# Show Off Your Theater



## MrACE

*Asim Theater*

Here is what i have done with my basement.
Optama HD20 - DIY Blackout Screen - HTPC - Xbox 360 - 5.1 pioneer System


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## drdoan

Great Job! Have fun. Dennis


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## TypeA

Built in spots in the wall for components, very interesting.


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## John Wilson

Very Nice! Screen pics look great!


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## MrACE

it wasnt builtin,, i cut the drywall to put my componenet in


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## Ezzemo

Beautiful!
Thanks for shareng and congratulations!


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## Dale Rasco

How long has it been setup? Any plans for changes in the near future?


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## MrACE

i setup my theater about 4 months ago.. i would love ur guys suggestion to make it better.. what do u think will make it better.
i build this theather on very tight budget... bought lumber from home depot for screen and platform, bought blackout cloth from ebay, couches from liquadtion for $300.. can u beilive that,, these couches are $3000 ,, but i got then for $300  .. .got projector $400 cheaper then orignal price,, and panel are made of foam becuase it was cheaper then wood  ...
what would u suggest for improvement. please let me know. Thanks


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## MrACE

The whole setup cost me about $2500... including projector, computer,xbox 360, furniture and sorround sound, decor etc, It is full 1080P HD with srround.

whole setup is control by 1 remote. and got logtech dinovo mini for pc use.

so i got alot of budget left for improvement, so do let me know what i should do different.

Thanks


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## Superior Audio

Better sub and speakers.


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## MrACE

LOL .. i would love to have a better sub and speaker,, thing is i am in a townhouse. so my basement is attached to neighbours basement,, and amp and speakers are good and loud for this setup,, max volume is 35, and i keep it at 18 becuase thats even too loud..


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## Theresa

I am in a similar situation. I live in a small condominium and have three neighbors. Only the upstairs neighbor ever complains, usually with stomping.


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## rubbersoul

*Re: Asim Theater*

Nice room ACE!!
Nothing wrong with closeouts, Home Depot, or liquidations. 
I have to agree with tthe better sub and speaker coment.
My Sonances were $70.00 a piece and orginally they were candle sonaces. I needed seven of them and also I had to adapt them and do some redesigning to make them electric. Since I was buying seven the glassblower sold them to to me for fifty dollars each and it only cost me another thirty-five dollars (total) to make the necessary changes. 
There is nothing wrong with doing upgrades a little at a time.
Patience makes you appreciatie things.

Here are a couple of brands of speakers that would not set you back and are of good quality.
Aperion you can actually keeps for thirty days and if not satisfied return them at no charge. 
Aperion and Axiom 

Have Fun


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## MrACE

Thanks..

Yeah will defenitly look into getting better Audio, Current Audio is Good for my need, but its not doing justice with the setup  .. also llooking to upgrade house as well.. I hope i buy one with no attach neibougrs, and can truly enjoy the sound


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## rubbersoul

I certainly can relate. 
I live in a twin home and thankfully my neighbors are pretty understanding but I have to admit my HT room is very well insulated to prevent unwanted sound traveling to the attached house.
I built a room within my existing basement.
Literally I have 7" walls besides the already existing cedar block used to build the house.
A lot of lumber from H.D. lucky for me the Depot is only three blocks away.

You Did a good job. Everything comes in time.


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## Superior Audio

MrACE said:


> LOL .. i would love to have a better sub and speaker,, thing is i am in a townhouse. so my basement is attached to neighbours basement,, and amp and speakers are good and loud for this setup,, max volume is 35, and i keep it at 18 becuase thats even too loud..


I see says the blind man to his deaf wife! 

In that case, yes, compromise is the best recourse.:T


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## MrACE

Superior Audio said:


> I see says the blind man to his deaf wife!
> 
> In that case, yes, compromise is the best recourse.:T


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## MrACE

I have upload a Video of my setup on youtube - Take a peek  






Thanks


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## TypeA

Pretty cool video MrACE. Whats your front end and current storage capacity? How many HD movies do you have on HDD, how long did it take you to rip 637 dvds?


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## MrACE

well. my Collection has risen to 760 movies now  .. i have 2 TB hooked up to PC - and i dont get any HD rip of over 4 GB - becuase that is clear crisp enough so dont need to get 40 GB rip - i use NZB to get my Hd rip - It takes about 25 - to 30 minutes for 1 HD movie. Plus XBMC is super tool when comes to theaters. its has a program ad on for NZB which gets the files from queue, put them in the folder and which is mapped in XBMC for movies, which get the meta data all by itself. All i have to do is find a movie and queue it for download. and the rest is done by my system.


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## jbmccaslin

MrACE said:


> well. my Collection has risen to 760 movies now  .. i have 2 TB hooked up to PC - and i dont get any HD rip of over 4 GB - becuase that is clear crisp enough so dont need to get 40 GB rip - i use NZB to get my Hd rip - It takes about 25 - to 30 minutes for 1 HD movie. Plus XBMC is super tool when comes to theaters. its has a program ad on for NZB which gets the files from queue, put them in the folder and which is mapped in XBMC for movies, which get the meta data all by itself. All i have to do is find a movie and queue it for download. and the rest is done by my system.


How well does XBMC stream HD movies? I've love the way XBMC looks but it is having trouble with playback of HD movies. I have a low energy HTPC but it can still play HD movies in Windows so I'm wondering what the problem is. Any suggestions??


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## TypeA

MrACE said:


> and i dont get any HD rip of over 4 GB - becuase that is clear crisp enough so dont need to get 40 GB rip


Cool. If your "HD" rips are only 4 GB what are you ripping your dvds at?


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## Superior Audio

Sweet little theater, man...


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## MrACE

TO jbmccaslin ----- XBMC stream HD movies very well.. my PC isnt greate either, it got 4 GB core 2 duo system. i am not running anything else beside xbmc and windows on it though,, the more garbage you put on the system the more slow it make ur system. Even 1080 P movies, i can skip, rewind, fwd,, with remote without any lag or skipping .... what sizze of movies of HD rip are you runing or are u running from player ? offcourse if HD rip is over 30 GB ,,sure it needs some good spec to perform the task... or it could be the skin you are running or the version of XBMC that causing the issue. Hard to tell ---

what you can check is run the task manager by right clicking on taskbar and click task manager and look at the process/ performance as to how much of memory and CPU is used when u playing movie in windows vs in XBMC - are you using any video card in system or motherboard vga output,, that make difference too.. Check the task maanager first and see whats the difference and let us know.

To TypeA ---- about 1.5 GB to 2 GB ... those 700 MB rips doesnt look good at all on big screen, it has to be atleast 720 P - 2 GB rip to really looks nice on bog screen -


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## MrACE

Superior Audio said:


> Sweet little theater, man...


Thanks


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## TypeA

MrACE said:


> To TypeA ---- about 1.5 GB to 2 GB ... those 700 MB rips doesnt look good at all on big screen, it has to be atleast 720 P - 2 GB rip to really looks nice on bog screen -


I admire your patience, 760 movies is a massive investment of time.


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## gdstupak

MrACE said:


> LOL .. i would love to have a better sub and speaker,, thing is i am in a townhouse. so my basement is attached to neighbours basement,, and amp and speakers are good and loud for this setup,, max volume is 35, and i keep it at 18 becuase thats even too loud..


All the more reason to get better quality speakers. It's not just about how loud they play, but how well they sound at lower volumes also.
With attached neighbors I would go with bigger bookshelf speakers and no sub. The bookshelf speakers should be able to play confidently down in the 60Hz area. 
Then when you move to a place with no neighbors, add several subs.


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## TypeA

gdstupak said:


> All the more reason to get better quality speakers. It's not just about how loud they play, but how well they sound at lower volumes also.
> With attached neighbors I would go with bigger bookshelf speakers and no sub. The bookshelf speakers should be able to play confidently down in the 60Hz area.
> Then when you move to a place with no neighbors, add several subs.




+1


A decent receiver and stereo pair of speakers will likely give you better performance than your existing system, albeit stereo. Not all my viewing is in my main theater and I still use just stereo bookshelves in my second viewing area, never underestimate the power of a good stereo pair. Your music performance would increase also, not just movie and tv sound. Besides, as alluded to, that simple pair and receiver are just the _foundation_ and can easily be expanded when your living situation _does_ allow for it.


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## MrACE

TypeA said:


> I admire your patience, 760 movies is a massive investment of time.


Not Really man ,,all it takes is one click but yeah ,, been doing this for 2 years ,, so yeah ,, they pile up


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## MrACE

gdstupak said:


> All the more reason to get better quality speakers. It's not just about how loud they play, but how well they sound at lower volumes also.
> With attached neighbors I would go with bigger bookshelf speakers and no sub. The bookshelf speakers should be able to play confidently down in the 60Hz area.
> Then when you move to a place with no neighbors, add several subs.




hmm  .. actually since i joined this site , i am looking for new speakers  .. question if i get big speakers,, will my pioneer amp be able to work with them or would i have to look for better amp? and what the best speakers ( cheap) now a days,, i am really nooob when comes to speakers and amp (audio)


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## gdstupak

This probably is not your idea of cheap (even if just buying 2 speakers for now) but if you can swing this kind of cash, this is a speaker system that you can start building now and keep for the next 10-25yrs and still be content.

With the high quality sound of these bookshelf speakers, you will probably be happy using just 2 of these main speakers (PSB B6) for awhile ($400/pr). Then when funds replenish, you can buy another single speaker (PSB B6) for the center channel ($250/ea).

If this is completely out of your budget, just say so and someone will chime in with more suggestions. And I don't think these speakers are hard to drive, they should do fine with a standard AVR (someone else please correct me if this is wrong).


PSB Image series:

----(3 of these for the Left, Center, Right speakers) 'Image B6 bookshelf' . To save money you can buy 2 from this site that sells B-stock ($400/pr) (the Image speakers are near the bottom of the web page) http://www.saturdayaudio.com/picture...psb_bstock.htm . Then you can buy a single B6 speaker (for the center speaker) from this site ($250/ea) http://www.listenup.com/PSB+IMAGE+B6-p-IMAGEB6-p-.html .
(They do make and sell a special "center" speaker to go with the Image B6's but these "center" speakers rarely sound the same as the main L&R speakers, so I always suggest buying 3 of the exact same model for the front 3 speakers.)

----(2 of these for the surround speakers) 'Image B4 compact bookshelf'. To save money you can buy these from the site that sells the B-stock ($240/pr) (these B4's are directly under the B6's at the bottom of the web page) http://www.saturdayaudio.com/picture...psb_bstock.htm .

----(subwoofers) I recommend the HSU VTF-2mk3 ($509) http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2-mk3.html .


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## MrACE

gdstupak said:


> This probably is not your idea of cheap (even if just buying 2 speakers for now) but if you can swing this kind of cash, this is a speaker system that you can start building now and keep for the next 10-25yrs and still be content.
> 
> With the high quality sound of these bookshelf speakers, you will probably be happy using just 2 of these main speakers (PSB B6) for awhile ($400/pr). Then when funds replenish, you can buy another single speaker (PSB B6) for the center channel ($250/ea).
> 
> If this is completely out of your budget, just say so and someone will chime in with more suggestions. And I don't think these speakers are hard to drive, they should do fine with a standard AVR (someone else please correct me if this is wrong).
> 
> 
> PSB Image series:
> 
> ----(3 of these for the Left, Center, Right speakers) 'Image B6 bookshelf' . To save money you can buy 2 from this site that sells B-stock ($400/pr) (the Image speakers are near the bottom of the web page) http://www.saturdayaudio.com/picture...psb_bstock.htm . Then you can buy a single B6 speaker (for the center speaker) from this site ($250/ea) http://www.listenup.com/PSB+IMAGE+B6-p-IMAGEB6-p-.html .
> (They do make and sell a special "center" speaker to go with the Image B6's but these "center" speakers rarely sound the same as the main L&R speakers, so I always suggest buying 3 of the exact same model for the front 3 speakers.)
> 
> ----(2 of these for the surround speakers) 'Image B4 compact bookshelf'. To save money you can buy these from the site that sells the B-stock ($240/pr) (these B4's are directly under the B6's at the bottom of the web page) http://www.saturdayaudio.com/picture...psb_bstock.htm .
> 
> ----(subwoofers) I recommend the HSU VTF-2mk3 ($509) http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2-mk3.html .




Thanks for the suggestion buddy , i will look in to them,, another question ....... i went to futureshop - and they had a Boss system ,, Small speakers but powerfull.. are they any good ?


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## MrACE

These ones

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/prod...spx?path=d49b9d5898b4f384e3cf0df0124f602fen02


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## gdstupak

Bose speakers...
I'm not sure that there is any other manufacturer that brings up as much controversy.
Many people absolutely hate them (many of these people have never even heard them).
Many people love the sound of them.

I have not checked out any of their more modern sets, but I have had several sets of their older Bose AM5 and AM7 sets since 1992. These older speakers were very well constructed with sturdy materials. 
My take on the Bose sound is that it is not accurate but does sound good. They can take a poorly recorded cd and make it sound acceptable (this is how I got through all those bad rock cd's from the 1980's and 1990's, but now those same cd's make me cringe listening through better speakers). But on the other hand, a perfectly recorded cd will not make you go "wow! that sounds exquisite," it will still just sound good.

The bottom line for me is they are overpriced, and you should get something much better and more accurate for cheaper. If you find that you love the sound of them and do want them, buy them used at a huge discount.


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## MrACE

gdstupak said:


> Bose speakers...
> I'm not sure that there is any other manufacturer that brings up as much controversy.
> Many people absolutely hate them (many of these people have never even heard them).
> Many people love the sound of them.
> 
> I have not checked out any of their more modern sets, but I have had several sets of their older Bose AM5 and AM7 sets since 1992. These older speakers were very well constructed with sturdy materials.
> My take on the Bose sound is that it is not accurate but does sound good. They can take a poorly recorded cd and make it sound acceptable (this is how I got through all those bad rock cd's from the 1980's and 1990's, but now those same cd's make me cringe listening through better speakers). But on the other hand, a perfectly recorded cd will not make you go "wow! that sounds exquisite," it will still just sound good.
> 
> The bottom line for me is they are overpriced, and you should get something much better and more accurate for cheaper. If you find that you love the sound of them and do want them, buy them used at a huge discount.



What do you think of this ? ,... its a used buy and sell site and guy selling PSB in my area.
http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and...-Image-5-0-speaker-package-W0QQAdIdZ307403754


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## gdstupak

Off the to of my head, I would say to 'jump on that deal now.'
I'm not sure how well those older PSB models (T4) compare to something like the B6, maybe someone else will post more info.
But that used PSB set for sale will blow you away compared to what you have now. The only trouble I can see is that your neighbor may not like those floor standing T4's, although the bass still wouldn't be as bothersome as a separate sub.


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## TypeA

gdstupak said:


> Bose speakers...
> I'm not sure that there is any other manufacturer that brings up as much controversy.
> Many people absolutely hate them (many of these people have never even heard them).



What makes you say that? Seems Bose is one of the easiest to find and audition??? They even have their own retail stores these days....


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## gdstupak

Hopefully you don't think I was referring specifically to you, I know you have listened to them for years.
I didn't say it is hard to get an audition with Bose, just said that many people haven't actually listened for themselves. The two have nothing to do with each other.
My comment about people badmouthing them that have never actually listened to them comes from my own personal experiences talking to people and reading forums.
One person on here used to badmouth the frequency response saying there is a huge 'hole' between the sats and the bass module. Well, not in my experience.


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## TypeA

Gotcha, thanks, was just curious.


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## MrACE

hi Guys , so boxing Day is coming in Canada on Dec 26 - its like a black friday from US. so i will be hunting for Speakers as you guys suggested. any one from Canada here that knows any good deals on good speaker system?


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## MrACE

I found this prettty good deal.. its 599 but on sale day, its only $299, what do you guys think? are they good ? will they be bettter then my current pionner one? should i also look for amplifier. 

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...l-home-theatre-system-surround5/10175924.aspx


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## MrACE

I mean $199 on SAle.. Should i get it ???????????


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## Prof.

This forum is for finished theater photos only,..
Your post has been moved to the Home Audio Speakers forum..


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## Turbo Ron

I tried to show a link to my u-tube video of my system. I need 5 posts before I can post link. If you go to u-tube under calkid1234 you can see my equipment and a description half way through the video.


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## TypeA

Killer system Ron  

A link to Ron's you tube video:

http://youtu.be/zdkLPPwXGqk


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## Turbo Ron

Thanks for the compliment. There are 2 videos. I think the other one might be better since it has over 10,900 hits. Thanks for posting.


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## Turbo Ron

The other video.


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## MrACE

Nice Setup Ron..


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## MrACE

here is my therater video


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## Turbo Ron

MrACE said:


> here is my therater video
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh2_iFdI4ko


I like your set up very much. I have a screen saver for music only on my mac mini, with no lag like your klidiscape. I have no more room in my cabinet for a set up like yours. I would love to have something like that for movies. I also appreciate your entrance to your theater room. What size is your screen, and what equipment do you have?


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## MrACE

I use XBMC for Movie Catolog, it rocks,, just dump movies in a folder and XBMC does the rest to get the metadata subtitles etc. plus using mce remote with it is amazing, however i bought logitech dinovo mini for browsing net on it. Screen is 120" and i am using Optoma HD20 projector, i am not proud of speakers though as i am using the one i bought with my TV .. they work , but they arent for dedicated theater, so hunting for good speakers.


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## therick83

Just getting started, I will take pics of update when I get home. Still looking for surround sound system.


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## drdoan

Beautiful! Have fun. Dennis


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## therick83

Bought a 70" Sharp Aquos LED (just not a projector guy), just picked up a pair of triad silvers for surrounds (good deal on ebay BNIB) and hoping to find a 5 speaker setup to add to it. I am going to throw my 2 12" atlas' under a platform second row seating for my subs (Bash 500w amp). Pioneer VSX-40 receiver. ANy recs?


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## Prof.

Very nice timber work..Looks great! :T


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## therick83

Here's some more pics...with TV and couch and subs. STILL a LOT of work to do... Hopefully this can become an reasonably priced adventure, somehow I doubt it though...


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## Turbo Ron

Thats a very nice room, and you are off to a good start.


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## asazad

Nice job! :T

One suggestion. You can some relatively inexpensive wire management solutions at home depot to hide your wires from your speakers and projector.


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## therick83

I'm not even ready to do any wire hiding because the room is already pre-wired for 7.1 and I still need to buy the speakers. I've gotten 4 different companies come to take a look at writing me up quotes. I need to listen to some of these speakers though. In the DFW area where's the best place to go to listen to a bunch of different brand speakers?

I also need a 45' HDMI cable to run my den video from my receiver to my TV. I believe the cord has to run to the attic and back down based on the prewire setup and this is what SoundPerfection informed me (they are the guys that did all the prewiring in my home).


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## therick83

Ok, my bash amp is on the way for my subs. Now trying to negotiate through the quotes I've been given, I am between 6200 and over 12,000. All with different speakers, episodes, definitive technology, atlantic technology and Polk. 

Thoughts???


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## MrACE

i love the room size and loook rick --- but why in the world would you go with TV when you can have an Awesome big screen there for projector... Dude,,its totatlly worth it  ..loook into it,, but non the les,s,, that timber and size,, will defentlliy make an awesome theater.. keeep us iupdated.


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## therick83

Everytime I sit in front of a projector vs. TV I always come away enjoying the TV more. I don't know if it's the settings I've seen them in or what. I just like the picture on a tv better. I don't really want to sepnd hundreds of dollars replacing bulbs every once in a while either. Plus, I didn't really want to do a larger screen in this room. It's not very deep and I love the screen size as is. I guess if someone came and installed one for free I wouldn't be opposed, but analyzing everything ended up with me buying the 70" Sharp Aquos Display Model for $2000 at Best Buy. It just made too much sense. I'm not a big fan of how the cabinets work. My PS3 cannot make it through a movie without the fan going crazy trying to keep it cool. Maybe I could put media sliding drawers in there and put AV components elsewhere? Lot's of items I still need to think about.


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## Spock

therick83 said:


> Everytime I sit in front of a projector vs. TV I always come away enjoying the TV more. I don't know if it's the settings I've seen them in or what. I just like the picture on a tv better. I don't really want to sepnd hundreds of dollars replacing bulbs every once in a while either. Plus, I didn't really want to do a larger screen in this room. It's not very deep and I love the screen size as is. I guess if someone came and installed one for free I wouldn't be opposed, but analyzing everything ended up with me buying the 70" Sharp Aquos Display Model for $2000 at Best Buy. It just made too much sense. I'm not a big fan of how the cabinets work. My PS3 cannot make it through a movie without the fan going crazy trying to keep it cool. Maybe I could put media sliding drawers in there and put AV components elsewhere? Lot's of items I still need to think about.


Man I got to tell you, I thought the same exact way over projectors until I saw the Epson PowerLite Pro 6010. It comes with a mount and a spare bulb, and the bulb life is 3,000 hours.

I am completely blown away by the picture, it looks like glass. I have a 62" Toshiba DLP that has excellent picture quality as well, but I like the Epson projector more. If you can find a place to view one, I highly suggest checking it out. :T


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## dsully444

The Rick, When it comes to speakers, I think you maybe better served from a budgetary standpoint to go with an ID dealer, such as Emotiva, Chase Theater, HSU, etc. Do some looking around. Myself I have a cabinet of similar size to you and have CHase Sho-10s above the screen pointing down and Emotiva In Ceiling 8's for surround. I think they sound fantastic and really couldn't ask for anything more. I put a HSU system with their center speaker and 4 in walls for the L/R/Surrounds and it sounds good, but not as good as my system (let me note that I have a much better AVR Onkyo 805 +Emotiva XPA-5 driving mine while he has an onkyo 707). I narrowed the speakers down between the Sho-10s and the 3 of the emotiva Ultra 6.3 centers. I now have a mix of the two companies and the service has been excellent. 

What I am getting at, is that there are lots of options out there and since you have everything pre-wired your install should be easy, it is a matter of finding what fits then call the companies and talk to them to explain what you are looking for. I had my mind set on the Sho-10s then talked to Craig and it sealed the deal. As a side note my brother in law has an episode system with LCR being their 700 series dual 51/4 in walls and is very happy. 

My brother went a diffent route and utilized a AVS company and purchased paradigm speakers, don't know the model for the bookshelves but they were double if not more than I paid and they don't sound double as good. 

I also have a 70" Sharp 732 and love it.

My cabinet gets hot bc of the Onkyo and cable box so when the cabinet was being built I had holes cut in and have a false wall that the TV hangs from, behind that wall I added fans from coolerguys and exhaust all of the heat out. no problems now.


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## MarAgt

NICE!


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## H_Roark

Hi, just wondering, how did you get that cool kalidescape look to your HTPC when choosing movies? Mine just gives me a list...


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## MrACE

i am using an XBMC - and Reiper Theme - in which you can enable library mode and change the view to Wall, i think all of xbmc themes have thumbnail view but you have to pick a folder and pick set content to movie and then it will download all the art ad meta data and will display thumbnails of movies.. let me know if you need detail explanation, will be glad to help.


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## Gillig500

MrACE said:



> i am using an XBMC - and Reiper Theme - in which you can enable library mode and change the view to Wall, i think all of xbmc themes have thumbnail view but you have to pick a folder and pick set content to movie and then it will download all the art ad meta data and will display thumbnails of movies.. let me know if you need detail explanation, will be glad to help.


MrAce , I too am using XBMC with skin AEON Q3 . I'm a newbie and I would appreciate it if you can give me a detailed
explanation on how,to enable the wall view . I just figure it out . I went into library mode , but it continues to stay in thumbnail
view . I would really appreciate your help . Thanks


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## MrACE

Hi gling,
every skin has different way to show their wall and such. i would suggest try reiper skin. it is amazing, and has the wall view like mine. Front is very basic in reiper but u can modofy to add ur pictures or library to view slide of movie poster like in aeon. plus reiper is much faster i find.


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