The room is coming together. need advice (1 Viewer)

[joeyfine]

[*] Hello I need some more advice!



I recently just purchased my audio equipment which is



Denon AVR1610 home theater receiver

Energy Take 5.0 5-speaker

Energy ESWV10 10" 300W Powered Subwoofer



Included is a picture of what my basement will look like. I am waiting on my homebuyer tax check and then we will be starting. I need some help with a few things.



The orange boxes are Electric outlets, black outlined squares are speakers. The orange boxes in the middle of the room are where the pillars supporting the beam is located.

1. When putting the frames up should I run the speaker wire with the other electric wires?
2. What type of speaker wire do I need to get?
3. My ceiling will be a drop ceiling bringing the height to 7 feet downstairs. Where should I mount my speakers? Off the floor is ideal so no one hits them.
4. the couches you see will be tiered. The couch in the back will be a foot higher then the couch up front.
5. What type of TV should I be looking to get.
6. Is there any sound proofing I should put into the wall?

Any help would be great.

 

[Gary Thomas]

1. I would not recommend running the speaker wire with the electrical wire - if possible, have the speaker wire cross the electrical wire at a 90° angle.
2. I've used Carol Speaker Wire - 12gauge in-wall rated from Parts-express.com You can get 100ft for $40.
3. Tough placement for your surrounds...have you considered using in-ceiling speakers for the 2 surrounds?
5. Not sure how much light is in the room...but if you can control it I'd recommend a projector. You can get an entry level 720p for about $600 and entry level 1080's for around $1100. Add a screen for a few hundred & you're on your way.
6. It's very difficult to sound proof a room...you certainly want some sound treatment. The best tip I received for my basement was to install exterior/insulated doors for all inside doors. The exterior doors do a great job of preventing sound from leaving the room. You'll still "feel" the bass throughout the house.

Good luck!

 

[joeyfine]

Originally Posted by Gary Thomas

1. I would not recommend running the speaker wire with the electrical wire - if possible, have the speaker wire cross the electrical wire at a 90° angle.
If i were to run the eletric wire about a foot off the ground and the speaker wire at 6 feet off the ground would that be safe.

2. I've used Carol Speaker Wire - 12gauge in-wall rated from Parts-express.com You can get 100ft for $40.

3. Tough placement for your surrounds...have you considered using in-ceiling speakers for the 2 surrounds?

I have not. I assume i would angle the speakers a foot from the ceiling. so all speakers would be about 6 feet high. Is that not good enough or should i be looking at in ceiling speakers?

5. Not sure how much light is in the room...but if you can control it I'd recommend a projector. You can get an entry level 720p for about $600 and entry level 1080's for around $1100. Add a screen for a few hundred & you're on your way.

The basement only has 1 window to contend with. I was looking at something like this
or shoud I go with a projector if i go the way of a projector what would i need to do? i have a PS3, 360 & My Directv that all feed off HDMI.



6. It's very difficult to sound proof a room...you certainly want some sound treatment. The best tip I received for my basement was to install exterior/insulated doors for all inside doors. The exterior doors do a great job of preventing sound from leaving the room. You'll still "feel" the bass throughout the house.

Thanks for the help

Good luck!

 

[Robert_J]

5 feet of distance between speaker and electical wires is more than enough.

I've used in-ceiling for my old house as well as a family member's house. Both had very difficult spots for normal rear speakers. After calibration both systems sounded very good.

Crutchfield is nice for research but there are numerous projector sites that will sell for less. I'm partial to Panasonic. My older AE-900U still gives me an amazing picture. I had an acquaintance stop by yesterday for a demo. His TV room has a 50" plasma. He was very surprised at the quality of my projector on a DIY 103" screen. Even more when I told him the cost of the screen was only $75.

I'll second the soundproofing comment. I did a little during construction of my house but I would have had to invest 10's of thousands to contain my bass. My dual 15's will excite the entire foundation of my house when I really crank it. It's a good thing it's just me and the wife and we watch movies together.

 

[joeyfine]

Ok what type of projector should i buy? I dont mind spending $2,000 on the screen & projector.

 

[Gary Thomas]

Here's a good place to start: http://www.projectorcentral.com/home.cfm


Buy the projector 1st...then buy a screen to match the projector.


Also, ideally your front and center speakers will be placed at ear level. Your surrounds are good at 6' high.

 

[joeyfine]

wow thanks for your help but now i need more help!

What should i be looking for? Main use of this room will be playing video games, watching blu-ray and sports. which is why i ask if a TV is a better option then a projector. If a projector is the better solution then can you poiint me to a certain type? you guys rock!!!

 

[Robert_J]

My Panny is a 3 panel LED. I watch HD movies, sports and TV series via DirecTV and OTA.

I picked the Panasonic because of the adjustability of the lens. That feature allowed a wide range of flexibility in choosing where I install the projector.

 

[joeyfine]

Originally Posted by Robert_J

My Panny is a 3 panel LED. I watch HD movies, sports and TV series via DirecTV and OTA.

I picked the Panasonic because of the adjustability of the lens. That feature allowed a wide range of flexibility in choosing where I install the projector.

Could you link me to your product?

 

[Robert_J]

Follow Gary's link to Projector Central and view the current Panasonic model. I think it is the 3000x or something. Mine is almost 4 years old now.

 

[joeyfine]

Alright i will take a look at that.

I have another question. I am going to have 2 couches down there. what is the best way to tier them?

 

[Robert_J]

Are you asking about construction methods? I've seen everything from a regular platform built with the same techniques as you would a floor to cinder blocks holding up the couch. Pick the method that fits your room. I haven't built my platform yet but I'm going with floor joists 16" on center with plywood covering the top. Then I need to get carpet to match the existing carpet. I'll probably build it in the garage and roll it in on furniture dollies.

 

[dguard]

My 2 cents worth on your questions... No. Keep the speaker wires and electric wires apart from each other. All wires (speaker, coax, electric, telephone, light control, so on) should either run parallel (with sufficient distance apart) or at a 90 degree angle to each other. Also, it is advisable to put all of your theater equipment on the same phase. The easiest way to do this is set aside one circuit to run all equipment and nothing else. I have a single 20amp circuit that runs my home theater and whole house audio. Your speaker wire should be UL rated for in-wall installation. Local building codes may dictate the specific rating required in your area, look for a rating of CL2 (typical home use) or CL3 (typical commercial use). I have Sheer Wire Oxygen-Free 14AWG speaker cable (part number 142OFC105) for all theater speakers except the subwoofer. I have quad-insulated RG6 coax cable for the amplified subwoofer. The coax cable is finished with a standard “F” connection then has an F-to-RCA converter on each end. In-ceiling speakers placed behind the last couch should work well. Surround sounds are meant to be less directional, meaning the listener should not be able to determine the exact location of the sound. I suggest building your raised platform from 2x10’s with 3/4” plywood on top. Glue and screw everything to minimize noise. Make sure the back of the platform has a raised edge or somehow prevents the couch from falling off. Add a pathway light on the step. Carpet/finish the platform to match the rest of the room. I created a calculator that can be used to determine the THX and SMPTE suggested screen size. It’s just an estimate, so don’t get hung up on the precision of seating placement. A few inches closer or further away will not matter. IMO, a front projector has the highest wow factor and makes your theater a little more future proof. To sound proof my theater, I used a sound insulation (similar to regular insulation, but with higher sound absorption factor) between the joists and studs. On the ceiling I added a layer of sound board and then a layer of 5/8" type X drywall. On the walls I put two layers of 5/8" type X drywall on both sides. I used sound insulated doors to the room and to the basement area (where the theater is located). My soundproofing focus was keeping outside sounds from entering the theater, and was less concerned about containing sound in the theater.

 

[joeyfine]

The basement is taking shape! i am ready order the speaker parts and i am looking for intel.

 

[Robert_J]

Why the bannana plugs? Unless you are going repeatedly connect and disconnect your wires, you don't need them. Have you checked Monoprice for your HDMI cable and wall connectors? I like PE for speaker parts but you can find other accessories cheaper from other sites.

 

[joeyfine]

I am trying to make a nice and tidy look thats why i chose the banana plugs. i will check with monoprice as well is there anything else i am missing? or should replace?

 

[dguard]

If the suround speakers are ceiling mounted, I suggest just using a plastic telephone wall plate and just running the wire out to the speaker. This type of plate is available at most hardware stores for a buck or two.

Take a look at www.bluejeanscable.com for the HDMI cable.

 

[joeyfine]

Hey guys. got some progress update on the room. all the framing is up and now i am running the wires. i have a question.

1. can my speaker wire be bundled up or should i keep each channel sperate from each other? same goes for the eletrical line?

 

[Robert_J]

Two wires close together will interact with each other. That's just high school science. Keeping your speaker wires bundled together for the sake of easy installation is more worth the time savings than the miniscule chance of interference. If you look behind my equipment rack, I have all kinds of wires laying on top of each other without any issues at all.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Robert is right, Insulated speaker wire shouldn't give you any trouble if run in bundles. But you don't want to run it parallel to power cable. At most you want any cable that's carry a signal (data or sound) to cross a power cord at a 90 degree angle. Keeping them completely apart is even better. But running them next to one another is just asking for trouble. The voltage carried by power cable creates a much more powerful electromagnetic field and it will interfere with your signal cable, by induction most likely. (Stay away from light fixtures for the same reason.) Ask anyone who does network cabling for a living, they'll tell you.

Regards,

Joe.