I will use this platform to document my home theatre build and post my progress, I have no professional experience and everything will be self-taught and there is no timeline (money will dictate that). And of course, a build like this is never truly complete, there will always be an upgrade to make.
Background:
My father had a Sony 5.1 system when I was in high school, I was obsessed with sound and home theatres from then on. I eventually inherited the system and upgraded from there.
I replaced the aging Sony system with a Bentley Accoustic 5.1.4 Atmos system but it was not a dedicated room, I then moved to my current home and I am lucky enough to have free range in a dedicated room.
The Room:
The room was the old kitchen from many years ago so it measures 5m x 3.6m. It is a good size for what I need. The window is closed off and acoustically treated to not bleed out sound, it does unfortunately have 2 entrances but it is what it is and I can live with closing both doors. The roof is high enough that I was able to build a riser for the back row of seats, 30 cm high (more on the risers later).
Room design:
The room design has been drawn up by Steve from Home Theatre Gurus. I highly recommend him for designing a dedicated space.
Equipment:
Speakers
I really wanted the same speakers for the front stage, I already had two of the BIG FS150 speakers, It took vaughn from Bentley Acoustics some convincing but he allowed me to buy a single FS150 in exchange for my FC150, to complete my symmetrical setup of the FCM.
For the surrounds I will stick to the Bently FR50, they work well, but the room is not big enough to need bigger surrounds.
For atmos speakers I have not bought the speakers yet but I am eying the C34E MKII to make the four in ceiling speakers.
Subs:
I am currently running 1 Klipsch R120SW. It will be replaced with two Hammer's from Steve at Home Theatre Gurus. The two Dayton audio 12 inch woofers have been ordered through the AVforums Parts Express group buy, unfortunately it is on back order and will only shipp in September. They will be run off of two Crown amps
Amps/receiver:
The Denon X3600H is great receiver, it can do 11 channels of audio allowing me to do a 7.2.4 setup, yu do need to have dedicated amps to unlock more than 9 channels and that is what I have done.
NAD c 980 8 channel amp for surround, using it for LCR as well.
Crown 1500 and 1502 for subwoofers
Seating, riser and acoustic treatment
This is where the blood sweat and tears work come in, first the false wall was built, filled with acoustic material. The same material was used to make the acoustic panels, this was also DIY'ed, luckily, I have a handy woodworking friend who built them for me at a good price. There are 14 panels, more still need to be made for the back and the roof.
The riser is for the back seat to look over the front seats and view the screen unobstructed, it is 30cm high, filled to the brim with acoustic material. The whole room will be carpeted at some stage in the future.
The front seats will be 3 cinema seats from recliners online with power reclining function.
The rear seats will be a 3-seater couch to alow for laziness
Screen and Projector
Unfortunately, this is where my biggest hold-up is at the moment, and means I cannot use the room until I get a new projector. I had an Epson TW9200, 1080p but it filled my 100-inch screen beautifully. Insurance has paid out for the damaged unit (power surge). But the replacement I want is out of stock everywhere with no ETA (Epson TW 9400). So for now, I have redirected the funds into my business and will get a replacement projector when the time is right.
The screen is a 100-inch Elite Screen frame with cotton lycra material, it is not perfect but does the job and allows the sound to pass through without audible defects.
Other:
The walls and ceiling have been painted with a matte grey from plascon.
Panasonic ub820 UHD DVD player for future HDS use
Media gets played through an Unraid server using plex on a PC
Harmony Elite remote
AC infinity for cooling the rack
Progress has slowed for now due to a lack of funds. At least I can enjoy some music in the room, it already looks impressive in this early stage and my goal is to be able to allow movie nights and listening sessions for many friends and family members.
Background:
My father had a Sony 5.1 system when I was in high school, I was obsessed with sound and home theatres from then on. I eventually inherited the system and upgraded from there.
I replaced the aging Sony system with a Bentley Accoustic 5.1.4 Atmos system but it was not a dedicated room, I then moved to my current home and I am lucky enough to have free range in a dedicated room.
The Room:
The room was the old kitchen from many years ago so it measures 5m x 3.6m. It is a good size for what I need. The window is closed off and acoustically treated to not bleed out sound, it does unfortunately have 2 entrances but it is what it is and I can live with closing both doors. The roof is high enough that I was able to build a riser for the back row of seats, 30 cm high (more on the risers later).
Room design:
The room design has been drawn up by Steve from Home Theatre Gurus. I highly recommend him for designing a dedicated space.
Equipment:
Speakers
I really wanted the same speakers for the front stage, I already had two of the BIG FS150 speakers, It took vaughn from Bentley Acoustics some convincing but he allowed me to buy a single FS150 in exchange for my FC150, to complete my symmetrical setup of the FCM.
For the surrounds I will stick to the Bently FR50, they work well, but the room is not big enough to need bigger surrounds.
For atmos speakers I have not bought the speakers yet but I am eying the C34E MKII to make the four in ceiling speakers.
Subs:
I am currently running 1 Klipsch R120SW. It will be replaced with two Hammer's from Steve at Home Theatre Gurus. The two Dayton audio 12 inch woofers have been ordered through the AVforums Parts Express group buy, unfortunately it is on back order and will only shipp in September. They will be run off of two Crown amps
Amps/receiver:
The Denon X3600H is great receiver, it can do 11 channels of audio allowing me to do a 7.2.4 setup, yu do need to have dedicated amps to unlock more than 9 channels and that is what I have done.
NAD c 980 8 channel amp for surround, using it for LCR as well.
Crown 1500 and 1502 for subwoofers
Seating, riser and acoustic treatment
This is where the blood sweat and tears work come in, first the false wall was built, filled with acoustic material. The same material was used to make the acoustic panels, this was also DIY'ed, luckily, I have a handy woodworking friend who built them for me at a good price. There are 14 panels, more still need to be made for the back and the roof.
The riser is for the back seat to look over the front seats and view the screen unobstructed, it is 30cm high, filled to the brim with acoustic material. The whole room will be carpeted at some stage in the future.
The front seats will be 3 cinema seats from recliners online with power reclining function.
The rear seats will be a 3-seater couch to alow for laziness
Screen and Projector
Unfortunately, this is where my biggest hold-up is at the moment, and means I cannot use the room until I get a new projector. I had an Epson TW9200, 1080p but it filled my 100-inch screen beautifully. Insurance has paid out for the damaged unit (power surge). But the replacement I want is out of stock everywhere with no ETA (Epson TW 9400). So for now, I have redirected the funds into my business and will get a replacement projector when the time is right.
The screen is a 100-inch Elite Screen frame with cotton lycra material, it is not perfect but does the job and allows the sound to pass through without audible defects.
Other:
The walls and ceiling have been painted with a matte grey from plascon.
Panasonic ub820 UHD DVD player for future HDS use
Media gets played through an Unraid server using plex on a PC
Harmony Elite remote
AC infinity for cooling the rack
Progress has slowed for now due to a lack of funds. At least I can enjoy some music in the room, it already looks impressive in this early stage and my goal is to be able to allow movie nights and listening sessions for many friends and family members.
