# New HT in New Home



## dlucas10 (Jan 19, 2013)

Hello!

i'm looking at building a house in the next year or so, and I'd like to build a HT in it. I wanted to start this thread to help with the design of it. 

To get the ball rolling, what are some "lessons learned" for other folks that have built their own theaters? What are the ideal measurements for a HT? Again, remember this will be green field, and I'm willing to listen to everyone's suggestions and come up with a design!

My thoughts are that I'd like to look at ~3000 cubic foot room but that's just a number I came up with.

What would be the one must have things for a HT?

Thanks,

Dave


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Welcome to the Shack, you will get plenty of advice here. Glad to see you are planning ahead. While there is no one thing for everybody, I'd have to say my sub is the best part of my theater. I really like what good bass adds to the movie experiance. I'm sure you'll get several answers, but for me it's the sound effects.


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

Welcome to HTS! Be sure to ask questions; lots of very friendly folks here who are happy to help. 

The biggest thing is what you are already doing - planning ahead. Be sure to read our System Setup and Connections forum; chances are some of your questions are answered there.

I assume you will be putting the wiring in the walls/ceiling. I usually tell folks to list what you think you will need at each location and double it - seriously. No telling what new tech will be coming out that needs a cable. Also, for networked gear (which is almost everything now) it is always best to hard wire than depend on wifi.

Another option that many folks use is putting conduit in the walls and ceiling - kinda expensive, but it does allow pulling new cable, especially if you leave a lightweight rope in the conduit. I used PVC water pipe in my walls - cheaper than metal conduit and works just as well.

Speaker choice is highly subjective; what others like may or may not be what you like. If you have any electronics stores around, try to listen to several brands, but remember that it won't ever sound the same in your room as at the dealer due to different setups, placement, etc. Speaker placement is important, as are room treatments. Read and post in our Home Audio Acoustics forum - great place to learn.

As for "must haves", a display of course. If you want a projector you will need a way to control the light entering the room. Light will wash out the picture, ruining the contrast. "Sight lines" are important whatever display you choose. You want to make sure that everyone in the room can see the screen without having to hold their head in an odd position.

Then, the receiver. Lots of good gear available. Favorite brands of our members are Onkyo and Denon, with Pioneer and Yamaha next. Great buys are available as factory refurbished from our friends at Accessories4Less.com. Get one with as many HDMI inputs as you can afford to allow connections to future gear. Built in room correction, like Audyssey, is an important feature to get the best sound.

Another must have for an enjoyable HT is one or more subwoofers. Lots of good choices in many price ranges.

As for surround channels, 5.1 (front left, front center, front right, surround right and left, plus a subwoofer - the .1) is considered minimum these days. Other options are 7.1 (adds side surrounds) and 11.1 (adds front height and width speakers.) If you see a member mentioning .2, that means he has a second subwoofer on its own channel from the receiver.

Then the sources - satellite or cable TV, a blu ray player, maybe a media streamer like Roku, etc. Then cables to hook everything up. Do yourself a favor and don't buy the high priced ones - a waste of money. Many of our members buy cables from Monoprice.com - good quality at bargain prices.

Seating is another important choice - what kind of seats, how many rows, do you need to elevate a back row so folks back there can see. Several manufacturers make home theater style recliners with powered recline. Our friends at Ultimate Home Entertainment can offer great advice.

Anyway, that is a start. You have definitely come to the right place to get all the advice you need, so ask about anything that you don't understand or need more info on.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Figure how many people and seats you want first -but be realistic. 

Watch where you put any doors, windows, outlets, etc.

Plan HVAC and plumbing routing for the rest of the house so it goes though the HT area as little as possible.

Work with your builder to look carefully at the location of beams, support poles, etc.

Don't let them use that nice big area for something like the furnace, water heater, floor drain, etc.

Lots more to consider but those are kind of the starting points.

Bryan


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## dlucas10 (Jan 19, 2013)

Thanks everyone for your info on building a HT. I started a SketchUp of what I think I could do in the HT. I have some "dilemmas" but I think I can get through them! 

- To use in-wall speakers for the LCR or to get Floor standing speakers? Either way, I need to try to figure out the front wall. Using SketchUp, I placed two sub's and then I put in-wall speakers behind the screen. Anyone have any opinions? I'm trying to figure out which will sound better and how to do the front wall.

- I want the sub woofers to be "hidden" and I was thinking of building them into the front wall (maybe using a "fake wall"?) I'm not sure if folks have the Pro/Con's of doing such thing.

- I stuck two 4 seat seats in the HT for now, and I'm questioning if folks will care how far they are from the back wall. Looking at SketchUp it's saying they are ~3 feet away from the rear wall. Too close? Just right? If I do this, are there any caveats that one could share with me?

Let me know your thoughts, I'm still in the very early stages of doing this and input would be nice!

Thanks in advance! 

Dave


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

dlucas10 said:


> - I want the sub woofers to be "hidden" and I was thinking of building them into the front wall (maybe using a "fake wall"?) I'm not sure if folks have the Pro/Con's of doing such thing.


You can hide your subs behind a screenwall providing it's only a framework and cloth covered..not a solid timber wall..
Ideally the lower section needs to be open space so you have room to move the subs around for best position..



> - I stuck two 4 seat seats in the HT for now, and I'm questioning if folks will care how far they are from the back wall. Looking at SketchUp it's saying they are ~3 feet away from the rear wall. Too close? Just right? If I do this, are there any caveats that one could share with me?


3' from the rear wall is fine..


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