# Newbie - looking for some HT room advice



## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

Hello,

I am new to this forum and Home Theater... I am working on adding a HT to my basement. I would really appreciate it if some of you knowlegable folks could look at my plan and let me know if you see any problems with it... I attached a URL to a picture (let me know if it doesn't work)

http://us.share.geocities.com/scyce/Basement2.bmp

Some initial questions I have:

1. Is my HT too small?
2. With the HVAC system so close will I be able to 'insulate it' so it will not impact the HT? I know I have to becareful with 'blocking' in the HVAC. I was thinking maybe I could put in a vent on the other side (rec room side) to add ventilation. I would use solid wood doors to help with noise...
3. what is a minimum height for a riser or raised floor? 6", 8" more???
4. I'm thinking of putting in a floating floor, 2X4's on some sort of rubber vibration isolators and two layers of plywood... I read that this increases your HT experience by allowing you to feel the bass in your seat. Does anybody have this?

I really appreciate your help...

Scott


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Welcome to the forums.

The room is not all that small. A lot of people would love to have that much space. Just be realistic in terms of seating. 

The HVAC is always an issue. You'll absolutely not want to put a door to the furnace in the HT. Put it on the other side in the rec room. It will be an issue if you don't. 

The other issue for isolation is doors on both sides of the equipment rack. I'd put the rack outside and have the door out there and use an IR repeater system to control it from an eye mounted under the screen in the front of the room. 

Bryan


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

Thanks... The only problem I have is that the front of the HVAC and control panel is on the HT side... It really isn't that noisy.. Even with a solid door, weather stripping, etc... I can't make it work?


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Welcome to the forum :wave: :wave: :wave:




> 1. Is my HT too small? ...


No, the size is okay (mine is 9 x 18 x 8) ... if you can make it longer will be better :yes:



> 2. With the HVAC system so close will I be able to 'insulate it' so it will not impact the HT? I know I have to becareful with 'blocking' in the HVAC. I was thinking maybe I could put in a vent on the other side (rec room side) to add ventilation. I would use solid wood doors to help with noise...


Here, Bryan is the expert ... so no comment :whistling:



> 3. what is a minimum height for a riser or raised floor? 6", 8" more??? ...


There is a formula to calculate the height, it depend on different factors, you can try this http://www.theater-calc.com/ :yes::yes:



> 4. I'm thinking of putting in a floating floor, 2X4's on some sort of rubber vibration isolators and two layers of plywood... I read that this increases your HT experience by allowing you to feel the bass in your seat. Does anybody have this? ...


I'm sure your talking about the riser, Right??? ... mine is 12" height, I used 2"x6" (it was cheaper than 2"x12" :bigsmile, a single layer of MDF and covered with carpet ... look around and you will find instructions on how to build a riser ... and to feel the bass in your seat; the best option is a pair of buttkickers http://www.thebuttkicker.com/home_theater/index.htm ... you'll be :scared: :yay:

Have fun with your project :T


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

Is it at possible to make it work with a door leading to the HVAC from the HT? If you look at my diagram link above that is really the only option I have. The front of the HVAC unit is where my HT will be. I know some purist may say so, but it doesn't always run and when it does it is pretty quite. I would put a vent on the other side of the wall (rec room side) and use a solid door on the HT side with insulated walls...

more questions. Do most people do the double drywall walls? How about the green glue with it? If you do the double drywall do the outlet covers still fit?

Is the double drywall to help the experience in the room or to protect the rest of the house from the sound?

Thanks again...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

If you have to have the door there, then you have to. A solid core door with seals will help.

Double drywall and Green Glue will help quiet other things getting in and sound getting out. So, it's really both. If you can get the ambient noise level in the room down, that just gives you more 'free' dynamic range.

Bryan


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

David,

For the floating floor I was referring to putting the entire floor on these stud isolators (http://www.soundprooffoam.com/stud_beam_isolators.html). Then the riser section would be built on top of this foor. By having the whole floor on these stud isolators I thought it would help the bass come through the seats.. That was before you told me about the buttkickers... They look pretty cool... But back to my floating floor with the stud isolators do you think that is worth doing?

Thanks... 

P.S. I am going to donate to this forum becuase I am going to have lots of questions... I really appreciate the help...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

The stud isolators can work OK - it's just expensive by the time you do that, the 2x's and the TIG decking. You also lose quite a bit of ceiling height.

Investigate a product called Dri Core. It's a solution for wet basements that we use all the time to get some 'feel' in the floor. Overall, it will be less expensive and you'll lose less height. You then build the walls and everything else on top of this and you're getting better isolation out of the deal too.

Bryan


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

Yea, I saw Dri Core and was looking at that... I wasn't aware that you could actually build your walls on it.. I just looked at their website and sure enought you can build right on top.. I guess then I would my risers on that...

Thanks...


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

Are metal studs a problem in a HT or is it just better to stick with wood? I'm wondering if the metal studs would cause any interference or other electronic issues...

Thanks...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Metal studs are fine in most cases. 

Bryan


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

Well, I have been a little sidetracked the last 9 months, so I will pick up where I left off. The plan is still the same as stated earlier in the thread, but here is the plan again.. 

http://www.geocities.com/scyce/basement4.bmp

I am in the process of putting down DRIcore in my entire basement. Due to finances I will be finishing the other rooms before the HT, but I have a few questions about the HT.

I know I want to use a projector, but that is about all I am definite about at this point.

I will run plenty of conduits and cables, but not purchase any equipment at this point. 

Questions:

When and how do I decide what size screen I will need?
Do you have any cable recommendations for a modest budget?
What else do I need to worry about before putting up drywall?

Thanks for your help...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Once you know what size the room is, you can properly identify the optimal seating locations. Based on that, the minimum THX recommended viewing angles, your personal preferences, and the quality and brightness of the PJ, you'll be able to identify the size screen that is optimal.

Cabling - not sure what you're asking here. Unless you're running a very high powered system with low impedance speakers, running standard 14ga speaker wires in the walls will be sufficient. Also, conduit is your friend. Run conduit to speaker locations, PJ locations, equipment rack, etc. Make it plenty big. You never know what new standards will bring.

Bryan


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

scyce said:


> Questions:
> 
> When and how do I decide what size screen I will need?


I agree with Bryan, here is a  Viewing ditance calculator .



> Do you have any cable recommendations for a modest budget?


14 gauge wire is okay (if you can go 12 and your budget permits is better)...check this website www.monoprice.com is one of the cheapest :yes:.



> What else do I need to worry about before putting up drywall?


Use conduit (as Bryan suggested), do not place the A/V wires closer than 16"-24" to AC wires to avoid any problems, use insulation to fill all wall cavities to avoid resonance problems.


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

Thank you very much for the advise and links... I'm sure I will be back for more help...


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

*Starting my basement with a DHT*

Well, I'm moving along with my basement and basement HT. 

It looks like the HT is going to be 12.5 X 19. If you look at the pictures you will see the main air ducts on the left. It's hard to see in the pics, but the ducts are 3 ft wide... Since the HT is only 12' 5'' wide if I put a soffit on the right side 3 ft wide as well then I will have around half of my HT width in soffits..
It will really make my HT feel short, especially with a riser...

Has anyone else had this issue? If so, how did you deal with it?

Do I have to put the soffit on the right side? Is it going to be a problem with the sound if I don't?

Thanks for the help...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

No chance of moving the ducting mostly outside the wall and just coming in the rear?

Maintaining symmetry left to right is important but I understand the concern.

Bryan


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

No, moving the duct work would not really work.. They are feeding other lines in the house and that would be a hugh undertaking... 

From a sound perspective, will it really be an issue? I'm not a 'purist', if it is still going to sound much better than my living room I'm sure I will be OK with it... 

Will the better sound make up for the fact it will feel like the ceiling is falling on me? :dizzy:


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

It's really more a matter of keeping the imaging centered in the room and not having one side act differently than the other. Lots of people have just done one side. I don't know how low you're talking.

Some guys that had the same situation as yours did both sides but then did a starfield ceiling in the middle.

Bryan


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

You were wondering how low I was talking...

Well without a riser it will be 87" or 7'3''. You can see in Dr.ed pic I am planing on have a 6'' riser that leads into the HT and goes close to half way down. I haven't yet decided how far down towards the screen I will go...

So if I have a 6'' riser then it will be 6'9'' under the soffits. I dont' know if that will feel cramped or not...

I'm 6'4'' myself... If you said many others have just done one side with a soffit then maybe I will go with that...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

6'9" is pretty low. It's a tradeoff. Performance or not, it's not worth it if you don't feel comfortable.

Bryan


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## Tommy (Apr 20, 2006)

Take a look at the link for my HT room construction for some ideas. I had almost the exact same layout as far as the ductwork, soffits etc


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Any chance to decouple the surfaces? Much better sound isolation. Easy at this point. Hard later


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

I'm not sure what your are talking about...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

What he's trying see is if you can not have the drywall directly coupled to the studs and joists. That will provide better isolation.

You don't have the height to do RSIC and hat channel. You could potentially use firring perpendicular to the joists and drywall to that which would decouple at least partially and only cost you 3/4"

Bryan


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## tjambro (Jan 16, 2007)

scyce said:


> You were wondering how low I was talking...
> 
> Well without a riser it will be 87" or 7'3''. You can see in Dr.ed pic I am planing on have a 6'' riser that leads into the HT and goes close to half way down. I haven't yet decided how far down towards the screen I will go...
> 
> So if I have a 6'' riser then it will be 6'9'' under the soffits. I dont' know if that will feel cramped or not...


I have a finished ceiling of 7' 3" in my room. I hope I am not making a mistake but I am putting 6" high soffits all around my 12' wide room. The soffits will be about 28" in width so like you, they will take up a lot of room. I would love to do a star ceiling but I'm afraid the fibers would be too noticeable on a ceiling that low. My soffits will end just above my door opening...


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## Tommy (Apr 20, 2006)

Hey Scott, what part of PA you from? Im also in PA, if your close enough your welcome to come view my HT room to get some ideas. As I mentioned in a previous post we have a very very similar layout for the room including that duct on the same side.


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Yes thank you.

Or install blocking in between the joists and attach the clips to that. THis will cause the drywall attachment point to be on;y perhaps 1/2" below the current joists. Almost no ceiling height loss.


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

I was looking at the Owens Corning site regarding sound insulation. They have a 'QuietZone Acoustic Sealant' that they recommend using around you stud base plates, top plates, outlets, etc...

Couldn't I get the same effect using a standard non-hardening caulk for a lot less money... I'm sure Owens brand has some additional properties in it, but is it worth the extra cash? I like the idea of sealing these areas...

Thanks...


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

scyce said:


> I was looking at the Owens Corning site regarding sound insulation. They have a 'QuietZone Acoustic Sealant' that they recommend using around you stud base plates, top plates, outlets, etc...
> 
> Couldn't I get the same effect using a standard non-hardening caulk for a lot less money...
> 
> ...


You will definately want to seal the areas. A specialized sealant will work better. Look to find one that is priced more like regular quality sealant.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

A good 50 year Latex should work just fine.

Bryan


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

bpape said:


> A good 50 year Latex should work just fine.
> 
> Bryan


True. However, if you look around you can find specialized sealant for the same price as the quality 50 year.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Absolutely Ted. If it can be found at a reasonable price, that's great. I have it for sale at reasonable prices but then shipping costs tend to get in the way. 

Bryan


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## tjambro (Jan 16, 2007)

scyce said:


> I was looking at the Owens Corning site regarding sound insulation. They have a 'QuietZone Acoustic Sealant' that they recommend using around you stud base plates, top plates, outlets, etc...
> 
> Couldn't I get the same effect using a standard non-hardening caulk for a lot less money... I'm sure Owens brand has some additional properties in it, but is it worth the extra cash? I like the idea of sealing these areas...
> 
> Thanks...


Hi, you should be able to get the best of both worlds. I found USG Acoustical Sealant for $4.60/tube (the large commercial type tubes, not the small tubes of caulking you find at the big box stores) at my local drywall supplier. They may have to order it for you, but you should be able to get it for a reasonable price.


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## Bruce Fisher (Nov 24, 2007)

I bought a bunch of the "silenseal" acoustical caulk when I bought my green glue. Thankfully Charlotte has a distributor so I was able to pick it up and save shipping (adds up quick when you are buying cases of the stuff  )


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

You either have shipping or local sales tax. Tough to avoid both


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

I'm getting ready to run conduit... How do the ButtKickers get hooked up? What kind of connections to they take?


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## scyce (Mar 26, 2008)

Slow and steady... Here is an update on my project... I am finishing the rest of the basement at the same time so this is going pretty slow.. I put up the final wall tonight.. Now it's time to get the Electrician...

Here is some pics....


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