# New Home Theatre - Starting from scratch.



## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

(post was edited to remove information that isn't true anymore about my build)

Good day...

Introducing myself as part of this thread...

I am embarking on a home theatre design as part of my basement finish project.

I am looking for anyone and everyone's out right ideas.



Add on - I would consider this a mild build, i'm on a budget, and doing most of the work myself. 




Thanks and I look forward to sharing my build with everyone.




-- Justin


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Hi Justin. Welcome to the Shack! A drawing would really help. Also, if soundproofing is a goal. There are specific construction techniques you would use to sound isolate that are unnecessary if soundproofing is not a goal.

Nice to have you here!


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Ted... 

I'll get a drawing up for you guys to look at. For now some photos... Please excuse the clutter - after all it's a reno - and we have recently moved here so the basement is a bit of a "dumping ground"

The structure is a solid concrete foundation, with standard pink insulation and it's framed with blu-wood. The floor is poured concrete.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

25x18x8 would be a nice sized room. 

Welcome to the madness!

Bryan


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Thanks! I was thinking the same.

Any good articles on wall construction and tips. I have finished basements before - but i'm guessing there are some "rules" I should be following when building walls, stud construction, how things are anchored, wall material, all of these things.


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Is soundproofing is a goal, you could look at a few of these articles:

http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/library/articles/room_within_a_room/

http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/library/articles/room_within_a_room/

There are additional articles covering ventilation, soffit construction, etc.

Again, if soundproofing isn't a goal, construction is much more straightforward.

Thanks!


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Ted;

Soundproofing isn't really a goal. Acoustical quality is. I know those things go hand in hand but I live in the country, and outside sounds are not a problem, and i'm not worried about bothering anyone else. So unless the soundproofing adds specific acoustical quality - then I don't have a need.

I have uploaded a very basic diagram of what the basement looks like. Everything south of the stairs in not to be considered. That's where an office is going.


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

In your case I would agree that soundproofing isn't going to help you. Bryan can detail a top end acoustical layout for you for sure.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Thanks...

The duct work will need some kind of soundproofing for sure to get rid of my noisy hvac (why are "efficient furnaces" so noisy!), perhaps double sheetrock with green glue to box in the HVAC duct.

The floor will be Dri-Core floating floor.

The second row of seating which will probably be a couch (for now) will be elevated somehow, discussing that in another thread, not sure if the raised platform needs to be connected to the dri-core or not.

Regarding the front. What is the purpose (other than appearance) of the stage? Also if building the stage on top of my floating dri-core floor, do I need to put any kind of sound dampening inside it?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

The stage also helps with a couple of other things.

- Provides potential decoupling of subwoofer from main floor
- Raises speakers closer to center of screen for better screen lock

The stage would ideally be filled with sand to completely damp it and help minimize vibration transmission to the floor. If that's not an option, definitely fill it with insulation to prevent it from resonating like a big bass drum.


Bryan


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Bryan;


Would it then be necessary to decouple the stage from the floor? I guess what i'm saying is - if the Sub is on the stage and the stage is affixed to the floor -- wouldn't the sound travel via the stage frame?

It would seems a stage may not be necessary, as I am strongly considering in-wall speakers and putting the sub at the side or rear.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

A stage is certainly not an absolute requirement. If you had the stage on the floor directly, the sand fill will pretty much stop any transmission due to the sheer mass not allowing the vibrations to propogate anyway.

Bryan


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

Welcome to Home Theater Shack! I just (almost) completed my first HT build and learned alot (mostly through this forum but some by making, and fixing, mistakes) along the way. I have a few questions then some general advice/tips:

Questions:


Is moving the HT down to south side of the stairs an option? This would eliminate the windows as a source of light and as a consideration in room layout. Would also allow you to have windows in your office which is not a bad thing.
Where do you plan to locate your equipment (in same room or separate closet)?
How familiar are you with general construction techniques (e.g,, stud spacing, headers, electrical, etc.)?

Now to general advice:


Get a permit. Yes, it is a small cost ($100 where I live) and dealing with code officials can be a pain. But they can also help you avoid potentially dangerous mistakes and it is the law (will be hard to defend not getting a permit if you ever have a fire and the insurance company is looking for a reason not to pay your claim). 
Take your time in planning. Draw a plan and consider everything that will need to be buried inside the wall. The more you work out now while everything is still "lines on paper", the better. 
On the last point, try your best to plan routing for power and signal cables so you can give them proper separation to mitigate problems.
Be sure any cables you are running in the wall (or above ceiling) are "in-wall" (CL2/3) rated.
Unless you are very comfortable with electrical code and electrcal construction, I recommend you get a contractor to check your work and to do all your terminations inside your panel.
Note that National Electric Code now requies AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interruptor) breakers to protect circuits serving living spaces (this HT qualifies). Be sure to use AFCI's (combination type breakers) for all new circuits and any existing circuit you are reusing for this space. Also, "Tamper Proof" receptacles are now required per NEC.
Chances are, you probably only really need one 20A circuit for the whole room, but I think it is a good idea to have a few circuits for spare capacity. I ran one 15A for lights, one 20A for front of room (including 2 subs), one 20A for back of room (including projector) and separate 20A (actually, three of them) for AV rack. Yeah, it's overkill but in my case was easy and inexpensive since panel was only a few feet away. One note - to help mitigate any ground loop problems, be sure all equipment circuits are on the same phase.
Run a spare coax form your cable TV service to the AV equipment - just in case. Ditto for Cat6 for network. Might also run Cat6 (make it 2 - why not?) from AV equipment to projector.
If you're locating your AV equipment in another room, consider adding connections on the wall below your screen for video game equipment. I provided component video, L/R audio, HDMI (for future), and Cat6 for my son's Wii. 
Will you need an IR repeater? If so, add another Cat6 from the receiver location to the AV equipment rack.
Consider adding a VGA wall plate with audio connections (with in-wall VGA cable to your projector and L/R audio to your AV equipment) in case you want to connect your laptop.
If you have a home security/fire alarm system, you should consider adding a horn downstairs near (or in) your home theater. In my case, I cannot hear our horn when I'm in my HT room even with nothing on (I learned this the hard way when I set off the smoke detector while sanding drywall...). 

And don't forget to have fun. 

Reards,
sga2


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

sga2: Thanks for your post.... 

Unfortunatly I cannot move it -- what I didn't put in that diagram was the HVAC room, it's on the south west side of the room

Electrical i've done more times than I can count, I have already run 1x15 for lights, 1x20 to front and 1x20 to back/projector..

Separation of the electrical and signalling will be simple. Electrical will run up top across one joist - signalling down another. Projector will be conduited. 

Running to the projector area will be 6 x CAT6A FTP (foiled twisted pair), and there is 4 CAT6A running below the screen area, one for the "DinkyLink" for IR extending. USB Extended over CAT6 as well, Used for things like xbox controllers or other game system connections. 

Equipment will be located on the back side of the room in a cabinet built into the wall (Accessible from the rear), IR will be extended. RF will be "no problem" obviously. This is only for Audio equipment and XBOX. I will be fully cabling this as if there WAS AV equipment here thou, just in case.

All the source equipment is already installed in a 48U IT rack near my office area, there is a SAT recv, Media Centre PC and a WDTV Live. All connected to a 4x4 Matrix switch. Extended to the home theatre over a CAT6 Balun.


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

grinthock said:


> sga2: Thanks for your post....
> 
> Unfortunatly I cannot move it -- what I didn't put in that diagram was the HVAC room, it's on the south west side of the room
> 
> ...


Sounds like you are definitely ahead of the curve. Good luck with everything. I did enjoy my build - though, at times, it seemed to drag frustratingly slow - and I am sure you will. Nothing like creating something yourself.

Keep asking questions. The guys here know their stuff.

Regards,
sga2

PS - Another recommendation... Since you are on a budget consider going DIY for the screen to save yourself a few hundred bucks. There is alot of great info and some simple, surprisingly inexpensive paint formulae in the DIY Screen Forum. This time last year, that wasn't even on my radar as an option. One of the moderators on that forum convinced me it was worth a try and I am very happy I took his advice.:T


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Ahead of the curve? Well I wouldn't say that - i've done alot of reading. considered alot of things, decided on others. I am an IT Nerd, so the tech comes easy, and the construction part i've finished a few basements. 

Soffits: I am planning a soffit down both sides, with pot lights in each for perimiter lighting.

Overhead: I really like the starfield idea - but that's a ton of work unless you have $$ for the pre-made panels, but we shall see how things go. 


Screen: I have considered a few options. I want a static screen, I have considered either a framed hang on the wall screen, or using something like Screen GOO.

I will look into what you have mentioned.

I also am interested in how people are putting speakers behind the screen -- i'm assuming this is a special material.


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## SierraMikeBravo (Jul 1, 2007)

My two cents, living in the country doesn't really matter. Mechanicals adjacent to the room, people running around upstairs, etc., etc., can raise the noise floor in your room significantly. The quietest of neighborhoods still racks in at about 35dB noise floor in the basement minimum. Throw in mechanicals and other elements and you may be talking 50-60dB at times. With the film soundtrack beginning at 22 dB, you will have already lost a mnimum of 13 dB of dynamic range if not up to 40 dB. If your goal is a good acoustical environment, I would seriously consider sound isolation as the beginning of your project. Hope this helps!


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

I agree. But I need to outline the goals. With only an eight foot floor to bottom of joists, is that enough height for "room in room" with the second ceiling?



SierraMikeBravo said:


> My two cents, living in the country doesn't really matter. Mechanicals adjacent to the room, people running around upstairs, etc., etc., can raise the noise floor in your room significantly. The quietest of neighborhoods still racks in at about 35dB noise floor in the basement minimum. Throw in mechanicals and other elements and you may be talking 50-60dB at times. With the film soundtrack beginning at 22 dB, you will have already lost a mnimum of 13 dB of dynamic range if not up to 40 dB. If your goal is a good acoustical environment, I would seriously consider sound isolation as the beginning of your project. Hope this helps!


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Do soffits have a true acoustical purpose?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Depending on the orientation of the joists and any other obstructions, you could do another set between your existing ones at only 1/2" lower than what you have now. At 8', new joists, and double 1/2" drywall, finished height could be as high as 7'10.5"

Bryan


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

grinthock said:


> Do soffits have a true acoustical purpose?


Several:

- Isolation of HVAC system to minimize noise in and out of the room, including fan/air flow noise.

- Potential location for additional broadband bass control.

- Routing of wiring and lighting without cutting 'holes' in the acoustic shell which could compromise ambient noise level in the room.

Bryan


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## SierraMikeBravo (Jul 1, 2007)

Bryan is correct. I have done the exact same thing with my theater, and I only have 7' 6" from the floor to the bottom of the joist. There are construction methods available that allow you to save as much space as possible without impacting the purpose of the isolation.


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

More thoughts...

What are you doing about HVAC? It looks like the basement is already conditioned. Is it served by a dedicated unit or shared with upstairs? Any idea how much cooling you need? Where is the thermostat?

On that subject, at a minimum you'll probably need to balance more air to the HT room and slow down the air in the flex duct runout(s). This may mean increasing size/quantity of supply registers and flex runouts. Ditto for return.

Any potentially noisy pipes running around above or adjacent to the HT room? Hot/cold water would be first concern, but drain pipes (esp. PVC) and refrigerant pipes (put your system in COOLING mode for a few minutes to test this) can also be objectionably noisy.

Regards,
sga2


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Photos above you can see the HVAC trunk that is used for the entire house -- it has a down vent and cold air return in the area of the HT... 

This is the FAR end of the trunk -- it doesn't make noise much.. It's more the unit that's noisy and it's 70FT away in the south west end of the basement.

There are a few drain pipes there coming down from the upstairs ensuite bathroom (not a huge concern, it's my bathroom) the water pipes are all PEX -- they don't make any noise.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

If you don't address that HVAC issue, you're really putting a big hole in your isolation plans. 

Having a drop vent from the main supply and return ducts in the theater will transmit (and in the case of tin ducting) amplify sound from the house to the theater and from the theater to the house. 

In addition, without it being boxed in with some mass, the holes for those are just big holes for bass to pass to the rest of the house. The tin is effectively not even there in terms of stopping bass.

Bryan


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Bryan;

I agree that it needs to be addressed. My thought was to block off the Cold return there (it's not required), and block off the input vent, and re direct them to the adjacent room and then use a passive fan fed vent through a vent box. I had no intention of feeding the room directly from HVAC.

I am looking for some advice for boxing it. Should I box it, then insulate with sound insulation?




bpape said:


> If you don't address that HVAC issue, you're really putting a big hole in your isolation plans.
> 
> Having a drop vent from the main supply and return ducts in the theater will transmit (and in the case of tin ducting) amplify sound from the house to the theater and from the theater to the house.
> 
> ...


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Regarding insulation... Has anyone used this product?

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...artial&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

http://www.roxul.com/residential/create+a+quiet+home+with+safe’n’sound/which+safe’n’sound+to+use


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

That's an OK plan. The vent to the other room will need to be a decent length and have a couple of 90 degree bends and an active separate fan.

Use something with mass like MDF for the box and line with duct liner.

Best bet is usually to put the fan on the return side and have it at the other end in the other room to minimize fan noise. Much easier to pull air out and create a low pressure situation in the theater room that will naturally draw in fresh air rather than trying to force more air into the room and try to create a high pressure situation.

The other option is to leave it active but tap off the main outside the room and then bring in boxed vents as described above for supply and return.

Bryan


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Bryan: 

I think we were talking the same thing - My plan was always create negative pressure rather than force air into the room... I do like your idea of tapping the mail and running it through a sound box.. That's a good idea.



bpape said:


> That's an OK plan. The vent to the other room will need to be a decent length and have a couple of 90 degree bends and an active separate fan.
> 
> Use something with mass like MDF for the box and line with duct liner.
> 
> ...


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

A couple of muffler concepts:




















Also a low-profile clip instalation:


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

TEd: Would this be your recommended way to build the room? Put sound isolation clips in and then put the drywall on top of that? Does this work for the ceiling as well?


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Walls are decoupled via framing. Staggered or double stud

Ceilings are decoupled with clips

Insulate with R13 in walls, R19 in ceiling

Double drywall on all walls and ceiling

Damp the drywall with a quality damping compound.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Ted;

Thanks for providing all this great info..



Ted White said:


> Insulate with R13 in walls, R19 in ceiling


 What do you think of the Roxul Safe and Sound vs R19 or R13, it's specifically designed for sound insulating. 




Ted White said:


> Ceilings are decoupled with clips


 For the ceiling, the clips are installed, then the standard channel, but I see that in your diagram you have the seam of the first sheet right at the channel - is there a reason for that? I would think you would want the seam away from the channel simply for rigidity. 



Ted White said:


> Walls are decoupled via framing. Staggered or double stud
> 
> Double drywall on all walls and ceiling
> 
> Damp the drywall with a quality damping compound.


I understand the concept on the walls, when you say "Damp" the drywall, you mean use something like Green Glue between the sheets? So the sheets are NOT screwed together? Even on the ceiling?


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

The fiberglass has a slight advantage in the low frequencies. 

The channel is spaced at 24" centers. Drywall seams fall on framing .

Green Glue is a damping compound and all layers are secured with fasteners.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

So I would use the same fastener through both sheets through sheet 1, through sheet 2 and into the clip?




Ted White said:


> The fiberglass has a slight advantage in the low frequencies.
> 
> The channel is spaced at 24" centers. Drywall seams fall on framing .
> 
> Green Glue is a damping compound and all layers are secured with fasteners.


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

The clips hold a metal channel. The drywall is all screwed to that channel.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Would you recommendation be to glue the panels togeather and then secure to the walls/ceiling or put up one side, put up the glue, then put up the other side


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

*QUOTE*: Would you recommendation be to glue the panels togeather and then secure to the walls/ceiling 

No. 

One of the great advantages of a two-layer system is that the seams overlap, significantly reducing the opportunity for a seal failure. This is one of the reasons why a field assembled damped drywall assembly will always outperform the factory damped "quiet" drywall.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

New years went very well.. Now it's time to get to work around here... A few questions for everyone...

1st) How do I deal with in-wall speakers if i'm doing the whole double layer drywall bit... do I need to build boxes in the wall that are also double drywalled? 


2nd)

See the below diagram I posted before... We are now considering movint the theatre to the north east corner (north is up for this discussion) so it would be going north south not east west... The bulkhead with all the HVAC and the main beam would NOT be inside the room. This would make the room 22 DEEP and 13 FT Wide.

Thoughts?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

If doing inwall speakers, plan on building a backer box out of MDF. Inwalls aren't really optimal in a room where yiou're trying to provide isolation. Most inwalls assume they'll have a full stud cavity for the 'speaker box' while allowing that would shoot your isolation.

Bryan


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Bryan: 

Thanks.. That's pretty much what I figured. I'd rather not loose a foot of room due to the wall having to move out to accomodate a backer box, plus isolation would be an issue.

On to the next.



bpape said:


> Inwalls aren't really optimal in a room where yiou're trying to provide isolation.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

I am working on building the wall separating my HT from the rest of the basement and have a few questions.

The plan was to double stud the wall between the rest of the basement and the HT, and double door, then double drywall inside W/GG, and single drywall on the outside wall (I could double again, but it's overkill in my application)

A few questions on construction

1) The room borders the foundation on two sides, and borders the rest of the basement on two sides.

On the sides bordering the foundation, am I correct to think that I am supposed to be putting another wall there to decouple the room from the existing foundation and framing (the existing basement has framing to the floor), as a result I would be double framed all the way around? 

I was reading that you can achieve similar acoustic decouple by using WhisperClips everywhere (walls included) instead of double studding. Thoughts on this method if you please...

2) the new wall separating the basement, I know the outer wall could touch the ceiling - what about the inner wall? I am guessing that in order to achieve a decouple, it shouldn't be touching the ceiling joists - if that's the case - how does it get secured at the top? RISC-DC04 clips?

3) Floor: I am using Dri-Core sub flooring, I am guessing the Dri-Core in the HT, and the Dri-Core in the rest of the basement, shouldn't be connected, so the dri-Core would stop at the interior double wall, and then start again on the other side of the outer double wall. Correct?

4) Stage on top of dri-core? Stage directly on concrete?


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

I think I might have figured out the answer to a few of the first questions...

Regarding securing the INSIDE walls of the double wall..

It looks like using RISC-DC04's is the best way to "secure" the inner wall to the ceiling joists... Is this correct?

If that's the case - Then that 1" cap created by the RISC clip would be taken up by the 2 x 5/8 drywall on the ceiling and wall. The plan is to use whisper clips and channel on existing floor joists to hand the ceiling drywall.

Nothing inside touches outside.. Trying to close all these gaps - and so far from what I can see it's not terribly hard or expensive to do.. Thus far the only thing connecting inside to outside in my design is the common concrete floor, and clips.

Hoping Ted will chime in here...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Yes. Just build the inner walls 1/2" short and use DC-04 clips to tie them to the joists above while maintaining some isolation and negating the need for clips on the walls. You'll still need them on the ceiling though.

Bryan


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Well spent some time doing some design, I think I have it figured. Exterior walls are going up this week. Here are some design decisions I have made.

- Soffits of 6" tall and 8" Wide (2" for light strip) 
- Dead vents built exterior and fed in at alternate ends
- Equipment cabinet in room
- 4 pillars (sconces) , 2 rear speakers, 2 to make room look semetrical and for lights.
- Pot lights in soffit
- Walls will be 2 x 5/8 Drywall W/GG and R-12 and then exterior wall of R-12 + 5/8 (not double on outside)
- Doors are already here... 32x80 Doors, 2 of them, with Safe and Sound fill.
- Interior Walls will be clipped to ceiling. 
- Ceiling will be whisper clipped to joists, 2 x 5/8 W/GG

More photos to come.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

More pics of the space


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Few questions hopefully someone can chime in...

When building the stage - should it be be built on top of my Dri-Core floor? Or directly on the concrete and then put dri-core floor separate from it.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

If you're going to fill the stage with sand, it'll be too heavy to set on top of the dri-cor effectively IMO. I would just build it and then do the Dri-cor up to it.

Bryan


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Bryan;

I was going to use loose fill, the wife isn't much on the sand... I was just wondering what's better, on top of the tricore or on the concrete -- sounds like concrete is better.. If I do that -- should I avoid connecting the stage to the drywall?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

In either case, don't connect the stage to the wall. 

If it's going to be insulation filled, there honestly isn't much difference between the 2 ways other than protecting the stage structure from potential water which the DriCor would help with.

Bryan


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

That's really what I was looking for.

to be honest from a build perspective -- it would be WAY WAY easier if i could put it on top - curring dricore panels to match a nicely curved stage front would be far from easy.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Progress this weekend... Got the start of interior and exterior walls up - Also got the double doors up. 

FYI Doors came from Home Depot, they are 32x80 standard doors, pre-hung with Safe and Sound fill. They are pretty dead when you knock on them and they fit the budget... $115 a door. Can't say no to that!


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

Are you using untreated 2x4's for the floor plates? If so, do you have any sort of capilary break between the concrete and the wood?

Regards,
sga2


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Yes the 2x4 base plates have an insulative layer under them


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Framing is done, ripped out all the duct work (not in these photos) and capped, time to start some electrical.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Looking for your thoughts and opinions please -- be blunt as usual.

Here is my first draft electrical layout -- the panel isn't where it shows, it's way down in the other end - but for design purposes -- that doesn't matter.

5 circuit are planned, 2 x 15A dedicated to rack, 1 for projector, 1 for lights (8 GU10 Pots and 2 ambient ceiling lights from soffits, might be rope or LED, havn't decided), 1 for Subwoofers and some periphery outlets.


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## bbieger (Sep 15, 2009)

Looks pretty good although it does seem like allot of separate circuits. Your PJ doesn't need a separate circuit. I would highly suggest that your sub is on an entirely separate circuit from your AV rack. Someobody here can probably elaborate more but depending on your sub/amp configuration, you can generate a ground loop that will induce hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm into your subwoofer. There is an easy although not "proper" solution (use a simple grounded to ungrounded adapter) but if I had to do it over Iwould have just put them on seperate circuits. 

Theater looks legit though!! As someone that completely obsessed over their theater build and busted hump for 6 months, I can tell you that its all worth it in the end.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

bb: Thanks man, i'm obsessing over EVERY detail.

The sub only shares power with some of the room conviencne outlets around the room, those outlets won't ever really be used.

The Projector isn't getting it's own circuit any more - that plan has changed (need to update drawings) now i'm running something over to the A/V Rack (far away from everything else) so I can power it from my UPS. 

Just ordered 4 ERD-1 surrounds from Emotiva today, they are on the way... A little birdy told me that all reference speakers at Emotiva just went on sale for 20% OFF !! Unfortunatly - I don't have the cash to pull in to order the LCR set from them..


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

OK some more progress.... I'm in a bit if procurement mode right now... So I picked up a few items... FanTech FG6XL Fan (see photo) and i've done a TON of electrical which is more work that it looks, because i ran 4 circuits back to the main panel which is on the other side of the house (zig zagging the entire way)

I also made some backer boxes - excuse my woodworking, I suck at it... The insides are all sealed with Acoustic Sealant, and right now they are just 5/8 MDF. Layer 2 will go on just before drywall and will be 1/2" Drywall W/Green Glue and then once put on -- acoustik sealed around the edges.

The feeder (pictured) for the stereo rack is 2 x 12GA back to the panel for 20AMP service each branch -- overkill -- yes, but i'd rather not get voltage drops when equipment starts thumping.

Also the light control for the entire room is installed - It's an Insteon KeypadLinc. The rest of the light switches will be in the rack, but controlled from this device.


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## memarcus (Jan 28, 2010)

In regards to the 60Hz hum on subs and other equipment. I thought somewhere in my many readings on this forum that some said that was caused/influenced by wiring on different legs. For example the source component, AVR, BDP, what have you being powered via a circuit on L1 and the amp being powered by another circuit on L2. Not much help but that's my fuzzy memory. I had thought they mentioned to wire everything on the same leg to help the condition.


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## grinthock (Dec 17, 2010)

Well the panel isn't wires yet just the runs are in - so either way it's easy to change... That being said, I agree all on same leg would avoid more issues... BUT all grounds and neutrals go to the same bus, so I doubt it matters. It is AC not DC, so loops are not as prevalent.


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