# New HT Project: Construction questions



## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Thank you in advance to all those who have posted and replied before me. Your comments and information have helped me tremendously as I've progressed from the dream to initial design. This is my first post so please be patient with me. 

I have listed a couple of questions directly below with additional project details following. Apologies if these questions have been addressed already - I did try some searching first. Appreciate your feedback at this initial stage - I am sure there will be more questions to follow! :bigsmile:

Thank you!! DucatiR

1) Room: do I treat 'hipped' ceiling (see attached pic) any different than rectangular room when calculating 'good-sound' room dimensions?

2) Floor: 2x8 joists in pre-built bonus room trusses over garage. Have searched but having trouble finding devices to isolate the theater room floor. Found Hush-Felt products out of UK. Also Kinetics KIP pad at ~$2.50 ea. Not sure I like the performance of rubber - significant worry? Suggestions on floor isolation??

3) Projector noise: Is projector noise an issue? I was thinking of a lift (until I looked at prices :scared or a self-contained, exhausted enclosure. Do I need to worry about that?

Existing building:
- unfinished bonus room over garage separated from 2nd floor rooms by ~22' open trusses
- separation from 1st floor rooms ~6' horizontal
- truss dimensions: 12'x32' floor; 54.75" short wall to 'hip'; 46.5" flat ceiling

Current concept (no hardware decisions yet)
- retrofit damping to garage door openers
- new bonus room 20'L x 11.5'W x ~7.5'H seems to work with on-line spreadsheets I found
- front row seating ~70" from back wall
- riser made of mdf on isolation mounts
- 1 layer 5/8" wallboard mounted to RSIC-1(?)/channel with full insulation and acoustic sealant for walls
- minimal wall penetrations except track lighting input, speaker drops, air duct and doors
- air duct baffles and 180 deg duct turns; possible lined ducts
- min solid core doors with weather striping and threshold drop; possible custom self-made doors
- isolation for ceiling wallboard
- false ceiling for fiber optic and rope lighting; suspended conduit for HDMI/etc cables to projector
- 110" AT screen with LCR speakers behind screen; possible curved screen
- possible anamorphic CIH projection
- separate equipment room for hardware, light generator and, er, refreshment refrigerator


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## tenzip (May 4, 2007)

Wow. Very nice blank canvas. Minds me of the "Bat Barn" on avforums.com in the UK, except his is open to the peak. If you go look at that thread, make sure you have a couple of hours to spare. I think it's 70 pages or so.

I'll not comment further, except to say Welcome!


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

If you're only tied to the garage trusses, it's not likely as much of an issue. You could simply do subfloor, a good iso mat, and then another layer of subfloor.

Slanted ceiling - from a calculation of required decay time, you'll just use the average height. From a standpoint of calculating room modes, good luck. You'll need some very complex software to do it - much more than you'll find as a freebie on the web. Do the best you can with length and width

PJ noise can absolutely be an issue. There are a few of them that are very quiet - not sure what you're looking at exactly. You can certainly do a hush box with one of the cold air returns from the room in/by it.

Bryan


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

1) I'm not an acoustics expert, but I would suggest you use the regular L,W,H dimensions of the room regardless of the hipped ceiling. The possibility of a standing wave will still exist between the floor and the horizontal portion of the ceiling. The hips just work to reduce the area of parallel surfaces and, I think, would help reduce the possibility/affect of standing waves.

2)what bpape said

3)what bpape said, except I would suggest trying without a hush box first and see if it bothers you. Otherwise, you could plan ahead so you know how you could add a hush box after the fact with minimal effort.

question: maybe I would need to see a picture of the house from the outside because with that roof shape, I'm picturing a garage as a peninsula off of the house. If so, why put so much effort into sound containment if you are out over a garage and probably only one side open to the rest of the house. If you are trying to keep outside noise out, then I guess OK, but if you just trying to keep theater sound from intruding on the rest of the house, would it really be an issue? 

otherwise, welcome to the shack. This looks like it will be a really good project. I hope you can give us regular updates. Also, have you given any thought to doing an IB sub? those areas of space outside of the short side walls are prime targets.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Looks like it will be a nice project DucatiR..which I will follow closely..and if you look at the "Bat Barn" as tenzip mentioned, you should get some good idea's from that..

Also, If you decide to go anamorphic..we'll be able to help you get setup for that as well..

Good luck with it all..


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

1) Non linear surfaces are better for acoustics, so a vaulted ceiling is superior to one that is parallel to the floor. Most calculators you can download don't do the complex stuff like that though.

2) I guess it depends on what's underneath that room. If it's a garage then noise transferring into the garage is not really an issue. It would be more the noise coming up into the theater room. Double drywall on the ceiling below and joists packed with Roxul would be a good start. 

A double subfloor of 3/4 plywood or OSB would help also. Use glue and floor screws. You could sandwich some mass load vinyl in between the layers but that would be prohibitively expensive. I'm not sure if Green Glue is recommended, but a viscoelastic layer between the two subfloor layers would help a little bit. Mass is your friend when it comes to soundproofing. Isolation helps but mass is the key. More mpact noise should be attenuated by using good carpet and underpad.

3) Some of the newer projectors are whisper quiet. If noise is an issue then take a look at the specs and choose one that has very low fan noise. You could also build a hush box around the projector, but make sure that the projector is still getting adequate air flow or you'll shorten the lamp and possibly the projector life. Most home theater projectors don't need one in my opinion. You will actually tune out the whisper of the fan (psychoacoustics) for the most part.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Just remember that if you really want isolation, just doing the ceiling without the walls won't help a lot. Sound will flank around to the easiest path - in that case, the walls, and all the associated holes for outlets, switches, etc.

Bryan


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## Space (Jul 18, 2007)

DucatiR said:


> DucatiR
> 
> Existing building:
> - unfinished bonus room over garage separated from 2nd floor rooms by ~22' open trusses
> ...


Hi DucatiR,

I'm going to play the Devils advocate here. This isn't an unfinished room, this is a truss roof. A gable roof as the picture shows with the flat wall at the end studded up, as gables are. What you are suggesting is not going to be a "doable" project without a lot of intervention. 

Please let me explain.

All the metal gang plates on the framing members are designed and calculated for a specific job. That job is to hold the members together. It was not taken into consideration that this area would be used to carry a live load. And it is not recommended.

As the picture shows us, there is a connection with plates on the joists on the left and right hand side, close to the verticle webbing of the truss. This would have to have some support from underneath, and that would come only after your plans were approved by the locals.

Then there is the issue of all the additional weight that isolation requires.

Granted, these things may have already been taken into consideration. If that is the case then I'm just wrong, and it isn't the first time


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions. I have a couple of follow-up questions and some more information in response to several of the posts.

4) I've seen a few posts, some by bpape if I recall correctly, suggesting that in-wall speakers can be ok acoustically (more realistic surround pan?). In-walls and IB would represent a significant wall penetration - yes? Or do I build isolation/insulation boxes behind the wall to contain the speakers?

5) IB sounds intriguing and I will research that further particularly after seeing the Bat Barn (nice!). But wouldn't that bass use the entire open space behind the walls and the other attic space as a resonance chamber? Then I have serious LF bass impacting the back side of the 2nd floor living quarters (see attached diagram).

Sounds like I'll just be doubling up the floor with something in between the plywood/OSB without isolation. Saves me some money and work. There is already blown insulation in the entire space. Adding sheetrock to the existing, finished garage ceiling would be very complicated. Good advice to start without a hush box but plan for one just in case.

hddummy asked about the overall house configuration. Please see the attached diagram. The connecting attic space between the 2nd floor of the house and the HT space is open web trusses. 22-24' separate the 2nd floor wall from the nearest wall of the new HT room. I may end up being a little conservative on the build: if my family comes up to the HT and asks me to turn it down then I've wasted a lot of time and effort. 

Space brought up a good question re: truss design/loading. When I built the house I spec'd these bonus room trusses but didn't have enough money to finish it at the time. I've already been reviewing some engineering work with the truss company so know the trusses can handle the load.

Thanks - DucatiR


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

DucatiR said:


> Sounds like I'll just be doubling up the floor with something in between the plywood/OSB without isolation. Saves me some money and work. There is already blown insulation in the entire space. Adding sheetrock to the existing, finished garage ceiling would be very complicated.


I don't think is neccesary to double up the floor because is above the garage so you will not bother the cars :bigsmile: ... also, if you already have blown insulation in the entire space is okay too, as long as there's no hollow walls or you'll have a resonance problem (that includes de floor too) :yes:



> .... The connecting attic space between the 2nd floor of the house and the HT space is open web trusses. 22-24' separate the 2nd floor wall from the nearest wall of the new HT room. I may end up being a little conservative on the build: if my family comes up to the HT and asks me to turn it down then I've wasted a lot of time and effort.


Is there any way to build a small room/space between the 2nd floor wall and the HT wall??? ... WHat I mean, is to create an air gap between them to try to isolate the sound. I remember reading that somebody used a double door between the HT and the rest of the house (that in the same wall) and helped with the sound ... in your case maybe you can create a small room :huh:


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

I've never said inwalls were any better. I simply said that one doesn't need to automatically discount them as long as you're willing to do the appropriate isolation and spend the extra money. It's MUCH easier and MUCH cheaper to use standard spekaers and you can get better sound for less money.

If you have to do inwalls, then yes, there will be some additional isolation enclosures and construction required.

Bryan


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

I think that with this distances you won't have a problem bothering others ...



> Existing building:
> - unfinished bonus room over garage separated from 2nd floor rooms by ~22' open trusses
> - separation from 1st floor rooms ~6' horizontal


I thin that double drywall and insulation and a solid core door will be enough :yes:


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## Space (Jul 18, 2007)

The immediate things that come into play will be keeping ventilation unobstructed in this roof. Eave overhangs have vents and gable ends have vents as well. Often, rather then a gable end vent, you will have ridge vents. These are as noisy as opening a window 

These things have a purpose and unfortunately, will allow noise directly into the bonus room.

I would be curious, if I was doing this, how much noise is actually coming from the existing home attic area. Airborne or structure borne and what will it take to overcome this?


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

Space is right on the money here. You are going to have to consult an engineer or architect to make detailed plans for this room so that it is built to code. 

The last thing you want to do is make the addition and have it collapse though the garage (with your friends and/or family in the room). That would destroy a good chunk of your house and the cars below and you're insurance company would not cover it (and would drop you as a client). That in turn would send a red flag to your mortgage holder who could then take legal action to protect their interests. Not to mention you and your friends and/or family could get hurt. Friends could become enemies and sue you. Since your insurance company just dropped you, you would be on the hook for everything.


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

First, apologies to Bryan for attributing my misunderstanding of an issue to him. I should have written that differently. Thank you for the clarification.

I've needed the firm that built the trusses to do some engineering analysis anyway for some mods I need to make for access.  I have confirmed with them the trusses will handle the intended load (typical living room space with sub-floor, drywall, furniture, people, etc. Even double drywall if necessary). Also, there is truss webbing not shown at the top of the picture for ventilation from between the trusses as well as from the existing attic space to the open gable end vent on the exterior wall. I had the HVAC guy here yesterday and he confirmed that.

I bought a Radio Shack analog SPL today. Ran a set of speakers into the attic facing away from the existing 2nd floor living space. Played some Rammstein for good bass. About 90-92dB ~12' in front of speakers with C and Slow settings. Inside the house on the 2nd floor about 30' behind the speakers I was reading up to 60dB with the same settings. I could roughly make out vocals and clearly hear the bass.

With that data I think I definitely need to work on wall isolation, don't you think? I think that also rules out IB. I'm not sure I can sufficiently isolate the open space outside the theater from the back wall of the 2nd floor living quarters.

Thanks all for the comments so far. Hoping to get building permit next week.
Duc


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

DucatiR said:


> I bought a Radio Shack analog SPL today. Ran a set of speakers into the attic facing away from the existing 2nd floor living space. Played some Rammstein for good bass. About 90-92dB ~12' in front of speakers with C and Slow settings. Inside the house on the 2nd floor about 30' behind the speakers I was reading up to 60dB with the same settings. I could roughly make out vocals and clearly hear the bass.


You could almost figure that you roughly have a 30 STC rating right now (sort of). Roxul Safe 'n' Sound, Double Drywall and a well sealed solid core door will silence that pretty good. That might bring the STC up to 50+. That would make that 60dB reading more like 40dB or less. You won't hear vocals at all and just the bass if it's really loud and it's really quiet in the adjacent room.

The one thing I've found having a fairly soundproof room, is that you don't hear the door bell or the phone if it rings in another room. I'm thinking about installing a door chime, with a remote camera hooked into an input on my receiver. 

I guess one thing you would want to consider too, if you have neighbors close by, is the amount of sound that would leave through the roof. You'll be insulating anyway and I'm sure double drywall added will bring the sound down to almost nothing.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

MatrixDweller said:


> ... Roxul Safe 'n' Sound, Double Drywall and a well sealed solid core door will silence that pretty good...


He beat me with the answer ...I also agree that once you do the double drywall, insulation, etc. will help you ... :yes:


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Ok, so double drywall sounds like the way to go. But what about the mounting options: direct to studs, resilient channel, or RSIC/hat channel? The costs increase quite a bit with each of the latter 2 options with (double drywall + RSIC) = 2.5x just double drywall by itself. With the house/room configuration I've described will I see a significant benefit from either of the channel options?

For the floor someone wryly (and correctly) observed the cars beneath the floor won't notice the sound. :clap::clap: Not clear how much sound is structure borne but I could potentially save some money there with single ply? If I did stick with some kind of isomat are there recommendations on material? I've done some research but a bit lost on material options vs. performance.:scratchhead::scratchhead:

Last question is insulation. I've seen tons of recommendations here at the forum for Roxul. Also read some for pink insulation in risers. Larger performance difference between the two in terms of sound control?

Thanks.
Duc


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

There is a difference between Roxul (mineral wool) and fiberglass, but it's not really large. Roxul is denser and their Safe 'n' Sound product has been rated for sound abatement. The nice thing about Roxul too is that it is water and fire resistant. That gives it a little more value when sticking it in your walls.


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

DucatiR said:


> Ok, so double drywall sounds like the way to go. But what about the mounting options: direct to studs, resilient channel, or RSIC/hat channel? The costs increase quite a bit with each of the latter 2 options with (double drywall + RSIC) = 2.5x just double drywall by itself. With the house/room configuration I've described will I see a significant benefit from either of the channel options?


Just giving this a bump to see if anyone has opinions on the stud vs. channel mounting for drywall in my particular space (26' open attic b/n theater and nearest room).raying:

Duc.


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## tenzip (May 4, 2007)

I guess my question after re-reading the thread is: What is between the new HT space and the rest of the house? Is there another room? Are you going to be building another room between? If so, I don't think you will need to do anything in particular to isolate the HT, just having a couple of normal walls and good solid doors should do the job. bpape may have better advice, but I'd probably go with at most, staggered studs on the wall closest to the living spaces, and insulate the tar out of the rest of the area.

I doubt you'd have much sound leakage, unless you listen at reference levels regularly.

Building that way, with good insulation in all the walls, and good solid doors with thresholds, and perhaps some double drywall, would probably be cheaper too.

How close are your neighbors?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Realistically, I'd just do double with Green Glue direct to the studs. If you're going to use anything else, just use hat channel or RSIC-1 with hat channel. Don't bother with RC. It's OK for vocal range but doesn't do diddly for low end and is also VERY easy to screw up and short out.

Bryan


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

What Chris and I are wondering is... What are your plans for the space between second floor of the main house and HT space???? ...Are you building another room??? ...How are you going to access the HT??? ...From second floor through the open space above main house??? ...:huh:


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## Space (Jul 18, 2007)

The left hand side of that roof is walled up. It terminates into the living area of the second floor.

The right hand side may be walled up as well, as a firewall between the garage and living area.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Space said:


> The left hand side of that roof is walled up. It terminates into the living area of the second floor....


I asssume ... is where you're planning to put a door to access the Ht room, Right???



> The right hand side may be walled up as well, as a firewall between the garage and living area.



If you do that ... it will create an air gap between HT room and living area of second floor; that means ... "Don't worry about the sound disturbing the second floor occupants" :yes:


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## Space (Jul 18, 2007)

I'm not who you think I am


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

On a short wall with a door in the middle RC or RISC is pointless anyway. RC makes it so that the wall has a bit of spring to it and separates it from the studs, RISC takes it a step further. The door frame and assembly will short out any of those benefits however. They are really only good on straight un-opened (meaning no doors or windows) walls like in a townhouse or duplex's shared wall.

A double wall would be a better option. Better than staggered stud also because there would be no demolition necessary. With to door on the theater side of the double wall it should help. A double wall with insulation and double drywall would probably get the STC rating up in the 60's. Sound could flank up through the roof or the floor though. That sound being low bass only most likely.


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## tenzip (May 4, 2007)

OK, now I'm a bit more confused.

Let me state what I'm pretty sure of, then ask some more questions. (A floor plan of the entire second floor would help, I think.)

The new HT is going to be above the garage area. I assume the screen/display will be at the end furthest from the living areas.

How are you accessing the new HT room? Is there a stairway from the garage, or a door/opening direct from the living area 2nd floor?

That floor plan you're going to post :bigsmile: will really make things clearer, I hope.


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

salvasol said:


> What Chris and I are wondering is... What are your plans for the space between second floor of the main house and HT space???? ...Are you building another room??? ...How are you going to access the HT??? ...From second floor through the open space above main house??? ...:huh:


In the new attached SketchUp file I ripped the roof off the space in question. It is standard web trusses. Considered modifying the trusses and putting a hallway thru (engineering actually worked out!) but too much money! Stairs will be going up from inside the garage. So the space between the main house and HT is about 26 feet of air gap. From David's last comment it sounds like I should be fine? I also attached a plan view showing the layout of the space above the garage (thanks Chris!).

Thanks for your patience. I should have provided a plan view from the start.

Duc

http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/index.php?n=1122
http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/index.php?n=1124


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

Yeah...i think you have no need for special sound proofing in this space. Most people are lucky if they have a good wall between a bonus room/theater and their bedroom, but you have 26' of insulated attic space. That not only decouples the theater wall from the rest of the house, but gives a lot of time/distance for sound to be absorbed before it reaches the house. If you can still hear it after the fact, you can add OSB to some of those trusses and make some solid barriers.


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

There would be some vibration transfer from the floor and wall into the studs. As long as you take care of that the rest of the house should be oblivious to what goes on in the theater room. You have quite a bit of built in soundproofing already.
- The double drywall layer will take care of the wall portion quite a bit. 
- The floor structure, seeing that it's insulated will prevent the room below from resonating.

If you were to build the equipment room where the screen is, you would have even more separation. I don't know if that would work though seeing that you would have a door or doorway with a curtain on your front wall (space issue?).


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Framing is underway this week.:bigsmile: Will post pics this weekend. 

Ventilation duct work will be installed next week. I have read several posts about reducing sound from the ducts: flex duct and labyrinth or baffle. The HVAC contractor will be using flex duct. My question is on the labyrinth design and location. I've read about mdf box around the duct for some distance (15 feet??) and packing the space between box and duct with insulation. Correct?

Please see the attached rough sketch of the room. Outside the sides of the room is the remaining taper of the roof. It may be possible to wind the duct through the open web of truss work as illustrated in green. Building a box around the duct may be possible but I think challenging. Is another option to build the labyrinth behind the screen wall as shown in red and run a long straight section back to the inlet/outlet vents in the room? Or does the straight run re-introduce noise issues? I'd have more room to maneuver in the open attic space behind that wall. 

Other options??:huh:

Duc


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Without the box, just bending the flex duct won't help much with mid and low frequency isolation. 

When you do the bends, you don't have to come all the way back at 180 degrees. You can just run a few feet, bend 90 to go up or down, then run, bend again, etc. Might be easier to do the boxing that way.

Bryan


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Thanks for prompt reply Bryan. Attached is another duct run design along the side of the room. And this does look easier to build. Due to space constraints of the the trusses I'm limited in how long the runs can be along 2 of the 3 axis. Using this design the numbers would roughly be:

90bend - 90bend - 30"vert up - 90bend - 4'horiz - 90bend - 30"vert down - 90bend - 90bend - 4'horiz, etc.

I can get 15'+ with that design. Will that accomplish the isolation objective?

Also, I've read about using a larger box at the end of the run and a large grille to help reduce face velocity of the air flow. Is that advisable? Effective?

Thanks much. Duc.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

That would work great. 

The general 15' is assuming 3 5' runs with 3 90 degree bends. What you've laid out is actually better - though more work.

Bryan


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

The more bends the more sound attenuation (from room into HVAC). Line the ducts with linacoustic or SUPERDUCT RC or other HVAC acoustical material and you'll be pretty happy. A silencer could save you a bit of duct work though. A silencer is basically constructed like a car's muffler.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Yup. A silencer can work very well over a lot of the range - but still doesn't deal with the bass getting through very well. 

Bryan


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

A few construction progress pictures.
First, the linked picture shows the original truss space with camera flash illumination.
http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/index.php?n=1086

Second picture is from relatively the same position with framing of walls and subfloor now completed. A little better illumination with the temp construction lights. In the floor is a small box for wiring, controllers, etc. from the equipment room in the background. There are pvc pipes exiting to either side of the room. The equipment room has similar boxes at the very outside edges of the room with another pvc connection between them.

Third picture is one of the ventilation duct labyrinth's nearly completed. I had hoped to complete both of them (supply & return) this weekend. My advance measurements were spot on but assembly took considerably longer than anticipated.:sad: Actual duct work will be installed next week.

Duc


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Nicely done. Add in the flex duct and a bit of insulation to fill in the gaps and that should be about as quiet as you're reasonably going to get.

Bryan


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Wow, over a month since my last post. Time flies. I've been working on the all the electrical wiring which took considerably longer than I expected. I should have expected that! Passed the rough-in electrical inspection yesterday! :bigsmile: HVAC duct has been run. I still need to get the insulation in and finish the front panels on the mdf boxes.

I'm about to finish up the conduit runs for speakers and cables to the projector before I start with insulating the wall/ceiling cavities. Any recommendations or advice on projector location? I know throw distance of the projector is a factor, but otherwise is it advisable to be closer to the screen or further back? Overhead or behind the front row?? Screen will be about 18-19' from the back wall with a door in the middle of that wall.

Also, how much clearance should I factor for an anamorphic lens assembly? My ceiling will be rather low at about 7'8" or a bit less. A riser would shrink that even more in the back of the room. So I'm thinking I want to mount the projector as close to the ceiling as possible?

Duc


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Finally posting some pictures of construction progress.

First is a view of one of the hvac vents. The mdf box contains 6" insulated flex duct, voids packed with cellulose blown-type insulation. I sealed as much as possible of the mdf box interior seams. A few inaccessible seams were sealed from the exterior.

Next is the supply return. Due to miscommunication with the contractor I built the boxes too small. He said sticking flex duct inside the mdf labyrinth would create too much resistance for this return branch so there would be very reduced flow. As a result I ended up leaving the boxes open (you can see acoustic sealant on the interior - not yet painted). To try and preserve sound isolation I wrapped the mdf with 5/8" sheet rock and then Roxul. A lot of extra work for a few minutes of miscommunication.:duh:

Besides the vent/supply penetrations there will be only 2 other penetrations of the double drywall: outlet and front speaker gang box (other speakers will be wire-hole only and sealed). I built a small frame around the gang boxes and a hinged panel on the back side with mdf, double drywall and Roxul with weather-stripping at the panel door interface. I have easy access to the backside of the wall through the attic for wire addition/change.

Two pictures of some of the conduit I ran for speaker wire, cable, etc. Tried to run 90deg to electrical and some space between conduit/power when parallel whenever possible. The box in the floor includes an outlet for rope light, charger for remote control, etc. Also conduit running overhead in the ceiling for projector and speakers on the screen-wall (box to access the projector cables not yet built).

Finally, 2 pictures of the room with insulation: 1 viewed from the screen wall, the other from the door towards the screen wall.

Wallboard next but taking a few days rest. I have DIY-itis. On the plus side, the contractors that did the framing are acquaintances and offered to help with wallboard for a case of beer each!! :bigsmile:


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## Bruce Fisher (Nov 24, 2007)

Looks great! I've been looking around at ways to reduce the noise from my HVAC too - nice to see what you did.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Looking good. Drywall help for a couple cases of beer - what a deal that is...

Don't forget to provide isolation for all of the electrical boxes too. Those plastic boxes won't stop diddly in the bass.

Bryan


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

It's starting to take shape nicely..:T


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Happy New Year!! (my last post was in December :hide Skiing, girls basketball, work...no time for project - egads! I'm posting a few pictures below of my current status. Apologies for the deluge.

Nothing of the drywall, taping, texture, etc. IMHO, that's a bit like the foundation of a house. 'Yep - that's concrete alright.' In hindsight, the green glue on the 2nd layer of drywall would probably have been good to share.

In any case, when we last saw this project we had insulation and a fair number of pesky outlets for bass waves to sneak thru. But we had a trick up our sleeves after the inspectors left. Passed both electrical and final building inspection last Friday. :yay2: Here we go...

This HT is accessed from my garage. Here is a view towards the new stairs that were installed.








That first landing presented a tight corner for my furniture, cabinets, riser & screen wall lumber after construction. So I found some nifty OSHA-compliant stair rail mounts that permitted me to build a removable stair rail.








Relatively cheap indoor/outdoor carpet on the stairs considering the garage environment it will be exposed to. But check out that vinyl carpet protector - I don't think I've seen that since my parents house in the 70's.








Habitat for Humanity has a cool used building materials place where I live. I found a nice door that met, barely, the code requirements for fire separation from the garage.








The first room is a tight spot but it's only for a small fridge, cabinet and movie storage.








The second room is for equipment storage.








Here is a close-up of the opposite wall with the wire access exposed. The single outlet on the right is a switched outlet for my light generator.








I ran conduit across the ceiling for speakers that will be behind the screen wall and also for the ceiling mounted projector. Here is the equipment room access to that conduit.















The HT room post-texture, pre-paint.








Now what about those pesky outlets required by code but that I'll never use and that create nice little bass leakage? I used a few of those fancy outlets you can adjust back/forwards with a screw. Very nice to adjust to the double dry-wall if you want. But also handy if you want to push it back behind the drywall, cover the box, and then replace the drywall.






















The wires will be trimmed back so they just protrude from the wallboard. I'll go back after everything is done and leave small indicator marks. That way if I or future homeowner want the outlets back their location is easily found.

I'm not sure how much space I get so I'll submit this one and follow with my next batch.


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Next batch catching up on my activity since the inspection. Busy, busy, busy!!!

Here is the door from the equipment room into the HT. It is solid core and I used extra long screws in the hinges. I'm thinking of mounting 5/8 wall board to the HT-room side of the door with a bit of Roxul stuff between it and the door. Just a bit of extra soundproofing. Not sure if this is needed or advisable? but I put a lot of work into the rest of the HT surface area.
View attachment 14188


The HT room looking towards the screen wall now painted in Bittersweet Chocolate.
View attachment 14189


And a view from the screen wall towards the door.
View attachment 14190


Here we can see a air supply vent. There used to be a bass leaking outlet located right below this. Magic outlets!
View attachment 14191


Tonight I just started building the riser. 2x8 construction on 16 inch centers, 6 feet deep and full width of the room.
View attachment 14192


Half a riser?! What's up with that? Those removeable stair rails are cool but the turn at the top of the stairs for the doors maxes out for a 10 foot item. My room is 12' wide. So that 2x8x12 wasn't going anywhere. Sometimes it seems like no matter how much planning I do, I still end up managing a continuous series of complications. But I have progress - positive thinking!!

Here is the floor access for wires that may be required to run from the equipment room. I painted the interior white for better visibility. Plan to install a light that will auto-on when I open the panel.
View attachment 14193

View attachment 14194


I finished tonight when I realized the middle of my riser joists run perpendicular to a crown in the floor. Might be kind of hard to see in the following photo but I basically have a riser that teeter-totters about 3/16" on either side. Complications!:hissyfit:
View attachment 14195


Next up is figuring out to deal with the crown, finish the other half then glue/screw to the floor, reinforce the seam in my ex-2x8x12's, then stuff with insulation and cap it. Hopefully the carpet guy can be here next week if I can get all that done this weekend.

Cheers for now.


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## Bruce Fisher (Nov 24, 2007)

for some reason, your attachments didn't work in your second post (first post was fine)


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Apparently a problem with pictures in the second post. Trying again below by quoting and editing the post. Hope that is correct procedure.



DucatiR said:


> Next batch catching up on my activity since the inspection. Busy, busy, busy!!!
> 
> Here is the door from the equipment room into the HT. It is solid core and I used extra long screws in the hinges. I'm thinking of mounting 5/8 wall board to the HT-room side of the door with a bit of Roxul stuff between it and the door. Just a bit of extra soundproofing. Not sure if this is needed or advisable? but I put a lot of work into the rest of the HT surface area.
> 
> ...


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

It's starting to look like a theatre!..:T
Keep the pics coming..


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## Bruce Fisher (Nov 24, 2007)

looking good! amazing that no matter how hard we try to plan - little things still pop up


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Riser is now completed. Construction pics follow....

I used 1x2 furring strips under the ends of the riser and joists to span the crown in the floor. I was concerned about head clearance with the false ceiling that will come later. But I think the 3/4" addition from the strips will be ok. Spray paint on the 2x8's was a mask step so I could tell more precisely where to put the strips when I moved the assembled framing halves out of the way. Screwed and glued the strips to the floor. Glued the 2x8's to the strips and used 3" deck screws through the 2x8 to the subfloor.








Insulation going in. R30 fits perfectly for 2x8's. 








First part of the decking using 3/4" plywood. Glue and screws again (shouldn't be much in the way of squeaks - I hope). I've read a number of posts suggesting mdf for riser decking due to the additional mass. I'm still debating in my own head whether to do that or not. I will be using 40oz felt under the carpet so hoping that will help with some sound. Not the same mass as mdf though. The empty slot down the center was just temporary for easier walking from one end to the other.








And the finished riser as viewed from the screen wall. :bigsmile:








Next up is track light installation while I wait for the carpet order. In the last picture you can see the bare bulb fixtures I've been using during construction phase. Track lights will start at those junction boxes. Paper on the left is fixing a texture/paint issue at the air return grille.


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

DucatiR wrote: 

Here is the door from the equipment room into the HT. It is solid core and I used extra long screws in the hinges. I'm thinking of mounting 5/8 wall board to the HT-room side of the door with a bit of Roxul stuff between it and the door. Just a bit of extra soundproofing. Not sure if this is needed or advisable? but I put a lot of work into the rest of the HT surface area.

I would not recommend using drywall on anything that moves. Material fatigue will happen and drywall is so brittle.

Make sure the door is sealed well. The bottom of the door usually has a large opening that won't ever be properly sealed with weatherstrip. 

You could add MDF instead of drywall. Installing insulation between layers will get you no improvement. I'd suggest getting a single tube of Green Glue and laminate the MDF to the door. Secure with screws.


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## Bruce Fisher (Nov 24, 2007)

great article Ted - thanks for sharing. I can attest to the solid core door... we had 3 replaced in our room - you can instantly tell the difference. I purposely didn't have them trimmed yet because I was waiting for our carpet to come in (installed 2 days ago)... I plan to have as small of a gap to the floor as possible.

Ducati - what's the value of the extra long hinge screws you mentioned?


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Ted, thank you for the article link and the mdf suggestion. I like that a lot better anyway - I won't have open drywall edges. For the bottom gap I'd actually planned on using an automatic door threshold. But the block and sweep could be just as (nearly as?) effective and much cheaper. 

Bruce, I did a fair amount of reading on hanging doors and a few tips from my father who's hung a number of doors. From my reading the top hinge bears a large portion of the weight of the door. Long screws are sometimes recommended for solid core doors to help prevent jamb sag. If I'm putting additional mass on the door (mdf) then the hinge will be taking even more weight. So the long screw is intended to help solidly anchor the door to the studs behind the jamb.

DucatiR


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

DucatiR said:


> So the long screw is intended to help solidly anchor the door to the studs behind the jamb.


Good idea :T

Are you using the self/automatic closing hinges??? (I don't know how they're called, but after you release the door they close it) :hide:


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## Bruce Fisher (Nov 24, 2007)

Time to make sure my construction guy used long screws 

I'm curious about the autodoor seal too. I read somewhere they are made to work with hard surfaces... not sure if they'd work on carpet. Would love to hear someones findings on that.


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Auto door bottoms can seal up to a door threashold, or a smooth, hard surface like an oak threshold, marble, etc. They will not work on carpet, as you can't seal up against all that fiber


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Cross post regarding anamorphic projection questions which will affect my screen wall construction decisions:
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/anamorphic-projection/18774-check-my-numbers-please.html#post168814

For screen wall I was inspired by Carl's Slaughter House Cinema design at the following thread and will following this concept pretty closely. Thanks to Carl and the contributors to that effort!
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-theater-design-construction/12039-slaughter-house-cinemas-project-thread-11.html


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

I've been brushing up on my reading of sound treatments as I get ready to build the screen wall. I'm curious if anyone has thoughts on two different approaches for the bass traps:

1) similar to Carls in the Slaughter House Cinema build thread. In this approach triangles of OC-703 are stacked solidly from floor to ceiling, or
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-theater-design-construction/12039-slaughter-house-cinemas-project-thread-11.html

2) similar to Ethan Winer's room in his YouTube video. In that approach the bass trap panels stand vertically and span the corner leaving a void space behind.





The attraction of Ethan's approach is the cost savings by having to purchase fewer OC-703 panels. Any opinions on these options?:dontknow:


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Ethan knows his stuff


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Just called around looking for the OC-703. The guys that put the insulation in the theater room have a box of 24 pieces of 1" 2x4 panels of Johns Manville acoustic insulation. It is excess material from a previous job and said he'd sell me the box for $25!:bigsmile: He referred to it as IP-53 though I didn't see that at Manville's website. I called Manville's and they said acoustic properties of the material I described would be similar to their Spin-Glas board insulation.

The 1" would be nice for panels at first reflection points with my vaulted ceilings since I'll have narrow head clearance already. Key question: can this material be effective for my bass traps as well? I could double up the panels for a 2" thickness in the corners using Ethan's method. 10-1" sheets would give me 5 panels for behind the screen wall (2-vertical corners, 2-vaulted corners, 1-ceiling). That would still leave me plenty for the back wall and a few reflection panels elsewhere in the room.

But, I've never read about Johns Manville products here that I can recall. Any experience with those products? Did I luck into a really good deal or should I keep searching for the OC-703?:huh:


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

JM will be just fine. For bass control, you'll want at least 4 layers though.

Bryan


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

DucatiR said:


> 2) similar to Ethan Winer's room in his YouTube video. In that approach the bass trap panels stand vertically and span the corner leaving a void space behind.


This is the type I used..Flat panels 6" thick floor to ceiling in the front, and 4' high 6" thick panels in the rear corners..
Works well..


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Still waiting on the OC-703 to arrive. I ordered a bit extra to accommodate my requirements. Given space constraints and feedback on specs for effective traps I've concluded I have to go with the stacked triangles in the front/rear wall corners vs. panels.

In the meantime, I've got all the trim painted and installed, got my track lights in, a key piece of equipment finally installed, speakers shelves up and a rather unorthodox (I think) equipment rack. Pictures follow.

Here is the HT room with track lights and one of the speaker shelves. Unopened speaker boxes are against the back wall where the screen will eventually be placed. Hope to have some initial sound this week but maybe not until early next week. Of course, the sound will be pre-traps, but still - progress! :yay2: I know speakers right against the wall are not ideal. Space constraints may limit me in this regard but I may end of moving them around after screen wall and furniture are in.















Speaker wire run into the equipment room thru the conduit over the ceiling to the back wall for LCR and front sub.








Now here's an important piece of equipment when your room is far away from the main house (ok, relatively far :heehee.








Now, for the equipment rack I did a lot of research and brainstorming. My current, 20 year old all-in-one stereo system is inside a cabinet and pivots on a diy lazy susan bearing assembly to allow access to the rear of the components. It is functional but less than ideal as the gap is barely wide enough for my head and part of my shoulders. A vent at the top back of the cabinet allows heat to escape but not the kind of heat I'll be seeing with the Onkyo 876.








There are a number of nice rack systems I could have bought that allowed the components to be pulled out and turned around but space and cost again became limiting factors. Additionally, a number of racks pivot on the center which would consume a good chuck of real estate. I finally landed on a solution that I think will out great and it cost me less than $100.

Here is the equipment rack with one shelf installed. It is comprised of 1-1/2" galvanized pipe firmly attached to the floor and ceiling. Shelving brackets are bolted to the pipe. The entire assembly rotates on the pipe floor flange.








The brackets are normally installed with bolt holes aligned horizontally. In this case I needed to off-set the bolt holes to eliminate bolt interference.








Here is the floor assembly. 4" toggle bolts through 3/4" plywood and the 1" floor substrate. The galvanized floor flange is bolted through the plywood. I inserted the pipe as far as possible into the floor flange and then backed it off 1 full turn to allow rotation. The threads have been lubricated to minimize thread wear. I don't plan on rotating the shelves frequently so wear will be less an issue than static load strain.








The heaviest component, the receiver, will be mounted lowest. The top of the pipe was stabilized using a similar construction. Toggle bolts through plywood and the wallboard. 








A second block was attached to the plywood with screws and has an angled face to align with the pipe. Before attaching the angled face block I recessed holes in the back side for 2 bolts to protrude from the face. A metal strap is attached to the protruding bolts to secure the pipe at the top. You might be able to make out low-friction sliders I inserted between the strap and the pipe to facilitate rotation.








Here is the rack in a closed postion...








and roated to the open position to allow access to the rear of components.








The base will be covered with carpet and still figuring out what I want to cover the top to hide the bolts and straps. The shelving bolts will also be painted white. It is a bit industrial looking but that fits with the overall look I'm going for in the equipment closet anyway with exposed wires, cable trays, and eventually some themed paint.

I've already tested this by loading the shelf with weight and repeatedly rotating the assembly. No sounds of strain at any part of the assembly that I could tell during loading or rotation.


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## Bruce Fisher (Nov 24, 2007)

Looking great! I give you credit for waiting on the sound... I couldn't do it - I had to temporarily wire my speakers so I could listen while I work


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

DucatiR said:


> Here is the HT room with track lights and one of the speaker shelves.


The lighting looks good, angled on the ceiling like that..

Here is the equipment rack with one shelf installed. It is comprised of 1-1/2" galvanized pipe firmly attached to the floor and ceiling. Shelving brackets are bolted to the pipe. The entire assembly rotates on the pipe floor flange.
View attachment 14586
[/quote]
That's a very clever idea..:T
Do you think you'll get enough support on those shelves with the brackets splayed out from a central point..particularly with a heavy AVR.?
The support points on the wall will certainly help in the closed and open positions..But what about when you are moving the equipment between those points?


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Prof. said:


> The support points on the wall will certainly help in the closed and open positions..But what about when you are moving the equipment between those points?


Good point Prof. :yes:

What about doing the same (as the first pipe) in the other side of the rack, but this time use the pipe with a wheel so it will move when opening, this will support the equipment all the time... :huh:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Double post


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Bruce Fisher said:


> Looking great! I give you credit for waiting on the sound... I couldn't do it - I had to temporarily wire my speakers so I could listen while I work


Bruce, I think we are similar in that regard. I intended to say that I will have the speakers running shortly but it will not be the best sound as I still don't have traps/panels installed yet. I got all the speakers except my subs wired tonight. Hopefully tomorrow I can get them fired up!



Prof. said:


> Do you think you'll get enough support on those shelves with the brackets splayed out from a central point..particularly with a heavy AVR.?
> The support points on the wall will certainly help in the closed and open positions..But what about when you are moving the equipment between those points?


That is a good question Prof. and was one of my principal concerns. For clarification, the "support points" you refer to are actually a door stop and bumper to keep the rotation shelf corner from hitting the wall. Close ups of these points:















I deliberated on the weight support and considered the following. The vertical struts are normally mounted some horizontal distance apart and attached to studs (I use this same stuff in my garage where the struts are are separated by 32"). When the struts are screwed to studs the brackets I have on the bottom shelf have a manufacturers rated load capacity of 400lb (181kg). 

At this point I get into supposition. Screws can rip out from wood and wood is obviously softer than galvanized pipe. I used bolts with lock washers on the pipe. I tried to stagger the bolt spacing so as not to have stress from one bolt impinging on another or the pipe material from being simultaneously stressed by the load from adjacent bolts. I figured that two sets of equally constructed shelves, one on wood studs the other on pipe, with struts and brackets equally spaced and loaded, would find either the wood studs failing from excessive load or the struts/brackets or bolts failing before the galvanized pipe gave way. But I have no data to support that. 

Will the struts and brackets still support up to 400lb in the configuration I have used? Probably not. Will they support a 60lb AVR? Probably not if screwed to a 2x4. But I think the pipe/bolt assembly will hold. I have loaded the shelf with weight to test the capacity and have observed no issues so far. Of course, metal fatigue can be insidious and less observable than a stud cracking or screw beginning to pull loose.















In short, I guess what I concluded is that I would not try this with a shelf load >100lb given the strut configuration and uncertainty of pipe strain, bolt strain and concentrated load where the struts join.


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

I don't believe the configuration of your shelf supports really affects their load capacity. What does however is the fact that the center of the weight is more or less out at the tip of the shelf support. In a normal installation, the center of the weight would be closer to the base of the supports. Even so, if they are normally rated for 400lbs, I think they will still be good for 200 in your setup.

Personally, I think the idea is rather ingenious and I don't think you'll have a problem with it failing. If anything, I would come up with something a little more solid for the top of the post....a U-bolt or something. That thin metal strap looks to be the weak link in this design.

As for fatigue or anything of that sort, it really only happens with repetative loads or motion. Your case has static load 99% of the time, so if you load it up and it holds then you should be good.

Maybe you can test it out with some exercise weights or something else not so expensive as a new AVR. If you don't have weights, go buy four 80lb bags of concrete from Home Depot and return them when you are done.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

DucatiR said:


> That is a good question Prof. and was one of my principal concerns. For clarification, the "support points" you refer to are actually a door stop and bumper to keep the rotation shelf corner from hitting the wall.


OK..I didn't realize they were buffers..

My concern was as hddummy just mentioned..The front of the shelving looks like it doesn't have much support..It may tend to flex a bit..
The back support is no problem..

One thing I would suggest is to keep your heavy equipment on the lower shelves..That should help to reduce strain on the top mounting..

Hopefully it will all work for you, and that you will have constructed a unique rack system!..:T


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Houston, we have lift off! :scared: H O L Y C O W!!:hush:

I bought the Hsu Research speakers: 5-HB1 bookshelves, 1-HC1 center, and 2-VTF3 MK3 subs. I only have 1 sub hooked up now and only music thru the AVR but my enthusiasm for the project has been completely renewed after so much time. The sound, without treatments/traps, is light years ahead of what I have currently. 








Furthermore, I finally know that all of that effort at sound control outside the room has paid off. I ramped the sound up to 100dB inside the room using my SPL. In the main house I can barely hear a rumble. In the upstairs bedroom, the primary concern, you can make out some of the bass if you pay attention. Nothing like before and these speakers are generating a lot more energy than my little garage bookshelves I'd used to check sound levels pre-construction.:yay2:

So, while waiting for insulation to arrive I can get the HT door completed, the Xantech IR setup and clean up my wire runs. All while listening to beautiful sound.

Prof. and hddummy: thanks for your comments on the shelving. I do have free weights and loaded up 70lb on the lower shelf. No noises or obvious deflection. I also checked the top support assembly by using both hands and pulling/pushing at 90deg axis. I think I'd have to throw my whole body weight behind a pull to make it move at the top in any meaningful way.

The Onkyo876 is rated at 56lb and will be mounted on the lowest shelf as low as possible on the struts. Blu-ray (6lb), cable box and PS3 will be on the other shelves with brackets rated at 250lb.

I will be monitoring bolts, threads, straps, etc. continuously for quite a while to observe if there are any changes. But I think this is going to work!


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Very nice. Getting into the home stretch. Keep the updates coming.

Bryan


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

That's all good news..:T
Looking forward to the final touches..


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

Construction update: sound treatment and bass traps. I lost 2 weeks getting the run around from one of the local shops on my OC703. Finally gave up and went to another place.:wits-end:

Here is the screen wall getting full treatment on the wall and the corners.








I was stumped for a bit on how to keep the triangles in place in the vaulted and ceiling corners. I stumbled, almost literally, across a solution when I noticed the shape of cut-offs from ripping my 1x3's for the wall panels. You might be able to make out the bevel in this picture which traps the edge of the OC703.








Anyone that has browsed the Forum will recognize the panel construction...








and the typical edge bevel.








I used this pipe bracket strip on the two panels that hang horizontally towards the front of the room to minimize wood distortion.








Here is an overexposed picture of the room showing the front screen wall again after putting up speaker grille cloth. I initially guesstimated location for the two horizontal panels. To make sure I confirmed with the mirror/laser pointer method to identify 1st reflection to the primary, front row center listening position. The horizontal placement perfectly covers 1st reflection from each of the three front speakers.








The surround imaging is distinctly better after the sound treatments. Which I'm sure is not a surprise to the veterans here. I had never really given treatments much thought before. I am now an enthusiastic supporter! I watched Transformers and Dark Knight before and after. What a difference!!:jump:

Here is a view of the back wall with panels in the vertical and vaulted corners. I also put a panel on the door. It was a very flat, painted surface so thought there might be a bit of reflection there too.















While waiting for insulation I also managed to equip the equipment rack. Here it is in closed and open positions. This worked really nice for wiring things up. The Xantech IR system works beautifully from the closed HT room.















Two final pictures. One of the room in current condition with a normal exposure. I also got rope light put in on the edges of the riser both going into the room and at the front step. I attempted to capture that in a picture. You can clearly see the short strip at the door. If you look closely you might make out the back of the couch below the riser.















I have the screen ordered so need to get moving on the screen wall framing now.


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

It is shaping up quite nicely!!! :T


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Very nice. Congrats on getting that portion done. Excellent set of pics showing the progress. That's going to look really sweet when the screen wall/screen are done.

Bryan


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

Looks awesome. How does it sound with all of those treatments up?


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

It's looking good Duc..and the equipment rack looks to have turned out fine..:T
What did you put on or over the front wall insulation to make it black?


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## DucatiR (Oct 15, 2008)

MatrixDweller said:


> Looks awesome. How does it sound with all of those treatments up?


MatrixDweller, the sound improvement is remarkable. In Dark Knight Batman shoots his goo-bombs onto a building in Hong Kong. I found myself startled and looking to the left as he fired his gun and then the sound of bomb sticking to the glass in the front center. That same scene did not sound nearly so clear pre-treatment.



Prof. said:


> What did you put on or over the front wall insulation to make it black?


Prof., at a local fabric store I picked up 'speaker grille cloth' for $9.99/yd minus my 40% off coupon. I probably didn't need to do the whole wall since not all of it would be visible behind the screen.

I now have the screen frame up and ready and also installed my behind screen lighting effect.

Here is the skeleton screen frame before painting. Estimated screen weight is 30lb so I didn't think I needed a rock solid frame attached to all surfaces. The beam is made of 2-1x4 oak pieces laminated together to minimize vertical sag. It is attached to the vertical struts with a plate made for fence/deck construction.






















And a picture after painting the frame elements I thought might be exposed to the projector image behind the screen. The unpainted wood pieces will be used to staple speaker cloth across the openings.








I have seen several pictures of lighting behind acoustically transparent screens and have attempted to set up that effect. I used led puck lights that can be plugged into an outlet.








The cover of the puck light removes easily enough. But why?








I wanted a blue light effect to match the blue rope light around the riser. This shot shows a comparison of the puck light with blue glass over the top. One with the white cover in place beneath, the other with the cover removed. Considerably more light come through without the diffuser cover as one might imagine.








I found the glass at a local stained glass business. Since the pucks are out of view I just went with square cut pieces which were considerably cheaper than having them cutting circles or me fruitlessly trying. I attached the glass to the led puck with a few beads of clear silicone.








The pucks were mounted behind the oak beam on a piece of scrap wood screwed into the frame.















Here is the screen wall with light accents and the screen frame painted.








My anamormphic lens is sitting at the post office waiting to be picked up. Projector is on a truck somewhere. And the screen is supposed to ship on Tuesday. :bigsmile:


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Wow. Love the blue a lot!


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## Bruce Fisher (Nov 24, 2007)

Nice - that looks great! I like the Blue... I saw those pucks at Lowes (or HD, can't remember) and was thinking about using them. Hadn't thought about the blue though! I like it!


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

DucatiR said:


> Prof., at a local fabric store I picked up 'speaker grille cloth' for $9.99/yd minus my 40% off coupon. I probably didn't need to do the whole wall since not all of it would be visible behind the screen.


A lot of people do cover the whole front wall insulation with the black cloth..even though you won't see it it..
I'm a bit of a cheapskate, so I just covered the bits you might see!.:bigsmile:





> I found the glass at a local stained glass business. Since the pucks are out of view I just went with square cut pieces which were considerably cheaper than having them cutting circles or me fruitlessly trying. I attached the glass to the led puck with a few beads of clear silicone.
> View attachment 14925
> 
> 
> ...


The blue lights look cool!..
With the screen in front, it should look quite spectacular..:T


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## patchesj (Jun 17, 2009)

Looking good! Love the blue pucks, please take a few pictures of them once you get the screen in place. Have you had any issues with sound traveling in the duct work?


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