# building a ht system



## keven123 (Dec 17, 2008)

I have a third floor attic toom, 11feet by 19 feet. We want to make it into our entertainment room. We currently have a wii and a PS2 the kids want to hook up. We (parents) want to get a blue ray player and large screen tv with excellent sound. I am looking for ideas. I only have one window in the room, it is quite big and faces east(morning sun). Not sure about plasma vs lcd and overall size. Forgot to mention the walls slope a bit on the long sies(knee walls). How many HDMi ports? What kind of AV reciever? 
Our Budget is $7500 with some flexiblity to $10K over time. 
Thanks and look forward t oyour inputs.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

I feel like we should have a form to fill out to save you the trouble of answering all the questions, but because we don't...

How far away from the TV will you be sitting, i.e. What is your viewing distance?

Do you have any audio/video equipment other than what you've listed (speakers, DVD player, Cable Box) that you will be using in this room?

Can you post a sketch of your room layout with dimensions (I like Room Arranger software to make easy layout sketches)? Pictures are also helpful.

Will you be doing, or have you done, any construction in the attic room? Is your stated budget for the entire project including construction, or just your audio/video and theater accessories?

Do you currently have another home theater system, or what system will you be comparing this to (what is your benchmark for quality?

Answers we can give you now:

If the kids like to game, and you want a blu-ray, the PS3 is a no brainer. It's the best blu-ray player out there, and a capable game/media streamer.

You'll want heavy, light blocking curtains for viewing purposes, and minor help wit acoustics. You can get these at many places such as Bed, Bath, and Beyond for about $30 a panel.


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## keven123 (Dec 17, 2008)

So hear are the questions answered with answers and sometimes more questions

What is the optimal distance. It is an empty room right now and nothing in it. I would think distance depends on size of tv? 
no other equipment going new all the way. no sketch, but it is 11feet by 19feet square(rectangle)
Budget is just for AV equipment , construction is complete. Budget will include instalation

We currenlt have a sharp lcd aques 32 inch that is several years old and has no theatre sound. It will be staying where it is
thanks this is great thanks for the help!


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

keven123 said:


> So hear are the questions answered with answers and sometimes more questions
> 
> What is the optimal distance. It is an empty room right now and nothing in it. I would think distance depends on size of tv?
> no other equipment going new all the way. no sketch, but it is 11feet by 19feet square(rectangle)
> Budget is just for AV equipment , construction is complete. Budget will include instalation


Well, I'd start with the seating distance. Assuming that you'd like to sit about 2/3 of the way into the room, and that you're mounting your TV or Projection Screen on the wall (have you considered projection), and that 1.5 times the screen diagonal (for a 1.77 screen) is ideal for a 1080p source, you're looking at a seating distance of either 58" or 101" for a screen size (depending on which way you orient the room).

Start with a list of what you'll need, and fill in your options as you go. Here's to get you started...

TV:

-or-
Projection Screen:
Projector:

A/V Receiver:
Center Speaker:
Front Speakers:
Surround Speakers:
Subwoofer(s):
Surround back: Are you planning on 7.1 (I'd wire for it, but not buy speakers until there's more content)?

Blu-ray/DVD Player: PS3 via HDMI
Game System 2: Wii via component
Game System: PS2 via ?
Cable Box: ? (will you have 'TV' in this room, or is it games and movies only?)
Other Sources: Anything missing, HTPC, other game systems, netflix box?

Room Treatment:

Other (Universal remote, recliners, popcorn machine):

-----------------------------

With a 7k purely for HT, I'd go with this


TV Projection Screen/Projector: $3000

A/V Receiver:$700
Center Speaker: $300
Front Speakers: $600
Surround Speakers: $400
Subwoofer(s): $1000

Blu-ray/DVD Player: PS3 = $400

Room Treatment: $600

Other (Universal remote, recliners, popcorn machine): $0


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## keven123 (Dec 17, 2008)

Spouse would prefer flatscreen, so lcd or plasma.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Budget still stands, but your $3k isn't going to get you nearly as much screen real estate. Pioneer Kuro's are the best, but 60" (your minimum in my opinion for an immersive HT experience) is going to run you $4k.

This will be the last time I say it, I promise, but for that same $4k, you could get a killer projection setup with an acousticaly transparent screen (Epson 1080p projector plus StewartAV screen). With a little construction, your speakers could disappear behind the screen (spouse might like that). There are others on here who know far more about this than I do, but consider it one more time, for me...


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I agree with Marshal, A screen will give you much better bang for buck however if your letting the kids play Wii and PS3 games on it you wont get a very long bulb life out of the projector and will be replacing the bulb once a year or so. Bulbs run around $300.
For a receiver the Onkyo TX SR805 offers the best bang for the buck right now. Or even better the Onkyo TX SR876
For a speaker system I highly recommend going with SVSound. They have some of the best subwoofers available and they also have compleat speaker packages for 7.1 or 5.1 systems and are all hand made and sound fantastic and because they only sell online you save a fair bit of money.


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## sqall12001 (Apr 5, 2008)

I would say the price for the speakers are a bit high for a person just getting into HT. 400 for rears?
You can come in quite a bit lower on the speaker side and use that $$ for other things
I have Klipsch Quintet SL's and a cheaper Powered sony sub (more on way) and those 2 would be around $900
Great sound in that size room
I have a Denon 2308CI receiver, but the newer 2309CI has more inputs for hdmi and all.


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## Quartermaster (Dec 4, 2008)

I would look in to Definitive technology speakers; they make high quality speakers at a reasonable price. I also would recommend a Denon or Onkyo receiver, I would go with LCD TV just because of the length of use and it runs cooler (the less heat the better) and it would also be less complicated for the wife and kids.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

sqall12001 said:


> I would say the price for the speakers are a bit high for a person just getting into HT. 400 for rears?


If you're not looking to upgrade down the road, I'd say $200 per speaker is more than fair. Even if you dropped it to $100 per rear, I'd immediately dump that money back into my fronts, making them $400 a speaker (still, just cracking mid-fi in my opinion).

Let me start by saying that arbitrary breaking points based only on price are not my favorite way to do things, but when speaking in generalities, one must generalize. Audioholics had a bookshelf shoot-out last year, and found that the difference between a $200 speaker and a $400 speaker (they had 2-3 of each) was pretty noticeable to everyone involved.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

tonyvdb said:


> I agree with Marshal, A screen will give you much better bang for buck however if your letting the kids play Wii and PS3 games on it you wont get a very long bulb life out of the projector and will be replacing the bulb once a year or so. Bulbs run around $300.


Good point, I don't have kids and rarely play games, so I forget how many hours that can add up to.

Maybe both? A retractable screen and an inexpensive 42" LCD (even a $1000 Vizio) for the kids/casual watching?


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Quartermaster said:


> I would go with LCD TV just because of the length of use and it runs cooler (the less heat the better) and it would also be less complicated for the wife and kids.


Good point on the heat, but in a room that size, I'm just afraid you'll eventually feel underwhelmed by anything less than 60". Maybe start with a 50" plasma, but leave yourself the option, and money, to go projection.

Few people (well, not me at least) have the option of a semi-dedicated room. Use it to it's fullest potential.


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## sqall12001 (Apr 5, 2008)

I just was saying that a Good Surround package system would do pretty well in that size of a room. Audioholics gave them a great review also. And coming in at $799 Plus a couple powered subs would give another $1300 to put toward a better display or other features.

I was just giving him options that I am familiar with in that size of a room.

-Nick


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## sqall12001 (Apr 5, 2008)

I would recommend this setup.
Denon AVR-2309Ci $749 Right now on sale (I have predecessor and its great) 4 HDMI inputs and 1080p Upconversion
Klipsch Quintet SL $799
Sony 10" Powered Sub X2 $199
--------------------------------
$1750

Epson Projector HC6100 $1799 On sale now
Elite Screens - SilverMAX 120" Widescreen Motorized Projection Screen
$449
---------------------------------------
$2248
+$1750
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$3999

The other $3500 or so for Blue-Ray Room treatments furnishings ect.


-Nick


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## sqall12001 (Apr 5, 2008)

All previous prices are from Bestbuy.com

-Nick


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

sqall12001 said:


> I just was saying that a Good Surround package system would do pretty well in that size of a room.
> 
> -Nick


Sadly this is not true an 11'x19' space would make any of the even expensive HTIB systems strain to fill that space.



sqall12001 said:


> I would recommend this setup.
> Denon AVR-2309Ci $749 Right now on sale (I have predecessor and its great) 4 HDMI inputs and 1080p Upconversion
> Klipsch Quintet SL $799
> Sony 10" Powered Sub X2 $199


I agree that the Denon is a good receiver but given the receiver is the heart of any Home theater system I would not skimp on that area.

The Klipsch Quintet SL speakers are small and would be over driven to fill that space properly during movie watching. You cant expect a 3.5" driver to produce reference levels.

Sony Subs dont get very good reviews again to small for that size room. SVS or HSU are the only subwoofers I recommend.


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## sqall12001 (Apr 5, 2008)

I wouldn't say 100x7 conservatively rated with 4 upconverting HDMI inputs is quite skimping?
And as far as the speakers I own all the gear I mentioned in a room larger then that and have watched many movies at reference level and It has amazing sound and never had one complaint.
I won't pretend they are the best, but I doubt he wants to spend the cash for some Vienna Acoustics.

-Nick


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

I don't think there's anything wrong with the Klipsch or the Sony, but I think what folks are saying is that, if you're only going to do this once, you'll want to overbuild a little. I'm not talking Vienna Acoustics, but I do think there are speakers that are loud, clean, and dynamic at the $200-400 from folks like Aperion, JBL, SVS, Paradigm, and more that would be a smarter choice in this instance. As for subwoofers, if you're not building your own, than you best bang for the buck around $500 will come from HSU, SVS, and Elemental Designs and others.


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## sqall12001 (Apr 5, 2008)

as far as the sony, i just got that to get me throught till I build my woofers in my new house, but I was surprised in the ammount of bass that came from them. 
I was just designing a system that gets pretty loud, and leaves more $$ for room treatments and furnishings.

-Nick


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

keven123 said:


> I have a third floor attic toom, 11feet by 19 feet. We want to make it into our entertainment room. We currently have a wii and a PS2 the kids want to hook up. We (parents) want to get a blue ray player and large screen tv with excellent sound. I am looking for ideas. I only have one window in the room, it is quite big and faces east(morning sun)...


I'm sure you'll end up with a killer HT room :yes:

I alwasy like to share this threads because it shows what you can do to put together an HT, you can DIY or hire somebody if you feel like it http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...9-slaughter-house-cinemas-project-thread.html .....
http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...tanner-ridge-cinema-construction-thread.html .....
http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...construction/8587-blaser-ht-build-thread.html

To block the window, here's a good thread http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-audio-acoustics/9610-blocking-out-window.html, or you can make a sliding door/window like I did in my HT :bigsmile:.

As far as the equipment, I agree with the suggestions, front projector and a screen for movies and small TV (46"-50") for games. The challenge will be to have a pull down/up screen instead of a fixed one to cover the TV, or have the TV somewhere else (maybe in the back or another room), to keep that theater look with your screen ....

I read a lot about SVS, with a 5.1 package for $999 and an AVR ($600+) you'll have a nice set up that will last for some years (until you get upgraditis :bigsmile.

You also have to plan for a riser (if you'll be using two rows of seats) ...


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