# New Multifunction Room Home Theatre



## zonecoaster1

*UPDATE: SEE HERE (Post #35)*

Hello,

I just joined this forum but have been browsing for several months, now. We just moved into a new house and I have recently 'completed' our home theatre. The reasoning behind my choices needs some background:

*Family:* 3 Adults (My wife, my mother-in-law and me) + four children

*Situation:* Child number four was (and still is) on the way, my mother-in-law was happy to move in and help, but the setup our house at the time wasn't conducive to that: three bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, no bonus room, unfinished basement (and rented). We needed more space so that (1) the children could have a true play area (far enough away from the sleeping baby and toddler); (2) mother-in-law could have her own space; (3) I could have a den area with a real door rather than an open archway.

*New House:* We found a spec home being built that had a very good layout for our purposes. We got involved when it was still at the framing stage, so we were able to add/change almost anything we liked. We made numerous framing changes, and I saw it as a my chance to work in a formal 'media room/home theatre' into the basement. The catch was that the basement rec area was to be a general purpose area; i.e. the children would be about, and it wasn't to be solely for theatre. Accordingly, we wanted to have everything as child-friendly as possible, but also to make the room as non-theatre-looking as possible.

This is the wall that I looked at in the showhome and thought "Hey, this could be a good media area if not for that bulkhead."










Here's what I ended up doing (same wall as shown in the previous photo of the showhome):









We added a fake bulkead along the front of the room, which allowed me to hide a motorized projector screen. Lovely. The paneling that looks like it's just a 'feature wall' actually opens to reveal several recesses for AV equipment.

The centre area was initially for a television, but we ended up putting that in our bedroom, instead. Now we just store the children's old DVDs in there.










The side and bottom panels open to reveal the LCR speakers, X-Box w/ Kinect, and some more storage space for X-Box games. The children LOVE playing their Kinect dance games on the projector screen.










The media cabinet is at the back of the room. You can see it off to the left in this photo. It's closed by pop-lock magnets -- no handles for the children to grab onto to open it.



















Inside the media cabinet is the usual stuff: storage space, HTPC w/ keyboard & secondary monitor, blu-ray player, Sonos Connect:Amps for whole-home audio on the main and second floors as well as the patio, HDTV set-top box, and AV Receiver.










Here is the other end of the room. The (unfinished) French doors on the left close off the 'flex room.' It's currently being used as a play room and children's TV room (has our 10-year-old DLP TV in there), but can be used as a second basement bedroom, office, whatever eventually if needed. The door straight ahead is the bathroom. The media cabinet can be seen again at the back-right of the photo, and the door to the right of that is the utility room. All of the wiring for the components in the media cabinet is accessible from the utility room.










We're really happy with the way it turned out. We initially had a TV in the recess where the old DVDs now reside. We ended up watching TV using the projector more often than not so we put the TV in our master bedroom, instead.

Compared to many of the builds I've seen here it's a modest setup, but it works nicely within the boundaries that we had. There's conduit in place in case we ever want to add more speaker wire for a 9.2 setup, and the AV Receiver is 4K- and 9.2-capable. The in-ceiling speakers were a necessary compromise but work quite well and, overall, we're very happy with the setup. Audyssey did a great job of making it all work nicely, and we just tweaked it a bit to our liking after that. The twin subs work well for the room, despite it being so open.

Thanks for reading. We're pretty excited and I wanted to post to add my own bit of experience to the collective pool.


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## zonecoaster1

My images aren't showing up, possibly because they're on photobucket and I'm still too new to post links to outside images. I will upload the images and edit the original post if I can.


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## ALMFamily

Welcome to HTS!

You can use the post padding thread in the testing sub forum to get to five posts - then your images should be visible within the hour...


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## zonecoaster1

ALMFamily said:


> Welcome to HTS!
> 
> You can use the post padding thread in the testing sub forum to get to five posts - then your images should be visible within the hour...


Thanks and Thanks!


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## ALMFamily

There we go - now I can see them. Well done mate!

I love those kid sized theater seats!


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## zonecoaster1

While we're waiting, here's my equipment list:

*Rec Area/Media Room:*
*AVR: *Onkyo TX-NR929
*Projector: *Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 5020UB
*Screen:* EluneVision Reference Studio 4k Motorized, Tab-Tensioned Screen
*Side Speakers:* Kef Q300 Bookshelf Speakers
*Centre Speaker:* Kef Q600c Centre Speaker
*Subwoofers:* Kef Q400b Subwoofers (2)
*Surround and Rear Speakers:* Yamaha NS-IC800 In-Ceiling speakers
*Blu-Ray Player:* Panasonic DMP-BDT230
*Cable TV Source:* HDTV Set-Top Box (Motorola)
*Other:* HTPC
*Control:* Logitech Harmony Remote


*Bedroom (Master)*
*TV:* Sony KDL-50R550A
*Cable TV Source:* HDTV Set-Top Box (Motorola)
*Blu-Ray Player:* Sony BDP-S5100
*Sound Bar:* Sony HT-CT260H (w/ wireless subwoofer)

*Whole-Home Audio*
*Sources:* Sonos Connect: Amp x 2
*In-Ceiling Speakers:* Audio Trak SKA 880 (builder's spec)


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## zonecoaster1

ALMFamily said:


> There we go - now I can see them. Well done mate!
> 
> I love those kid sized theater seats!


Thanks! Those were from the Grandparents, and were a complete surprise to all of us. They fully recline, legs come up and everything. The children love them. When we're not in theatre mode, they're turned 180 degrees so that we have a little bit of a circle/square thing going on with the furniture. Our toddler likes the beanbag chair. It's mine from when I was a child.


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## Prof.

Nice neat job..:T
One thing i would suggest though..It's not a good idea to have your speakers in a cavity or cabinet..
If there's no way around it, then you need to fill the cavity around the speakers with insulation to reduce boundary effects..
You would then cover the cavities with cloth covered frames..


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## B- one

Great looking space and thanks for sharing we all love pic's!!


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## zonecoaster1

Thanks! I love HT photos, too, and have enjoyed browsing everyone else's builds. People are doing a lot of really creative things and this site is perfect for sharing ideas.


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## zonecoaster1

Prof. said:


> Nice neat job..:T
> One thing i would suggest though..It's not a good idea to have your speakers in a cavity or cabinet..
> If there's no way around it, then you need to fill the cavity around the speakers with insulation to reduce boundary effects..
> You would then cover the cavities with cloth covered frames..


Sorry, I didn't ignore this, just didn't see this post until now. Compromises. I stared at the plans/drawings for hours, trying to figure out a way to improve it that would actually be acceptable to all of us. There really hasn't been anything likely enough to satisfy all competing interests to make it worth trying out. We considered 'traditional' in-wall LCR speakers as well (with cabinet-style doors to cover them when not in use), but I bet on bookshelf speakers and a traditional centre channel speaker sounding better, even in a non-ideal setup, than in-wall speakers. In addition, this setup is far more flexible insofar as disruption-minimizing future upgrade paths are concerned.

The system is in a multi-use space (we now have four small children) and we needed it to (as much as possible) (1) not look like a theatre when not being used as one; (2) keep dangerous and expensive stuff away from little hands. Cabinets were a good compromise to achieving this. Framed fabric cover for the cavities was a no-go because of the travel of the hinges (they actually move as the door is swung through its range of motion). We went with front-ported (I know, still doesn't eliminate the issue) speakers and found speaker stands that allow us to place them far forward as possible in the cabinets without interfering with the doors. We relied on Audyssey to give us a good starting point, from which I did a bit more tweaking. Believe it or not, the system actually sounds very good (to our ears).

I know that it looks like a mish-mash of components, odd placements, etc., but a lot of time was actually spent thinking about it, putting it together and then making it work, and it actually does. As I said before, it's a modest setup compared to the other builds on this site, but everything was done for a reason and it actually does work very well. I like to think that part of it was good planning, but I know that good fortune played a significant role.

Thanks for the suggestions/feedback. I do appreciate it.


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## Prof.

All that matters is that if you're happy with the sound, then you've achieved your goal..


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## zonecoaster1

Prof. said:


> All that matters is that if you're happy with the sound, then you've achieved your goal..


:T

The setup of your theatre is excellent, btw.


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## Prof.

Thanks mate..It's only small but it produces big sound!


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## joonbug99

I know this is a home theater forum but.....Ya gotta give some love to the sonos components. It's the best!!!!! Nice room for sure.


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## zonecoaster1

Haha, yes, the Sonos system is nice for whole home audio. We liked that it was phone/tablet/computer-controlled, has a nice-enough interface on those devices, and is easily scalable.


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## Savjac

That is a wonderful room, very good and clean work.


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## zonecoaster1

Thanks! We're enjoying it.


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## dougc

Very nice room, and even better because it accommodates the whole family for things other than watching movies. I really like how you built in the PJ screen.


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## zonecoaster1

Thanks! My wife did not like the idea of the fake bulkhead at all when I described and then drew it (thought it would look out of place). She does like the end result, so I dodged one there!

It was a fun exercise trying to figure out how to set up the space. A couple of the other houses that we looked at had dedicated theatre rooms in addition to a large rec area. This place wasn't as big as the others so it didn't allow for that, but it suited our family better in most other ways. The theatre is a bonus. I'm glad (and now so is my wife) that it worked out.


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## zonecoaster1

So much for being done. This week I've added front wides, true rear surrounds and a third subwoofer. Now it's 11.1 (the same signal is carried by each of the subs because that's how my AVR handles it).

*Setup now as follows:*
-*Front L/R and Front Wides: *Kef Q300 x 4
-*Centre: *Kef Q600c
-*Front Height: *Yamaha NS-IC800 in-ceiling
-*Surround: *Yamaha NS-IC800 in-ceiling
-*Rear: *Sony SS-MSP760 surround (satellite) speakers
-*Subs: *Kef Q400b x 2 (10") @ front, Sony SAWMSP76 (8") @ rear
-*Primary AVR:* Onkyo TX-NR929
-*Secondary AVR:* Sony STR-DH540 (being used as external amp for front wide speakers. 929 has 11 channels of processing, but only 9 channels of amplification).

The down side is having to put the rear speakers away when our toddler is around (they're on stands) but that's minor.

I also figured out a way to move the speakers forward out of the cabinets when in use (simple slides) but haven't decided whether or not I will do it as we're quite pleased with the sound of it as is. The only argument that I have in favour of it is that it's 'something to do.' That's probably enough reason, though...


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## ALMFamily

zonecoaster1 said:


> So much for being done. This week I've added front wides, true rear surrounds and a third subwoofer. Now it's 11.1 (the same signal is carried by each of the subs because that's how my AVR handles it).
> 
> *Setup now as follows:*
> -*Front L/R and Front Wides: *Kef Q300 x 4
> -*Centre: *Kef Q600c
> -*Front Height: *Yamaha NC-IC800 in-ceiling
> -*Surround: *Yamaha NC-IC800 in-ceiling
> -*Rear: *Sony SS-MSP760 surround speakers
> -*Subs: *Kef Q400b x 2 (10") @ front, Sony SAWMSP76 (8") @ rear
> -*Primary AVR:* Onkyo TX-NR929
> -*Secondary AVR:* Sony STR-DH540 (being used as external amp for front wide speakers. 929 has 11 channels of processing, but only 9 channels of amplification).
> 
> The down side is having to put the rear speakers away when our toddler is around (they're on stands) but that's minor.
> 
> I also figured out a way to move the speakers forward out of the cabinets when in use (simple slides) but haven't decided whether or not I will do it as we're quite pleased with the sound of it as is. The only argument that I have in favour of it is that it's 'something to do.' That's probably enough reason, though...


Is one ever ready done when it comes to this hobby? :bigsmile:

New pics! :whistling:


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## pattywac3

Prof. said:


> Nice neat job..:T
> One thing i would suggest though..It's not a good idea to have your speakers in a cavity or cabinet..
> If there's no way around it, then you need to fill the cavity around the speakers with insulation to reduce boundary effects..
> You would then cover the cavities with cloth covered frames..


I agree! And I read your reply stating that they had to be hidden from small hands, just a thought, what if you put them on a pull out drawer so they wouldn't be enclosed while in use. Love the theater by the way!


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## zonecoaster1

pattywac3 said:


> I agree! And I read your reply stating that they had to be hidden from small hands, just a thought, what if you put them on a pull out drawer so they wouldn't be enclosed while in use. Love the theater by the way!


Thanks! In my last post before this one I answered your questions, lol:



zonecoaster1 said:


> I also figured out a way to move the speakers forward out of the cabinets when in use (simple slides) but haven't decided whether or not I will do it as we're quite pleased with the sound of it as is. The only argument that I have in favour of it is that it's 'something to do.' That's probably enough reason, though...


The system sounds great as it is. Any attempt to move the speakers out of the cabinets would also require me to either raise the speakers further (to avoid the bottom tension bar on the screen) or lower the screen further (which would necessitate adjusting the projector and mount as well). I'm not too keen on doing any of that in order to 'solve' a problem that doesn't actually bother us. That said, clearly I get stir crazy pretty easily, so if I run out of projects then that might actually start to look like a good one to tackle.


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## zonecoaster1

ALMFamily said:


> Is one ever ready done when it comes to this hobby? :bigsmile:
> 
> New pics! :whistling:


Haha, nope, never satisfied, I guess. As long as there are upgrade paths and ways to 'clean things up'...

I don't have any new photos, but there's not much to see. The top shelf of the AV cabinet now has the second AVR instead of the other miscellaneous items that it had previously. The front of the room now has the subs moved further out and two new Q300s as wides. They're not hidden (because I had no way to do so; they weren't part of the original plan), but our toddler can't move them and lost interest in them in about 5 minutes, so it all worked out.


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## jtl

Hi Zonecaster1,

Your home theater looks great. Fantastic use of the spacespace.

How do you like your "EluneVision Reference Studio 4k Motorized, Tab-Tensioned Screen"? I am on the verge of ordering one and was wondering if you have any comments on it.

Cheers,


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## zonecoaster1

Thanks! 

The screen is excellent. The image quality is great, and the surface is uniform (colours, brightnes) and smooth (wrinkle/wave-free). Viewing angles are great. The 2 full feet of adjustable black drop at the top is handy, as is the motorized (RF-controlled) up/down. The only complaint I would make is that the transport brackets that were installed from the factory marked up the tension bar a bit, but it's not a big deal. All of that said, I wouldn't hesitate to buy again.

Edit: I had never heard of EluneVision before I started looking more deeply into screens. Looking online, reviews were positive, owners who were happy seemed very happy, the Canadian retailer that I knew of was very helpful and informative (and has been supporting the brand for some time), and I was pretty confident in the decision by the time the buy button was pressed. I have zero regrets/buyer's remorse. Look around, though. I read online reviews, owner opinions, etc. and chatted with the retailer before making the decision. If you're still uncertain, make sure to buy from a reputable dealer who will stand behind the product, but have your satisfaction as their primary goal. The retailer I dealt with clearly had a lot of confidence in the product and his policies reflect that.


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## jtl

I got a great deal on the screen from Costco online so I ordered it. Will be here mid week. Really looking forward to setting it up. I just have a really cheap pull down screen now. Thanks again for the info.


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## zonecoaster1

Update time. 

I removed the Sony satellites at the rear in favour of Kef C1s. WONDERFUL change. I really debated C1 vs Q300 (to match the R/L and wides) vs Q100 (to stay with the Uni-Q drivers), but decided not to get more speaker than I need (...right) for rear surrounds. The C1s do a great job, and I was able to keep them on the same satellite stands rather than buying proper 'bookshelf speaker stands' for them -- makes moving them a lot easier as speaker and stand move as one. 

The only other thing I'm itching for is one of those SmartHome IRLinc IR to Insteon units so that I can control my lights using my remote control rather than having to carry my phone around with me.


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## Dwight Angus

Great looking room. Lots of room and looks like nice high ceilings. I will also order an EluneVision screen & planning to visit retailer this weekend to demo their 4k audio weave & some projectors. Glad to hear you like your screen. The reviews I have read seem very favourable & prices seem very competitive. Congrats


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## Mark L

Nice job of taking advantage of the room you have.


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## zonecoaster1

Dwight Angus said:


> Great looking room. Lots of room and looks like nice high ceilings. I will also order an EluneVision screen & planning to visit retailer this weekend to demo their 4k audio weave & some projectors. Glad to hear you like your screen. The reviews I have read seem very favourable & prices seem very competitive. Congrats


Thanks! Enjoy the screen if you decide to get it. We've been very happy with ours. Way down the road from here, when the children are grown, I'm hoping to go to an audio transparent screen spanning that entire wall.



Mark L said:


> Nice job of taking advantage of the room you have.


Thanks! We're enjoying it. BTW, my children love Ice Age, and particularly the most recent one. They're split on the 3D, though.


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## Owen Bartley

Great room, and a very clean way to keep everything hidden. The cabinets look great, and I'd say its a good compromise, especially if you do like the sound of the room.


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## zonecoaster1

Thanks! I've tried it set up with all of the speakers on stands or on tables as well, and the sound is nice that way as well, but I wouldn't say that I prefer it that way. My wife has warmed up to the idea of having speakers out in the open now that the wides and rears have been out for a while. It's not as clean a look, but that's actually turned out to be ok. The children have also, for the most part, left them alone. The 1.5-year-old was our biggest concern, and she's getting better so we'll see. I'm going to look at some stands tomorrow -- found a set that can be filled with sand for extra weight.

Edit: Stands didn't pan out for the fronts, but I did get some for the rears and centre channel. I ended up putting L/R and wide L/R on tables (did same for wides). The main reason any of this came about was that I wanted to, as much as possible, get the front speakers all at the same height. It started with raising the centre channel up, then bringing the L/R down. The surrounds and heights being in-ceiling helps with expanding the effect above, and the rears literally bring up the rear.


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## zonecoaster1

Now it's as done as it's going to be for a while. My 7.x theatre is now 11.x, and the once hidden speakers are now out in the open. What spurred the change was:

1. Since I had only planned for 7.2, when I decided to upgrade to 9.2 (and then 11.2) there was nowhere to hide the front wide speakers so I had to use side tables.

2. I wanted to get all the front speakers, including the centre channel, sitting as close to the same height as possible.

My wife and I discussed the rec area and the idea of using stands for the speakers. We went shopping and found a good set of stands, but weren't really sold on them for the front of the room. In the end I suggested that we try out some of our living room and bedside tables as stands since they're all the same height and we already knew that she actually liked the way the wides looked on side tables. We ended up liking that setup the most, and just used traditional speaker stands for the centre channel and rear speakers.

Here's the new front 'stage':



















There's been a nice change in the feel of the front stage now that the speakers are all at roughly the same height, right at ear level. Having the front heights and side surrounds in-ceiling actually helps in enveloping you in sound from the main viewing area, and the rear speakers complete the surround effect.

The front in-ceiling speakers are now used as front height speakers (tweeters aimed at the main seating area).










I picked up a Rocketfish wireless rear speaker kit to give me some freedom with regards to the placement of the rear speakers. The kit consists of a sender and a receiver. The sender connects to the AVR, and the receiver connects to a pair of speakers. The problem for me there was that I wanted the rear speakers to be in the two rear corners of the room and didn't want to run wire across the room. To solve that problem I bought a second kit. I set up one kit for each speaker, so instead of a single unit controlling both speakers, I have one for left and one for right. Not ideal having two wireless speakers, but Audyssey made the corrections fine, and I trialled it with _Gravity_ and it worked out just fine.

Here are shots of the rear of the room, as well as of the Rocketfish units. As you can see, the new baby is here, and along with him came some more gear out of storage, haha. There's a bit less space for the children to run around, but they still do just fine. Behind the French doors is a small play room just for them, anyway. The keyboard is my wife's, and the children love playing it so we took it down off the keyboard stand and put it on some basic Ikea side tables (better height for them), instead.




















*Sender units for the rear speakers:*










*Receiver unit for one of the speakers:*










The Rocketfish units do introduce a delay/lag. Fortunately, the amount is within the ability of Audyssey to correct on my system (barely). The right rear is set to 29.5 feet and the left 30 feet (which could be really 30 feet or just the max compensation that can be applied, which on this particular system is 30 feet). If both speakers had been set to 30 feet then I would have been worried that the delay was too long for Audyssey to correct. Since they were actually different I was relieved. The final confirmation was actually using the system and not noticing any sync issues.

Having the rear speakers on stands made us nervous, so we needed a way to keep our toddler away from them. The right rear is easy, as we wedged it between the wall and the keyboard "table." We had to get creative for the left rear. It's just one of the same tables, turned on its side. You can see that little hands have already been there to inspect:











I installed Insteon dimmer switches to control the front and rear lights in the rec area independently (four recessed lights per switch). I was previously able to control them using the Insteon apps on my phone and tablet. I thought this to be nice, but redundant since I have a universal remote control, so I set about researching how to control the lights with my Harmony remote. I ended up installing a SmartHome IRLinc unit, which converts the IR output from the Harmony remote to RF signals that control the dimmer switches. Now I have one remote to control everything.

Here's a shot of the IRLinc. This is looking up at the ceiling, at the bottom & back of the projector. The IR receiver is taped to the back of the projector, facing downwards to receive remote control input, and the RF sender unit is plugged into the ceiling.











Here's the media cabinet again. It now has wireless thermometers and fans within it (controllable by a smartphone/tablet app via a Belkin WeMo switched outlet. Having the thermometers there for several weeks now has taught me that I don't need thermometers and fans there. Heat hasn't been an issue. The top shelf holds the second AVR, a Sony STR-DH540, that controls the front wide speakers. The third sub is actually just a shelf, now, as it was completely unnecessary with the two Kef units in place.

























That's about it.

Here are some shots showing the progression from 7.2 to 'staggered front' 11.2 and then to its current configuration.

*Initial 7.2*









*'Staggered Front' 11.2*









*Current State*










*List of Gear*

*Speakers*
-Front L/R & Front Wide L/R -- Kef Q300 x 4
-Centre -- Kef Q600c
-Front Height -- In-ceiling Yamaha NS-IC800 x 2
-L/R Surround -- In-ceiling Yamaha NS-IC800 x 2
-Rear Surround -- Kef C1 x 2
-Subwoofers -- Kef Q400b x 2 (10" powered)

*AVRs*
-Primary AVR: Onkyo TX-NR929
-Secondary AVR: Sony STR-DH540 (being used as external amp for front wide speakers. 929 has 11 channels of processing, but only 9 channels of amplification).

*Blu-Ray Player*
-Panasonic DMP-BDT230

*Projector*
-Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 5020UB

*Screen*
-EluneVision 106" Reference Studio 4K Tab Tensioned, Motorized 16:9

*Remote Control*
-Logitech Harmony Ultimate

*Lighting & Cooling*
-Insteon Dimmer Switches (2477D)
-SmartHome IRLinc IR to RF controller for Insteon
-Belkin WeMo WiFi Switched Outlet + ThermalTake USB External Cooling Fans
-Springfield Wireless Digital Thermometers

No, everything's not hidden away, but as it turns out, this actually works for us both practically and aesthetically. That was a pleasant surprise.


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## Owen Bartley

Nice way to re-work things. It looks like the new baby has a great seat for movies too! Our little guy is past the point where he'll sleep through anything (I got through Dredd with him a few months ago - with the volume low) so movies are tough these days.


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## zonecoaster1

Thanks. Edit (thought you were talking about the bean bag, having forgotten about the swing). The swing chair is a prime spot! He's the first of our children to actually enjoy being in it so now we're glad that we held on to it. The funny thing is he will sleep through everything except running water. Go figure.

My eldest child's birthday is this week and she has been going on and on about Frozen for weeks (hasn't seen it in the theatre, but has a friend who has). Bummer that it doesn't come out on blu-ray for the general public until next week. We're hoping to have a family viewing of Frozen next week when it's released, though. Here's hoping we can get through it in not too much longer than its actually running time.


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## zonecoaster1

I didn't check the basement before the children went off to bed. They got away with one this time, haha:

















My second youngest's new favourite stuffy (Belt, from _The Croods_):










I wasn't too crazy about the slim blu-ray case, but wanted the stuffed toy for her.


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## pkrfan

I very much enjoy your setup. Looks great. 

I'm just curious how you hooked up the two AVRs. How did you wire the Onkyo to the Sony? I assume you used one of the Onkyo's preouts.


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## prerich

I love the improvements!!!! Getting the speakers on the same plane was an excellent ideal!!! :nerd:


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## ALMFamily

I really appreciate the amount of detail you provide as part of the upgrade process - makes me feel like I was there in person to see it!

My personal favorite - the little handprints on the table... :bigsmile:


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## zonecoaster1

pkrfan said:


> I very much enjoy your setup. Looks great.
> 
> I'm just curious how you hooked up the two AVRs. How did you wire the Onkyo to the Sony? I assume you used one of the Onkyo's preouts.


Thanks! The 929 is set up to manage amplification for all but the front wides. The pre-outs for the front wides are routed out to the Sony AVR -- I think I used the 'TV' inputs -- and the Sony AVR is set to 'direct' to avoid double-processing. The volume on the Sony is set to almost full. Works great! I went this route because (1) it was cost-effective (huge discount on a 5.1-, 3D- and 4K-compatible amp works for me); (2) I can use the Sony AVR for other things (eg. another zone of audio or just setting up a system in another room if I decide to upgrade this one in the future); (3) For just wide speakers, it is easily up to the task.




prerich said:


> I love the improvements!!!! Getting the speakers on the same plane was an excellent ideal!!! :nerd:


Thanks! It was definitely a better way to go. The overall change in sound quality was worth it. Fortunately we already had all of the side tables (had to take one set out of my mother-in-law's room, but I got her a new set). They're all from Ikea. I say fortunately we already had them because they've all been discontinued since we purchased them years ago, and their replacements have different dimensions entirely.




ALMFamily said:


> I really appreciate the amount of detail you provide as part of the upgrade process - makes me feel like I was there in person to see it!
> 
> My personal favorite - the little handprints on the table... :bigsmile:


Thanks! I've seen other people do it that way and thought it was great to read, so I figured I would try to do the same. It's nice to see what people did, how they did it and why. I thought the hand prints were hilarious when I saw them, so I snapped a photo. Thought some of you might get a kick out of it, too.


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## A/V

That looks great mate. It really does help when the front speakers are all at the same height doesn't it. I love what you did with the front height speakers. Creates a nice clean look instead of having FH speakers wall mounted. Well done sir!


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