Home Theater Discussion Thread

[Stock R]

Starting a new thread for home theater discussion since a few of us started hi-jacking the watch lovers' thread. This thread can be for general discussion about HT (equipment, room setup, acoustics, etc).

I will start with my current setup. I have a small house (semi to boot) and limited income to spend on HT stuff some my setup is modest at best. It's working for me right now but I'm always looking at simple and cheap things I can do to improve the setup. Currently looking at setting up a 2nd system in the basement so Mrs. And I don't have to fight for the TV.

Living room:
TV: Samsung 50" plasma. 720p but it was free (draw) so no complaints here.
Receiver: Pioneer VSX-920K. Setup for 5.1 + DDIIz height channels
Speakers: Jamo S420 5.0 setup for F/C/H speakers ($229!). OLD Bose 301 for rear channels (free). Paradigm sub (gift).
Media: PS3 Slim, Rogers HD8246 PVR.
Others: 2x Aura Pro tactile transducers powered by an old Yamaha stereo receiver to shake the sofa

In my attempt to shield my neighbour from my movie/gaming habits, I'm currently comtemplating covering the entire wall with acoustic foam. I'm not totally convinced on how it's going to look though...

Things about this setup…

DDIIz: I decided to try going with the front height speakers for this setup since I had the 2 bose speakers lying around and figured they'd work well for the rears since the Jamo rear's are tiny an perfect for mounting up high. So far I have not noticed any benefit or improvement to the sound space with the heights. They haven't filled in any gaps. After watching a whole whack of movies, I can count exactly ONE time where I noticed a distinct, DDIIz moment. While watching one of the Planet Earth blu-rays, there was one scene where there was a bird that chirped that clearly came from above. Otherwise I have never noticed the height channels during rainfall or bomb scenes like the feature is advertised My living room isn't 7.1 layout capable so I have no intentions on switching to it.

Buttshakers: Read about these on another forum and as a DIY kinda guy, I couldn't resist giving it a try since the setup cost was minimal (had stereo amp lying around). Anyone who has never experienced these things should give them a try. Split the LFE channel to the sub and stereo amp. 2x aura pro's are hooked up to amp directly by L/R channels (2x100w @ 4ohms) to keep wiring simple. Aura pros are screwed into the sofa. The shakers have added a very cool dimension to the movie watching experience, especially since we share a wall, I keep the sub very very low and the LFE zone was quite void before. That spot has now been filled. Some notable movies I've watched recently: 2012 (as the ground crumbles away, sofa shakes the same), Matrix (as Neo fires the machine gun on the helicopter to save Morpheus in slow-mo, you feel the pulsation of each round fired), and Thin Red Line (beginning of movie on ship, when the ship creaks, the sofa gives a tiny rumble).

Basement:
TV: Samsung 42" plasma. 720p as well.
Other: headphones.

Looking to beef up the basement setup a bit since I plan on spending more time here. Currently looking at going 5.1 with in-wall speakers from monoprice (can't beat their price). Not totally sure what I'm going to do for the sub… I might just use my bass guitar amp. Looking for a cheap 5.1 receiver but haven't settled on one yet (Pioneer VSX-521 almost fits the bill for < $200 usd). Also planning on insulating all the walls to dampen things a bit since I like to stay up later at night and don't want to disturb the wife, dog and neighbour. Will probably print some movie/game posters on canvas and pad the back with batting.

Biggest issue here aside from cost is that my basement area is TINY (100 sq ft?) and I have a heavy bag/speed bag setup that I'm not sure where I can relocate it to….

Try to post pictures later

[tjayl]

Here's mine
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/post-.../#post12922035

[yao416]

Rich people, out on this crew

[r1lee]

stockR, here was my process

Many ways to do it. Here is the cheapest, then my way lol.

Look for posters on moviepostersdb.com. At least min of 150dpi.
Look for 1" stretch bars online, I think they range at $6+.
then your acoustic fiber board.

Here was what I did.

Bought movie posters from movieposters.com. $16+
took them to local scanner guy who can scan large image $30 a piece
After I had them printed on cloth, more info below.
I took them to local framing guy $55 for small up to $95 for the large.
Then the acoustic 5lb 1" fiber board. 12 * 2x4 = $100

Spoonflower.com is where I went to get the images printed.

Their first material, I think it's called cotton quilt. $18 yard is the best for allowing sound waves to pass through. This was tested to be as good as anything out there, but still offered enough material to give a decent image.

The small ones took 1yard each, whereas the larger ones took 2 yards, those on the side walls.

Maximum is 42" for width, No max length.

[yao416]

sick sick, wheres the front picture though

[r1lee]

sick sick, wheres the front picture though

In the watch thread

[fitbrit]

Reproducing my post from another thread:
My HTPC powered home theatre (with 10 speakers and 2 subs in this pic alone):

Rest of the pics here:
Constructing the home cinema - with detailed captions

120" 16:9 homemade screen.
HTPC (Home Theatre Personal Computer) driven 1080p projector with a mirrored 23" 1080p in-wall touchscreen.
11.2 sound system (9.2 active at any given time for now) comprising 14 speakers, two subwoofers, up to 12 buttkickers and bass shakers.
Seats 6-7 with great viewing angles.
HTPC Specs: i3 530, Gigabyte H57 USB3.0 ATX mobo 4 GB RAM. 60GB SSD (35TB unRAID server in another room), GTS450, 500W Seasonic PSU, BluRay/HD-DVD combo drive, iMon VFD in LianLi PC-C32B case. All HTPCs in house run J. River Media Center 17. Each HTPC's playback can be controlled and/or synchronised from any other.

The whole room can be converted into a gym in about 10 minutes. Back to HT in about 20'. There is another HT in the house with a 61" screen and the same type of 11.1 format sound system (with buttkicker), and the dining room is also hooked up for 7.1 with a 1080p touchscreen for music.

[hyperactiveme]

I love HT'rs. I decided to make the switch about 2 years ago when my RPTV capped out on me.

Very simple and used daily.

Projector: optoma Hd 20
Screen: DIY 116" fixed frame screen (n7 shade)
AVR: Pioneer VSX-820
Media payer: WDTV-L
Gameing: xbox 360s
Satellie: shaw Dsr-600
Speakers: Bic vk6-lcr
Sub: Bic vk-12
* all cables from monoprice.com

I've made plenty of changes along the way and this is by far the best setup.

[r1lee]

fitbrit,
that's a very nice looking setup. Would love to see the ceiling. I was going to have molding put up on mine, but decided last minute that it didn't want it. So it's just flat.

Hyperactiveme,
would love to see pics.

[Stock R]

stockR, here was my process

Many ways to do it. Here is the cheapest, then my way lol.

Here was what I did.

That is hilarious. I was researching how I was going to do this yesterday an came across some threads describing the cheapest way you mentioned. Using the same company, etc. But I tried looking for some posters I wanted and wasn't totally happy with the available images for blowing up to that size and I wondered if someone would buy a poster and find a huge scanner. Apparently there is! hahaha.

So I guess spoonflower really doesn't have much issue with copyrights when printing items?

I re-organized the basement yesterday and moved the TV there. Seems like I have enough room for maybe 5 posters... now which ones to choose...

Reproducing my post from another thread:
My HTPC powered home theatre (with 10 speakers and 2 subs in this pic alone):

Hey! I was looking at your stuff on avsforums! I even clicked on your links for the inflatable chairs. Very cool setup.

[dOuble O]

I'm glad that this thread has started, although I'm not yet doing my basement for the HT, I would like to ask for recommendations for a good setup, not breaking the bank, for the family room.

The room is approximately 17 x 13

I'll have a 50-55" inch TV and just looking for a 5.1 setup.

[Buggy166]

i live in an apartment so i cant do more than this..and even this i run at 20-30% max volume for obvious reasons.

Marantz SR6005 Receiver
PS3
Toshiba Regza 240hz LCD 55 inch
Polk RtiA speaker series (A6 center, A9 towers, A3 backs)
Submersive HP Subwoofer 2400w dual 15 inch drivers
Denon AHD-2000 closed cans (if i have people sleeping at my place)

Pics are older. Removed the painting from above Tv, got the eye toy cam up on the TV as well, tidied up a bit. These were right after intial setup and first sound checks.

[Buggy166]

Rich people, out on this crew

Rich? Id put imax to shame. If only.

[Stock R]

I'm glad that this thread has started, although I'm not yet doing my basement for the HT, I would like to ask for recommendations for a good setup, not breaking the bank, for the family room.

The room is approximately 17 x 13

I'll have a 50-55" inch TV and just looking for a 5.1 setup.

What is your budget?

Check out the Jamo S426 5.0 speaker package from Costco. For $299, it's pretty attractive. I have the slightly smaller S420 setup right now in my living room. Add a receiver and sub that suits your needs and you should be pretty well off.

---
I just started cleaning out my basement room right now and setting it up. Just finished building up a list of monoprice speakers and wiring I need to get the whole thing setup. Now I just have to find a receiver and sub...

[dOuble O]

What is your budget?

Check out the Jamo S426 5.0 speaker package from Costco. For $299, it's pretty attractive. I have the slightly smaller S420 setup right now in my living room. Add a receiver and sub that suits your needs and you should be pretty well off.

---
I just started cleaning out my basement room right now and setting it up. Just finished building up a list of monoprice speakers and wiring I need to get the whole thing setup. Now I just have to find a receiver and sub...

I'm thinking around 1000-1500 mainly I would like to invest in a good receiver as I can always upgrade on speakers.