Building dedicated HT room from scratch

Theheadsn

Theres a big difference between sound proofing and sound dampering fyi. You could spend 10s of thousands to sound proof.

A cheaper way to help block sound and noise from leaving your HT and from sound coming into it; instead of buying expensive soundproofing drywall, is double up 5/8s drywall. Use some good insulation in the walls, then put up your first set of drywall. You dont have to finish it, but in the seems and whatnot its good to you either sprayfoam or good cocking. Then stagger the sheeting for the 2nd set. Trust me, Ive seen it done before, and it actually works GREAT. Plus you double up your fire rating (worse case something happens inside the HT room it wont burn down the rest of your house), and 5/8s drywall is not that expensive either.

ibewbrother

As an Electrician...I need to second another members above post. Run some POWER. If I were starting from scratch, I would have 2 20 amp circuits , each to a double duplex, right behind my set up. Hell... If I were fitting out a basement for a new HT... I might put in a new sub-feed just for future expansion.

Theheadsn

Yes, a sub feed is IDEAL if you have the know how or the money. That way you can isolate it to just the HT room without having to dick with everything at your main panel.

I had an older house and was lucky that I had 2 open circuits to RUN new power. Had to sacrafice my old 210 line I had to the dryer (I use gas stuff, MUCH better). So that gave me 2 extra spots on the panel. Check into it, planning it 9/10 of every project

RxPolksterRx

After drawing out the room I'm going to have to with a 100" screen. I was wondering though how would the epics do in an made enclosure (about 2 inches clearance for sides and back and then open to the front)? I would have them both at the front of the room beside the screen. I then was going to plan on putting the rti 12s on the platform that enclosed the epics. It would allow for them to be more at listening level as well as leaving room for height speakers as well. Would this be a bad idea or make them not sound very good? And would of take away from the 12s or cause them to shake too much from the bass beneath???

RxPolksterRx

Update- having my HVAC unit moved as we speak right now and had them put in an additional vent into the room closer to the seating area.

After the wall is moved the final size of the room will be 16.5 (L) x 11 (W) x 8 (H). The electrician I spoke with also recommended running 2 dedicated 20 amp lines as many have said prior. I plan on doing can lights that will be controlled with a RF URC and rope lighting for the back platform.

Purchases I have made thus far-
1. New RTi12's (724.99 from Polk Direct)
2. New CSi5 (200 From Polk direct)
3. New RTi4s x 2 (149.99 x 2 from Polk direct)
4. New FXi A6 (499.99 from Crutchfield - came with a free PSW111)
5. New Pioneer Elite SC-57 (1400+ taxes from a local authorized HT store)

Planning on getting the Epson Pro Cinema 6010 projector (dealer said he could lower it to 3150), 100 inch screen (possibly using the same dealer depending on what price he can offer), and either the Harmony 900 or maybe URC for a remote. Still looking at 3D BluRay players as well as a possible 3 channel amp for the future.

My big question today is what sub should I look at? A suggestion earlier mentioned getting 2 epiks (1499 special). After looking around I've read done great reviews on the HSU VTF-15H. Any thoughts on this sub or any other sub in the $1000 price range?

Thanks!

EndersShadow

RxPolksterRx wrote: »

My big question today is what sub should I look at? A suggestion earlier mentioned getting 2 epiks (1499 special). After looking around I've read done great reviews on the HSU VTF-15H. Any thoughts on this sub or any other sub in the $1000 price range?

The Epiks are a good suggestion as is the HSU. Another one to look at is the Chase Home Theater SS-18.2 (http://www.chasehometheater.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=77&category_id=29&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=113)

That thing has BALLS!

RxPolksterRx

Any thoughts on running dual ED's- A7S-450's with a dayton SPA1000 amp?? Compared to the dual epiks?

RxPolksterRx

Update- went with the Epson ProCinema 6010 projector and a 100" DragonFly screen (got $1000 off MSRP from my local A/V dealer).
- going to purchase the Oppo-93 tomorrow along with faceplates from Monoprice, and wires from bluejeancables.

2 questions-

1. Dual epiks or dual A7s-450s?

2. Running dual subs with the elite sc-57,any suggestions on how to hook them up?
-option 1 is run 2 separate cables from avr (sub 1 and 2 preouts$
-option 2 - run 1 RCA from sub 1 preout to a y-splitter and then one each to each of the subs?

Thanks and have my fingers crossed to be up and running by super bowl Sunday....fingers crossed!

mgalbr22

if you can, go with the green board insulation and drywall, incl ceiling. don't do drop ceiling. it looks cheesy and will rattle. make screen as big as possible. use perforated and put your speakers behind the screen. i considered both ways, and it is a killer. clean look and best localization of dialogue and other sound. go big! i did 140" diag with jvc 3d. plenty of light output.

mgalbr22

oh yeah, pre-wire everything inwall and use quality wire. make sure it's latest hdmi, i.e.1.4 for 3d.

Sherardp

I vote dual epiks but that Chase sub looks interesting. Use a Ysplitter until your ready to get a sub EQ like the Velodyne SMS-1

RxPolksterRx

Picked the projector up today and my local HiFi dealer said he could give me a great deal on a paradigm sub 12. It is not the monitor series but the step up from that I believe. It has some serious power at 1700 RMS but one of those is gonna run me the same price as getting 2 of the ID subs (epik or eD). Any thoughts??

mgalbr22

i have an oppo 83 and a 93. if you are not planning on 3d, you can probably save some cash if you get the 83, which is 2d. only downside is it will not wirelessly stream netflix and the like, which the 93 will.
good luck.

RxPolksterRx

mgalbr22 wrote: »

i have an oppo 83 and a 93. if you are not planning on 3d, you can probably save some cash if you get the 83, which is 2d. only downside is it will not wirelessly stream netflix and the like, which the 93 will.
good luck.

Thanks for the help. J actually just got the Oppo-93 in though on Wednesday and can't wait to get it hooked up. Looks amazon and feels very well built, and nice to have an hdmi thrown in with it as well. I already have purchased a good high speed hdmi from a local dealer but will come in handy for a PS3 or cable box.

Drywall is coming today and planning on getting all the studs up Saturday alon with the electric. Building a 8" riser and going to have 2-3 outlets in it as well. Speaker wire from bluejeancables arrived quickly an waiting on faceplates from Monoprice along with a few other odds and ends from there.

Got an incredible deal on the Lane 175 Grand Slam seating as well from hometheaterseat.com- love seat configuration and 3 chairs in the back- space saver seats.

Tried calling Epik yesterday a few times early and couldn't get ahold of anyone- going to try and call back today. Going to see about anything they can do for those high shipping rates- fingers crossed cause I know they wil probably just laugh...haha

Going with the URC MX-450 remote with a RF station and 3 dimmers- one for cans, sconces, and then a rope light for the riser as well.

Hoping that super bowl Sunday is going to be at my place- carpet ordered and just making final decisions on paint- thinking black main wall and then black upper half with trim in the middle and then a dark blue under. Oh and was able to purchase black ceiling tiles and rails from the guys that I got my studs and dry wall from.

RxPolksterRx

New walls built and old wt bearing wall down, metal studs up, new door location, and riser all done this weekend. New sub panel box and 2 dedicated 20 amp lines ran to the room- all wiring done except cans, and waiting on URC dimmer swithed to come in. All speaker wires and hdmi cords ranand in place.

Dual epik empires on order!

I'll post pics when I get the chance toshow the progress but moving along quite well for just 2 days work!

RxPolksterRx

R19 in 4 walls and r30 laid in ceiling- starting on dry wall (5/8) tomorrow.
Epiks came in and they are beasts!

Lietuvis91

This thread sucks... I really want my own dedicated HT room now...

Pardon, Please carry on

RxPolksterRx

Lietuvis91 wrote: »

This thread sucks... I really want my own dedicated HT room now...

Pardon, Please carry on

Well one thing I've learned, and read alot too, was budget budget budget...something I have not stuck with as planned...first time doing any project like this and the 10,000 budget I started with didn't calculate the finishing costs of the room - huge miscalc there- I post my final cost at the end, going to be clise to 16-17 I think...and that's doing all the work except electric...

RxPolksterRx

Lietuvis91 wrote: »

This thread sucks... I really want my own dedicated HT room now...

Pardon, Please carry on

Well one thing I've learned, and read alot too, was budget budget budget...something I have not stuck with as planned...first time doing any project like this and the 10,000 budget I started with didn't calculate the finishing costs of the room - huge miscalc there- I post my final cost at the end, going to be clise to 16-17 I think...and that's doing all the work except electric...

RxPolksterRx

So need some help/ideas...with all the construction/buying new items, color schemes was the last thing on my mind...any ideas?

I have already purchased black tiles and grid and carpet. Wish I had maybe thought differently about the carpet...but am open to thoughts or opinions!

RxPolksterRx

Black URC RF dimmer switches from Lutron came in monday. Got 3- one for cans, sconces, and rope lighting. Ordered the urc mx-880 with the mrf-350 rf station. Only cable left to run is my hdmi for the projector. I ordered a b7-7.5 m high speed cable from binary. Drywall was all up Sunday and 2 coats of mud are on. Third goes on today and sanding thursday.

Went with Bordeaux for the upper part of the wall and black magic for the bottom half (both flat). For the baseboard, chair rail, and crown molding I think I'm going to go with Dover grey. Going to lower the crown molding a couple inches and put rope lighting in the molding to give the ceiling light effect. Going to have that on the same dimmer as the other rope light for the step. Plan to prime and then paint friday and Saturday (room snd trim). Ceiling grid will be hung Sunday and then r30 on top of it. Electrician will come over after that and hook up cans and rest of electric Sunday.

Carpet on Tuesday along with trim and then start to hang/place all the speakers and equipment and start callibration. Oh and chairs should be in today or tomorrow. So if everything goes as planned room will be complete after around 3 1/2 weeks and just in time for the super bowl!

Anyone know if you can post pics via an iPhone???

-Josh

RxPolksterRx

Oh and should I put insulation in the spaces for the riser? We built it on 16 inch centers and I haven't put it in yet but still could if I need to.

Thanks

EndersShadow

RxPolksterRx wrote: »

Oh and should I put insulation in the spaces for the riser? We built it on 16 inch centers and I haven't put it in yet but still could if I need to.

Thanks

If the risers are the front stage, I suggest filling it with sand so its a rock solid base for any speaker you put on it, and the sand will ensure any vibrations dont pass to the floor and onto you. Its like a big shock absorber that way. I would suggest putting plastic down before you put down the sand however, to ensure its easy to remove if needed

RxPolksterRx

No speakers just chairs. Speakers and subs will be on carpeted concrete

RxPolksterRx

Room, door, and trim was primed and painted this weekend, door was also hung. Drop ceiling grid completed along with all electric and all speakers mounted on the walls (x6). Carpet to be installed on Friday and all trim should be done by then as well.

First real snag yesterday while I was at work. Buddy of mine that has done a ton of work on it with me wasn't thinking and plugged an air compressor into the outlet that was for the rope lights (ran by the URC RF dimmer) and of course blew the switch when he turned it on. Called my AV dealer and asked if it was covered for something like that and he said he would have to call the rep and check. So looks like I'll be out another $100+ for another switch.

I also upgraded my carpet when the wrong size was ordered originally. Going to be about $250 more but going to last much longer and is going to look/feel much better. So actually kinda happy the other didn't work out. Hope to be up and running early Saturday!

Sherardp

If you can, put the foam stuff under the carpet, its like carpet padding. It also helps with the sound of the room. Other than that, your moving hella fast on this project. Sounds awesome, looking for pics soon. You'll want to put something in that riser for that seating though. You don't want your chairs to fall through, perhaps bracing it. Give this a look over.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/312919/multi-tier-riser-construction

Other than that, nice selection on gear as well. Pics, pics, pics bro. Excited to see your work and progress on the project. Welcome to the DARK SIDE !!

RxPolksterRx

Sherardp wrote: »

If you can, put the foam stuff under the carpet, its like carpet padding. It also helps with the sound of the room. Other than that, your moving hella fast on this project. Sounds awesome, looking for pics soon. You'll want to put something in that riser for that seating though. You don't want your chairs to fall through, perhaps bracing it. Give this a look over.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/312919/multi-tier-riser-construction


Other than that, nice selection on gear as well. Pics, pics, pics bro. Excited to see your work and progress on the project. Welcome to the DARK SIDE !!

There is going to be. 7/16 pad for the carpet for comfort/sound and nice link to the platform build. We built mine 6 ft (D) x 11 ft (w). Used steel studs on concrete wall so used 16 in filler blocks to stabilize the main stud along the wall on that side. Then put 6 ft studs every 16"- built exactly like a wall and used 2 studs for the front of the riser for added support. Used 2x8 and 1/2 plywood. We left an over hang of 1 1/2 in on the front for the carpet ti be tucked and rope light underneath. The front of the riser was drywalled and painted black. The riser also has 2 built in recepticles, one on left and one on the right side.

I am planning on trying to post pics Saturday once all is in place. And +1 on the epik suggestion- 1 of those in my open living room rocks- cant wait to see what 2 does!!

RxPolksterRx

Sherardp wrote: »

If you can, put the foam stuff under the carpet, its like carpet padding. It also helps with the sound of the room. Other than that, your moving hella fast on this project. Sounds awesome, looking for pics soon. You'll want to put something in that riser for that seating though. You don't want your chairs to fall through, perhaps bracing it. Give this a look over.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/312919/multi-tier-riser-construction


Other than that, nice selection on gear as well. Pics, pics, pics bro. Excited to see your work and progress on the project. Welcome to the DARK SIDE !!

There is going to be. 7/16 pad for the carpet for comfort/sound and nice link to the platform build. We built mine 6 ft (D) x 11 ft (w). Used steel studs on concrete wall so used 16 in filler blocks to stabilize the main stud along the wall on that side. Then put 6 ft studs every 16"- built exactly like a wall and used 2 studs for the front of the riser for added support. Used 2x8 and 1/2 plywood. We left an over hang of 1 1/2 in on the front for the carpet ti be tucked and rope light underneath. The front of the riser was drywalled and painted black. The riser also has 2 built in recepticles, one on left and one on the right side.

I am planning on trying to post pics Saturday once all is in place. And +1 on the epik suggestion- 1 of those in my open living room rocks- cant wait to see what 2 does!!

RxPolksterRx

Got an offer to buy a used Sherbourn amp (7x200) today for $1500.00. It is only 2 years old and gets used no more than 2-3 times a week in a dedicated room. In very good condition and can not see, or ever imagine, he would ever abuse it (major audiophile). Couldnt talk to much this am about it since I had to head to work, but he said it uses the dual power cords and if not mistaken said it had retailed at 4k when he got it.

I am an extreme novice on amps and wanted to see what everyone thought. With this could I run 2 channels each for my LR mains, 1 for the center, and then 1 for each of the side surrounds? Then run the front height and rear surrounds off the SC-57?

Going to call back and get the exact model so I can read more about it- several models it looks like for that brand at 7x200. And I thought I was done spending money- haha.

Sherardp

Updates?