Blank slate- Home theatre room

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Talkiet

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#261779 14-Dec-2019 20:33

I am (probably) about to move into a new place near the end of January (assuming building report on Monday isn't full of issues) and I'm going to bite the bullet and dedicate a room to my home theatre because I can.

I have already purchased my complete new HT lounge suite (Circled in green)

(The 3 and 2 seater will be in the normal living area elsewhere)

Currently I have a nice in-ceiling ambertec 120" screen and nice projector - but it's a standard lounge with light walls and ceiling - this time I want to do it properly.

I've also got a 120" fixed frame screen coming and I am sorted with the projector and amp already - no need to upgrade them.

The layout of the new room is as follows

And it looks like this at the moment

You can see that this is pretty much a worst case scenario as far as light control and floor/ceiling/wall colours go - the door to the oversized storage area is even mirrored!

The screen will be on the front wall (red line on plan), the projector will be ceiling mounted (green circle) and the amp/source will be in the adjoining storage area (red circle)

I currently use a nice set of Kef Eggs but I am not sure they'll suit a room of this size.

So, my plan is as follows:

- Get a dark coloured custom rug made the size of the room, or 2 rugs for practicalities sense. It WOULD be cheaper to recarpet the room bizarrely so that's still on the table.

- Paint the ceiling (and remove the proud light fitting)... I'm thinking satin black?

- Front wall: Paint or paper in a dark non gloss colour/pattern Something in the red or brown area.

- Other 3 walls. I was looking at paint but with the mirrors, full wall sliding doors behind and window on the other side - would 3 sided full wall drapes be a decent option?

- Amp and source in cupboard (huge cupboard about 1.8 x 2.5 metres!)

- Speakers: thinking I should move back to traditional floorstanders like a set of Monitor Audio Bronze B5 AV Speaker pack but this is an area where I am hopelessly out of date in my knowledge and expertise. I will probably add ceiling speakers for 5.1.2 ATMOS

- Source (It'll be a new Nvidia Shield - that's nailed down)

Is there anything else I should consider given I am going to have this effectively as a single use room? I was thinking bar fridge but the noise might be annoying. I have eliminated the thought of tiered seating :-)

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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#2375486 14-Dec-2019 20:47

Drapes all around will make the room sound nice and dead, could be a good idea.

robbon44

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#2375564 15-Dec-2019 07:53

Air con.

Might get a bit warm in there.

cyril7

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#2375566 15-Dec-2019 08:08

Yep agree 3 full wall drapes sets to both sort the mirror door, main ranch slider to the deck and the window to the side, and sort sound deadening at the same time.

Cyril

jonathan18

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#2375581 15-Dec-2019 09:23

I see that the speaker pack you're looking at comes with a sub, but for the best lower end you're probably better looking at buying that separately; this would allow you to get something (or even two subs!) with more of the sheer power and wallop that an HT needs. Given SVS have recently announced some new models there may be some good prices on their current range?

Dingbatt

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#2375582 15-Dec-2019 09:25

Maybe before filling and painting the ceiling consider atmos speakers?

Light control is my biggest bugbear in my current setup (multi-purpose room) so heavy floor to ceiling drapes (dark colour) for both sound deadening and blackout.

Areas of Geek interest: Home Theatre, HTPC, Android Tablets & Phones, iProducts.

sen8or

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#2375872 15-Dec-2019 16:09

with 6.3m length to play with, you should consider at least 7.2.2, 7.2.4 or 5.2.4 Atmos set up, 4 Atmos speakers would work well in that space with 6m to play with.

what projector / amp are you already set with?

Talkiet

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#2375875 15-Dec-2019 16:18

I upgraded my current 5.1 to 5.1.2 and it made a noticeable difference (where supported)... My current AMP is a Denon AVR-X3400H which is nice but tops out at 7.2 (or 5.1.2 I think)... That's fine for me. The projector is a very very nice Sony 4K Laser model (VW870ES). I should note that I got that particular model through a crazy sequence of events and cannot speak highly enough of Sony NZ (or AVworld.co.nz) in resolving some minor issues - it doesn't reflect the money I have to throw at the rest of the system!!!!

I'd also prefer to buy from a bricks and mortar store but happy for that to be anywhere in NZ - preference given to AVworld in Akl - they have been very helpful in previous purchases and in sorting out issues.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Dunnersfella

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#2375883 15-Dec-2019 16:38

I'd move the cat slightly to the left to help with the top end, then potentially re-arrange its tail to aid with light leakage from the curtains.

I know it seems basic, but correct cat placement is seldom thought of when looking to achieve a cohesive sounding surround system.

My $0.02.

ShinyChrome

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#2376181 16-Dec-2019 11:41

Man that cat does not want a bar of it. It already knows you intend to re-purpose the "beds" you brought for it.

I would agree with the other suggestions regarding some curtains/drapes across any light source; however, you may want to look at acoustic panels on bare walls/that mirrored door as well. I think it looks nicer, but YMMV. And just re-carpet the floors if it is cheaper, don't muck about with rugs.

For a projector HT room, I would definitely throw a matte gray/black/other deep color at all the space visible from your MVP, some notable examples here, here, here, here, here (I was looking for a specific one I really liked and saw the rest on the way).

Hard-to-tell from here, but you could probably get away with in-wall speakers if you are after a cleaner look and have good cable access, and especially since you are already hiding the AV stack. Personally I love the look of big-black boxes everywhere (not mine, but one day...), but I'm special.

Definitely for height, I would only do in-roof speakers though. Speaker wise, have you tried any of the newer Klipsch Reference Premier line-up? If you are after that movie theater/horn-loaded sound, it might be worth a look. Pricey at RRP, but HN is always running deals on their lineup. Even if you are happy with the MA sound, might pay to try and sample a few different setups before you buy for a compare-and-contrast.

For a subwoofer though, I would +1 what Jonathan18 said and definitely look at a decent ported one, or two if the budget allows. They ain't cheap, but SVS is about the only real decent HT sub manufacturer selling in NZ at the entry-level-and-above. I myself just went from a Emotiva S10 (10" passive-radiator) to a SVS PB12-NSD (12" ported) and the difference is night-and-day even in a questionable spot in the room. I would definitely have gone dual if I wasn't bound by the Living Room Convention of 2019. For $1299 they are just a fraction more than a PB-1000, but in terms of output, they are actually a lot closer to the next model up the stack (which is now discontinued). The replacement PB-2000 Pro looks good, but I wouldn't be surprised if it debuts at >$2k. When those run out, you may even be able to get away with a PB-1000 (or two!) in that space

Brunzy

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#2376206 16-Dec-2019 12:06

Does anyone remember the Resene paint code that was recommended for painting the wall as a screen?
I put a coat of sealer on mine years ago , and decided it was good enough, but now I’m thinking I could do with a bit more contrast.
The rest of the room is a light colour, I feel the picture is already too bright on whites if looking at email, Chrome etc, and I imagine painting it a dark colour would only make it worse.
Comments ?

sen8or

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#2376259 16-Dec-2019 13:37

Not the Resene one, but it was a dulux - Thomas Tallis was the name

Brunzy

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#2376842 17-Dec-2019 10:48

Thanks @ sen8or,
Any comments on painting the room in a dark colour?
I should have mentioned , the room is in a basement, no natural light at all if the door is closed.

Oblivian

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#2376844 17-Dec-2019 10:52

ShinyChrome:

Man that cat does not want a bar of it. It already knows you intend to re-purpose the "beds" you brought for it.

Just don't mention lack of pool noodles...

ShinyChrome

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#2376848 17-Dec-2019 10:56

Brunzy: Thanks @ sen8or,
Any comments on painting the room in a dark colour?
I should have mentioned , the room is in a basement, no natural light at all if the door is closed.

I would definitely be painting the rest of the room a dark color, see the examples linked in my post above for how effective it is.

Have you thought about looking into a proper project screen though? I would imagine even a DIY-fabric-stretched-over-a-wooden-frame would be an improvement over a painted wall?

sen8or

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#2376852 17-Dec-2019 11:07

When I was in Auckland, my home theatre screen was a wooden frame with curtain blackout material as the fabric, worked pretty well (although we are talking 13 years ago, long before full HD or 4k). I did paint it Thomas Tallis at one point to help with the blacks, but ultimately ended up replacing it with plain white again as I didn't like the drop in brightness across the board (again, long before the light canons of today's projectors).

If you have invested significant $ into a 4k projector, don't hamstring it by not giving it the best opportunity to shine on a half way decent screen.

I'm looking at one of the Ambertec screens for my new house, probably the 106 recessed motorised, but I note they do fixed frame too which may be an option if its dedicated room for movies.

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