Converting front room to theatre

[jazzman1974]

Hey guys

Have decided to convert a front room in the house to a theater. It doesnt really get used for much and always wanted a big screen anyways.

With the recent EOFY sales, I put an order in with West Coast Hifi for the following. Going for a 7.2.4 system

 

Krix MX10

Krix Dynamix x4

Krix Atmospherix -A x2

Krix Atmospherix- A20x2

 

Yamaha RX-A3080 

Emotiva XPA-3 - for LCR

Yamaha PX5 - for subs

 

Epson TW9400

Prestige 150" AT Cinema scope 2.35:1 screen

Panasonic DMRUBT1GLK Blu ray 4K twin tuner

Shield Pro TV

 

Really looking forward to getting everything.

 

Unfortunately the room isn't a rectangle, but close. As per pics and room dimension below.

I have a front bay window that I cant do anything about, then a step-in in the rear part of the room.

There is also the fireplace at the front of the room that doesn't get used. I plan on building a stud wall to hide the fireplace, as well as an area for the Krix MX10 to hide behind the screen.

 

Wanting to know if the planned screen size will be too big being 150".  The seating will be 4.5-5m from the screen.

Also trying to work out the height for the bottom of the screen, currently drawn in at 680mm off the floor but this can be altered. 

 

I plan on using something like this for underneath the bottom rail of the stud wall to isolate it from the tile floor.

https://www.clarkrubber.com.au/collections/eva-rubber-tiles/products/31322-artilon

Due to the tiles, I dont want to permanently fix the bottom rail through the tile, but will have all other parts of the frame fixed to walls/ceiling joists. I cant see an issue with that though.

 

I am thinking of enclosing the rear windows in the room. Though I'm not sure how to do that....just some ply and screw it in?

 

At the moment, I only plan on having the one row of seats. I picked up a store return electric recliner (Harvey Norman couch) for almost half price....sweet deal

Although it pretty much is the width of the room. 

 

I have curtains that I will use to cover the bay window, and also the entry to the room, as I don't plan on enclosing with a door.

As for acoustic treatment, I am looking at placing insulation of some type in behind the stud wall. I am not looking to cover the stud wall with gyprock, but make some cloth covered timber frames to cover the stud wall, around the opening for the screen. So the area behind the stud wall will still be fairly accessible.

Any thoughts on insulation types are welcome.

 

I have no clue for rest of room treatments.

If I enclose the windows at the back, I can look at using curtains on the walls to hide them. Would I have to consider other treatments on the walls?

 

I am toying with the idea of putting up a star ceiling. Both for aesthetics, as well as creating a black space above the screen to minimize light coming off the screen.

I read someone using foam foil board panels from Bunnings, wrapped in black material. But have also seen fiberglass type panels used on the AVS forum.

from what I read, fiberglass would be better choice as an acoustic panel.

 

I will be running a dedicated 20A circuit for the HT equipment. I can run a line off this for the projector power. Will be protecting the circuit with one of the Thor mains filters

https://www.thortechnologies.com.au/product/drm95-20a/

 

I was sent a couple of 3d drawings from West Coast through the week. These show speaker placement around the room.

Its been suggested to move the L & R speakers outward 500mm each to increase the front stage, with insulation placed in between.

Would this defeat the purpose of the Krix baffle wall though?

 

 

Any feedback or ideas will be welcome

J

Edited July 11, 2020 by jazzman1974

[Quark]

An AT screen won't have the highest gain - I suspect you'd have to run the Epson in high lamp much of the time with a 150" screen, especially if a HDR image. It will be a lot quieter in low lamp. Consider dropping down to ~ 135" and sitting closer.

 

The front LCR speakers should be spread out a little more evenly across the screen.

[SandS]

Looks very nice. I have a 130" AT scope with 2 rows at 3.5 and 5 metres. Would love a 150"  .   I sit in the front.  Although I have Seaton Cats I was very impressed with the Krix mx5   with only 2 Atmos it was a great sound. I like the idea of the baffle wall setup. The mx5 did not as much base as  my two 15" folded horns but the mx10's have 12" , bigger than the mx5 I listened to.  I think you can extend the baffle wall each side of the center with filler plates to widen the left and right a bit.  With a big room area, is a third sub needed some where in the room.  Krix from Aussie must be a better  than the hassle of Seaton from the states. I've just shipped my amps back to SpeakerPower and shipping cost is crazy.

[hopefullguy]

best to look at the dolby guide

https://www.dolby.com/about/support/guide/speaker-setup-guides/7.1.4-overhead-speaker-setup-guide/

 

your rear speakers need to be at the right height to help create the 2 sound levels with separation between them.

 

agree 135" screen more practical.

 

why a yammy 3080? at around $3k can save some coin getting a denon x3600 and save $1k,

 

dont discount the need to power the 4 ceiling and 4 side/rears... powering the front may seem great but the rest could feel a little flat.

Edited July 11, 2020 by hopefullguy

[jazzman1974]

4 hours ago, hopefullguy said:

best to look at the dolby guide

https://www.dolby.com/about/support/guide/speaker-setup-guides/7.1.4-overhead-speaker-setup-guide/

 

your rear speakers need to be at the right height to help create the 2 sound levels with separation between them.

 

agree 135" screen more practical.

 

why a yammy 3080? at around $3k can save some coin getting a denon x3600 and save $1k,

 

dont discount the need to power the 4 ceiling and 4 side/rears... powering the front may seem great but the rest could feel a little flat.

hey hopefullguy, thanks for the input.

I got the 3080 at $1k off the RRP. Was a good buy I thought. 

Its rated for 2ch at 150W compared to 105W for the Denon. Was told that it would drive the surrounds and atmos speakers better than the lower powered Denon/Marantz in using the power amp for the LCR.

 

The rear speakers are currently higher than I would prefer, thats why I'm looking at the option of blocking in the rear windows to be able to bring the speakers down in height.

[jazzman1974]

5 hours ago, Quark said:

An AT screen won't have the highest gain - I suspect you'd have to run the Epson in high lamp much of the time with a 150" screen, especially if a HDR image. It will be a lot quieter in low lamp. Consider dropping down to ~ 135" and sitting closer.

 

The front LCR speakers should be spread out a little more evenly across the screen.

Thanks Quark, will have to look into this. 

Is there much difference in sound with high lamp vs low lamp?

[Quark]

2 minutes ago, jazzman1974 said:

Thanks Quark, will have to look into this. 

Is there much difference in sound with high lamp vs low lamp?

Epson's specs say 31dB vs 20dB - you'll probably find high lamp distracting in quiet scenes.

[Kaynin]

I agree that the rears are similar height as the ceilings, which isn't ideal - but it looks like a window is in the corner preventing the ideal height?  If so I'd be considering book shelf speakers on stands to get the right height - this will have a massive impact because as you have it set up your rears will blend in with your ceilings rears, negating their impact.

 

Also, the rears appear to be in line with your ceilings.  It's better to move them off line from one another (four ceiling speakers okay to be in line with each other, but off line with the rears).

 

Treatments on your walls depend upon what your room is doing.  Every room is different.  Just throwing some treatment in can make issues worse.  Different treatments address different issues too, so it's best to do your research prior to buying.

[hopefullguy]

rear speakers, imo move them closer together more in line with the front L&R. have you thought of mounting them on "arms" that can mount to the wall above that rear window and adjust down.. or stands of course.

 

treatments.. wouldnt be buying any specific acoustic gear until room is fully set up. add thick backed curtains, good thick floor rug and soft furnishings and see how you go. add any extra as needed to suit your tastes.

 

paint the room.. please. does not have to be black but dark contrasting colours will help.

 

$2k for the 3080 is a good price and can see why you picked it up.

Edited July 12, 2020 by hopefullguy

[Guest niterida]

Hows this for a radical idea :

 

Turn the theatre 90 deg. 

Put your seating just in front of the bay window seats.

Use a pull down screen to cover the open doorway. 

Increase one or both of the side openings as a doorway for when the screen is down.

Put up a framed wall to seal off the other end room.

 

That way you get a symmetrical room.

You get better surround speaker placement further away from the outside viewers ears

You can build a nice stand/enclosure for rear surrounds at the join between the windows (or ditch the rears and just run 5 - I have done direct testing of 5 vs 7 and I can hardly hear a difference)

You can save a bucket load of money by ditching the Krix wall of speakers.

 

Unfortunately you will have to have your centre speaker on a stand and move it into place when the screen comes down - or you could make the screen permanent if you can get decent access either side of it ?

 

IMO that set up will give better overall sound than your planned setup which looks to have many compromises. Sure the Krix wall will sound great but the positioning of the other speakers and room interaction will have a big impact on the rest of the soundfield.  I think a 'normal' speaker setup will possibly sound better overall.

 

Just thinking outside the box 

 

[jazzman1974]

hey guys, thanks for the feedback

 

On 12/07/2020 at 7:04 AM, Kaynin said:

I agree that the rears are similar height as the ceilings, which isn't ideal - but it looks like a window is in the corner preventing the ideal height?  If so I'd be considering book shelf speakers on stands to get the right height - this will have a massive impact because as you have it set up your rears will blend in with your ceilings rears, negating their impact.

 

Also, the rears appear to be in line with your ceilings.  It's better to move them off line from one another (four ceiling speakers okay to be in line with each other, but off line with the rears).

 

Treatments on your walls depend upon what your room is doing.  Every room is different.  Just throwing some treatment in can make issues worse.  Different treatments address different issues too, so it's best to do your research prior to buying.

not happy with the planned placement at the moment either. Thats why I'm looking at closing in the windows, and lower the rear surrounds.

I hadnt thought of placing them on stands...

On 12/07/2020 at 8:03 AM, hopefullguy said:

rear speakers, imo move them closer together more in line with the front L&R. have you thought of mounting them on "arms" that can mount to the wall above that rear window and adjust down.. or stands of course.

 

treatments.. wouldnt be buying any specific acoustic gear until room is fully set up. add thick backed curtains, good thick floor rug and soft furnishings and see how you go. add any extra as needed to suit your tastes.

 

paint the room.. please. does not have to be black but dark contrasting colours will help.

 

$2k for the 3080 is a good price and can see why you picked it up.

 

Will be painting the room. Will look to paint the wall behind the screen black to start with. Other walls havent gone that far yet.

The ceiling is another story. As I still want to use the room other than dedicated theatre due to having ocean views out the front,

I thought if I had a start ceiling, with black panels on the ceiling I might be able to get away with painting it black.

 

On 12/07/2020 at 11:45 AM, niterida said:

Hows this for a radical idea :

 

Turn the theatre 90 deg. 

Put your seating just in front of the bay window seats.

Use a pull down screen to cover the open doorway. 

Increase one or both of the side openings as a doorway for when the screen is down.

Put up a framed wall to seal off the other end room.

 

Just thinking outside the box 

 

thanks for the thoughts niterida...though I am looking for a fixed screen.

the room isnt ideal at all...but trying to get the best out of it for sure.

I dont want to be moving speakers into and out of position setting up for a movie etc.

[WasM]

Screen size is quite a personal choice - if you are happy with the seating and speaker position, mock up a frame using cardboard and some masking tape and run a test trial from the seated position. I toyed with different sizes and each time kept going bigger. I went from a 130" to 150" scope.  I got drape curtains hung at the screen edges which pulls in just enough to mask the sides for viewing 16x9 material. Light output from any projector will decrease as your screen size goes up but I must say I smile more from the size than I do the brightness.

 

Your room is spacious but the shape of the front stage will be difficult to balance with a semi cove left and open hall right. This will make front panning sounds uneven. Are you thinking of adding doors to the room? This will have an impact on the sound more than the rear of the room.

For treatment you should get the speakers installed first then measure in room response at your couch seating positions.

Your house looks to be concrete and brick construction will be rigid so lots lots more absorption than diffusion.

Suggest getting some rugs first as that hard tiled floor will be very noticeable, then slowly work out where best to tame with broadband.

Forget drapes unless you want that look. They are expensive for small acoustic benefit compared to DIY panels.

I did up some Polymax absorb panels and its tamed my room and in my case lowered the noise floor. I've added enough without the room sounding dead.

If you want blockout and acoustic treatment make acoustic panels that slots into the window recess. Get rigid clips that holds it tight against the window. If you want the window back during the day, twist the clips out and pull the panels out (make some handles).

 

Don't worry too much about the room for now - get the front stage and all speakers installed. Then the fun starts.

Warning - you'll probably want more subs...

[WasM]

On 11/07/2020 at 5:32 PM, Quark said:

The front LCR speakers should be spread out a little more evenly across the screen.

+1 vote - your sound stage will get much wider and clearer separation between channels. I've got separate LCRs and tweaked their location and toe-in to suit. If you go bigger screen this will make even more sense.

Ask the WCH team - they can talk to Krix?

[jazzman1974]

I got emailed this pic a couple of days ago....

Cant wait to get home and pick them up!!