# Any hope for a small screening room?



## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

I have a spare bedroom in my basement going to waste, and was wondering if there is any hope for using it as a small screening room with projector and 5.1 sound. I understand small and squarish is not very optimal for sound...is it worth my time or should I let the cat continue to have her own room?


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## John Simpson (May 10, 2007)

Definitely! Jump on in, the water's fine 

I'd swap the screen to the north wall, though -- you want the room longer than wider. Then consider an acoustically transparent screen, so you can maximise screen area and put the speakers behind it.


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

> I'd swap the screen to the north wall, though -- you want the room longer than wider.


That's a good point but I don't think I'd have the room to do that with the door and closet on the south wall...and the breaker box is right in the middle of the north wall (planning on painting the screen on the wall). The wider than longer issue was one of my concerns with the room.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Well, there's not that much difference in dimensions - though I'm worried about being able to treat both side walls equally if you do it East/West. 

If you could make a DIY screen, then you could easily take it up and down to allow access to the electrical panel.

Bryan


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

Unfortunately the east wall has a window in the middle of it (sorry - another detail missing in my crude drawing). Easy enough to block the light with blinds but again not good for symmetrical side wall treatments in a north-south setup. Here are some quick pics:
West Wall:








North Wall:








East Wall:








South Wall:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

I agree with John and Bryan's suggestions..

Make up a lightweight screen, attached with French cleats that can be easily taken down to access the electrical panel..and mount the screen on the North wall..
This will give better symmetry for speakers and acoustic treatments..

BTW...My theatre is only 3" wider than your room..


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

Thanks for the input and suggestions guys!


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

After looking at our room, we've concluded the only useable layout for our purposes (it will not be a 100% dedicated room) would be having the screen on that west wall with the seating up against the east wall. Unfortunately this goes against the good advice given to me in this thread...so given these limitations is it still worth it?

The seating would be up against the east wall, but the wall does have an 8-10 inch ledge below the window that pushes the seating away from the upper half of the wall...would any treatments in the area above the ledge help to alleviate problems created by having the seating against the wall? Would front corner bass traps help?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Well, if it's a room or no room, I'll go with having one  There are still some things that can be done to make it a nice place - you just have to understand that there are some limitations based on that decision.

Bryan


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

What exactly am I losing by using this configuration....does it place the seating area in a null? I would be running a Denon AVR-2308ci in the room...would the Audyssey 6-point EQ help smooth things out?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Seating against a wall will give you very boomy bottom end that you're not going to fix with EQ. Also, left to right symmetry in front of you is not good. Like I said though, it's a tradeoff. If this is what it takes to have a room, then we work with it. Few have the luxury of building a dedicated space from scratch so there are always tradeoffs.

Bryan


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

Will corner traps help tame the boom? I built some chunk traps in my family room last year with a couple of cases of fiberglass I bought from you last year.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

From a decay time standpoint yes. From a frequency response standpoint, potentially - but you'll still have issues sitting that close to the wall unless you treat it. Also, the speakers will likely be pretty close to the wall behind them so a couple panels there will help smooth response.

Bryan


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

Here's a shot of the screen wall with an 80" diagonal taped off (the actual screen will probably go a little higher on the wall):









Should most of this wall be treated?

Since it's a small room with only a single row of seats would the best location for the center speaker be above or below the screen?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

General rule of thumb - the seated eye position should be approx 1/3 up the screen.

The entire front wall should be treated to avoid reflections from the surrounds contaminating the front soundstage.

Bryan


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

> General rule of thumb - the seated eye position should be approx 1/3 up the screen.


That's what I used to tape off the area...seems a little low but I guess it will depend on the final seating height. Any thoughts on the preferred location for a center (above or below...it will probably be wall mounted)?

Thanks Bryan.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

I'd probably go below. Looks like there's a little soffit above that might have some repercussions with reflections and making the dialog appear too high. Below will also keep the center closer to the same vertical plane as the mains.

Bryan


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

Thanks again Bryan...appreciate your input both here and on all of the forums. I've learned a lot from all the free advice you provide.


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