# New Construction Theater/Family room



## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Hey Everyone. I am a long time lurker but kind of shy to post. We were recently kind of forced to move, If you have heard of the Post Offices' troubles as of late, I am one of the affected employees. Well good news here is that my wife and I have a house with an unfinished basement, AHHH. I am excited about it and have a hard time going slow with it so far. What we have is a big living room. 17.5' x 28'. It has two windows on the right hand side that are gonna let light in and I may go to blinds.com and get some sort of light control there. Lust wondering what would be the best projector for me. I am hoping to stay under 2k.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Here I will try to add a rough drawing of the TOBE theater. I have a problem in that my wife is always cold, and I am always hot. The basement will be colder than the upstairs so she wants a fireplace down there. I dont know where I could fit one of those in without it being distracting, also they are too exensive for me but not her. So I need alot of help. How Do I heat the theater room so I can watch movies with my wife. I am thinking about a 110 screen so that would leave 30" under the screen and about 4' on each side.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I keep forget to add things that I should. I will use a Denon 1909 Receiver, I have POLK mains RT400 (14 Yrs old) and Polk Center CS200. I will mainly use the theater for Movies, Gaming and maybe a little bit of TV watching. Any advice I can get will be appreciated. I have bare stud walls now. I am trying to go slow so I dont forget things. There are the HVAC ducts running across the short side of the room.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Well, first off - welcome to the madness! :bigsmile:

I am not sure I was reading it right - is the HT space 17'x28'?

As far as the heating, I had the same problem. What I did was to wire a dedicated outlet for an IR heater and got one for $100. I am figuring it will only need to be run for about 5 minutes or so to warm up the room a bit, and then body heat will take over. :bigsmile:

Are you planning on any sound isolation - i.e. clips / hat channel, staggered stud or 2x drywall and Green Glue?

One suggestion I will make right off is to try to future proof as much as you can for things like speaker / sub connections, etc. Much harder to do when the walls are up. :bigsmile:


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Yep the home theater space is 17x28. I basically come down the stairs and open the door at the bottom of the landing and that is the room. To the left is an open arch that goes to the other rooms. I was not planning on isolation because this room will be our family room 25% of the time. I am gonna run HDMI up to the projector along with cat5 and COAX and also put a hollow tube there also in case I want to put something else up there later. I was gonna wire it for 7.1 but probly only use 5.1. anything I am missing as far as wiring?


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Which IR heater did you get? The EdenPure or some other brand. The EP says it can heat up to 1000ft is that accurate? It only has to raise it from 65 to 70 or so. I am afraid a fireplace will rattle when Bass starts hitting.


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## MikeBiker (Jan 3, 2010)

Putting in some baseboard heaters is another option. How is the basement currently heated?


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I got this unit which I was able to find in black and on sale for $100. I like Mike's suggestion of baseboard heating as well - I might have gone that route, but my breaker panel is pretty full and baseboard heating uses 220.

At a room size of 17x28, I would consider doing a baffle wall with an AT screen - having the ability to put your L/C/R and subs (potentially) behind your screen makes the screen wall look cleaner IMO as well as hides them from little hands (should you have kids :bigsmile ).

For wiring, I wired my room for 11.4. Now, there is probably no way I will ever have that many speakers in use - however, it is much easier to place them now rather than once the room is finished. And, conduit / wire is cheap.

Other considerations include an outlet for motorized screen curtains or a motorized screen, outlets for star ceiling / light tray / step lighting, and maybe conduit for running HDMI / cat5 to the screen wall should you ever decide to locate a TV there. Again, these may be things that you have no plans for doing. However, it is much easier and cheaper to run the wire now as compared to doing after your room is finished.

If you have not had a chance to do it already, I suggest reading through some build threads. I picked up many ideas from just reading what other people were doing.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Awesome ideas guys. I like the idea of baseboard heaters but I have to convince my wife that they are not ugly. 11.4 holy man that is looking forward. I am hoping everything will go wireless soon, if a roku can do it in HD why cant cable companies do it in our house?


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Oh and I dont think there is a chance in he that my wife would go for any bigger screen but I am all for it. Any suggestions for a projector under the 2k range with windows that will have coverings someday on the right side


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

As far as the projector goes, you will need to define a few parameters first before anyone can help with some direction.

Take a minute to read this thread - that should help get you started.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. I have to spend the next few weeks just reading and asking questions so hopefully I dont forget anything too major. Is there anything you guys forgot that looking back now you wish you would have thought of?/


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

So far, I have not run into anything major. Of course, I spent a lot of time in the wiring stage - at least 2 months - so I had a lot of time to read threads to make sure I was covering all the bases.

I am not sure about your specific situation, but this is probably the last house we will own (barring unforseen circumstances of course) so I have been taking my time making sure I do as much right as possible. So, if I had one piece of advice, it would be to take your time and enjoy the project. That will also give you time to research and see as many other ideas as you can so you will not have as many of those "I wish I would have done that" thoughts.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Hello I may have another newb ? but I have a 6" vent going to a bedroom that is in the upper floor that I would like to reduce the noise going to that bedroom from the basement, any ideas.


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## MikeBiker (Jan 3, 2010)

orion said:


> Hello I may have another newb ? but I have a 6" vent going to a bedroom that is in the upper floor that I would like to reduce the noise going to that bedroom from the basement, any ideas.


I don't know how easy they are to implement, but items 1 and 3 from this noise reduction list may help reduce the noise.


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## engtaz (Jul 9, 2010)

Welcome. There are guys on this site the build amazing Home Theaters so I'm sure the will answer any and all question. This site is amazing with very helpful and courteous members. Have fun.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Not sure how the venting is configured, but one idea I put to use was to replace tin duct with flexible duct where possible - flexible duct absorbs sound better. It also allows you to do what I call "put an S in it" - put S shaped bends in it so that sound does not have a direct path.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK looks like I will be getting a projector soon so I can "Visualize" how it will all come together. Anyhow, being that it will not be totally light controlled but it will and can be dim, the room is 28X17 I will be watching movies and playing PS3. I seen the JVC rs40 bstock is on sale for 1800 but not too excited about the warranty and I don't think it comes with the 3d glasses, I don't know if it will put out enough light either. or the Epsons 3010 or the 8350, then the Mits 4000 which all seem to be solid projectors. Any illumination on any I should not get? 3d isn't important now, I would have to get a new reciever and buy 3d movies.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I would go to Projector Central and play with the calculator - it really helps get an idea on throw distance and how much FL you would get for a given projector and screen size.

If you want to try out a more advanced calculator, you can go here.

FYI - I have seen it suggested several times that 12-16 FL is the range you want to target. I went closer to 16 to allow for the lamp degradation.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Your first consideration is whether you're going with an LCD or DLP projector..
If you suffer from RBE, then you'll need to get an LCD..If not, then my number one choice would be the HC4000..


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## boarderc577 (Feb 2, 2010)

On future proofing I would put cat6 though out. I ran two cat5 conecctions everywhere I had a cable outlet in my house and now wish I had ran three and also used cat6 for what's too come


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I do agree to run cat5/6 to all the cable outlets but I am guessing in 5 years it will all be wireless(Hopefully)

I dont know If my family or I suffer from RBE is there any way to tell other than find a projector like this:huh:


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

orion said:


> Oh and I dont think there is a chance in he that my wife would go for any bigger screen but I am all for it. Any suggestions for a projector under the 2k range with windows that will have coverings someday on the right side


I am starting the process of building a HT room also. I was looking at the Epson powerlite 3010 projector, it says the lumens are realy bright and make it easy to see in a partially lit room. Any thoughts / have you looked into it at all??


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I am looking at the 3010 as well as the 8350. The problem I have with the 3010 is the 3d wouldn't get used much (if at all) and the other problem I have is the lag for gaming. I would love to play in 3d but if lag is bad it may not be worth it. Also I dont want to pay a few hundred extra for more glasses so everyone can watch. Also with the lack of lens shift really make it unattractive to me. The 8350 seems like a better projector to me but it doesn't have 3d. Also the Mitsubishi 4000 also seems like a great projector. And Optoma hd33


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I tried to draw the front of the room that I have in mind. It may take some imagination but the right hand side is a pair of stacked MFW15 and then the left front speaker screen center channel and then the Right front speaker. Now to the right of this is where your imagination will need to work. I tried to draw 3d with the wall turned out about 30 degrees to fit a fireplace. I think I can do a shallow angle like that so that the fireplace will be angled more towards the seating positions. What do you think?


View attachment 03151201.PDF


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

orion said:


> I dont know If my family or I suffer from RBE is there any way to tell other than find a projector like this:huh:


When I bought my first DLP projector, I didn't know whether I suffered from RBE or not! I took a chance, but I did see it straight away..
After about a month, I didn't see anymore RBE..Your eyes do get accustomed to it, but for some people they never do..
The safest idea is to get your projector from a place who will exchange it if you or a family member suffers from this problem..


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Looks like I just missed a few good sales with the BenQ w6000 for 1k and JVCs hd250 for a grand. I think they would have been good ones to have. I was all sold on the epson 8350 and now I am not so sure. Maybe I can wait for a good deal like these.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I am looking at the new Denon Denon line for a receiver. I have a denon 1909 but I think I am gonna sell it to upgrade to get a 3d ready and networked receiver. The 1912 can be had for $400. Seems like a good price


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

orion said:


> I am looking at the new Denon Denon line for a receiver. I have a denon 1909 but I think I am gonna sell it to upgrade to get a 3d ready and networked receiver. The 1912 can be had for $400. Seems like a good price


Thats a great price for the 1912! Where you getting it from..I'm looking to get the same one and its priced for $550...Let me know please!


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

orion said:


> I am looking at the 3010 as well as the 8350. The problem I have with the 3010 is the 3d wouldn't get used much (if at all) and the other problem I have is the lag for gaming. I would love to play in 3d but if lag is bad it may not be worth it. Also I dont want to pay a few hundred extra for more glasses so everyone can watch. Also with the lack of lens shift really make it unattractive to me. The 8350 seems like a better projector to me but it doesn't have 3d. Also the Mitsubishi 4000 also seems like a great projector. And Optoma hd33


I recently purchased the Panasonic 7000U and a 100" screen from visual apex in a combo deal. I went with the Panasonic over the Epson due to comments on the gaming lag. Epson is stated at having a 84mm lag and the panasonic approximately a 33mm lag.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

How do you like the Panasonic? I just ordered the 2112 Denon for $450 from Electronics Expo. You have to call to get the special. 800 707 3976. I didn't ask how much the 1912 was because this was a killer deal


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

also you may want to check out Crutchfield for the 1912


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

orion said:


> How do you like the Panasonic? I just ordered the 2112 Denon for $450 from Electronics Expo. You have to call to get the special. 800 707 3976. I didn't ask how much the 1912 was because this was a killer deal


Thanks a million. Good find. I ordered the 2112 today. I had almost purchased the 1912 from Best Buy for $550. Got the 2112 for $100 less.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

orion said:


> How do you like the Panasonic? I just ordered the 2112 Denon for $450 from Electronics Expo. You have to call to get the special. 800 707 3976. I didn't ask how much the 1912 was because this was a killer deal


Haven't hooked the Panasonic 7000U up yet. Still need to paint the room. Been ordering things so when the painting etc is done it will all be here to start installing. Will let you know...probably a couple weeks before it gets installed.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

orion said:


> also you may want to check out Crutchfield for the 1912


For anyone else interested the Denon 1912 is listed for $400 at Crutchfield...$150 less than Best Buy.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

It is about time for me to build a stereo rack that will be open to under the steps nook. Any ideas or hints to make it. I am thinking just a rectangle made from studs and just shelves. Black trim and call it good.


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## therick83 (Mar 29, 2012)

I need help with mine, Got several installers offering different products, DefTech, Triad Gold, episode, klipsch, etc.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I was just thinking about building shelves that would go into the wall that is under the stairs. Then I would have access to the rear. Any ideas on how to make this look nice?


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Also wondering what lighting you guys use for over the theater. Some of your guys pictures look so neat, I want that. Also do you put those on a seperate switch or with the other lights?


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

orion said:


> I was just thinking about building shelves that would go into the wall that is under the stairs. Then I would have access to the rear. Any ideas on how to make this look nice?


Would you mind posting a picture of the space? Might help to get the ol' creative juices going.... :bigsmile:



orion said:


> Also wondering what lighting you guys use for over the theater. Some of your guys pictures look so neat, I want that. Also do you put those on a seperate switch or with the other lights?


For my room, I am doing recessed LED lights in the soffits - they are 3" lights and I will end up with about 14-18 around the room. These are the main light for the room - I did not want to cut larger holes into my sound-isolated ceiling to put 6" cans in for main lighting.

I will also be doing LED screen wash lights - probably 2-3 as well as back-lighting the screen and all columns in the room (with either rope lighting or LED strips). Let's see..... ah, I also have rope lighting / LED strip lighting planned for around the riser, a star ceiling, and a light tray which will be rope lighting (see Prof's recent build thread for a great example).

All of my lights are controlled by a Lutron Grafik Eye QS (6 zones) which is run to one breaker on my panel. In the end, I will be controlling all lighting scenes using my iPad via the iRule app.

Sorry, that's a lot of detail which may be more than you were asking, but I hope it helps! :R


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

I did similar downlights to what Joe is planning..Adjustable LED's in the soffits, LED ropelight around the soffits and LED tubes in the ceiling light..Each group is controlled separately with three individual dimmers, which are all progammed into a Harmony remote..


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

Prof. said:


> I did similar downlights to what Joe is planning..Adjustable LED's in the soffits, LED ropelight around the soffits and LED tubes in the ceiling light..Each group is controlled separately with three individual dimmers, which are all progammed into a Harmony remote..


I'm looking to do the same:
Can you list out products you. fixture etc...
can lights,led bulbs, dimmer switch, led rope light

And what is a LED tube in the ceiling light?

I am clueless with electrical and need to purchase the right products to have someone install.

I am basically looking to install 5 led can lights in room, 2-3 led lights over the screen, and 2 led lights over the dvd racks.....hopefully a led rope light around baseboard of room.
No larger than 4" cans in the ceiling or 3" cans over screen and dvd racks. 

I was looking to use a maestro switch with my harmony remote.

Oh ya I have a vaulted ceiling so the can lights would need to be adjustable to aim the light straight down.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Boy I wish we were neighbors. I would love to come watch movies there. I am gonna try to add some pics to show the room that I will be playing with. It is 17 by 28 with 8' ceilings. Dang it how do I put images in the reply?


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

phillihp23 said:


> I'm looking to do the same:
> Can you list out products you. fixture etc...
> can lights,led bulbs, dimmer switch, led rope light
> 
> ...


As you can see, I bought most of my lighting off eBay..You should also find most of what you're after on your own eBay as well..

The Gimble Flush Mounted lamp fittings I used for the LED globes are very simple and don't use any coverings..They are not necessary when using LED's..unless your Authorities require them to be fitted..
You can see the ones I used here..

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5x-SPOT-...26294?pt=AU_Lighting_Fans&hash=item3f09bd1516

These are the LED's I used in the soffits..

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/6x-9W-24...15008?pt=AU_Lighting_Fans&hash=item3a71785660

The LED tubes are identical in appearance to a normal fluro tube..except they are full of little LED's..They are exceptionally bright for their size and my two 900mm. 18W. long tubes put out the equivalent of 200W!!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/T8-TUBE-...15874?pt=AU_Lighting_Fans&hash=item3cc318bc02

The LED Ropelight was just a xmas tree light I bought from a chain store..

The Dimmer units I used to control the lighting are HPM Super Dimmers..I don't think they would be available over there..
If you're planning on multi stage lighting control, then you would best be looking at the Isteon or Lutron dimmer controllers..


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

orion said:


> Boy I wish we were neighbors. I would love to come watch movies there. I am gonna try to add some pics to show the room that I will be playing with. It is 17 by 28 with 8' ceilings. Dang it how do I put images in the reply?


To put images in your posts, you need to have them in a website like Photobucket..You then just copy the IMG tag that's with each photo..and paste it into your post..


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Thanks Prof. I will get on that this week and put some pics of my mess up.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Sorry for not responding sooner - installed a wood floor and worked in the HT.

Here are the lights I am planning for the soffits:

3" lights

As far as screen wash lights, I am going to do something similar to what Prof and Mario have done - get a housing and bulb separate so I make sure I get something with enough lumens.

As far as rope lighting, I will be doing the same as Prof - just your standard Xmas lighting. If I decide to go with LED strips, I will most likely look at this site.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

http://s1052.photobucket.com/albums/s446/bud84ro/?action=view&current=IMG_5961.jpg#!oZZ4QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs1052.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fs446%2Fbud84ro%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DIMG_5965.jpgOK hopefully I can get these pics from photobucket to work here it goes


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

That looks to be a nice size room..
You're having a fireplace in the corner of the room, next to the screen!!?


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Yep a fireplace in the right corner, my wife wont watch a movie if it is cold. so the subs (MFW15)will be in the left corner and then the tower speaker then the screen (110 or so) then the right speaker then the fireplace which will be at an angleof about 30degrees or so. We ordered a Kozy Heat Delano modern fireplace.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

With all due respect to your wife...not a good idea!..
For one, you will lose symmetry of the audio set up..and secondly, you won't be able to have a bass trap in the right corner..
Could not the fireplace be installed on a sidewall!?


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I just ordered a epson 3010 for 1300 so I am pretty stoked about that. PCrichard


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

We looked at having the fireplace on a side wall but decided against it. We couldn't make it look good, it would have looked odd. We are gonna lose symmetry but hopefully the receiver will be able to make up for it.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK I have the whole basement framed in except the theater room. My wife and I talked about it and we are gonna put a fireplace inthe right corner and in the left corner we are gonna match the fireplace corner and put the subs underneath and the receiver ps3 media stuff on shelves on top and the subs tucked underneath. I have to figure out how to make a removable grill that would cover the space the subs will be occupying. The side where the subs will be will be adjacent to the utility room so I am wondering if I should block that space in with MDF so all my bass doesn't go to the utility room? and also if anyone has grill ideas they would be welcome.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Here is a drawing I made. The two side walls will be angled in. I will have to build out the whole wall about two feet. The fireplace will be in the right wall and the subs will be on the left(Underneath behind a grill of somesort. I will have to build shelves on the left side also. I have not decided what to use for a center channel stand so I didn't attempt to draw it.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Drawing!?


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

http://s1052.photobucket.com/albums/s446/bud84ro/?action=view&current=04301201.jpg

Im having an issue adding pics from photobucket so here is the url


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK hope this works. I framed up (most of)the right side fireplace. it angles out 18 in over a 4' span.


I have to do the left side yet that will have the subs tucked underneath and the stereo above somehow










http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s446/bud84ro/2012-05-02_06-17-07_976.jpg


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

We tried it out last night. My wife and I were more than pleased with the picture just on a sheet of sheetrock. I am getting very excited. Do you guys think I should put the stereo on the left built in to the corner or would it be better in the rear out of sight?


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

IMO - in the rear out of sight. When you are watching something, I just get the feeling that all those little lights will be a bit too distracting.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

+1..The back wall is the place to put your gear..


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK I am still wiring and I have 8 can lights in the Main room with another 3 3" that I am gonna put in front of the screen for accents. What do you guys suggest for those 3" lights. I ordered some from Home Depot that I hope will work, but I will bring them back if you guys now of better ones. I am still gonna add 4 sconce lights. Other than that, I have the projector hung for watching until sheetrock time. I put internal thread inserts in the ceiling trusses and put 3" bolts down and nutted the mount UP to the ceiling. DUMB as I will have no way to stop the bolt from spinning when I put nuts on when there is sheetrock on the ceiling. I will post pictures soon. There isn't much progress but I will show you what there is.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK some new PICS. The Electrical inspector is coming tomorrow and it is my youngest sons 3rd Bday party today. Enjoy and let me know if I missed something. Should I insulate the ceiling? And with what????







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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I highly recommend insulating the ceiling. I used R19 in mine.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

How hard was that to install around wire and stuff? Did it help quite a bit with sound att. Fibergass or some other type


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

It was not bad for me because I had no wiring up there at all. However, I did have a couple joist runs that contained plumbing and a couple with HVAC and was able to get it around that with minimal effort. I used unfaced R19 fiberglass for insulation.

To see what kind of effect each step had, I had the kids run and stomp around upstairs after each successive layer was put up. In my case, this was 1/4" insulation, drywall between the joists, fiberglass insulation, whisperclips/res channel, OSB, and finally GG/drywall.

I noticed a decrease in noise transferrence after the joist drywall, insulation, OSB, and GG/drywall. Now, my wife is complaining that when I have my iPod on in the room (no speakers - just the iPod), she has to come downstairs because I cannot hear her yelling at me. Heaven...... :jiggy:


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I just finished insulating our back bedroom ceilings. I started using unfaced "pink" r19 $10 for a 39' 15"wide. I bought what home depot had and then got certain tweed "Yellow" r19 same size for $10 a roll plus a $3 rebate per roll. I thought great deal until I used it. I would not recommend the yellow stuff to anyone. There are alot more loose fibers with the yellow I got it in my eyes (should have wore goggles) and my clothes had fibers everywhere. When I used the pink stuff I didn't really notice loose fibers. I itch. but it did help with sound.

I passed the electrical inspection I still have to get Plumbing and building inspection done. I am gonna finish insulating the ceiling and then sheetrock. I hope to have the sheetrock done in a month.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Sorry to hear about the itching Brandon, but great to hear you are progressing. Pics!  :bigsmile:


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

The Pics above is where it at except the plastic is down. Hopefully next week we will have some sheetrock on.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s446/bud84ro/IMAG0081.jpg


New pictures of the room. I have been so busy this summer. It is going slow. I am currently practicing mudding and taping in the spare bedroom so who knows how long it will take to get to the theater room









That is footloose. Btw don't bother with that movie or soundtrack both bad


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)




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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

My brother in law came for the weekend and showed me how to do Venetian Plaster on the walls. We have two coats on the walls but we are waiting to do the third coat done until the rest of the basement is done. It does look pretty cool and covers a multitude of mudding errors. Pics will be coming soon.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

That is a new one for me - looking forward to seeing pictures!


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Well this is the walls with 2 coats of venetian plaster on it. On the left is the stereo rack and under it will be the subs hidden behind a speaker fabric frame. On the right is the fireplace.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Oops the first pics are after the first coat. The cool guy doing tricks with the bike is said brother in law. The pic here is after the second coat. I think it looks pretty neat


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

My wife just picked up this sign for our theater room. I am getting way excited. I just put the last layer of mud on the rest of the basement yesterday and will be sanding the rest of the day.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Nice! :T


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Spent all day sanding the bedrooms/closets(3)/workoutroom/and office today. My boy was a champ. He watched cartoons and took a nap so I could do that. Sanding sure does suck but it is awesome to get it done in a day. 

Next step is to have someone come and "crowsfeet" the ceiling. Then time to paint and plaster. Woot


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Talked to the mudder guy about doing the ceiling. He wont be able to come until the week of the 8th of OCT. So I am gonna be cleaning up this week and helping out my brother with his basement.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Well it is the week of the 8th and the guy that is coming to do the ceiling is not here. Grrrr. I bought a paint sprayer on ebay last night. A Graco HV 2900 refurb for around $40. Cant beat that.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I'm hoping to get alot done in the next couple weeks because i have to go to Norman OK for training the end of OCT. It is gonna bug me to no end leaving work to do. Leaving the kids and wife may bother me too>>>


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

It sure is coming along. I am gonna put speakers in tomorrow and hopefully watch avengers soon


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

Looking good, coming along...


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

My boy likes it.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Taking shape nicely! :T


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Thanks to harp maker and mechman for helping me with the paint choice. It turned out great


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

That is going to be really nice indeed. I only wish I had a dedicated room in place of using my den.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

We did watch avengers before I had to go to training. Picture is awesome, the subs sounded great but the dialogue was not good. I'm thinking that will clear up once we get carpet and furniture down there as well as running audyssey. I think it was just too many hard surfaces the sound was bouncing off of. We should know in about a month when the carpet is installed.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Now I am looking for a tuner so I can watch TV on the projector. We have cable but I am too cheap to pay 30 more a month for HDTV cablebox from the cable company. I will only be watching sports down there. I have a DVD recorder that has a tuner so hopefully that will work. Shouldn't it? I may ask the same question in another thread.


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

You also might be able to pick up an older used HD tuner on eBay or something, depending on your service provider. I've always debated buying one vs. renting from the cable company, and usually it ends up being not that big a difference, especially when I call them once a year to negotiate a deal for our package. There's always some version of "2 free tuner boxes and 50% off HDPVR" or "x% of all services" or "no charge upgrade to extreme internet service"... call customer service and see if they'll include an extra box at no charge to keep a happy customer.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Our cable company is a smaller operation that doesn't do deals. Just flat rate pricing. I still haven't found my DVD recorder but i have the wife on it now, she will find it.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

We did find some sconces that we put up this week. I will post some pics of them. We are still working on the painting the rest of the basement. I tiled the bathroom on Monday and hopefully will get hardwood layed this week, then carpet will hopefully be around a month from now.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Ok I bought some Polk in wall speakers. Painted them to match the walls. I cut holes in the wall to put them in and forgot to check for studs. I have never felt soo dumb. So I will be patching that up and laying down hardwood floor in the rest of the basement. Pics will follow after I patch some walls


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Quick question. Should I insulate the stud cavity where I'm putting the speaker. I would think it would be a good idea but I'm not sure


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

orion said:


> Ok I bought some Polk in wall speakers. Painted them to match the walls. I cut holes in the wall to put them in and forgot to check for studs. I have never felt soo dumb. So I will be patching that up and laying down hardwood floor in the rest of the basement. Pics will follow after I patch some walls


LOL... don't worry, it could happen to anyone!

I would definitely insulate the stud cavity where the speakers are. As far as I have read, insulating all stud cavities is a very good idea to keep them from echoing/ringing too much. I would also (ideally) build some sort of rear enclosure for the in-wall speakers, but it isn't absolutely necessary. Since we are unlikely to have TS parameters for them, it would just be a "best guess" type of scenario for their size, but I think many who have boxed speakers in (and included insulation inside the enclosure) found it helped the sound.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Awesome, thanks alot for the reply. I will put some insulation in the walls tonight.


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

Great. Its just one of those things that won't add that much to the cost, and would be impossible to do down the road. Insulating all of the walls of your theatre room will help a little to keep the movie noise inside, and the other noises outside, and it will also help the sound quality in the theatre. Same goes for soffits or risers, you don't want to leave any large unfilled spaces or cavities, even the interior walls.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I put down all the hardwood and my wife and I hung 6 out of 7 doors If you have to hang doors buy "EZ hangers" or "quick door hangers" They are basically the same thing but the make hanging doors a cinch.

I have to trim and build a riser before carpet comes. I am gonna make an appt to have the carpet installed in a couple weeks so I better get to work.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

My wife found spray paint that matched the walls very well for the inwall speakers. I am extremely satisfied with them matching. I have two in the side walls and 2 in the rear for 7.2


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

Coming along nicely. Keep up the good work...usually after carpet all the hard labor is done...:clap:


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Looking good mate! Really like those sconces - very classy! :T


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I got the Doors all trimmed. Now I am doing the floor trim. I am having a hard time coping the inside corners. I am getting frustrated but its coming along.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

How are you cutting them mate? I have been having really good luck cutting trim with my miter saw. I picked it up at Direct Tools for about $80.....


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I am currently doing the spare bedroom that wont be used. I have my fathers miter saw and it cuts very well but the tricky part is I am trying to do coping cuts like the pros do for the inside corners instead of 45s. I have been practicing all morning and have actually getting fairly good at it. you can youtube and see what I am talking about. It definately takes longer but the inside joints look very good.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Ah, I know exactly what you mean. Those are tricky - but you are right. They do look better.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK more Pics. Some will show the hardwood floors. And also the back wall as well as the entrance (or Exit) to the other rooms downstairs
Back Wall










More Back wall. The Door goes up the stairs











This is the entrance from the theater room to the office


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

We chose to use Hardwood for kind of a walkway to go to the other rooms downstairs. It will be a high traffic area, so Hardwood seemed like the way to go. Carpet will not get installed until Jan 4. I will need that time to trim the rest of the basement and also I need to build a riser. I am thinking about an 8-9" riser..


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Looks like a Riser


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

it is 90x84 I originally had it 117x84 but the wife thought it was too wide. I wanted to wire lights around the sides of it but I am not sure how I would get wire to it. I doubt I can run wire under the carpet. Ahh too late now,


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

orion said:


> OK more Pics. Some will show the hardwood floors. And also the back wall as well as the entrance (or Exit) to the other rooms downstairs
> Back Wall
> 
> 
> ...


I didn't get around to your last postings..
That wall colour looks very nice!..:T Is it a suede finish?
The flooring looks very nice as well..It's all coming along very nicely..


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

orion said:


> it is 90x84 I originally had it 117x84 but the wife thought it was too wide. I wanted to wire lights around the sides of it but I am not sure how I would get wire to it. I doubt I can run wire under the carpet. Ahh too late now,


Nice construction job on the riser!..Did you use a calculator to determine the height?
If you have a power point at the back of the room, a power cord behind the riser is not going to be obvious, particularly if you use a black cord..
I would place a power socket on the back of the riser and just plug into it..Then all your lighting wiring would be inside the riser..


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

The walls are a venetian plaster finish color "Collesum"


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I did use a calculator for the riser. It came up with 2-3 in. not sure if I did something wrong, but we staged the couch with loveseat in front and 8-9" seemes like a good height.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Merry Christmas everyone. I wish the best for all of you. Tell Jesus happy birthday when you get a chance.

We got the kids an Xbox with kinect. We played a little this morning and it is cool


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Happy New Year!!!!. Time again to put the wrong date on our checks for a few weeks again. Anyways we are getting carpet installed on thurs and Friday. I am concerned about having too many hard surfaces the sound seems to echo a bit. Carpet will help but will it be enough? We will know on friday.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I think you will be pleasantly surprised how much of a difference just installing carpet makes.

Looking forward to pics!


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## blitzer (Mar 5, 2010)

orion said:


> Happy New Year!!!!. Time again to put the wrong date on our checks for a few weeks again. Anyways we are getting carpet installed on thurs and Friday. I am concerned about having too many hard surfaces the sound seems to echo a bit. Carpet will help but will it be enough? We will know on friday.


Thick carpet and as thick of padding under it help like you would not believe. Congrats, getting the carpet is the turning point. I finished my basement and it went from unlivable cold and echoes to warm, quiet and comfortable in one day. Get the thickest padding you can under the carpet. Helps make it more comfortable and can't hurt the sound.

Carpet helps, but most likely will not be enough. Some simple decorative sound absorbing wall panels in the right places can control the echoes nicely.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

We got CARPET!!! We are getting the riser carpeted this morning and we should be watching Vikings football later tonight. I am still looking for Ideas to hang the center channel. I have a mantel that my wife wants to hang with the center on it. We will see.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

We got CARPET!!! We are getting the riser carpeted this morning and we should be watching Vikings football later tonight. I am still looking for Ideas to hang the center channel. I have a mantel that my wife wants to hang with the center on it. We will see.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

:jump: That is great!

And, I see you have a handy helper too! :T

As far as the CC, I think what I would do would be to construct a shelf that is as wide as the CC and not quite as deep - allow the CC to stick out a couple inches to try to get around any possible reflections. Make the part that you screw to the wall maybe a 1x3 and paint it the same color as the wall so it blends a bit.

That way, you can put it right below the screen, but it is not highly visible.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

More pics. I ran audyssey last night so hopefully movie night tonight. 

Question though, audyssey my main and center speakers set to large and had the crossovers set to 60 and 40 hz so do I change them now to small and change the crossover to 80 or shouldI have done that before I ran audyssey??


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)




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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

orion said:


> More pics. I ran audyssey last night so hopefully movie night tonight.
> 
> Question though, audyssey my main and center speakers set to large and had the crossovers set to 60 and 40 hz so do I change them now to small and change the crossover to 80 or shouldI have done that before I ran audyssey??


Looking great mate! :T

You can change it after - I am not familiar with the Denon's menu, but there should be a speaker settings sub menu which will allow you to change the settings.

Make sure to check the sub settings as well - I know on my 809 there is a setting to determine where the sub's xover point is as well. I have mine set to 120.

Do you have the equipment to run REW? If so, I would measure a before changes and after changes picture.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I do have the equipment to run REW and I am interested to see how it looks. I'm gonna ask the wife to rent "Looper" or "Total Recall" I will let you know how it goes


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

Its going to be an exciting night for you. Enjoy!!!


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

orion said:


> More pics. I ran audyssey last night so hopefully movie night tonight.
> 
> Question though, audyssey my main and center speakers set to large and had the crossovers set to 60 and 40 hz so do I change them now to small and change the crossover to 80 or shouldI have done that before I ran audyssey??


I'm not familiar with Audyssey but generally you need to set your speakers to "small" regardless of the physical size of the speakers..
The best results I've found for sub and LFE crossover..and that many others use as well..is to set your sub crossover to max.Hz. crossover position and your LFE to 80Hz..


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Prof. said:


> I'm not familiar with Audyssey but generally you need to set your speakers to "small" regardless of the physical size of the speakers..
> *The best results I've found for sub and LFE crossover..and that many others use as well..is to set your sub crossover to max.Hz. crossover position and your LFE to 80Hz..*


This is where mine is set as well.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Movie was so so (Looper) but the sound was good. We need to watch a movie with better sound effects. We have gotten rid of most of the rattles but we have a few to go.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

For surround activity, the HTS review on Hunger Games states that it gives a 7 speaker setup a good workout.....


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

Prof. said:


> I'm not familiar with Audyssey but generally you need to set your speakers to "small" regardless of the physical size of the speakers..


Why is that? I assumed that if you have full range speakers you'd want as much of the 5 or 7 channel sound to go to them as possible rather than sending it to the sub channel, if for nothing else than to preserve the directionality.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

MrAngles said:


> Why is that? I assumed that if you have full range speakers you'd want as much of the 5 or 7 channel sound to go to them as possible rather than sending it to the sub channel, if for nothing else than to preserve the directionality.


I think this depends on the sub. In my case, the PB-13s are better suited for below 80Hz. Also, I thought that low end response was non-directional - is that not true?


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

ALMFamily said:


> I think this depends on the sub. In my case, the PB-13s are better suited for below 80Hz. Also, I thought that low end response was non-directional - is that not true?


The lower the frequency the less directional it is, which is why there's only one sub channel. 

I may be misunderstanding what the large/small settings do, but I was under the impression that setting it to "small" sends anything under a certain frequency in the main channels to the sub channel (which makes sense if the directional speakers are too limited to reproduce those frequencies anyway). For example my center channel speaker has a down-firing woofer in it and is rated to as low as 45 Hz. In that case why would I want any of the center audio to be redirected to the sub channel? Sure anything less than 80 Hz is not as directional as say, 200 hz, but it's obviously still directional enough for the sound mixer to have specifically chosen to place the sound in the center channel in the audio mix.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

MrAngles said:


> The lower the frequency the less directional it is, which is why there's only one sub channel.
> 
> I may be misunderstanding what the large/small settings do, but I was under the impression that setting it to "small" sends anything under a certain frequency in the main channels to the sub channel (which makes sense if the directional speakers are too limited to reproduce those frequencies anyway). For example my center channel speaker has a down-firing woofer in it and is rated to as low as 45 Hz. In that case why would I want any of the center audio to be redirected to the sub channel? Sure anything less than 80 Hz is not as directional as say, 200 hz, but it's obviously still directional enough for the sound mixer to have specifically chosen to place the sound in the center channel in the audio mix.


To be honest, I thought the same exact thing. My L/C/R are all rated to around 40-50hz as well. Then, I ran REW and saw huge dips due to boundary interactions from those speakers (measuring each independently) due to where they had to be located.

To get rid of those nulls, it worked much better to send everything below 80 to the subs. If you wish, I can post my latest REW measurements for 20-200 in my build thread - do not want to divert Orion's build thread.


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

Bud, the room is looking great! Well done.



orion said:


> Movie was so so (Looper) but the sound was good. We need to watch a movie with better sound effects. We have gotten rid of most of the rattles but we have a few to go.


We watched Looper last weekend and I was very surprised by the amount of LFE it had. With the Buttkickers and the 2 (reasonably small) subs going, I kept getting the evil eye from my wife when she repeatedly reached out to stop an antique lamp from buzzing like crazy. Lol.


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

ALMFamily said:


> To be honest, I thought the same exact thing. My L/C/R are all rated to around 40-50hz as well. Then, I ran REW and saw huge dips due to boundary interactions from those speakers (measuring each independently) due to where they had to be located.
> 
> To get rid of those nulls, it worked much better to send everything below 80 to the subs. If you wish, I can post my latest REW measurements for 20-200 in my build thread - do not want to divert Orion's build thread.


Yeah I would definitely be interested in looking at that, although I'm pretty sure I'm not prepared yet to understand it, I've been almost deliberately putting acoustics out of my mind during the construction phase.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I will try and get something up later - hopefully, I saved the measurements for the speakers individually for comparison.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK watched Despicable Me with my family and my sisters family on friday and I am kinda wishing I had more seating. The way we have it now is with a love seat in front and the full couch in the back. That is only 5 seats. Maybe we need to add a bar behind the couch at a later date to have more seating. 

Watched Avengers last night and it was awesome. I am so happy. I only need to wrap a grill in speaker cloth to cover the subs and I will be done minus REW graphs 

SWEEEET. It would be nice to win the Kriessel Sub and use it for a center channel stand. It would be way too nice to be hidden


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I just got HD hooked up from the cable company today. Pretty Sweet. Its about $40 more a month to get HD but it includes DVR and more channels and also faster internet. The total cable bill will be 120 a month after taxes and fees.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I am not sure we will keep the HD or not. I may start looking into antennas and trying to just pick up local channels instead. I still have to run REW. I am starting to work on my brothers Basement so maybe we will have another theater thread soon.


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## BD55 (Oct 18, 2011)

orion said:


> I am not sure we will keep the HD or not. I may start looking into antennas and trying to just pick up local channels instead. I still have to run REW. I am starting to work on my brothers Basement so maybe we will have another theater thread soon.


Just butting in here; DIY antennas are great (and super cheap)! I built one like this and it works amazingly well. I live in a very rural area around 50 miles from the nearest towers and I get over 40 channels, most in 1080i.

Sorry to jump in, carry on...


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

What did you use for a tuner then?/ I am interested in doing that. I would like a tuner that could do cable and one that could do OTA HD. Any suggestions?


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

I've been thinking about getting a boxee tv from walmart, they're $100. The reviews are pretty bad because most people don't understand what the device is supposed to do, but it looks like it would be a decent reasonably priced tuner with a few extra features thrown in.


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## BD55 (Oct 18, 2011)

orion said:


> What did you use for a tuner then?/ I am interested in doing that. I would like a tuner that could do cable and one that could do OTA HD. Any suggestions?


My tv has a built in tuner, and I have an A-B coax switch to switch between OTA and Cable (Soon to be ditching cable when promotion runs out and then no need for the switch).


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Having some friends over for the superbowl. Should be a good time. I like how everything sounds. I turned up the center channel 1.5db. The dialog was just a little too soft.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK since the super bowl I have decided to use a DVR from the cable company. Its $10 month and it has a tuner. I have changed out my Denon 2112 for a Onkyo 709. My brother needed a receiver so it seemed like a good chance to try out an Onkyo. The sound is similiar maybe a little louder but what I did notice is the center channel is set more to my liking with the onkyo. Other than that I would like to try out some new LRC speakers in the future. I really like my polks but they sound a bit strained to fill the entire room at reference. Maybe DIY but I need to save up some money first.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK so after living with my theater room for a few months I thought I would post some of my regrets.

So far they are few but I wish I had built an AT screen and put the speakers behind the screen. This would have been much cleaner. I think I also would have not gone with the in wall speakers or instead used 2 sets. One for each row of seating.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

A screenwall with an AT screen does give a nice clean look to a room and gives more of that real theatre experience..
If you have the space, it doesn't take much to put up a simple construction for a screen wall to hang an AT screen..Just a bit of time and money!


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

Personally I like seeing my speakers, but I wish I had the room for an AT screen so I could have my center channel closer to ear level.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Yep so I told my wife about the new plans to build into the wall and put the speakers behind the screen and I must say she isn't too impressed with me right now. So I will have to work on her for a few months.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I bought 2 pro 10 and a sho 10 to use for my LCR. They are the old style with the round ports. I listened to some music tonight. They sounded good. Better than my 15 year old Polks but not tons better that I hoped. I have to calibrate them and I have to watch some movies now to compare a bit more. . The thing I didn't like about the Polks was the dialog was vague. A sho should improve this.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I have the new front LCR speakers calibrated and they do sound better. The dialog is better, more in your face. I like that part. I have a picture that I will post. I built speaker stands so they are all the same height.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I am really starting to enjoy the sho/pro 10's. They really do put out more sound than my old Polks. I sold them yesterday for $200. So I paid 475 for the upgrade. It was between them or a MFW turbo. I was torn.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

orion said:


> Yep so I told my wife about the new plans to build into the wall and put the speakers behind the screen and I must say she isn't too impressed with me right now. So I will have to work on her for a few months.


It appears your screen area is recessed already. Couldn't you just frame out even with the side walls and then paint on a new screen?


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Yup I sure could. Not sure on it yet but there is about a foot behind the screen to the wall so I could either cut into that space or build out from screen. I have yet to see an AT screen so I want to see one before I go forward.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

I guess what I was saying is just paint the screen on a forward wall, in which you frame around the speakers on the bottom to provide for GOM to cover the areas the speakers are behind. Not, necessarily do an AT screen with the speakers behind the screen. :huh: Just an alternative way to hide the speakers but not necesarily have to do an AT screen.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Thats definately an idea. I am not sure. Winter time may be the time to do this project. I am still kicking around the idea. I hate the thought of having the basement tore up again for a few weeks.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

My wife just had baby number four. Little Henry. He was born last night at 1230. He is 8lb 10 oz. Everyone is healthy but tired. I have another boy to watch movies with. Should be fun


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## moparz10 (Sep 21, 2010)

congratulations ! :clap:


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

Congratulations, Bud! Sounds like a big healthy boy! I hope he likes movies.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Congratulations mate! :clap:


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## svtcontour (Dec 7, 2009)

Congratulations on the new addition to the family


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## cavchameleon (Jan 7, 2008)

Congrats!!! Always nice to have another little member - lot's of fun!


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I added some acoustic panels.

I know they are not nearly as awesome as ALMfamily's kegerator but maybe that will be next ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
I am very pleased how they turned out. I have 4 on the side walls and I have to do 4 yet on the back wall.

Her are the Pictures of the side walls


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Those turned out great! Nice work mate!


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I upgraded one of my mfw15 to a turbo on Friday. I haven't had a whole lot of time with it yet but I will post some thoughts when I get it dialed in. Also I will be covering up the equipment space with a star trek poster on fabric on hinges. I have the frame built but I have not hung it yet. The remotes go through the fabric so we should only have to swing it open to change discs. I will post pics when it is done


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

They effectively hide that they are acoustic panels..Nice job..


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

I hung the Star Trek poster this evening. I am happy with how it looks. Hopefully I am all done working in the theater room for a while


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## Horrorfan33 (Jun 11, 2013)

Great Job!!...now sit back, relax and enjoy the show


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

OK So I have bad news for myself but hopefully it can help someone else. We have had lots of rain in the last week 10 plus inches and our sump pump has been running and doing fine until we went to church and the float got stuck and in a few hours the carpet is wet in the entire basement. We pulled all the carpet and threw away the pad. We are working on drying and cleaning the carpet now and it is going well.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

So here is where I hope I can help you guys. Three houses in a row on our street had their float get stuck against the side of the sump basin. Our neighbor has 3" of water so ours could have been so much worse. The problem with the pumps is that they vibrate when they pump and can tend to move against the side and not go up.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

So I went to menards and I found an electronic sensor that works with all sump pumps. How it works is that you zip tie it to the discharge pipe at the height that you want the pump to go on at and it runs the pump until the pump starts sucking air. It also can tell if the motor is drawing too much current (Failing) and also can tell if the pump isn't keeping up and will sound an alarm. I am not trying to sell the item because it was $70 but I sure do wish I had it earlier. 

It is Hydrocheck We got the model HC8000

I hope this can save one persons basement. We carpet is heavy


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

Really sorry to hear that dude. At least it seems like you can save the carpet, and like you said, it could have been a lot worse. Good luck with the drying, I hope it comes out OK.


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## orion (Sep 18, 2009)

Thanks Owen its been a busy week or so. I bought a bigger pump 3/4 hp and a second battery backup pump that I plumbed in this week with its own float switch. Battery comes next week and hopefully it is never needed, but it is cheap insurance and good for peace of mind. I will post pics in case anyone is interrested. Not really hometheater related but it is home related


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