# Tanner Ridge Cinema / YW84U's HT



## YW84U

*99.999% Finished 2008*





























The construction began on July 15, 2006 - The entire build was DIY, save and except for calling in the pros to do the carpet.

Quick & Dirties:

Room: 12.5ft x 20ft x 90in . Single drywall, mineral wool sound control, sealed door
Screen - 136" 16x9 DIY screen - drywall, with Behr SilverScreen coatings
First Row - ~12 ft
Second Row - ~19ft on a 13.5 in riser

Equipment - 
Optoma HD72 PJ
Sony STR-DE945 AVR
Sony STR-DE 345 AVR for LFE
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD
Panasonic RP-56 DVD
Behringer DSP1124
Toshiba VCR (for CATV Tuning)
HotLink Pro IR Repeater
Harmony 880 Remote
Paradigm Monitor 7 mains
Paradigm CC270 center
Paradigm ADP-170 surrounds
Paradigm PS-1000 Sub
Aura Bass Shaker/Tactile Transducers x 4
Insteon Dimmers / ISY99irPRO Insteon (IR) Controller
Schwack of DIY Acoustic panels/treatments
DIY Rack and Faceplates


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## salvasol

I was looking at your equipment list and I though: He is missing a buttkicker ... and then I saw "Aura Bass Shakers x 4" :duh: ... How do you like them???

I'm curious about your receivers (STR-DE945 and STR-DE345) ... you mention that you're using the 345 for LFE :scratchhead: ... Do you mean, the Aura, Subs or both??? ... How did you connect the two receivers??? ... I have a STR-DE897, it has the sub pre-out (I'm sure that's what you're using on your 945) ... but where did you connect it on your 345??? :scratch:


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## YW84U

salvasol said:


> I was looking at your equipment list and I though: He is missing a buttkicker ... and then I saw "Aura Bass Shakers x 4" :duh: ... How do you like them???
> 
> I'm curious about your receivers (STR-DE945 and STR-DE345) ... you mention that you're using the 345 for LFE :scratchhead: ... Do you mean, the Aura, Subs or both??? ... How did you connect the two receivers??? ... I have a STR-DE897, it has the sub pre-out (I'm sure that's what you're using on your 945) ... but where did you connect it on your 345??? :scratch:


Hi Salvasol,

I'm very happy with the shakers - I've never had opportunity to compare them with the ButtKicker version (I imagine they are far superior), but for the small $ investment it was definitely worth it to me. I went into it with the view that if I didn't like the shake, I would not have put a lot of money into it. After living with them for a year, I can honestly say that these things add a nice dimension to the HT experience, and will likely deploy them again in HT 3.0 :spend:

The 345 comes into play only for the Shakers - there is a single Sub Out on the 945 that I split with a dual RCA connector - one RCA to the Sub (via BFD left engine), the other RCA goes into the right engine of the BFD (for a ~40HZ Low Pass filter) then onto the VIDEO IN for the 345 (some people report that using PHONO yields better results due to the sensitivity of the PHONO input, but I find all of them the same). The 345 mains out then drive the shakers, wired up for 8 ohms (2 4 ohm shakers per channel L/R). The handy thing with the setup is that the shaker 'volume' is adjustable via either the Big Knob or using the remote :bigsmile: The downside of having two Sony's together is the remote codes are similar, sometimes making component switching a little tricky since both want to respond. I will likely be replacing the 945 with something along the lines of an Onkyo 705 down the road, so that would remedy the codes overlapping...

Cheers!


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## Bob_99

Very nice work. Was this a converted room or new construction? It looks well planned and I bet it sounds great.

Bob


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## YW84U

Hi Bob

It was a 'destroy and rebuild' room....I started a construction thread over in the HT Design forum to document the transition, and have finally gotten around to placing the link in my sig below. Be forewarned, it is picture-intensive, and may take a bit to load up!

Cheers,


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## Bob_99

Thank you for the link. In addition to doing an excellent job on the room, you also did a great job on documenting the construction. That's a lot of work and I was sweating just reading through each step.

I hope you get a lot of free time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Bob


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## salvasol

YW84U said:


> ... I will likely be replacing the 945 with something along the lines of an Onkyo 705 down the road, so that would remedy the codes overlapping...Cheers!


I'm glad you enjoy your HT ... as I think most of us here enjoy ours :yay::yay:

Now is the time to look around for a receiver, after christmas there is always people returning things that they didn't like and have second thoughts :yes::yes::yes: ... I was lucky and I got a Yamaha RX-V2700 at BB for only $399.99 (it was their floor model at Magnolia), but it didn't come with a remote (they found it later), manual (I got it free online) and the YPAO microphone (cost me $25.00), so I got a $900.00+ receiver for about $457.00 including taxes :jump::jump: ... that was my Christmas present :bigsmile::bigsmile:


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## dieselpower1966

they say a photo speaks a thousand words so I'll use a few of them.

Wow, very well thought out, articulate, uncluttered, and flawless,
great job

dieselpower1966


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## YW84U

dieselpower1966 said:


> ....... flawless,


Oh good heavens no! It is far, far from that! I'm glad I opted for a dark room color :shh:

An old friend of mine, who was teaching me some basic woodworking skills a few years back, had always told me that "the difference between a professional woodworker and a novice is that the pro is able to hide his mistakes a little better"! :bigsmile: I think most of my time during the build is spent trying to remedy those things that perhaps may go unnoticed, but for some reason still bug me just simply because "I know they're there'. Can OCD be considered a tool? :daydream:
Maybe time for me to see the shrink :coocoo:

Cheers,


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## raw23062

Wish I had a dollar for everytime I was upset about something I had just finished building because of a flaw I noticed and had my wife ask "where" to which I reply "right there" "Where??" "right THERE." "WHERE???" "RIGHT THERE!!!" I feel your pain Tom, and know it well, but I think it serves us well in the long run, I have to agree, from the pics it looks flawless, I keep going back to your pics each night after sanding and filling for hours, just because I know it will make me do it all over the next night.
I'm REALLY not this much of a suck up, I just REALLY :wits-end: need the inspiration... :bigsmile:


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## Bob_99

> Wish I had a dollar for everytime I was upset about something I had just finished building because of a flaw I noticed and had my wife ask "where" to which I reply "right there" "Where??" "right THERE." "WHERE???" "RIGHT THERE!!!"


Sounds very familiar. My wife now considers me very ****.

Bob


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## Prof.

Bob_99 said:


> Sounds very familiar. My wife now considers me very ****.
> 
> Bob


Isn't everyone that gets into HT?.:bigsmile:


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## YW84U

Feb 2008 Update - 

Finished off the rack and the DIY faceplates



















Getting near to the end ....:yay:

Cheers,


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## superchad

Looks fantastic! I have those "Bass Shakers" in boxes still, one day I will install them.......a friend has thwm and they work great!
Again that is a grreat looking room, I hope one day my room can look that classy but I have a ways to go but I do know rooms like your inspire me and feed my ideas.


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## redduck21502

Wow that looks nice. I like the green color, dark enough for HT, but not black like many rooms. The platform for the rear couch is sweet too. And the electronics in the wall is awesome; must have taken some time to complete that.

I wish i could come into some money so that I can start a dedicated home theater. Setups like yours make me really want to construct one.


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## MonsterMaddness

Wow, I gotta say that your HT looks beautiful. I'm in a similar situation where my setup is in a spare bedroom but my wife and I plan on moving sometime within the next year and when we do I wanna do something similar in our new home. How long did it take you to do?


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## YW84U

redduck21502 said:


> ....I wish i could come into some money so that I can start a dedicated home theater. Setups like yours make me really want to construct one.


Thank You for the kind words!

Actually, it's not as expensive as one would first think - an awful lot of expenses were cut by DIY projects! It's tough now to account for how much money actually 'belongs' to the HT - the home automation stuff has spread through the rest of the house, some items were BDay gifts, so I don't know how to pro-rate them :spend:...I think if I were to ballpark, my last estimate was around $10K give or take - I did have one AVR, sub and centre going into the build. Looking back, it could have been done for less - different PJ, carpet, not so overboard on other things etc. I read a lot of different forums where people discussed costs of the basic finishing of a basement with contractors and trades, and saw figures that were all over the map :coocoo:. I was almost struck with the notion that I would have spent near the same amount for a plain finished basement room had I hired out the construction!

I believe that you can build a really nice dedicated space anywhere from $2K and up, depending on your wants and needs. I originally budgeted for $5K, and easliy doubled that one! Mind you, the last time I reno'd a bathroom I had figured $2k and ended up into it for around 4!!! (I sense a pattern of behaviour here :bigsmile. I would encourage you to consider undertaking such a project - I found it a very valuable experience, and learned tons along the way that I can apply in other areas of home ownership! (plus got some really cool tools for 'other' renos later on).

With the helpful folk here on the boards, I'm certain that you could take the plunge knowing that there is a community of knowledge to support you in making a great space that is budget friendly! Plus, it serves as a great hobby, as it is never really 'finished'....

Take Care,


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## redduck21502

I wouldn't hesitate to build myself, money is the only limiting factor. Having helped a great deal building my house, I have learned some great skills; I excel at soldering copper pipe. I have a family room that i need to finish, i have a wood stove in the middle of it, so I don't think i can convert it to a HT room. The other side has a future bedroom that would do quite well for HT, but I don't know if I can get approval. Once the basement bathroom is started, that limits usable space on the other half where the utilities come in, the HVAC is, and the water heater is. I could build a room in the center of that half of the basment and leave a corridor around the edge for all the utilities.

I really like the color of your walls, very upscale to look at them. Those accoustic panels look like they belong too, really nice.


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## YW84U

Ah, I have still yet to be brave enough to solder copper and mess with plumbing myself :scratchhead:

You know, maybe even for fits and giggles you might post up a floorplan of the space you have and put it out to the members here - I've seen some great collaborative ideas offered to help deal with unique space challenges! If you are already working on finishing the area, modifying the build to accommodate an HT in the future might not add very much more (if anything) to the basic costs. For the most part, framing and drywall is all the same unless you are looking into some degree of sound proofing/reduction. If it's something you are considering, some good planning early on might allow you to more easily convert it down the road when any fiscal pressures subside.

Maybe we can help with the approval part too :bigsmile:

Cheers,


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## YW84U

MonsterMaddness said:


> ...... How long did it take you to do?


Hi MonsterMaddness - probably about as long as it took for me to respond to your post :sad2: My bad, but Ive been pulled in so many directions as of late!

Anyhow, the build took roughly a year and a half overall. It was done using the basic evening/weekend formula we are all so fond of  . The work kinda went in fits and starts, in that there would be periods of huge progress interspersed with times where really little got done as I would be reading/researching information or addressing other household repairs or maintenance. I suppose I could have pressed forward a lot harder, although I have to admit I was having a lot of fun just 'puttering' on it without feeling rushed. Gave me a lot of time to try and fill in the gap that exists between 'good' and 'good enough' .

Even now, since it is a hobby, I admit I still don't feel as though it's truly 'done' - I'm always thinking about what sort of equipment upgrades I might do over the next year or two, and debating whether to add in some DIY architraves and/or lighting up near the ceiling to give it a bit more of a 'studio' feel....I swear, once you start down the HT slope, you quickly become an addict :mooooh:

Cheers,


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## MonsterMaddness

Yeah, tell me about it. It can get expensive but it's something you can buy a piece at a time. For me it started with a projector and I had to run my audio through a plain old stereo for another year before I could buy a reciever.


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## QBall

Very clean and impressive looking room. I like the colors you have chosen.


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## waldo563

Very nice...I especially like how you set up your equipment rack. I noticed you have Paradigm Monitor 7s for the mains. I am considering upgrading to Monitor 7 or 9s or maybe even the Studio 100s (if I happen to find a money tree). How do you like them?


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## SteveCallas

VERY Nice, this is the first time I've seen your theater. Everything looks great :T

Any desire to beef up the subwoofer department?


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## DonnieV

Fantastic set-up Tom. I've searched for a quite a bit for nice looking recessed media cabinets and yours are by far my favorite. I am building a house and I want to go with that look. Don't mean to hijack your thread but if you could provide any advice on how you did those media cabinets would be very helpful (either here or in PM). As well as how you did/where you got those faceplates that make everything so neat and flush. Oh and love the color scheme, very very nice job!!


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