Building home theater (1 Viewer)

[Tim Rumple]

I am starting to build a new home theater in my great room. The room is about 18'wide x 22' long.I could use some tips on what would be the best way to get the best sound. My receiver is a Technics SADA10N and a Technics DVDA10 DVD player, a JVC HR4800 super vhs-vcr, my front speakers will be Paradigm monitor 3's, and a Paradigm center (haven't purchased either yet) and surrounds are a pair of JBL in wall speakers, and right now I have a JBL PSW1000 sub. Ok, the problem is this room is large and has tile flooring. The acoustics are not that good. I am planning on getting the new speakers soon and a new sub. The surround speakers are at the back of the room in the wall above a closet, so they are kind of far away. (I bought the house and they were already in there) So anyone have any suggestions or tips on how to keep the echoes down and make it sound good!???? I need the help, Thanks!!!
I am a new member here, so all the help I can get will be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks,
Tim Rumple

 

[Dan Hitchman]

Thanks for joining with us wild and crazy HT geeks!
As in building the room-- do you mean doing major cosmetic changes to the room, or just adding a couple of throw rugs on the tile floor and calling it a day?

Seriously, if you want to make this a much better sounding room for some stellar home theater-- I'd first take those tiles OUT and put in quality padding and carpeting (the color choice goes to one of my questions below). That'll sure help with brightness and a lot of the slap echo effects. But, that all depends on if you would want to modify the dimensions of the room at all.
Is this great room going to be exclusively home theater, or does it have to be multi-purpose? Is it in the basement? If not, what rooms does it join? Are any of the outside walls in this room? What room is above it?
How high is the ceiling? Are their archways, windows, etc.? Are the walls single layered dry wall? Any insulation in them?
There's a lot to this, so we need some specifics to help narrow things down. If the room is going to need a bit of adjustment for good acoustics, then I'd consider holding off on any future electronics purchases until that determination is made. You put high quality gear (or anything else) in a poor acoustic environment, and it will sound like crud and you've wasted your money.
Happy to help.
Dan
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Boycott JVC, 5C, HDCP, DFAST, and stop the MPAA!! Call Or Write The FCC And Your State and Federal Representatives To Protect Quality HDTV And Other HD Media, And Your Constitutional Rights!

 

[Brian Corr]

Great rooms usually don't make very good home theater's, due to the size, layout, design of the room, etc.
Because of the size of your room, make sure to get the best speakers you can and provide them with lots of good, clean power. I prefer the paradigm reference series to the regular line.
Also, add a large throw rug, curtains, couches, chairs, etc to the room to help with reducing the sound from bouncing off the hard surfaces.
The idea is to have lots of "soft" things in the room rather than hard, reflective surfaces.
A friend had to deal with the same types of problems, a great room with hard wood floors, cathedral ceilings, etc.
I finally convinced him to just build the media room he always wanted! Not the cheapest alternative, but it works!

 

[Tim Rumple]

This room is also my main room for the family. Taking up the tile is not an option, I'm not getting into all that. I just want a nice sounding system for my dvd's and audio listening. The room is very open and I do have a large area rug and leather furniture. Just looking for any other simple suggestions I might be able to do to help out the sound! I appreciate everyone's input thus far!!!!
Thanks Alot
Tim Rumple

 

[Dan Hitchman]

Tim:
If there are any windows: thick drapes with light black-out material backing. Close the drapes for movie and music listening (you can add motorized and X-10 controllable curtain rods at some point to automate this). The curtains' thickness will help with dampening some of the echoing and the black-out material will stop light from leaking into the room from the outside-- more theater-like and better for optimal TV viewing.
Thick, padded throw rugs EVERYWHERE you can. Any aversions to wall hangings? There are acoustic panels that can be hung on the walls of various thicknesses (depending on what part of the room they're placed) which have designs and other pictures on them so they don't look like an eye sore.
Put pillows on all the furniture. It's all about soaking up the sound reflections especially in room like this, which can be a nightmare for home theater/music.
Again, what's the ceiling height, door-less entries or archways? If so, you could put acoustical type drapes across them during movie time-- or frame them out and put in a door(s).
I'd also consider speakers that don't accentuate the high frequencies; a little mellower instead. They'd sound painfully crisp or less than non-fatiguing in a room like this. Find a dealer with a very good return policy.
Dan
P.S. Is there any other room in the house that could be used for a suitable home theater instead? Basement, den, study, etc.?
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Boycott JVC, 5C, HDCP, DFAST, and stop the MPAA!! Call Or Write The FCC And Your State and Federal Representatives To Protect Quality HDTV And Other HD Media, And Your Constitutional Rights!