Browse Forums Home Theatre & Automation 1 Mar 04, 2010 1:38 pm Hi all I am in the process of building my media room in my newly built house. It is 6.3 deep x 6.1 wide. I made a raised floor the other day 2m from the rear wall for the second row of couches. Plan is to use an Epson TW 3500 or maybe a TW5500 with a 150" screen. Will this screen be too large for the projector? meaning will it dull much compared to a 120"? main help I need is for the audio. My limit is about 2-3k.. am I dreaming for this size room? I would like to have decent sub feel. Was thinking maybe a Yamaha system. Bose is just way too expensive.. Cheers Cameron Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 2Mar 04, 2010 2:11 pm Hi Cameron. I mean this in the nicest posible way, but I will be blunt:- You have obviously gone to a very decent amount of effort and I'm guessing expense to create an awesome dedicated room for your home cinema, so I think you'd be nuts to be trying to keep such a (which I consider) modest budget for the sound system. I would be recommending a minumum budget of around $6K. Remember, that has to include a decent AV Receiver, at least 5 REAL speakers (and I'd go with 7 considering it's a wide room) and a decent subwoofer. You want the system to be able to comfortably fill that room with full range, good quality sound, not struggle to get loud and as soon as it starts getting loud the sound gets harsh due to the amp driving too hard and the speakers also not performing well when being pushed a bit. P.S. Bose lifestyle systems don't even come close to doing what I'm suggesting above - not even the expensive ones... As far as the screen goes, with your room being just over 6 metres deep I'd say a 135" screen would be the biggest you should go with, especially if you are having 2 rows of seats (even then, I reckon 135" is going to be too big for the people in the front row...). Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 3Mar 04, 2010 2:27 pm Thanks for the reply End of the day I will pay what I have to. Can't go cheap at the very end. What brand of gear and configuration would you recommend for the room? It is dedicated for movies.. and will run a PS3 for games and blue-ray. I know its all to do with the power an ohms.. but there is so much out there. I don't know where to begin! Maybe a receiver like this? http://www.digitalcinema.com.au/Denon-A ... ceiver.htm and then spend more on speakers? cheers Cameron Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 4Mar 05, 2010 12:17 am Hi. For the budget around 6k I would look at the following. I am from South Africa so a quick exchange rate conversion and we get to a similar figure. Yamaha RX-V2065 Paradigm Monitor 9 fronts Paradigm CC290 centre channel ADP 390 surrounds Paradigm Ultracube 10 (or 12) Allow for cabling and connectors Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 5Mar 05, 2010 8:16 am Getafix, my man from S.A.... Get a good AV Receiver with at least 100WRMS (into 8 ohms) x 7. Marantz, Denon, and Yamaha are all very good (before going up to the next, more high-end level...). Even some like Onkyo and Pioneer can be OK too (although I'd stick with the other three, in that order too). Paradigm speakers rule. My personal preference is for the CC-390 over the 290, and I would also allow myself the bit extra of the Monitor 11's over the 9's, but then I do have a high priority on my sound system(s). I'd suggest one of their DSP subwoofers though - cheaper than the Ultracubes (the main purpose of the Ultracubes is to get the big impact from a smaller unit, and you pay for that technology...). I have the DSP-3400 which kicks heaps of butt (14" 300WRMS - cheaper than the 12" Ultracube), but a DSP-3200 will still rock your room. The Paradigms are also very efficient so the above mentioned 100WRMS per channel from the AV Receiver will still easily deliver a massive sound through the those speakers... Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 7Mar 05, 2010 5:47 pm HI Rod.... good to chat again, it's been a while. My advise was based on the budget, although this is a bit difficult as I don't know what AV equipment sells for in Aus. I also like the Monitor 11 as they will offer a better base over the 9's. The 11's drivers are 7.5" as apposed to 6.5" on the 9's. As for the subs, I am not to experienced in running two subs, but from what I have read it is not adviseable. Maybe Rod can comment here. Looking at your flooring, it looks like it is a raised wooden floor. I am not sure what your plans are from a decor point of view but you need to be careful of these types of floors (tiles included) as they can play havoc will sound, especially base frequencies. Maybe consider putting a nice mat/rug on the floor as this will help to absorb some of the stray sounds. Anyway, gooduck with the renovation, you make me jealous. Cheers Gareth Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 8Mar 11, 2010 9:30 am Regarding running 2 subs, if you have the room and the $$ then it is actually not a bad way to go, as with 2 subs you get better distribution of the nodes and anti-nodes - therefore increasing your chances of evening out the holes and boomy points in the room, plus you do get twice the air movement (as you have twice the cones pushing the air) and therefore should feel a significant increase in their LFE impact. It's just that it's an extravagance that most can't justify when they can get enough of the effect they want from one sub... Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 9Mar 11, 2010 11:03 am Hi there Cameron, I think that Rod has given you some great advice. There is absolutely no use in going all out with the big screen only to economise on the sound portion of your project. I am also just about to build and have assembled my equipment from our old home. We will have a room of 6.1 metres deep x 4.8 metres wide. Light controlled. 2 rows of leather theatre recliners on a 30cm high riser for the rear row. Equipment will be: Rotel RSP-1068 Surround Processor (no HDMI but a beautifully musical processor) - can't bear to upgrade this! Rotel RMB-1077 7 x 100W amplifier Mitsubishi HC-6800 1080P LCD projector with Anamorphic lens Seymour AV 150 inch 2.35:1 cinemascope DIY screen (3.5 metres wide x 1.5 metres high Sony PS3 for blu-ray and gaming Toshiba HD-DVD player (plus 1 spare) Marantz SACD / DVD Audio player 5 x Klipsch 6504 in-wall 5 way THX speakers Energy 10 inch sub (will probably need another) 2 x Buttkicker BKA-300 chair shakers Have a look around on your projector. I ended up going overseas on mine and purchased the HC6800 for about $1900 landed. They sell for just below 5K here. No warranty in Australia, but at that price, I was prepared to take the gamble. Being that your room is so wide, I would recommend that you also look at a 2.35:1 cinemascope screen. This will give you a true cinematic experience, without the black bars top and bottom. Instead of the traditional 16:9 format, you have a stretched screen. So many of the new movies are coming out in 2.35:1, so there will be plenty of material to watch. Normal 16:9 programs can still be watched, but you will have unused screen either side of the image. For instance, on my 150 inch scope screen, I can still watch a 16:9 picture and it's over 100 inch in diametre. Still a great size for those movies in 16:9. You can go one of two ways. Buy a projector that will zoom (cheap but you do lose 25% screen brightness) or go for a projector with anamorphic mode. Then add an anamorphic lens. These can be had for about the $2000 mark or less for a reasonable prism lens (check out Home Theater Brothers in the USA or a company in QLD called CAVX, who both stock excellent quality lenses. Set-up of this system can be a little painful and time consuming, but the results are well worth it. Best for a fixed installation. Your movies will never be the same again. With projectors, I would look for one with atleast 1200-1500 lumens. You won't use anywhere near that at the start (with a dark room) however as the bulb ages, it will lose brightness and you will be happy to have that reserve up your sleeve. As to which type of projector you choose, that is a hard one. LCD is perhaps the most economical and gives great bang for the buck. DLP is great but has restrictions in room placement and some people can see colour fringeing. LCOS / SXRD/DILA are a derivative of LCD, with great benefits, but these units are still pretty pricey. I was happy with the LCD path. The Epson projectors are very good, but check out the Mitsubishi's as well. You could also look at the Panasonic PT-AE4000, JVC HD-750 (expensive but gorgeous) or the Mitsubishi HC-7000 (lower lumen output but 72:000:1 contrast ratio. Very nice black levels. My only real advice with home theatre is research research research. I found the following links really helpful: avsforum.com dtvforum.com.au Both have threads for dedicated home theatre construction and are a wealth of knowledge. Both are also full of people with great info and the desire to share it. Best of luck with your build. Can't wait to see the finished pics! And you will need some serious blinds on those windows if you want to use a projector! Greg Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 10Mar 11, 2010 11:26 am Hi Cameron, The only other advice that I would say is that the screen should the the last thing that you buy. You have light coloured walls so set up your projector and seating and project different screen sizes on your wall until you find one that you are happy with. Picture size is different for everyone. The larger the picture, the more immersive your experience is. However, what is immersive to you may be sickening to your family members and friends. Also need to be sure that you don't blow up the image too large or you will see a degradation in image quality. Happy for you to PM me if you need any other advice, but I think Rod has most certainly got you on the right path. I would only differ on one thing, and that is even though Receivers are the most economical path, they are not as good as a separate processor / amp combination. The new ones are great, don't get me wrong. I just think that you get better quality with separates. But you need to pay for the privelege! Cheers Greg Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 11Mar 11, 2010 1:18 pm Tom's Playroom what is immersive to you may be sickening to your family members and friends. one thing I learnt early on was to pick a screen that is the best size for you!! if you family and friends are only going to be in there once a week/month etc. Then don't design the room to suit them.. If you like the big 150" screen and your friends don't.. then bad luck.. 99% of the time, I'm the only one that uses my theatre room... I only have two big armchairs in there and 2 bean bags but think I have only ever had 4 people in there once or twice in the last 8 months. I've clocked up 1000 hours since I have had it (Jun 09) as I use it for everything.. whether watching the news or a playing the PS3. Anyway I love it.. and have been playing FFXIII on my PS3 for the last week.. and the graphics just blow me away still to this day... 1080p on 108" screen is just beautiful... and probably even more so on your 150" screen.. and then again on Tom's scope screen!! and yes Tom those forums you mentioned are very good for this type of stuff.. I frequent both quite a bit.. I use the same username also!! Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 12Mar 11, 2010 4:28 pm wakeboardandy Tom's Playroom what is immersive to you may be sickening to your family members and friends. one thing I learnt early on was to pick a screen that is the best size for you!! if you family and friends are only going to be in there once a week/month etc. Then don't design the room to suit them.. If you like the big 150" screen and your friends don't.. then bad luck.. 99% of the time, I'm the only one that uses my theatre room... I only have two big armchairs in there and 2 bean bags but think I have only ever had 4 people in there once or twice in the last 8 months. I've clocked up 1000 hours since I have had it (Jun 09) as I use it for everything.. whether watching the news or a playing the PS3. Anyway I love it.. and have been playing FFXIII on my PS3 for the last week.. and the graphics just blow me away still to this day... 1080p on 108" screen is just beautiful... and probably even more so on your 150" screen.. and then again on Tom's scope screen!! and yes Tom those forums you mentioned are very good for this type of stuff.. I frequent both quite a bit.. I use the same username also!! Good point. You obviously have a VERY understanding wife. Mine is still upset that 'I have the biggest room in the house"! Still working on the dark colours for the wall and ceiling but the jury is still out! Hope to run into you on line! Greg Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 13Mar 11, 2010 9:31 pm Tom's Playroom Mine is still upset that 'I have the biggest room in the house"! haha.. that's the EXACT words my fiance said to me a few days ago! But then again, I said she could have one of the spare bedrooms as a walk-in wardrobe, so there's some give & take there! T&T Knockdown and rebuild - building Metr1con Nolan 41 (43) @ http://tim-and-tina.blogspot.com! http://www.verdantdental.com.au Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 14Mar 12, 2010 11:22 pm That's a nice big room! However as has been stated, it will take some serious power to fill that room at reference level. The large windows also wont do you any favours. The Epson projectors you mentioned are very good however all projectors need a dark room to really look their best. The glass also sucks bass out of a room. The bass goes straight through it and isn't contained within the room so you will need to make sure you don't skimp in the subwoofer dept. Good curtaining will help in both regards (not so much with the bass) The epson tw5500 has anamorphic scaling built in so allows you to go full anamorphic by just adding an anamorphic lens. You could buy a seperate scaler and the tw3500 and get a similar result. Once you've seen full cinemascope you just wont want to go back. It should be awesome when you get it finished. Just make sure you do that beautifull space justice. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: Home cinema ideas please:-) 15Mar 13, 2010 9:49 am Thanks for the replies peoples The plan is to have very thick shag carpet and dark blockout curtains on the windows. Ive got a friend who is an airbrush artist (does movie sets and stuff).. so thinking of getting the whole room (including the ceiling) done in a 'Roman' type theme.. but keeping it dark. Id say I will go an electric 120-130 inch screen.. would like to go 150" but I've been told that might be too big for the epson?? not sure duel subs for sure.. i can see the advantage. Thanks again for the info everyone.. I will post updated pics soon Cheers Cameron I would say both styles you have pictured are steel. 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