Newbie Needs Help Please (1 Viewer)

[robstapp1985]

ello All!

Well we are closing on our house at the end of June and for the first time ever we have a dedicated theater room. We have had Magnolia come out and they were way to expensive $25K. Unfortunately I don’t know any of my friends who have theater rooms so I cant pick there brains or go over and see what they have.

We have 4 kids, ages 2-13 so we went with a HUGE sectional (104" x 152") as we felt like it would accommodate more kiddos rather than the “true movie recliners”. We also weren’t staging so having 2 rows was off the table.

The room is already prewired for a ceiling mounted projector as well as flex tubes ran from the ceiling to where the receiver and such will go and that is the box in the bottom right corner. The projector is mounted 16 feet away from the wall and on my diagram marked with a X in a circle.

From my research it seems that a 120” screen will be perfect and the sectional will need to be placed between 12 and 16 ft for viewing. We are floating the idea of having a small bar area behind the sectional with some bar stools. If I were to put a bar behind the sectional, how much room would I need to leave between the barstool and wall?

I would say we will use this room for Movies 60% and TV 30% and Gaming 10%.

So here is where I need help. Projector. Screen Choice – Motorized or Fixed? Sound System: 5.1 or 5.2? I think 7.1/2 might be much. We dont want to do in wall speakers but are open to ceiling speakers if the consensus says its a must have!

Room Dimensions – 19’10” by 15”4 and I have attached a picture of the room with the sectional to scale.

Thanks in advance

 

[JohnRice]

We dont want to do in wall speakers but are open to ceiling speakers if the consensus says its a must have!

Would you clarify that? In-ceiling speakers are the least desirable (aka: "BAD") for regular surround (but most desirable for Atmos speakers) and the most desirable would be on-wall, or basically bookshelf speakers on small shelves. In-wall would be the middle compromise. A 7.1 system would definitely not be overkill. BTW, give Magnolia their walking papers. Depending on how outrageous you want to go with the projector, you don't need to spend $25K.

 

[robstapp1985]

Would you clarify that? In-ceiling speakers are the least desirable (aka: "BAD") for regular surround (but most desirable for Atmos speakers) and the most desirable would be on-wall, or basically bookshelf speakers on small shelves. In-wall would be the middle compromise. A 7.1 system would definitely not be overkill. BTW, give Magnolia their walking papers. Depending on how outrageous you want to go with the projector, you don't need to spend $25K.

Sure. So my wife saw a setup where the bookshelf speak was like in the wall where it was recessed into the wall and covered with an acoustic picture.

I am hearing alot of great things about ATMOS for the ceiling. What is so special about them?

 

[JohnRice]

You can do that, or you can use in-wall speakers, if you don't want speakers on the wall, on a shelf. If you recess speakers in a cubby in the wall, just make certain they don't have ports on the back of their cabinet or you'll mess up their sound.

Atmos and DTS:X are an extension of the kind of surround sound that's been around for years. Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks still aren't widespread, but the receiver/preamp can synthesize channels. It's not the same as them actually being mastered in, but it's something. Where surround sound has always been sound that's horizontally around you, this adds sound above you, over your head. So to do it correctly, you need speakers in the ceiling, out into the room. A lot of people are going cheap and easy by just adding height speakers on the front and back or side walls, but that won't produce what it's intended to do. They have to be over your head, about 35-45 degrees forward and back from the main viewing position.

If you're building from scratch and have an open room, you might as well have the room wired for Atmos.

I'm still only minimally set up for Atmos, with one pair of up-firing speakers, which just doesn't work very well. I'll be putting in 4 in-ceiling speakers once I get motivated enough. I already have all the electronics, so it's just a matter of the speakers.