theatre seating (1 Viewer)

[Dan C]

I am new to the whole home theater thing so I am going slow so I get things right. I have been reading the forum for almost a year now trying to see what everyone thinks about different aspects and today I looked at seats. I saw where some of you recommended 4seating.com so I called for prices. I spoke to Chuck and he is really nice to work with. Not only are the seats I decided to go with on sale but they put a free bass kicker in each one for free. I want to put a monogram on the seats and each seat is only 25.00 extra. I wanted storage in an arm rest and he said he would build it. Then I tried to push it by suggesting that he custom make a arm rest to fit a monitor and he said no problem. That brings me to the question I need to ask and that is what row and seat do you guys use the most. My configuration will be:

|three part love seat|seat|
|seat|love seat|seat|seat|
|seat|seat|love seat|seat|

|screen|

I think the second row is the place I will sit with my wife next to me. What do you guys think? Also what did you name your theater? I can't decide what to have embroidered on them. The only thing I have come up with is DCJ. That is our first initial and our last in the middle which would be bigger.

 

[Brad E]

That looks like a pretty good setup. But remember there is only 1 sweet spot.

In my house, I always get the sweet spot. Mostly because my wife is not a big of a sound buff as I am. I notice a difference even moving over one seat on the sofa.

So get an spl meter, pick out your 'spot' and then calibrate your system around that spot.

 

[Brad E]

Oh, I forgot to comment on the name of your theater.
When I get my dedicated HT room finished (currently in the process, but getting nowhere fast) I'm going put a big sign above the door that reads "Brad's Domain".
And underneath there will be a sign that reads "No screaming kids or nagging wives allowed. Invite only".
I'm sure it will go over very well.

 

[Dan C]

Thanks for the comment. How do you find the sweet spot? I just expect it to be in the second row. I only like to sit on the end so I guess I am stuck.

 

[SteveLeach]

You can determine the sweet spot by how you point or angle your speakers.
You can do this with a laser pointer. For front speakers that are angled in, you put the laser pointer along the side of the cabinet and see which seat the light hits. Lets say the light hits the middle row center seat.
Now go to your surround speakers that are typically mounted higher, so they'll be pointed down toward the seating area. Put the laser on the top of the cabinet and adjust the angle so that the light from each side hits the same seat. Go to your rear surrounds and repeat.
You've now aimed all of your speakers at the same spot, so unless there are some strange characteristics of your room, this should be your sweet spot. If not exact, it should atleast be close.
--
Oh, as for where to place the laser on your speaker cabinets, you want to line it up with the tweeter, as the high freqs. are the most directional.

 

[Brad E]

The problem with sitting on the end is that the sound from the speakers close to you will drown out the sound from the speakers that are far away.
So the best place to be is in the center of all your speakers. And ideally all those speakers will be an equal distance away from that center spot.
Now in most rooms, it is impossible to setup the speakers so that they are an equal distance. So you need to calibrate your system so that the amount of sound coming from each speaker is the same when sitting in that center spot.
Many people buy calibration disks like Video Essentials or Avia. These disks along with a SPL meter, which measures sound pressure, will enable you to accurately get the same level of sound from each speaker.

You could get it close by just using the receivers internal test tones and adjusting the individual channels so that they sound the same. But I would recommend buying one of the above disks and calibrating your system right. It will also help you calibrate your TV or projector as well.

 

[Brad E]

The laser pointer is a good idea. But I have to disagree with this statement.
Don't point your surround speakers down toward the listening area as this somewhat defeats the purpose of placing them higher in the first place.

 

[Dan C]

I am purchasing the new Klipsch Ultra2 THX speakers and I had planned to mount them in the walls but I just recieved the literature on them and it looks like they are supposed to be mounted on the wall. Will it make a difference if I put them in the wall? How would I angle them? Is there a rubber gasket to put around them to seal them off? Finally I planned on putting insulation around the sides but should I also put it in the back of them? Thanks for all the help I have been reading posts for a year and have learned alot.