# Prioritizing Sound Choices - New theater



## owlfan12000 (Jul 2, 2007)

As I've been reading about acoustical issues I find that I have for too many choices to make sense of when designing a room and system from scratch. I'd like some guidance on how to begin to prioritize things. It seems like I have these options:

1. Change the room dimensions to get closer to the ideal ratios. In my area and price range this is an $80 to $90 per sq ft decision plus interest because it will be financed into the home.
2. Change the room dimensions to get better surround placement. More room in the back, sides,etc.
3. Various soundproofing options to decrease the ambient sound the system has to overcome. I have no good sense of how much the increase in cost will be versus standard construction techniques but the builder should be able to help me evaluate that.
4. Improve the devices producing the sound such as the receivers and speakers.
5. Pick a projector with lower noise production.
5. Improve the acoustics using various traps and diffusers.
6. Add buttkickers to improve the base impact.

I guess my biggest concerns are with the cost/benefit of soundproofing and acoustic treatment. A couple of examples/specific questions-
1. One of Bryan's posts says he has a 20' x 17' room. If I make that same room 19' x 16' I'll save $3240 in construction costs but my seats will be 6" closer to each side wall and 1' closer to the back wall. Can I fix that with one of Bryan's $600 to $1000 room kits + $1000 for a consultant to set it up? I've seen a lot of room mode calculators but I don't know how to translate the results into room treatment costs or what is "good enough". I don't have any idea how much it would cost to have someone come in and analyze the room and recommend treatments.

2. How do I evaluate/prioritize the value of isolating the lighting and other soundproofing options? I don't have any feel for these costs. 

3. What would be a good distance for seating from the side and from the back wall? What would be "good enough"?

For reference, I'm not a DIY guy and I'm not really an audiophile. I suspect I will be pleased amazed by anything I do. I'm probably looking to spend $6 to 10K on post construction costs like a projector, chairs, speakers, receiver, screen, Blu-Ray, acoustic treatments, remotes, cabling, calibration and setup. More than that and I'm probably going to have waf issues.


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## SierraMikeBravo (Jul 1, 2007)

Hi owlfan,

Yes, without arguement, this is a confusing business. However, I'll share something I have learned, a standard builder will likely have absolutely no clue how to build this thing. More than likely, less than you do. Builders don't want to take the time to learn it either as it really takes years to learn. , most AV contractors don't know how to employ the questions you are asking either. In addition, home theaters designed well, often do not use conventional building techniques, and this confuses builders even more. 

With that said, you are looking at a sizeable cost upgrade for sound isolation. BUT, if done in the beginning correctly, it should help to minimize costs since you don't have to do any retrofitting. Projectors can be sound isolated as well. Also, there are NO golden ratios. Best wishes!


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

SierraMikeBravo said:


> Hi owlfan,
> 
> Yes, without arguement, this is a confusing business. However, I'll share something I have learned, a standard builder will likely have absolutely no clue how to build this thing. More than likely, less than you do. Builders don't want to take the time to learn it either as it really takes years to learn. , most AV contractors don't know how to employ the questions you are asking either. In addition, home theaters designed well, often do not use conventional building techniques, and this confuses builders even more.
> 
> With that said, you are looking at a sizeable cost upgrade for sound isolation. BUT, if done in the beginning correctly, it should help to minimize costs since you don't have to do any retrofitting. Projectors can be sound isolated as well. Also, there are NO golden ratios. Best wishes!


+1


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## SierraMikeBravo (Jul 1, 2007)

owlfan12000 said:


> For reference, I'm not a DIY guy and I'm not really an audiophile. I suspect I will be pleased amazed by anything I do. I'm probably looking to spend $6 to 10K on post construction costs like a projector, chairs, speakers, receiver, screen, Blu-Ray, acoustic treatments, remotes, cabling, calibration and setup. More than that and I'm probably going to have waf issues.



The word audiophile is also a misnomer. To me, an audiophile is a "tweaker". Likely, never completely satisfied with what they do. Their answer to fixing a problem is upgrade the equipment often costing ludicrous amounts of money. You can't spend your way out of the laws of physics. In essence, if the ROOM is done right from the beginning, you should honestly never have to touch or tweak your audio system again unless a new media format comes out or you have to change the equipment for a defect. I haven't touched my system in 3 years regarding audio. With that said, your brain CAN tell the difference, and if done incorrectly, you will see a big improvement initially over TV speakers, but after the tenth movie, do things sound as magical? That is the question you need to ask yourself. The first or second time you listen to the system is irrelevant, but how great is it 6 months down the road? Are you already thinking upgrade then? That is often the sign of a problem. 

Regarding a calibrator, you may want to price them out before you put them into the budget. Some can be reasonable but some can be quite expensive. What is it that you seek? If you want to see fireworks and fanfare after calibration, prepare to pay. It can take awhile to calibrate a system properly, well over and above a TV calibration. It is completely dependent on how well the system is setup to begin with; what does the calibrator have to work with. If you decide that a good designer is in the budget, half of the calibration or more will be complete since a good designer should be calibrating as they design the room. I would suggest interviewing calibrators or designers and see if they truely understand the science and art of what they are doing. Talk to previous clients. Are the clients STILL happy after 6+ months. How much do they cost and why, etc.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

owlfan12000 said:


> 3. What would be a good distance for seating from the side and from the back wall? What would be "good enough"?


"Good enough" for the side wall distance is just enough room to be able to walk between the end on the seat and the wall..
A 16' width should give you this..

The minimum distance between the back of the seats and the back wall is about 2'6"..


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