If You Could Design Your Room All Over Again....

Alwishus

Hi Everyone- Newbie Here- *Virgin Post Alert*

Couple things- Just picked up a pair of SDA SRS vintage speakers. They're in awesome shape and the price was so right...free. She just wanted to get rid of them, so I obliged! So glad I found this forum.

I have a new basement project starting and I'm building a brand new AV area in a 24' x 24' area. I'm starting with a new Onkyo TX-NR818 to anchor the system.

I'm doing the research via this site so that I design the system with quality peripherals, but I'll be darned if I can find any recent posts where folks have shown how they hide their cables. Since I'm starting with bare walls and will be studding out new ones, I wanted to see what YOU would do if you had the chance to do it all over. I'm looking for ideas to keep it clean without impacting quality of sound.

I'll be mounting a 70" flat screen on the wall and want to route cables in the cleanest most efficient manner. I obviously want to keep my components close to the flatscreen.

Also, any built ins (cabinets) you would recommend or -had pictures of- would be very cool. Thanks in advance and my apologies if this was posted 10,000 times previously! All links welcome.

proffitt

Alwishus-

Welcome to the club. I am in a very similar situation as you. I too picked up some SDA SRS, the SDA SRS 2 pair, for very cheap, but I had to put in a lot of sweat and some blood to get them ready for my project HT.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?138538-SDA-SRS-2-need-CPR-and-ICU-life-support

So, my project, like yours is just getting moving. I'm going to build a HT room in my unfinished basement, using the SDA SRS2 set at the fronts. I'm looking for my first dedicated separate amp now. Sub is already in place, and surrounds I'll pick up later. Will probably go with a 65" TV, but a projector is not out of the question. To be determined later.

My room is about 15 feet wide, and 40 feet long. The HT will be in one end of this room, screen on a short wall and seating about 13-14 feet from screen. Behind the seating will be a living/den/bar/social area.

My space is unfinished as of now, stud walls in place, walls open with no sheetrock. Ceiling open with exposed joints. Bare concrete floor. So really its an empty canvas.

I'm trying to get my system pieced together slowly... while I wait for budgeted $ to accumulate enough to build out the room. Slowly! But when its time, I'll be running all the wiring behind the sheetrock, to dedicated connectors in wall outlets. I'll have an "equipment room" which is behind a wall about 15 feet from the screen. This will allow me to keep amp fan noise subdued.

I'll be 75% HT, and 25% music.

You say you will be adding walls? Do a lot of looking around at room shapes and sound resonances. Acoustic treatment and insulation...

proffitt

Oh, and check out the link I included, and consider modifying your crossovers and upgrading your tweeters. The age of your speakers has probably taken the life out of your caps, and the build technology on resistors has evolved since they were built. I had it explained to me, that doing these mods will be similar to removing a heavy wet blanket from covering your speakers!!!

proffitt

exposed JOISTS in the ceiling. There are no exposed joints in my ceiling! :eek:

Alwishus

proffitt wrote: »

Alwishus-

Welcome to the club. I am in a very similar situation as you. I too picked up some SDA SRS, the SDA SRS 2 pair, for very cheap, but I had to put in a lot of sweat and some blood to get them ready for my project HT.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?138538-SDA-SRS-2-need-CPR-and-ICU-life-support

So, my project, like yours is just getting moving. I'm going to build a HT room in my unfinished basement, using the SDA SRS2 set at the fronts. I'm looking for my first dedicated separate amp now. Sub is already in place, and surrounds I'll pick up later. Will probably go with a 65" TV, but a projector is not out of the question. To be determined later.

My room is about 15 feet wide, and 40 feet long. The HT will be in one end of this room, screen on a short wall and seating about 13-14 feet from screen. Behind the seating will be a living/den/bar/social area.

My space is unfinished as of now, stud walls in place, walls open with no sheetrock. Ceiling open with exposed joints. Bare concrete floor. So really its an empty canvas.

I'm trying to get my system pieced together slowly... while I wait for budgeted $ to accumulate enough to build out the room. Slowly! But when its time, I'll be running all the wiring behind the sheetrock, to dedicated connectors in wall outlets. I'll have an "equipment room" which is behind a wall about 15 feet from the screen. This will allow me to keep amp fan noise subdued.

I'll be 75% HT, and 25% music.

You say you will be adding walls? Do a lot of looking around at room shapes and sound resonances. Acoustic treatment and insulation...

Proffitt- Thanks for the response. Believe it or not, your speaker revival post was the first post I read on this site, so I was pleasantly suprised when you were the first to respond my first post. Too funny. You did an amazing job on those enclosures....seriously.

I'm researching another amp as we speak. I'm not quite as savvy yet, but I'll get there. This forum is rich with content. I was thinking about running multiple pvc pipes where they would be hidden behind the flatscreen and routed accordingly. I noticed that everyone suggests keeping the speaker cables separated, so I'm thinking there goes two pipes for the rears. But I also want to keep all component cables hidden as well...but not sure if I need to separate them as well. I have mulitple gaming systems (kids) including the building out of the other audio components.

I love your idea on keeping the amp(s) behind another wall. I won't have that option though. I hate using cabinets due to the heat, so being creative is what it will be all about. Thanks for the link and the tip on the upgrades. I hate replacing them, but your comments make sense. I'll be spending a few more hours on the forum tonight researching.

Quick question. You mention that you'll be adding another sub. Based on the size of my two subs on my Polks and the power I'll be pumping through them, do you think I would need another sub? Just curious because these babies really thump.

Thanks for the help proffitt...very much appreciated!

Alwishus

proffitt wrote: »

exposed JOISTS in the ceiling. There are no exposed joints in my ceiling! :eek:

lol...Me either brother!

proffitt

the subs on our speakers are passive, but still they contribute greatly to the low end, so much so, I read somebody write that subs with them can be a distraction and are unnecessary for 2 channel music. I hooked them up and couldn't agree more. Thunderous full tight bass from nothing bigger than 6.5 inch powered. In my case, 4 on each side just moves a lot of air. But for home theater, I think I'll enjoy the sub.

my opinion, no reason to keep your component wires separate. just keep them away from your high voltage (120V 60Hz) house power grid. and if you have to cross, do so at right angles, with as much separation as possible. I've seen the PVC pipe idea. Not sure what its good for, but I'll need to look more before I decide. I know it will be a looong time before I need to run anything other than copper to my speakers :rolleyes:, but I can see the use of a conduit from the screen area where maybe games and controllers will be, back to my amp area, where some other components might reside.

That's funny about me responding to your post, after my post being the first you read. To add to the coincidence, this is the first time I've ventured into the "Basic Hookup/Wiring" section. In this section, your original post was the first one I've ever read here. I usually hang out in the Vintage Speakers, and Electronics sections. Expanding my horizons.

sodablue

The PVC pipe is useful to run the RG6, ethernet, etc. from a distribution panel to the room. Best suggestion I saw was to just run the wire anyway, and put the PVC in parallel for future expansion. Make sure you don't have any tight corners that makes pulling wire hard.

Alwishus

sodablue wrote: »

The PVC pipe is useful to run the RG6, ethernet, etc. from a distribution panel to the room. Best suggestion I saw was to just run the wire anyway, and put the PVC in parallel for future expansion. Make sure you don't have any tight corners that makes pulling wire hard.

I'll def be running pvc since the whole room and ceiling will be sheetrocked. I'm determined to make this look CLEAN !! :cool:

Alwishus

proffitt wrote: »

Alwishus-

Welcome to the club. I am in a very similar situation as you. I too picked up some SDA SRS, the SDA SRS 2 pair, for very cheap, but I had to put in a lot of sweat and some blood to get them ready for my project HT.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?138538-SDA-SRS-2-need-CPR-and-ICU-life-support

So, my project, like yours is just getting moving. I'm going to build a HT room in my unfinished basement, using the SDA SRS2 set at the fronts. I'm looking for my first dedicated separate amp now. Sub is already in place, and surrounds I'll pick up later. Will probably go with a 65" TV, but a projector is not out of the question. To be determined later.

My room is about 15 feet wide, and 40 feet long. The HT will be in one end of this room, screen on a short wall and seating about 13-14 feet from screen. Behind the seating will be a living/den/bar/social area.

My space is unfinished as of now, stud walls in place, walls open with no sheetrock. Ceiling open with exposed joints. Bare concrete floor. So really its an empty canvas.

I'm trying to get my system pieced together slowly... while I wait for budgeted $ to accumulate enough to build out the room. Slowly! But when its time, I'll be running all the wiring behind the sheetrock, to dedicated connectors in wall outlets. I'll have an "equipment room" which is behind a wall about 15 feet from the screen. This will allow me to keep amp fan noise subdued.

I'll be 75% HT, and 25% music.

You say you will be adding walls? Do a lot of looking around at room shapes and sound resonances. Acoustic treatment and insulation...

proffitt- I don't have enough posts to inbox you or else I would have. When I re-read your link/post last night, I realized how quick you picked all of this up as it relates to the mods. My Polks have 4 tweeters, 8 mid range and 1 kicker per enclosure. Is it safe to say that all the parts/mods match what you did on your boxes? Also, a lot of my screws that hold in the drivers have oxidized. Where do I get the specific screws for anything I want to replace? Shout back when you get a moment. thanks buddy

zane77

While the room is empty try and make sure you run at least 1 (preferably 2) dedicated 20 amp circuits to the area where you will power your AV gear. Try to figure out where the speakers willl be to run speaker cables in wall to keep everything clean.

Alwishus

zane77 wrote: »

While the room is empty try and make sure you run at least 1 (preferably 2) dedicated 20 amp circuits to the area where you will power your AV gear. Try to figure out where the speakers willl be to run speaker cables in wall to keep everything clean.

2- 20 ampers, huh? wow! You're probably spot on with that Zane. i haven't added up the amperage yet and haven't purchased an amp(s) yet either. Good call.

Speedskater

If you're building, think about HVAC ducts and registrars. The bigger the vents, the slower the air moves through the vent, the slower the air moves the quieter it is.

It not that you ne 40 amps total, but your amps, subs and video projector need 20A. The other breaker with all your other equipment won't be breathing hard at all.

Alwishus

Speedskater wrote: »

If you're building, think about HVAC ducts and registrars. The bigger the vents, the slower the air moves through the vent, the slower the air moves the quieter it is.

It not that you ne 40 amps total, but your amps, subs and video projector need 20A. The other breaker with all your other equipment won't be breathing hard at all.

No vents Speed. I'm putting a wall unit in...Mitsubishi Split Unit (12K BTU Heat/Cool). I have baseboard as well in the rest of the house, but I don't feel like doing the extra work! The wall unit is efficient and an easy install.

The two 20amp circuits will be a must. I just started working with some contractors on pricing, so once I get started, I'll post some pix. I'm going to start rebuilding my SDA SRS enclosures as soon as possible. Researching other posts for correct tasks and parts list. Thanks for the heads up Speed.

proffitt

Alwishus wrote: »

proffitt- I don't have enough posts to inbox you or else I would have. When I re-read your link/post last night, I realized how quick you picked all of this up as it relates to the mods. My Polks have 4 tweeters, 8 mid range and 1 kicker per enclosure. Is it safe to say that all the parts/mods match what you did on your boxes? Also, a lot of my screws that hold in the drivers have oxidized. Where do I get the specific screws for anything I want to replace? Shout back when you get a moment. thanks buddy

I picked it up quick only with the help of all the good polk folk here. You can ask Schurkey (and a few others)... sometimes he had to get pretty elementary with me!!!

For the screws... I just painted mine. I stuck them threads down in some Styrofoam shipping material (to keep the threads from getting painted) and painted the heads with two coats of flat black rustoleum. Came out perfect. Sure, could have bought new ones, but the time it would have taken to do that.... I already had the quick dry paint, done with it and dry, before I could have even gotten to the store to start trying to pick the right size screws.

Your crossover mods will be different than mine, but if your cabinets are in bad shape I can certainly offer suggestions to assist. What's your plan?

Alwishus

proffitt wrote: »

Your crossover mods will be different than mine, but if your cabinets are in bad shape I can certainly offer suggestions to assist. What's your plan?

Cabs are in awesome shape...really no issues. I have some light sanding to do on the caps, but nothing major. I'm going to swap out the tweeters and upgrade the x-overs. I'm waiting for my new AV receiver to arrive (Friday). I haven't really given the Polks a good run yet to see how they sound, but I want to have a good 'before' picture on their sound before I upgrade. Calling Polk in a couple mins to see what they suggest for parts on my cabs. I'll post some pix shortly.

Thanks for your help brudda

dkg999

I would add a stripper pole and a dressing room.

Alwishus

dkg999 wrote: »

I would add a stripper pole and a dressing room.

As long as its not my wife doing the stripping...I think you might be on to something there dkg !!!

Alwishus

...and not because I don't want you to see her naked...because you wouldn't want to see her naked :eek:

hosedagain

dkg999 wrote: »

I would add a stripper pole and a dressing room.

Or one of these set ups.

http://www.hometheater.com/category/av-interiors