New Construction Home Theatre (1 Viewer)

[CPickler]

I am at the very early stages of planning my home theatre build. I have spoken with a local CEDIA certified installer / company and was planning on utilizing their design assistance services. However, after reading some of the recommendations from these boards, I'm wondering how much I should push back on their recommendations.

They recommended a 10'H x 20'W x 30'L room for the ideal size for an 8 chair projector theatre. It sounds like from reading this and other forums, that you don't want to use direct multipliers.

They recommended using the RSIC clips instead of just building a completely mechanically isolated wall. I would understand doing that if it was a retrofit, but not new construction.

I've done the calculations from a few calculators I've found online which provide widely disparate sizes.
What size would you recommend for an 8 seat theatre?
I know projector is king but it seems like the video quality will always be superior with a Panel especially when looking at OLED. I know right now the largest OLED is 77", and for a large theatre room that projection is the only thing capable of 4K at 120"+, but with HDR and Dolby Vision, is projector still the best route?

Also, I plan on using the theatre room for movies and console gaming so I know that might impact some of the direction.

 

[DaveF]

You don’t build a two-row, theater room around a 70” screen. That would be a deeply disappointing experience, especially for the back row.

A projector won’t have the absolute performance of a top quality direct view. You’re trading off for the sheer size and ability to entertain eight people at once. If you’re uncertain if this is a good trade for you, I’d encourage you to demo some good direct view setups and some good theater rooms in your price class before spending for new room build.

Fortunately 2017 had some good 4K projectors, and the 2018 models are expected to ship soon.

 

[DaveF]

Keep in mind that CEDIA is basically (IMO) an organization for high end interior designers and decorators. They aren’t necessarily any good at AV quality. And FWIW, my media room is in the 2017 CEDIA book.

A dedicated HT company is better than a structured electrical company (home security, whole house audio, fancy TV and remote controls), as they know the gear but they don’t know the theater.

But even with a reputable theater company — as with any contractor — pay attention, check reviews, talk to neighbors who have done similar projects, etc.

 

[CPickler]

You don’t build a two-row, theater room around a 70” screen. That would be a deeply disappointing experience, especially for the back row.

A projector won’t have the absolute performance of a top quality direct view. You’re trading off for the sheer size and ability to entertain eight people at once. If you’re uncertain if this is a good trade for you, I’d encourage you to demo some good direct view setups and some good theater rooms in your price class before spending for new room build.

Fortunately 2017 had some good 4K projectors, and the 2018 models are expected to ship soon.

Ohh I agree, 8 seats around a 77" screen isn't worthwhile at all. If I went with the direct view then I would downsize the room , or figure out some other arrangement until a direct view size was available.

 

[CPickler]

Keep in mind that CEDIA is basically (IMO) an organization for high end interior designers and decorators. They aren’t necessarily any good at AV quality. And FWIW, my media room is in the 2017 CEDIA book.

A dedicated HT company is better than a structured electrical company (home security, whole house audio, fancy TV and remote controls), as they know the gear but they don’t know the theater.

But even with a reputable theater company — as with any contractor — pay attention, check reviews, talk to neighbors who have done similar projects, etc.

As a relative newbie to the forums, are there any lists of good HT companies people have worked with? I currently am in the St. Louis, MO area but will be building in the Memphis, TN area.

 

[DaveF]

Ohh I agree, 8 seats around a 77" screen isn't worthwhile at all. If I went with the direct view then I would downsize the room , or figure out some other arrangement until a direct view size was available.

It's really personal preference, but there are a lot of people who find the big-screen experience worth the trade off of ultimate UHD performance. And if you really want to have movie parties, there's nothing else like it. And some people do both: have a projector for the big screen fun, and have a good direct view when they want top-notch HDR regardless of image size.

As a relative newbie to the forums, are there any lists of good HT companies people have worked with? I currently am in the St. Louis, MO area but will be building in the Memphis, TN area.

I don't know know anything about your area. There is a well regarded HT design and installation company based out of Atlanta (whose name escapes me) that does work out of state, if the job is big enough to merit the travel expense and difficulty. I'll try to find that name and get it to you.

I searched online, called companies and talked with them in person and by phone, checked reviews. I asked in my neighborhood and found neighbors that had done similar work and got their recommendations. All the things you do with any high-cost home contractor project.

I don't know much about RSIC performance to comment on their performance. What I can reasonably speculate is that they are much cheaper to build with than to do a fully isolated room-in-room design and build. I didn't do a soundproofed room: too expensive for me. I did some easy things to cut down on ambient noise...but I have a projector, electronics rack, and mini-fridge in the room so noise floor is limited by those. And...my hearing isn't good enough anymore to appreciate a 15dB noise floor in any case. So, evaluate what you want, what you need, and your budget. Something else to consider, if you're really going for full soundproofing, that requires considering the HVAC system, since sound can travel through the ducting. And then that requires involving HVAC specialists. Because it's easy to create an isolated room that doesn't have good cold air return and will run warm or cold in summer or winter. The RSIC clips might give you a good balance of performance and cost. But I'm just waving my hands in the air, so to say, since I don't know your goals and household needs (do you want a low noise floor, or is it really about not disturbing the rest of the house when a movie is playing), or the absolute performance of the RSIC clips.

 

[CPickler]

It's really personal preference, but there are a lot of people who find the big-screen experience worth the trade off of ultimate UHD performance. And if you really want to have movie parties, there's nothing else like it. And some people do both: have a projector for the big screen fun, and have a good direct view when they want top-notch HDR regardless of image size.


I don't know know anything about your area. There is a well regarded HT design and installation company based out of Atlanta (whose name escapes me) that does work out of state, if the job is big enough to merit the travel expense and difficulty. I'll try to find that name and get it to you.

I searched online, called companies and talked with them in person and by phone, checked reviews. I asked in my neighborhood and found neighbors that had done similar work and got their recommendations. All the things you do with any high-cost home contractor project.

I don't know much about RSIC performance to comment on their performance. What I can reasonably speculate is that they are much cheaper to build with than to do a fully isolated room-in-room design and build. I didn't do a soundproofed room: too expensive for me. I did some easy things to cut down on ambient noise...but I have a projector, electronics rack, and mini-fridge in the room so noise floor is limited by those. And...my hearing isn't good enough anymore to appreciate a 15dB noise floor in any case. So, evaluate what you want, what you need, and your budget. Something else to consider, if you're really going for full soundproofing, that requires considering the HVAC system, since sound can travel through the ducting. And then that requires involving HVAC specialists. Because it's easy to create an isolated room that doesn't have good cold air return and will run warm or cold in summer or winter. The RSIC clips might give you a good balance of performance and cost. But I'm just waving my hands in the air, so to say, since I don't know your goals and household needs (do you want a low noise floor, or is it really about not disturbing the rest of the house when a movie is playing), or the absolute performance of the RSIC clips.

Thank you very much for the reply. If you find the name of the company I'd love to get the info. Mine is more not disturbing the rest of the house.
I hadn't really considered the dual route. Then I don't have to splurge for the 25k+ projector or don't have to get the largest 10k oled on the market. It's funny how sometimes the easiest solution gets overlooked.

 

[Dave Moritz]

If your room is 20' wide and you want to go with projection I honestly would not go smaller than a 120" screen especially going 4K! And you will want to IMHO go with a preamp/processor with power amp or amps! I would use a min of 6 1/2" woofers in book shelf speakers for your surrounds and 8" woofers would be ideal because of the size of the room. I would also think about identical bookshelf speakers for your Atmos channels and blending them into the ceiling. I would look into Denon or Marantz for your processor needs. I am sure the goal is to create an emersive theater and a larger screen and the right amount of power with the right speakers will do the trick! You can also choose a acoustically transparent screen and put the front channels behind the screen and I would in that case defiantly suggest Klipisch speakers!

I recently purchase the Marantz SR-8012 11 channel receiver and it is the best receiver I have ever owned! My previous receiver was a Pioneer Elite SC-05 and the Marantz beats it hands down! I do not have the room for a projection screen so all I have right now is a 55" screen that is a 4K Samsung. I honestly do not feel the 77" OLED will fit your needs. As nice as the picture, black levels and color saturation would be nothing beats a large projection screen and you definantly have the room for a 120" screen! I would go as big as you can get away with to give you that true immersive theater experience! This is just my thoughts and my system is going through upgrades as well. I am getting a Sony A9F 55" 4K OLED due to the room constraints and also due to the fact I may have to move into a smaller apartment within the next year. The Denon and Marantz will allow you to upgrade your HDMI for there flagship models and will not only offer the IMAX enhanced upgrade. But depending on what you go with you can ether have 11 channels or 13 channels! They also have dual independent subwoofer outs with separate cross overs. The Marantz and Denon IMHO right now give you the best bang for the buck! I have owned in the past Yamaha, Denon, Pioneer Elite, Onkyo the Marantz is now my all time favorite. If you choose a receiver the 8012 give you all the above and a large toridal transformer giving you more headroom than other receivers. The 8012 also splits it mono like design between two heat sinks. The preamp outputs put out 4v - 4.5v out making sure you can fully drive what ever power amp you might match to full output. Something many receivers with preamp outs fail to do as they are not able to drive power amps to full output. There is a good chance I will be switching to Klipsch speakers to more closely match the Altec A-7's in the photo below. I would also depending on your budget look at SVS subwoofers. Also you get Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro 3D! I hope this helps.

https://www.us.marantz.com/us/Produ...CatId=AVReceivers&SubCatId=0&ProductId=SR8012

https://www.us.marantz.com/us/Produ...CatId=AVSeparates&SubCatId=0&ProductId=AV8805

https://usa.denon.com/us/product/hometheater/receivers/avrx8500h

https://emotiva.com/collections/amps

https://www.svsound.com/pages/16-ultra-series

https://www.klipsch.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl6Pw0eW13QIVFavsCh16Tw-CEAAYASAAEgK_VPD_BwE

https://www.audioquest.com/

https://www.sony.com/electronics/home-cinema-projectors/t/home-cinema-projectors

 

[DaveF]

Thank you very much for the reply. If you find the name of the company I'd love to get the info. Mine is more not disturbing the rest of the house.
I hadn't really considered the dual route. Then I don't have to splurge for the 25k+ projector or don't have to get the largest 10k oled on the market. It's funny how sometimes the easiest solution gets overlooked.

While I didn’t specifically mean have dual displays in the movie room, some people do that with a retractable screen, or even a retractable TV. More simply, projector in the movie room and TV in the family room. But you can go nuts and integrate multiple displays in a dedicated media room.

 

[CPickler]

While I didn’t specifically mean have dual displays in the movie room, some people do that with a retractable screen, or even a retractable TV. More simply, projector in the movie room and TV in the family room. But you can go nuts and integrate multiple displays in a dedicated media room.

No I meant in multiple rooms as well. That would be interesting though but then would still have seating issues

 

[DaveF]

With work travel and holidays, I got completely distracted from this. I might be too late now, but I was reminded of the home theater design and installation company: The Erskine Group

They're well regarded. And I believe they will work out of their region for some projects.