps.
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RAF
[Demented Video Dude since 1997]
[Computer Maven since 1956]
["PITA" since 1942]
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[Brett Robert]

Look at these guys. I have heard that they are cheap. I haven't got this far yet so I can't speak from personal exp.
gastage
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~~~~~~~Brett~~~~~~~~~
Champagne tastes with a beer budget
My HT

 

[James Mudler]

2ND velvet. I used for the front curtains and to cover two sky lights. Nice and thick, with some adsorption
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Luke, I'm your father

 

[Roger Bijou]

Just in case anyone is in the area....there's a Jo-Ann's fabric store in Carmel, IN that is going out of business. Their best velvet (Fidelio) is regularly $24.99 a yard and is on sale for $14.99. I bought 15 yards of black last night. They had some green, blue, red, and purple. It is 48" wide.

 

[Chad Isaacs]

currently i have curitans in the front of the room(click on the green house to see a washed out pic of them).i put them there for a few reasons.
1.that wall has 3 centered(on the wall,not the room) permamount mirrors.then in the center of the peaked celing there is a beam.well the beam does not match up with the center of the center mirror so with my a/v stuff centered with the room it looked really off balance.
2.the mirrors made the room sorta loud and harsh,even though the curitans are pretty thin,it helped alot.soon i plan on hanging them in the back of the room also as i am planning for a rptv and there are 2 windows in the kitchen with is open into the living room.dont want any added light,then i can just open them when the system is not in use.
3.i got tired of looking at my speakers and sub etc. during a movie.now all i see is the screen,esp when it is dark.i might even get brave and try some mattes.
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#3 rest in peace Dale #3