# Help designing a HT



## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

Assuming I had the land, what is the optimal size and shape of a personal Home Theater.

I am looking to buy a house, and one request is a backyard large enough to accommodate a small building detached from the house as a Home Theater.

Assuming reasonable building costs, foundation, walls, electrical, permits, etc. What is an ideal size and shape for optimum acoustics.

Logistical stuff can be handled after. Just for the moment just shape and size. I have large speakers, SVS PC-13 Ultra, hope to add more. I have Polk Audio RTi12's. So with that info, I hope it can be taken into account for the room size. I look to house about 6 people. That enough seating space for most people on the forum. Has experience led to larger groups usually?

And I expect to run a Denon 6300, if not the newer version by next year. With external amps for the towers, probably adding a 2nd set of towers, seeing as I own a 2nd set already for my 2nd room. Probably adding RTi6's as Dolby Atmos height speakers. And plan on having multiple SVS subs. May even sell my PC-13 Ultra for multiple SVS PB-16 Ultras.

I mention that because some threads mention larger the room, larger the amp power needed. Well the towers run at 500watts max per tower per the Polk Rep. So with them running at 4 of them, and all my speakers combined with just a 7.1 the system would peak at 6050 watts. So by those numbers it could rms closer to 1500-2000. So most room sizes should be no problem.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

This is awesome you are starting from scratch. Apparently there are some ratios established you'd want to follow when designing the interior of the room. 

In Alton Everest’s Master Handbook of Acoustics (which is the best reference on these subjects) lists the ratios of four industry experts. Here are the four ratios:
Sepmeyer: 1.0 : 1.28 : 1.54
Louden: 1.0 : 1.4 : 1.9
Volkmann 1.0 : 1.5 : 2.5
Boner: 1.0 : 1.26 : 1.59

I got this from this web article, http://thehometheaterbook.com/home-theater-room-dimensions/, I'd give that a read. Some other things I'd think about are a separate equipment room, and an entrance area so the theater is one closed off area. I'd say go with a suspended wood floor over a concrete pad as well, instead of just building a room on a concrete pad itself. You are going to get way better tactile response that way I'd say. 

If you're going all out here, IMO, look into some higher sensitivity speakers that those Polk audio speakers. If I were to start all over again with a system from scratch, I'd look toward the line up of Power Sound Audio. Those will play louder than those Polk Audio speakers ever will with far less wattage. If you're really crazy, check out the Noesis speakers from JTR Speakers, with the 15's you wouldn't even need a sub as they are rated down to 17hz. 

As far as the sub, I'd look toward these guys too vs. adding any more SVS. I have a PB-13 Ultra, and the plan was for the longest time to stack another one on top. Then came the PB-16 Ultra, and I started looking around at other options as I couldn't live with spending another $2000 to get roughly the same performance as one PB16. I finally settled on this crazy thing called an S7201 from Power Sound Audio. I couldn't see a stack of 4 PB13 Ultras besting this thing. IMO SV Sound offers a very nice product, but you can get more performance per dollar elsewhere. 

Any way you go, it sounds like you're in for a fun ride. The only limit really is your imagination and your budget.


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## dickfantastic (Aug 10, 2017)

Or you could really get nuts, dig out a basement and do what this guy did. Nuts. 

http://gizmodo.com/5025867/horn-subwoofer-takes-up-crazy-mans-entire-basement


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## Tedd (Feb 2, 2007)

The issue is dome tweeter based speakers, start to run out of reference level headroom as early as 12' of throw distance. 

I wouldn't worry about all those ratios. That is a common theme n home theater design seminars. I would keep room dimensions 
differing from one another and take whatever room volume you can get. 

For six seats as 2 rows of three, I'd want 13x22x9 at the very least. I would prefer 15x24x10'. That would move the surrounds further 
off the seating, and allow for an acoustically transparent screen. That would also allow you to bring in some overflow chairs. 

You could build multiple subs, and have them hidden behind the AT screen. Just need a simple flat black finish and the cabinets needn't look pretty. 


No basements in Seattle?


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## the_rookie (Sep 30, 2008)

Tedd said:


> The issue is dome tweeter based speakers, start to run out of reference level headroom as early as 12' of throw distance.
> 
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> 
> ...




That sounds pretty wicked. But as being me, I am fairly meticulous about things and like exact things. Sort of why I am asking it here, not extremely knowledgable in this aspect and am seeking expert advice to make the build quality as best as possible. So is my current gear going to run out of steam before reference level? I want minimal harshness and distortion.

My end goal is to have clarity and photo realism sound. In my current size, the audyssey and polk mix makes it sound very accurate. I would like that in a larger setting with closer to reference level.


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## Tedd (Feb 2, 2007)

Often a budget means some compromises are in order. So maybe your second row doesn't quite hit reference levels but the first row nails it. Most of your quests won't know, 
while they'll be in awe of it all. 

Clarity is more an issue of the room and it's acoustical treatments, and sometimes seating placement. A great picture is more about preserving the dynamic range of your projector, with 
dark finishes. And capturing light coming off the screen, so it doesn't reflect off surfaces. 

A low noise floor for a theater is something you want. It preserves your dynamic range audio-wise, and makes it possible to hear the entire sound track, from a whisper to an explosion (and not 
have that explosion bet on your hearing or gear). 

One other nice advantage of an AT screen is just how easy a speaker swap out is. You could build and use your speakers for now, and an upgrade is always an option. So I would relax a bit on speakers 
for now and deal with that down the road. The outbuilding might be enough drag on your budget in the short term. (But do I ever like the JTR advice for the front speakers.


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