# New Home Theater Project



## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

I am new to the group and a long time enthusiest to HT and just wanted to share some information on my new HT project. I currently live in Costa Rica, and soon will be starting my HT project. My wife an I just bought a home here and I have always wanted to make a HT. I will be starting it off with a 54¨HD Rear projection LG TV, a JVC THC60 HT, and 2 chairs a sofa and 4 Large movie posters which I had my father in law help me build, the posters were attached to poster board and then sealed in plastic, and heat shrunk to remove all the wrinkles, and the frames were painted black. I have also redone a small table which will be plaed between the front 2 chairs. I have also purchased 2 cans of midnight blue paint to paint the walls and ceilings. And 2 shelves (black) to be placed above the TV for my movie collectables. I also made with my wife a clapper board to hang on the wall. The room is approximately 8X8, and is constructed of solid concrete blocks which were filled with concrete. The floor is carpeted. I also plan to place a table for holding my HT system. The system fires a continous 1200 watss RMS which is pleanty for this room. The walls as well as the ceiling will be Blue. there is only 1 window in this room so this shouldnt be a problem. It should get started in the next week, awaiting for the old tenants to move out on the 13th, I will start posting pics as soon as the project is started. Anyideas or info is greatly appreciated.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Welcome to the forum Jairo. 

It's a great bunch of guys here. Post any questions you have - you'll get all the help you need.

Bryan


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Welcome to the forum :wave: :wave: :wave: ... from one central american to another :bigsmile: 



jairo said:


> ... The room is approximately 8X8, and is constructed of solid concrete blocks which were filled with concrete ... there is only 1 window in this room so this shouldnt be a problem. It should get started in the next week, awaiting for the old tenants to move out on the 13th, I will start posting pics as soon as the project is started. Anyideas or info is greatly appreciated.


Please post pictuers to see the building process of your HT room ... :yes:

Like Bryan said ... "post any questions you have"; there's always somebody willling to help.

I'm sure you will need some accoustic treatment for the walls (specially because they're concrete).

Have fun with your project :T


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Hi Jairo, Welcome to the Shack.

You will find lots of friends here and even more information than you can handle. Enjoy your stay.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Hi Jairo and welcome...

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid you have a problem with your room size..
Apart from being fairly small, you have the worst situation (acoustically speaking) with a square room..
This will set up all sorts of standing waves and resonances, and will require some special treatments to try and reduce them..
Bryan might be able to help you with that..


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Prof. said:


> ... I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid you have a problem with your room size.. Apart from being fairly small, you have the worst situation (acoustically speaking) with a square room..This will set up all sorts of standing waves and resonances, and will require some special treatments to try and reduce them..Bryan might be able to help you with that..


Well ... you're right about this Prof. 

But we need some clarification from Jairo ... he posted the size as 8x8, but didn't specify meters or feet :bigsmile: ... if is meters he's okay (around a 26' x 26') :yes:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

hello everyone, The room is correction: 12´X 10´. I just found out the people that were in the house are leaving tommorrow so the project will start sooner than anticipated. Good news!! Bad news as I can see from your responses is the size and wall construction. Here in Costa Rica the houses are all made of concrete block and sometimes filled, the room is one hugh brick. I tested several HT systems prior to buying the JVC THC60 and the sound and volume was the best for my application. I also tend on adding fabric on the walls as decoration as well as for diffusion and sound correction. I beleive if the right pattern of fabric, texture and thickness it should assist me in creating a better sound enviorment. I was debating on going projector as opposed to the 54¨rear projection TV, but didn´t because 1) my wife hates projectors and 2) the replacement bulbs here in costa rica are super super expensive.I figured out that with the cost of current replacement of bulbs i could purchase a new tv every 2 years, witht he cost of them here. When I lived in Wisconsin, projectors were supper expensive, but that was 3 years ago. Any suggestions? I also want to add some pillars in the front section of the room for audio equip and appearance, but need to maintain the room space for adequate walking room. Here is an image of 1 of the 4 posters i will be hanging up. As the project runs along a will be posting lots of pics. Also for cosmetic purposes i will be hiding the lower portion of the tv in dark blue fabric as well as hanging curtains on the top and sides of the screen to hide the tv, or any other good ideas on how to best hide the TV would be greatly appreciated.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

You'll definitely need a good amount of broadband bass control as the concrete will reflect everything. Don't go too overboard on curtains and thin absorbtion that will just kill the highs and leave the rest along giving you an unbalanced sound.

Bryan


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Bryan,
How can I best correct the sound? I am new to the HT desiging portion. And also need to maintain myself to a small budget and also hopefully products I can easily locate in costa rica.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> ... The room is correction: 12´X 10´...


Are you planning to have one or two rows (chairs and sofa) ... I have two rows, but my room is 9' x 18' :yes:



> ... I can see from your responses is the size and wall construction. Here in Costa Rica the houses are all made of concrete block and sometimes filled, the room is one hugh brick... Any suggestions? I also want to add some pillars in the front section of the room for audio equip and appearance, but need to maintain the room space for adequate walking room...


Do you have access to fiberglass??? ... maybe you can check companies that install air conditionings; I read before that you can use it to make accoustic pannels. Bryan is the expert on this ... he will guide you better than me :hide:.

Can you make a sketch of how you're planning to set up your HT room??? ... I'm sure it will help to get suggestions :yes:.



> ... Also for cosmetic purposes i will be hiding the lower portion of the tv in dark blue fabric as well as hanging curtains on the top and sides of the screen to hide the tv, or any other good ideas on how to best hide the TV would be greatly appreciated.


I always share this links http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...-tanner-ridge-cinema-construction-thread.html and http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...construction/8587-blaser-ht-build-thread.html ; I like what they did in the front wall ... I can't do the same in my room because I have a door way in the left side.

If you're planning to cover the bottom of the TV, maybe you can do a false wall to cover the whole front, you can hide the speakers behind it ... and just leave the TV screen visible :huh:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

I plan on having 2 rows, the first row will consist of 2 chairs and a table and the 2nd row a sofa. There is fiberglass but not as we would see it in the states as since the climate here is always warm it is not used or seen in the format it is in the states. More like hugh sacks of cotton. I have to measure the base around the base of the tv to see the amount of space i have, to see if a false bottom will work as you suggested. Yesterday my father in law , my wife and I went to the house and started preparing the walls of the house. I took a picture of the room to show the start to finish of the HT room, i should hve them up today if not by tommorrow. I know its hard to get a picture of how the room looks or give advice, especially if theres no idea of how the room is setup. I have attached the drawing i had made before this whole project was started. As you can see there is not enough room to place the surround speakers directly in the corners of the rear of the room and those will have to not use the stands, but instead attache them to the wall, facing inward, due to the door being in the corner of the room, this really hurts the original master plan. :thud:. But the ideas on how to better my room keep rollin in and that has opened my eyes about several things. Thanks everyone, and keep them ideas a coming.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

General treatment advice.

First, get the seats in the right places. Start with the front row 62% of the length and get the couch as far from the back wall as you can.

Broadband bass absorbtion in the corners.

Completely dead front wall with 2" absorbtion

Soft absorbtion on the side walls at the reflection points.

Thicker absorbtion with a thin reflective facing in the middle of the rear wall.

Bryan


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks Byan, the only problem is that there needs to be a walkway for people to walk to the bathroom as there is only 1 entrance to the bathroom. So you say it best to leave the walkway behind the sofa and the sofa more in front of the door? And where exactly should the front chairs be?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Generally best starting point is your seated ear position approx 62% of the room length from the front wall.

As for walkway, I have no idea of your seating dimensions so I don't know what's feasible. Realistically, you need approx 24" or a bit more for a walkway. So, with a 10' width, assuming the couch is 6' or less, you're OK. 

Bryan


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Also, apart from moving the sofa forward, you need to move the surrounds forward as well..
There should generally be a spacing of about 5' from the back of the front chairs to the rear seating, with your surrounds positioned about midway between the two..


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks guys, i get the distance factor now. As you can see the room is not that big and the painting started yesterday but apparently 2-3 coats of paint will be needed. I looked into the making of the false bottom for the tv, and i should have enough room as long as i dont utilize anything more than 1/2¨thick. Also for general viewing i will have to cut out and fabric the areas for the tv speakers as the HT system will solely be used for the BIG games and Movies, I was looking at the Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray Player, and was very amazied at the image clarity over the PS3. Also I was wondering if someone could assist me with the best video settings for my TV. (contrast, Brightness, etc) I have used several DVD setup tools and they dont appear to set the tv the right way, I have also used the THX setups on several dvd´s such as Indiana Jones and Episode 3. But if someone knows what the best settings are , or whom has setup several Large rear projection TV´s, I heard that if the contrast is too high it is bad for the set, etc. I know its personal preference but the best would be to set it up by past expieriences. Thanks as always.


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello everyone, back, finished painting the HT room last night, all is dark blue including the ceiling, (matte finish). I should have a picture of it up tommorrow as it was too late to take one last night and the only camera i have is on my cell. Need to paint the living room dining room and kitchen today so there will be a gap between updates. is there someone whom can help me with the best settings for the tv? Please let me know, I need to set it up as it should be. Thanks again everyone for all your assistance so far, hope the super amount of questions isnt too much, just want to make sure all comes out well.:T


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> .... is there someone whom can help me with the best settings for the tv? Please let me know, I need to set it up as it should be. Thanks again everyone for all your assistance so far, hope the super amount of questions isnt too much, just want to make sure all comes out well.:T


Good to hear that everything is working well :T

About your TV settings ... I think you have to do it as you did it before (use the THX optimizer, DVE or AVIA discs) and set the brightness, tint, color, etc. according to your viewing ambient (if you will watch movies with the light off, lights on, etc.) because every TV set, room, etc. is different ... I'm sure some will have the contrast at 50 and that will be to dark for others :yes:

Your other option is to pay for a calibration from a certified technician (I don't know if there is any in Costa Rica, maybe a TV repair man???) ... they have the tool to set up correctly (read this article I found online http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/features/2004/picture-perfect-tv-calibration-demystified.html)


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

hELLO EVERYONE, The room is painted and unfortunately we had to replace some wiring in the light fixtures, unfortunately the previous owners were un aware of the jobs that were done on the house, today i have to work an off shift so will be unable to get any work done on the room, this weekend i also bought some floor trim and am still deciding on whether to leave them natural for a more elegant look or paint them black or blue. I should have some pictures up soon to show the progress. Any ideas on what color may look best on the trim would help out greatly...see you soon.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> ... i also bought some floor trim and am still deciding on whether to leave them natural for a more elegant look or paint them black or blue...


What about a lighter shade of the color you used to paint the room and ceiling??? ... they will match better than using black or natural color :yes:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Here is a picture of the type of lights I am putting in the room, there are 3 on the 1 track. And will contain 3 energy saving bulbs inside and a dimmer will be replacing the regular wall switch. This light fixture will be placed in the center of the ceiling with 1 light facing straight down and the other 2 facing each wall with the movie posters.


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks for the ideas david, due to $ limitations i have to use (for now) paints i already have at my disposal. I was told by my friend that the natural light colored wood grain looks very fancy, and that painting them black or dark blues such as the room color would make it look cheap or ugly. Hmmm...


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> Thanks for the ideas david, due to $ limitations i have to use (for now) paints i already have at my disposal. I was told by my friend that the natural light colored wood grain looks very fancy, and that painting them black or dark blues such as the room color would make it look cheap or ugly. Hmmm...


Do you have white paint??? ... if you do, try mixing some with the paint used on walls an try it :yes:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

So you think the best is for me to use similar paint or color to that of the room so it blends in and does not make them stick out? Also I was wondering , i want to run the speaker wires behind the boards but want to make sure that when the boards get nailed to the wall the nails dont go through the speaker wires, do you believe its best to use some tape to tape the wires to the lower portion of the board prior to nailing it to the wall? Im worried that a nil may splice throught the wire when placing the boards. But want to make sure the wires are well hidden, or do you think its best to tape the wires to the wall closest to the floor and then nailing to ensure the wires are not nailed through?


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> So you think the best is for me to use similar paint or color to that of the room so it blends in and does not make them stick out? Also I was wondering , i want to run the speaker wires behind the boards but want to make sure that when the boards get nailed to the wall the nails dont go through the speaker wires, do you believe its best to use some tape to tape the wires to the lower portion of the board prior to nailing it to the wall? Im worried that a nil may splice throught the wire when placing the boards. But want to make sure the wires are well hidden, or do you think its best to tape the wires to the wall closest to the floor and then nailing to ensure the wires are not nailed through?


Here is picture of my room ... I installed some moulding and what I did was I got two shades lighter to paint the moulding so it will blend better with the walls :yes:

As far as the wires, I think is a good idea to use some tape to keep it near the floor ... so when you nail the moulding the wire wont get nailed :yes:

Are you installing the speakers on the wall or with stands??? ... if they'll be on the wall, you'll have to run them up from floor; in this case is better to use crown moulding near the ceiling and hide the wires there; probably it will show but just a little (you can also see that in the second picture, that was when I first build the HT ... first picture is the current set up)

 


Do you see anything familiar on the first picture??? ... hint: lights.


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Nice, I was looking at the pictures of your room earlier in your thread. You went a shade lighter from what I can see on the moulding. Do you believe it better to go a little lighter or the same color as the walls? The front speakers will be on the floor with the supplied stands the rears I am not sure yet, because 1) I am not sure of the foot space I am going to have between the wall and the chairs and 2) I am not sure if my speakers are wall mountable, even though the stands do screw off the base. I have had the HT sytem in the box for the last 7 mths since I have had nowhere to place it and it is new, never been used and I have not had a chance to play with it, It is a JVC THC60- 1200watt RMS 5.1 home theater with HDMI and DVD. I didnt see anything in the manual about wall hanging, just about using the stands. On the wall would have been nice. Yeah, see the lights, same as mine, hope to hang them up tonight and take some picture to show the progress tommorrow.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> ... Do you believe it better to go a little lighter or the same color as the walls? ...


I think is a personal preference ... you can't go wrong with a little lighter or darker, even the same color as walls :yes:



> ... The front speakers will be on the floor with the supplied stands the rears I am not sure yet, because 1) I am not sure of the foot space I am going to have between the wall and the chairs and 2) I am not sure if my speakers are wall mountable, even though the stands do screw off the base...


I found this online ... http://support.jvc.com/consumer/product.jsp?modelId=MODL027641&pathId=30&page=2&archive=true ... the manual doesn't say anything, but I think there might be a hole in the back of the speaker to wall mount them (you can remove the base), if the don't have a hole maybe you can use a small shelf to place them.


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello, back again. Finally got the room fully painted and added the lighting as well as ran all the wires and floor boards. I decided to paint the floor boards a little lighter shade of blue as suggested by David. I also placed the mounts for the rear surrounds on the rear walls between the last and first row of seating. It appears it is going well. So far i havent run into any snags. Today we will be hanging up the posters, if all goes well, and then to finish off some small areas withing the rest of the house. The goal is to start moving in this weekend. I have to replace the lower portion of the moulding in the small window in the HT room as it was left untreated for sometime and has rot. Oh well it never ends. Ill keep you all posted. Here are some pics though of where I am today. As you can see in the first image the floor boards were not in place yet, but you can see them in the second image. :bigsmile:Any ideas would be great, thanks!


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

:highfive: :thumb:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

One thing I would suggest is to paint your power points the same colour as the wall...
Nothing is more distracting in a theatre room than contrasting wall plates..


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks prof., I was noticing that last night, the plates do stick out alot. What do you suggest? Spray or regular paint? Plasti-cote? Here is a picture of one of the walls with 2 of the posters hung up, i used double sided expanders on each picture and used black screws and coverd with black paint and filler to hide the screws. Question, is is better to direct the poster lights more towards the ceiling above the posters , and possible reduce glare, even though i placed a chair in the area where the seats will go and I did not recieve any glare from the images, or is it best to leave them direct at the images? let me know, and as always thanks for all the help thus far.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Nice ... it seems that everything is taking place now, Right??? :yes:



jairo said:


> ... What do you suggest? Spray or regular paint? Plasti-cote?


Spray paint gives you a better finish ... but if you have to get a new can, forget it, just use the same paint you used to paint the boards :bigsmile: (trying to save you some $$$, well to be exact ₡₡₡ :bigsmile



> Question, is is better to direct the poster lights more towards the ceiling above the posters , and possible reduce glare, even though i placed a chair in the area where the seats will go and I did not recieve any glare from the images, or is it best to leave them direct at the images? let me know, and as always thanks for all the help thus far.


That will depend, Are you planning to leave the lights on when watching movies??? ... I suggest aggains it, the light can add a lot of heat to the room (at least mine does).

Make a test ... point it to the ceiling and walk around to see how they look, then point it directly to picture and do the same; then you'll know what you like better :yes:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Yeah, I would have to buy a can of paint. Question to do so I would have to remove the covers as well as the outlets and then paint them and replace all the wiring back onto the outlets correct? or is there a way to mask the connectors to not paint them? To answer your second question , the lights will remain off during viewing , unless the better half is doing something in the room while watching a movie then they would be on. I thought of adding a dimmer but dont know if its worth the investment. Dave did you cut slots in your board for the wires or how did you do it?:sad2:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> ... so I would have to remove the covers as well as the outlets and then paint them and replace all the wiring back onto the outlets correct? or is there a way to mask the connectors to not paint them?


Usually I just paint the cover (and leave the outlets white, they're not to distracting as the cover) ... but if you want, just use a small roller to paint the outlets, just don't put to much paint just enough to change the color :yes:



> .. did you cut slots in your board for the wires or how did you do it?:sad2:


You mean the crown boards, Right??? ... here is a picture to show what I did 










I hide the wire there ... but you can also use a router to make that space deeper if you need/want too ... I used 14gauge, one wire is okay ... so if you'll be hidden two, I suggest you to cut a little or sometimes the wire will show (in my case I don't really care because the light are off and you don't really pay attention to the wires ... unless you're to picky :bigsmile

By the way, I used the moulding against the wall just leaving around 1/2" - 3/4" to insert the wire; I didn't use it from wall to ceiling (diagonally) :yes:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

salvasol said:


> Usually I just paint the cover (and leave the outlets white, they're not to distracting as the cover) ... but if you want, just use a small roller to paint the outlets, just don't put to much paint just enough to change the color :yes:


Yes..I did the same thing..I lightly rolled the face plates with the same paint I used on the walls..


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

the only odd thing is that the covers are not the complete cover, the upper and lower edges are part of the outlet and the cover is only a strip that covers the center and screws. Not like the normal outlets you see in the states that the whole thing is a cover. Ill probably have to lightly paint the lower and upper portion and then remove and paint the strip covers. Illl try to do that tonight. I also bought some adhesive strips to hid the rear surrounds wires in and painted them the same as the walls. And last night I placed the screws for the shelves I am going to use to place my movie related memorabilia on. Thats where i am so far. i hope to post some new pics soon. As we are doing the entire house and I need to focus on the rest of the house as well.Gotta make the better half happy as well.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

jairo said:


> I also bought some adhesive strips to hid the rear surrounds wires in and painted them the same as the walls.


That sounds like a very simple and effective solution for hiding the rear surround wires..:T
Looking forward to seeing some pics..


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks prof. The strips they have here (not sure if they are the same as in the states), Are about 1/2¨in width and have a removeable cover, the rear is stuck to the wall with the supplied adhesive and then i placed the wires inside and placed the cover back on and then painted them blue. I ran into an issue with the shelves yesterday , and they did not hang right so i have to purchase some additional supports for the lower portion of the shelves otherwise ill have collectables everywhere. Will have more pics soon of the accessories in the room. Along with some other unexpected things we need for the house, house remodeling is costing me way too much $$$. Planned on moving in this weekend but looks like 1 week more. My wife and I are exhausted and ready to settle in. Here are the strips i used to hide the wires.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> ... Thanks prof. The strips they have here (not sure if they are the same as in the states), ...


They're similar ... except that you don't have to remove anything to insert the wire (you'll do it through the side) :yes:



> ... house remodeling is costing me way too much $$$...


That's why is recommended that you add another 30% to the estimates/budget when planning on a project ... there's always unexpected/new things :bigsmile:

Whne you move to a house, it doesn't matter if is new or used ... you'll always start changing something that leads to another change, and another, and another ... is a non-stoping remodeling :yes:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Yeah the money never stops running out of my wallet. Looks like the house is ready, spent the last 3 days doing touches. Will be doing some cleanup today and will see if I can put the pics up today. If not for sure tommorrow. The moving should be fun, need to locate someone with a pickup to start hauling.:yay:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> ... need to locate someone with a pickup to start hauling.:yay:


I have one ... but it will take me at least five days to get there (maybe even more if I stop for a visit to my family in El Salvador) :bigsmile: :rofl2:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello everyone, been awhile, I have taken some new images of the HT, hope to have them uploaded today. If not definately by tommorrow, its been a long week, had some issues elsewhere in the house, I did a test run of the Sound system and it sounded awesome, the only issue right now is that it is too loud, and when i play a movie you can hear it out in the street so I need to figure out a way to add some soundproofing to not let the sound escape the room. Other than that the room rumbles and there is no accoustic interference or interference from any objects in the room. :clap:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> ... I did a test run of the Sound system and it sounded awesome,


Congratulations :T



> ... the only issue right now is that it is too loud, and when i play a movie you can hear it out in the street so I need to figure out a way to add some soundproofing to not let the sound escape the room. ... :clap:


First try lowering the volume ..:rofl2:

Seriously, add some weather stripping to doors and windows and see if that helps :yes: ... I'm sure walls are made of either concrete or concrete blocks, that helps to keep the sound in the room ...:yes: 

After looking at the pictures, I think your problem will be the windows (they're not just two panels); they have like 20-35 pieces of glass, so they won't close completely (I remember those windows :bigsmile ... when you get to accoustic treatments; make a big panel to cover the whole window; maybe that will help too :yes:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks for the advice on lowering the volume :whistling:


I tried placing the sytem on 30 and it sounds awesome, just need to set it at a loud enough volume where the room rumbles but cannot be heard outside. Someone had told me about some type of adhesive or something like that that can be used in the areas of the window to lower the sound levels leaving the room, also I was wondering if there was something to use around the edges of the door as well to help in keeping the volume inside. I like to watch movies pretty loud and dont want at the same time for my neighbors or passers by to hear my system as well. :whistling:

Here are some newer pictures, there still rough as everything is still not in its final place. The toys are the collectables I have from movies, such as transformers, matrix figures and the such, this is just a part of the 4 foot shelf i have holing everything, I have some more that I will post soon. These are the rear surrounds which use the new omni surround speaker setup for a more room filling sound. Cant see the wires Huh? Magic...:nerd:

Still missing something though not very movie theater appearance, cant put my finger on it though:wits-end:


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Glass in windows is going to pass bass outside. The only way you're going to stop that is to build plugs for the windows filled with insulation and having a hard, massive front face - something like MDF. Mass is the only way to stop bass - sorry.

Bryan


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

bpape said:


> ... The only way you're going to stop that is to build plugs for the windows filled with insulation and having a hard, massive front face - something like MDF. Mass is the only way to stop bass - sorry. Bryan


:yay: ... I was right!!! ... :bigsmile:

Here is a link of what the Prof. did at his house http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-audio-acoustics/9610-blocking-out-window.html

About the door ... here we can use "weather strips", I'm sure you will find something similar in Costa Rica (here is a picture http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=67219-81-01271&lpage=none and this http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=73604-81-68668&lpage=none) ... it won't completely isolate the room, but it will help :yes:

About the posters ... Do they have glass??? ... Do you have reflections problems??? ... I did (I could see the TV image on the poster from a couple of the back seats), that's why my posters are almost at the back of the HT :sad:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks guys, the issue i noticed compared to mine, from seen in the profs pictures is that he had a much larger frame space to work with to create the plug, unfortunately my window frame is super big and takes up the entire space no leaving me any room what so ever for the type of plug he built,is there any way to create one with a smaller base? The bass in the room is not the issue its the loudness in general. I want it loud, but just in the room , not everywhere else. 

salvasol, i didnt use glass on the frames they are placed on double thick 1/8¨poster board and then covered in 1/16¨plastic that after it was placed on the poster and then stapled to the frame and after being hung, it was heat shrunk with a blow dryer to give it the glass look, also the plastic i bought has a light tint to help with the glare, and when I watch a Movie I cant even tell they are there. 0 reflection. 

What can you guys suggest as far as making the appearance more movie theater like and not just a rooom full of stuff? Salvasol, they do sell the weather stripping you showed in the first image from lowes, but the roll i will have to check into. It there any other way to place insulation in the windows other than the plug to help reduce the sound escaping from the room?

I need to place another set of curtains on each window the smaller window near the rear seating is a small window and has no shutters and its made of 1 solid piece of glass that is un openable and non moveable, the other window has 2 panes of glass on the right and left and shutters in the middle, there is some light coming in if my wife turns on the patio lights, so i will need to add an additional layer of drapes to the window to make it even darker. But so far you can see there is minimal light at this point.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

You can still build a cover for it using the same methods but make it fit OUTSIDE the trim. You can hang it on a couple of hooks and use weatherstrip on the rear edges to seal a little better. 

Sorry - doing real soundproofing and isolation needs to be done during construction. This is about as good as you're going to get without a serious project on your hands. Add in solid core doors and seals for them and you're pretty well there with what you can do.

Bryan


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks for the advice, I will have to check and see how I could do that. Do you have any suggestions on how I can make it look more like a movie theater and not so much like a room with stuff, i need to do some thing just dont know what. Also as you can see by the pictures I currently have the sub (speaker portion) facing the seats is it best to face it towards the wall, (turn it to the right)? maybe this would help with the bass? The walls are solid brick filled with concrete, so they are rock solid. 


Please anyone whom can advise me on how to make it more theater appearing. thanks as always.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

One of the biggest things is to get your equipment out of the line of sight when watching. 

Other things are really a lot of personal preference.

For the sub, try to keep it out of corners and away from walls if possible. Definitely don't fire the sub right into a wall.

Bryan


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Bryan, as far as the sub, do you mean not to for the speaker or the port at the wall? Currently the port is facing the wall.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Well, realistically, neither should be right against a wall. If one must, then I' make sure it's the port and that it has at least 8-10" between it and the wall surface.

Bryan


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> ... from seen in the profs pictures is that he had a much larger frame space to work with to create the plug ...


I agree with Bryan, make the plug on the outside of the window ... you can even make a frame around window and fit the plug there is you don't want to use the hooks :yes:

Looking at the pictures ... Is the window behind the TV??? ... if it is, Do you open the drapes during the day??? ... if you don't, you can do what Blaser did (he build a false wall to cover the window) ... you can use wood and fiberglass :yes: ... here is the link http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...construction/8587-blaser-ht-build-thread.html



> What can you guys suggest as far as making the appearance more movie theater like and not just a rooom full of stuff?


Look at the after pictures on Blaser thread ... Is that what you have in mind???



> I need to place another set of curtains on each window the smaller window near the rear seating is a small window and has no shutters and its made of 1 solid piece of glass that is un openable and non moveable, the other window has 2 panes of glass on the right and left and shutters in the middle, there is some light coming in if my wife turns on the patio lights, so i will need to add an additional layer of drapes to the window to make it even darker. But so far you can see there is minimal light at this point.


Look for block out curtains ... with that and a heavy curtain you'll be okay :yes:
Or, if you want to spend more $$$ ... you can build a sliding door/panel like I did to cover mine :bigsmile:

If you want to feel your sub more ... move it near the couch and try it to see if that's what you want :yes:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

jairo said:


> Thanks for the advice, I will have to check and see how I could do that. Do you have any suggestions on how I can make it look more like a movie theater and not so much like a room with stuff


jairo,

To make a room look like a theatre and not a living room, you need to have a minimalist design..ie an absolute minimal amount of clutter in the room, which includes equipment, posters on the wall, ornaments, even no speakers showing..

When you go to the Cinema, you don't see anything other than the screen, the seating and covered walls and perhaps the surround speakers..

What we are normally trying to do in making our own theatres, is to replicate what we see when going to the Cinema..
I personally don't even like to see speakers up front in a home theatre...You don't see them in a Cinema so why have them showing in your own theatre..
I know some people like to see them and that's a personal preference..and sometimes the room layout doesn't allow for hidden speakers..

I don't even like to see acoustic panels on the wall, but also sometimes that can't be avoided...

It does in the end come down to what you find appealing.. and what one person likes will be different from another..

My advice would be to get rid of or hide as much as possible in the room..

I hope that gives you some help in determining what you're looking for...


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks guys, I was reading through your responses and alot has made me open my eyes to some things I did not think about. I am limited on where I can place the audio equipment. Is it possible to maybe cover the table containing the audio equipment with perhaps blue fabric like the curtains to hide it? 

salvasol - Yes that it the window i was telling you about located directly behind the TV, The shutters are opened only during the day to air out the room, and then are closed at night. 


Prof - I wanted to place some movie related memorabilia in the room such as the theaters do here in costa rica, 99% of the collectables are located on the shelves located on the rear wall above the rear seats, so they are not that noticable unless you are looking directly at the rear wall or turn around to see them. I was thinking of removing the cars above the TV, those dont seem to go right with the room. As far as the front speakers what can i do to hide them? Place them behind the TV? Except that would take away from the overall sound. 


Need to take a better picture of the screen, it looksmuch much better than these photos.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> I am limited on where I can place the audio equipment. Is it possible to maybe cover the table containing the audio equipment with perhaps blue fabric like the curtains to hide it?


Yes ... you can try and see if you like the looks :yes: 

If you can, try hanging them from ceiling to floor and around the TV (this way the only thing you'll see will be the screen :yes ... and I just noticed, your speakers are to far back, they have to be aligned with the front of the TV or slightly in the front to avoid that the sound is reflected from TV (same with center speaker) :bigsmile:

If you use the curtains, I think you'll need to move the poster to the middle of the walls :yes:

Also, before you spend money ... try hanging maybe a blanket to see if you like the looks :yes:

Do you have space in the back to accomodate the equipment??? ... ( in case that you don't like the curtains idea) :huh:



> Need to take a better picture of the screen, it looksmuch much better than these photos.


It looks good ... photos don't make justice sometimes :bigsmile:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

I think covering the equipment with the blue fabric as I said earlier, I think this will help the looks a lot more. I was just thinking of hanging the fabric from the ceiling to hide everything but the screen behind it. Let me move the speakers out tonight, will that really afffect the sound that much? Also I am going to move the cars and other collectables awayfrom the screen.
:yay:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> I think covering the equipment with the blue fabric as I said earlier, I think this will help the looks a lot more. I was just thinking of hanging the fabric from the ceiling to hide everything but the screen behind it...


It just ocurred to me (maybe is a little crazy, like me) ... What about motorized curtains??? or at least use a slide for the middle just the width of the TV ... you can close everything, and before watching TV just open enough to see the screen :huh: (like in the theaters, they cover everything and before the movie start, they open the curtains and you see the screen).



> Let me move the speakers out tonight, will that really afffect the sound that much? Also I am going to move the cars and other collectables awayfrom the screen. :yay:


Yes ... if they to far, the TV is blocking and reflecting the sound; I'm sure you'll have a better imaging after you move them to the front (I said between edge of TV and wall will be fine) :yes: ... don't forget to point them to your seating position, and you can move the sub too (either to the corner or near your seat if you want to feel more bass) ... you'll need to re-calibrate the system after you move the speakers and sub ....

I also recommend you to remove the front cover of the speakers if you'll be hanging the curtains to hide them ... and try to get a curtain that is transparent enough to don't block the sound; if is to thick it will absorb some of the sound :yes:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

motorized curtains sounds nice, but it would be out of my budget for now, but that would be nice. The covers on the speakers dont come off though. :no:

You were saying something something about the center channel as well, but the only place to put it is on the front top of the TV. Or di you mean to align them with the center?


I will move the speakers out as you said, and make the necessary adjustments, to see the difference.


Ill be out tommorrow so ill take some pics and let you know on monday.:hush:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> motorized curtains sounds nice, but it would be out of my budget for now, but that would be nice. The covers on the speakers dont come off though. :no:


This might work http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.as...ttrtype=&attrvalue=&CmCatId=60156|60196|60451

In that case, your curtain can't be thick ... it will block the sound (unless you open the curtains enough to clear the speakers, I think that's not a problem if you watch TV in the dark ... like me :bigsmile



> You were saying something something about the center channel as well, but the only place to put it is on the front top of the TV. Or di you mean to align them with the center?


What I mean is that the center has to be aligned with the edge of the TV to avoid the reflection problems :yes:




> ... ill take some pics and let you know on monday.:hush:


:T


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

jairo said:


> I wanted to place some movie related memorabilia in the room such as the theaters do here in costa rica, 99% of the collectables are located on the shelves located on the rear wall above the rear seats, so they are not that noticable unless you are looking directly at the rear wall or turn around to see them. I was thinking of removing the cars above the TV, those dont seem to go right with the room. As far as the front speakers what can i do to hide them? Place them behind the TV? Except that would take away from the overall sound.


My apologies jairo..I was forgetting that your viewing a TV, not a front projection screen...:doh:
In that situation it's not really possible to hide the front speakers, but salvasol is right..The left and right speakers do need to be moved forward, at least level with the centre speaker..and the front of centre speaker should just protrude over the front of the TV..

Removing everything from the room that's not associated with movies will help considerably to make it feel more like a theatre..


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Just looking at your photo's again...Is that curtain behind the TV wall to wall, floor to ceiling?
Just having a dark coloured curtain covering the entire front wall can help to give that theatre feel, for a TV setup..


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

prof,

Thats a window located directly behind the TV, its about 3 feet by 2 feet, the idea of a curtain just along the wall would make it look lot nicer, as soon as the money comes in (payday) illl have to look and see if i can purchse a rod and enought curtains to go wall to wall. Also What can I place above the tv the cars dont look good any ideas there to cover the top of the tv? I was going to do like salvasol suggested and place a curtain above the tv but moving the pictures would be a nightmare as they are placed with expanders and 4 inch screws to hold them against the concrete wall.

Thanks salvasol i moved the speakers to the align with the front of the tv and it does make a hugh difference, also i noticed this weekend when my wife and i were watching titanic that the voices are not loud enough when you sit in the front row but comes in much better in the rear seats, any ideas whats happening there? is it too high as compared to the location of the fron seats or what? :hissyfit:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> i noticed this weekend when my wife and i were watching titanic that the voices are not loud enough when you sit in the front row but comes in much better in the rear seats, ...



I'm sure it will be your center speaker ... what you need to do is point it at the ear level in the front row :yes: ... just use some door stops or anything below the speaker to angle it down, that will help.

If you have or can get a laser pointer that will help you to position the speaker, so the tweeter is pointing to your ears (tip: I used a flashlight :whistling: ... is not the same, but you got my point, Right???) :bigsmile:

EDIT: After looking at the picture ... definietely is your speaker, is pointing straight ahead above the first row. Like I said, just point it to the first row ...


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

hmmmmmmmmm, Ill try that tonight, cause I like to sit in the front row, so the actors are basically sitting on my lap, but I hear everything else loud and clear except the voices. How much downwards should i point the speaker so it doesnt also take away from the people in the back row? salvasol, what do you think i can do to change the appearance of the top of the tv? currently i have the model cars on top but i think i need to remove those, and the center speaker will stay on top as it is , just need to tilt it as you said. I dont like the look of the top of the tv and wanted to make it a little more appealing.Ideas?:gah:

Ill move the center tonight and try it out as im going to watch ´SHUTTERS¨and hope to really creep myself out.....:hide:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> ... How much downwards should i point the speaker so it doesnt also take away from the people in the back row?


If that's the case you can point it to the middle of the two rows (use the laser pointer or flashlight) ... most of the time, we make the "sweet spot" where we seat, and we let the other people miss a little of the expereince :bigsmile: (unless your speakers can fill a lot of the room) :yes:



> ... i can do to change the appearance of the top of the tv? currently i have the model cars on top but i think i need to remove those, and the center speaker will stay on top as it is , just need to tilt it as you said. I dont like the look of the top of the tv and wanted to make it a little more appealing.Ideas?:gah:


Try removing the cars first ... then set up the center correctly and see if you like it. :yes:

You can also use a shelf to keep the cars (you'll have to hang it from ceiling because of the window in the back) ... I used to have something similar (see picture below, first is before and then after) but I remove it (I installed some accoustic tiles in that wall and didn't want to put the shelf back) :bigsmile:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

jairo said:


> Also What can I place above the tv the cars dont look good any ideas there to cover the top of the tv?


I would just have your centre speaker on top of the TV and nothing else..

Also don't forget to re-calibrate your sound levels and speaker distances, now that you've changed the position of the L & R speakers..


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Is there anything i can place on top of the tv to better make the appearance? i currently have a strip of cloth accross the top. Also i moved the center speaker last night as you have all suggested and there is a hugh difference, the only issue is that i have to place something under the rear of the speaker to tilt it. is there something i can se to tilt the speaker and ensure that it is stable?

salvasol, what size tv is that? Is it hooked up using component cables or HDMI?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

I'd just rip a small piece of wood that will sit completely under the rear of the speaker to slant it. Use a couple of the little stick-on rubberish 'feet' so it doesn't slide.

Bryan


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello everyone, been awhile, had to do some other reapirs on the house. I am right now working on the stand for the center speaker as you can see below, it will be at a slight slant and will be painted black, i have removed the collectables from the equipment rack next to the screen and placed some titanic collectables in its place, looks much nicer. My wife is working on making a skirt which will cover the entire rack and have a slot in the fron to be able to get to the equipment, and then the titanic collectables will go back on top, this is being made of darl blue material as well. I have also moved the front speakers and placed them equal to the front of the screen and slanted towards the front seat at a 32 degree angle, so the sound field crosses over at the exact center of the front and rear rows. I have some company coming over this weekend to have the first official test of the system. I will also be purchasing the second set of curtains for the room to have them double deep to ensure maximum darkness during daytime viewing. i will let yo know how it goes.


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## Guest (Sep 1, 2008)

jairo said:


> Thanks for the advice, I will have to check and see how I could do that. Do you have any suggestions on how I can make it look more like a movie theater and not so much like a room with stuff, i need to do some thing just dont know what. Also as you can see by the pictures I currently have the sub (speaker portion) facing the seats is it best to face it towards the wall, (turn it to the right)? maybe this would help with the bass? The walls are solid brick filled with concrete, so they are rock solid.
> 
> 
> Please anyone whom can advise me on how to make it more theater appearing. thanks as always.


I would say to help the appearance you may want to reduce clutter, maybe take some things out of the room that aren't needed. The rack for the DVD player and whatever else you have on their may look better if moved further from the tv (depending on room size) and maybe if painted to blend in? other than that it looks good.

One thing you could do to get a closer resemblance to a movie theatre would be too change the seating. This is probably expensive though, so it all depends on how much you are willing to spend.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> salvasol, what size tv is that? Is it hooked up using component cables or HDMI?


Sorry ... I completely missed your post :hide:

The TV is a 67" DLP ... and I have all kind of connections (DVD=HDMI, DVR=Component, VCR=composite), I always like to connect my video sources directly to TV (along with the audio too) and then the audio signal directly to receiver.

With that connections I'm able to watch anything without using the receiver if I want :yes:

The speakers is a crazy idea I had, what I did is to use one on top of the other; I connected them in paralell (so instead of 8ohms they're 4ohms) ... my receiver is rated 140WPC at 8 ohms, and supposedly my speakers are getting 272 WPC the way they're connected now :bigsmile:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello everyone, I´m back, had to take care of some other issues within the house. Gotta make the other half happy as well. The company did come over and they loved the HT. We watched P.S. I love you...More women then men so had to play a love story. The were in awe, thank God. I built the small rack I showed you above and added rubber lay in to the bottom of the center channel rack and a small piece of wood also with rubber to keep the speaker in place, then painted it black. Much better, the voices come in much much clearer, thanks salvasol for the idea. I will see if I can get the posts up today, if not definately tommorrow. I had to make some final tests before the company came over and I think i got the audio right, also the front row of seats i placed a a slight angle to the screen to better open the view for the rear seats. My father in Law came over saturday and watched 2 movies (Shoot Em Up and Die hard 4.0, and he went nuts and congradulated me on the HT. I still have a long way to go, but Ill show you the current pictures soon.:jiggy:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

It's very rewarding when it all comes together..Well done..:T


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Congratulations ... :T

Just be prepared to keep upgrading everything :bigsmile: ... and to help your friends/relatives, because I'm sure they will ask for your help to build their HT's too :yes:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello everyone, been awhile, been super super busy, I took some pictures of the HT so far and some did not come out, I made several adjustments to the screen and appear to have improved the image at about a 25% increase in image clarity. I will take another pic of the stand i made for the center channel, las one came out blurry. I think I need to do something with the wires for the front speakers as they can be seen, also I need to do something with the sub as you can see in the images it looks too cluttered. keep you posted. The other pic,salvasol, is of the shelf i placed in the rear with the movie memorabilia I had talked to you about . You cannot see it unless you turn around, it is located on the rear wall above the rear seats.


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello everyone, still working out some of the Bugs in my HT. I still seem to not get such a clear image on the screen when sitting close or in the front row. Ideas?:yikes:

I also was reading the article on the proper speaker levels, is it better to have all speakers , with the exception of the sub and ctr at 0? That column left me wondering, i have mine at :
frt L and R at: +5
cnter: +8
sub: +8
rears: +4

hmmmmmmmmmm, any input on those settings, also I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how i can better eliminate the clutter i was referring to in the above picture, where my sub and fan are located? unfortunately the only room i have for the fan is on the left or right side of the tv, i was trying to figure out a way to feel the air from the fan but not see it at the time as well, especially since it has lights in the front for all the settings as well as it shows the time. Ideas? :surrender:


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## tenzip (May 4, 2007)

jairo said:


> I also was reading the article on the proper speaker levels, is it better to have all speakers , with the exception of the sub and ctr at 0? That column left me wondering, i have mine at :
> frt L and R at: +5
> cnter: +8
> sub: +8
> ...


Generally one speaker, like the center, or one pair, like the mains, is used as an arbitrary reference set at 0, and the others are adjusted as needed. I personally use my center as the reference, and adjust the others from there. It doesn't hurt to have a non-zero reference, yours are fine, or, you could change them to:
L+R: +1
C: +4
Sub: +4
Rears: 0

or

L+R: -3
C: 0
Sub: 0
Rears: -4

Basically in any of the above, you haven't changed anything except how far you turn the master knob to get your desired listening level.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

tenzip said:


> ... you could change them to: L+R: +1 ....
> Basically in any of the above, you haven't changed anything except how far you turn the master knob to get your desired listening level.


I agree ... and the feeling that you have that extra volume (my master volume goes to +16.5, with my + speaker levels my reference is @ -10.0db ... so I still have 26.5db to play if I want, never crossed my mind to even go to 0.0db ... but you never know :bigsmile

Just to clarify, my main are set below zero and the rest of speakers are in the "+" side :yes:

About the fan ... is there any way that you can use a ceiling fan??? ... or maybe you have space in the back of the room??? :huh:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks, I will play with the settings tonight and see how it goes, I would never have thought of placing my speakers at 0. I have always had them at +3 or above. I have 1000 watts to play with. So I will change them and see if it makes any improvement on the audio. Any ideas on the best possible settings for a rear projection TV? I have used the THX setup DVD and it still lacks something. I did a Google as well and could not find a reference. As far as sharpness and brightness and contrast, i believe are the ones i need to fine tune. Salvasol your still using a projection tv, arent you? There is nowhere to place the fan in the rear, it can only go in the front, but I need to eliminate the clutter. And There is no good placement for a ceiling fan as there I have placed the light rack for the room and the rack can only go there. Ideas? :dontknow:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> Thanks, I will play with the settings tonight and see how it goes, I would never have thought of placing my speakers at 0. I have always had them at +3 or above. I have 1000 watts to play with....


Did you use the autocalibration??? ... or Did you manually adjusted every speaker using the SPL meter??? ... Is not a problem having the speaker level on the "+" side :yes:

There will be no improvement on the audio quality ... this will only change the volume level option you'll have; let's say that you're using your volume at -10.0db (could be different, 50, 35, etc...) and after you make this change the new volume to get the same volume output will be -5.0db or 60,40, etc... if your AVR goes to +15, or 100, etc. before you had from -10.0 to +15; and if you change it it will be from -5.0 to +15 ... you'll loose 5.0db in the master volume :dizzy:



> ... Any ideas on the best possible settings for a rear projection TV? I have used the THX setup DVD and it still lacks something. I did a Google as well and could not find a reference. As far as sharpness and brightness and contrast, i believe are the ones i need to fine tune. Salvasol your still using a projection tv, arent you? ...


I don't think there's any reference to set up your TV ... you have to use the THX optimizer (or any DVD to calibrate audio/video) to your taste :yes:

When you changed the sharpness (BTW I always use it in "0" or minimum), contrast, brightness, etc.. .. Did you do it in the same enviroment you usually watch movies??? ... what I mean is, if you watch movies in the dark, you need to calibrate in the dark ... or if you'll have some light, use it when calibrating the TV ... you also need to turn off all special enhacement features on your TV :yes:. 



> There is nowhere to place the fan in the rear, it can only go in the front, but I need to eliminate the clutter. And There is no good placement for a ceiling fan as there I have placed the light rack for the room and the rack can only go there. Ideas? :dontknow:


:scratchhead: ... are you using the fan to ventilate the room or to keep your equipment cool???


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## tenzip (May 4, 2007)

jairo said:


> Thanks, I will play with the settings tonight and see how it goes, I would never have thought of placing my speakers at 0. I have always had them at +3 or above. I have 1000 watts to play with. So I will change them and see if it makes any improvement on the audio.


It will make *zero* difference to anything, except how far you have to twist your main volume knob to get to your desired listening level.


salvasol said:


> Is not a problem having the speaker level on the "+" side :yes:There will be no improvement on the audio quality ... this will only change the volume level option you'll have;


Correct.


> ...if your AVR goes to +15, or 100, etc. before you had from -10.0 to +15; and if you change it it will be from -5.0 to +15 ... you'll loose 5.0db in the master volume :dizzy:


No, it just changes how far you have to turn the master knob to get to your desired listening level, you won't lose anything.


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

i,m Back. I made the adjustments to the HT speaker setup yesterday and it made some changes on how i listen to my system. It did help in the instances that when the speakers produce the required sounds it did seem more ballanced. Some speakers were not as overwhelming as others, it appears that the ouput was unevenly balanced and it had more sound pumping out of some speakers as opposed to others, it does appear to be have a more balanced sound field I used tenzip´s suggestion of: 
L+R: +1
C: +4
Sub: +4
Rears: 0

In response to your question the fan is utilized for room ventilation as this room gets pretty hot sometimes, and since i maintain the window closed at night to help with reducing the amount of sound that the neighbors hear, the fan is a MUST. especially when the room is full for viewing. 

salvasol - I manually adjusted all the speakers, but apparently i had the levels unbalanced and was overpowered by certain speakers on certain movies, especially sci-fi flicks. Now it appears to have a more natural sound. As far as the TV goes i adjusted it in the dark as this is how i usually watch movies. And as you can see from the pictures the room was painted blue , so when the lights go out the room pretty much is pitch black with the exception of the fan lights and the subwoofer light. I need to somehow make the room less cluttered and need to especially clean up the corner where the fan is as this area seems the most unattactive area of the room. I still need to make it more like a movie theater type ambiance, as it still appears to have that TV room look and not that of a Movie theater, any ideas?
This is the area that I need to mostly fix :wits-end:

And i need to watch the amount of money I :spend:


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> .
> 
> ... it appears that the ouput was unevenly balanced and it had more sound pumping out of some speakers as opposed to others, it does appear to be have a more balanced sound field ...


Do you have access to a SPL meter??? ... that will help you to balance the sound correctly (some people use their ears ... but SPL is more accurate :bigsmile



> ... In response to your question the fan is utilized for room ventilation as this room gets pretty hot sometimes, ...,, the fan is a MUST. especially when the room is full for viewing.


I believe you ... mine gets hot too, and I have a central A/C :yes:



> ... I need to somehow make the room less cluttered and need to especially clean up the corner where the fan is as this area seems the most unattactive area of the room.


After looking at the pictures, the only one I saw of the back of the room is where you show the sofa, chairs and coffee table ... Do you have something else to see if there's a way to fit the fan in the back??? ... I was thinking to maybe remove the coffee table, push the chairs together and the fan on one side ... :huh:

Do you turn on the track lights with the wall switch??? ... maybe you can connect an extension to a wall outlet and manually turn on/off the light, move the track to a side wall and place a ceiling fan where you have the track :huh:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

unfortunately I dont have access to a SPL meter, any other way than just the ears?:dontknow:


The round table you see in the pictures if for placing the drinks, and The issue is if I move the fan to the side of the chairs there is no way to get to the chair without walking in front of the screen and I feel the air will be too much for the person sitting next to it..:dontknow:Maybe there is a way to hide it.


Yes the track lights are turned on via a wall switch. Since the track lighting is also the main light source in the room. Maybe I should hide the sub behind the tv? I like the look of the sub, but maybe its better to :hide: it?


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

jairo said:


> .... Maybe I should hide the sub behind the tv? I like the look of the sub, but maybe its better to :hide: it?


You can try and hopefully the sound won't change to much... but you can also move the sub behind the fan and see if there's any change :yes:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

jairo..an SPL meter is an absolute must for any HT setup, if you want to get the levels correct..:yes:

If you can't get hold of one where you are, then there's always online stores or eBay..
I bought mine reluctantly, thinking I would only use it once..and that would be the end of it..
I've used it so many times now, that's it's just about worn out!!.:bigsmile:


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Prof. said:


> jairo..an SPL meter is an absolute must for any HT setup, if you want to get the levels correct..:yes:
> 
> If you can't get hold of one where you are, then there's always online stores or eBay..
> I bought mine reluctantly, thinking I would only use it once..and that would be the end of it..
> I've used it so many times now, that's it's just about worn out!!.:bigsmile:


:thumb: How true.

Bryan


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello everyone, been a long time, been doing some updates on my HT room, will post some pics as soon as possible. I finally, after many many hours of adjusting my screen i was able to get a really nice image, i found out that the auto move function was throwing off my image little by little so i had to turn it off :bigsmile:. Currently i am working on rewiring the speakers to a better wire to enhance the sound, currently i am having issues with sub placement and need some advice. I had it too close to the walls and since i have cement block filled walls i get it too boomy and get feedback from the windows, i was thinking of placing it in the rear corner facing the port outwards but there comes the issue with visible wiring facing out the front, since i would have the port facing out towards the seats the power cables for the sub and the speaker connections would be visible :yikes:. So i was thinking of placing the sub behind the TV but would run into the next 2 issues 1) the sub would against the TV 2) the sub would face the wall (the portion of the sub where the speaker grill is and not the port). The port would be facing out to either side. Any ideas? :huh:


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Place the sub where you get the smoothest response. Rarely is that in a corner. 

As for feedback and boom - with concrete walls, you have basically zero bass absorption in the room. Treatments would help a ton.

Bryan


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

I moved the sub away from the corner and placed it about 3 feet from the corner behind the screen with the port and grill facing towards the center of the room, seems to have helped out alot. Going to work on the equipment stand this weekend to give it a more hidden and theater look to it. also i want to do some changing of the seating formation. will keep you posted, hope to have the pics up soon.:hsd:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Hello everyone! Been some time, wasnt able to do much to the HT recently due to the current economy and had to hold off due to some other major repairs I had to do to the house. But im back, I ended mounting the front speakers to the wall to make the appearance less cluttered :T and it has no appeared to make any major changes in the sound, just had to do some minor tweeking of the delay and speaker levels. Question :wits-end: I have no access to wall treatments or traps here in costa rica but have been hearing really good things about the improvement in sound that this can produce, is there a way to make some from materials I can find here? And also how would they be hung, especially since I have solid concrete walls.:wits-end:Also I was still playing around with the image on my rptv and still feel like the image still nedds some more tweeking, i tried to locate a setup dvd with no luck and unfortunately when things like those are snet via mail they have a tendancy to get lost :hissyfit:Also I am very limited on the things I can have sent to costa rica due to the fact that they charge an outrageous amount for the item when it hits customs, usually 50%. Any ideas on helping me resolve these issues would be awesome, I know I can count on everyone since you have all been great on the advice so far. I will try to get those images up soon...still need to get some more feeling of a theater in that rrom still seems too much like a tv room as opposed to a HT. :thud:


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Here is my newest poster. Will add new photos hopefully tomorrow.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

If you mounted speakers in the wall that are not designed to be in-wall, that will definitely change the timbre and mess up the baffle step compensation in the xover. You can minimize the impact by using 1-2" thick absorption on the walls around the speaker (front wall should be completely dead anyway).

If you have access to any kind of denser than normal wall insulation, you can use it most likely to build treatments that would be relatively effective.

Bryan


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks bpape, the speakers are screwed to the wall and not inside the walls, sorry forgot to explain it better, how do i go about making the panels? Are they several layers?:reading:Here in Costa Rica it is hard getting those types of building materials since generally the walls are all made of solid concrete or concrete blocks, not much in the sense of the general building materials there are in the US. :hissyfit:


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Can you get pillow batting?


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## jairo (Jul 3, 2008)

Yes, that is very easy to come by. The flat foam type or the fluffy white cloud batting? What else do i need?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Not the foam. That'll be closed cell which won't work well.

Just build a frame and use multiple layers of the batting. How thick and dense depends on what you're going to use it for.


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