Home theater recommendations

[jltait]

Hello TRF friends,

Any other home theater enthusiasts here? I know there are specialized a/v forums elsewhere on the interwebs, but prefer hanging with us friends here.

We’re moving in a few days into a new (to us) home and have been doing a bit of planning in my head as to how I want to set up a home theater.

Our current home has a theater in the basement where I’ve done a 7.1.2 Dolby atmos setup, all in wall and in ceiling with a giant Samsung tv. This setup has somehow gotten the wife into home theater too. She’s totally on board for whatever I want to create in the new space which is amazing. If only she was as supportive of my watch addiction ha.

The theater room we’ve identified in the new house is going to be in a large room in a finished attic. There are some complexities with this as the side walls are not perpendicular to the ground, so not sure what to do with the surround channels primarily. Likely going to do a standard 5.1 setup as well. After living with a 7 channel atmos system the discernible advantages of it are not quite worth the hassle, to my ears at least.

I also have not chosen the speakers yet. Leaning towards the new Polk reserve line having read some good reviews. Similar to Rolex watches there’s really aren’t many places to go and try lots of things out before buying. Do you have recommendations re set up, equipment, other stuff I should be thinking. What sorts of home theaters have you set up at your own house?

[904VT]

Steven aka Enjoythemusic is the man when it comes to audio. If he sees this, can't wait to hear his input.

I am still learning audio, but have heard good things about Polk reserve as well. I know video much better and I say some day add an OLED on the video side. 4K if you consider soon, 8k should come down in price in the coming years if later. The infinite contrast is a game changer. On the projector side the Epson 5050UB is tough to beat for the price.

Good thread topic

[mjm700]

We had a good room for it and built a "livable" home theatre. U shape couch around the perimeter so that it wasn't too theatre like and a Sony projector with an automatic screen that come down from a hidden trip in the ceiling. On the wall is a large TV that the kids can use for video games etc without having to use the projector. Have in wall atmos speakers from B&W and Sony equipment.

BUT - In retrospect, the room was also the perfect size for a full sized golf simulator. I wish i would have set it up for a golf simulator and added the functionality to also watch movies. I've seen it done and it can be very functional. I live on the East Coast so that is purely winter sport minded for a golfer. We honestly dont get as much use out of the threatre room as we used to. Kids love to have friends over and they often came there for sleep overs etc.

[Tricolore66]

If you have a difficult room for the system I’d suggest a processor with Dirac Live room correction, which is amazing. I went with the new NAD T778, which also has BluOs media streaming built in. My speakers are all B&W with REL subs.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by 904VT

Steven aka Enjoythemusic is the man when it comes to audio. If he sees this, can't wait to hear his input.

Rule #1: Get the room's acoustics right. This including lowering the noise floor as much as possible.

Rule #2: It's a new room, I'd add as many friggen channels as the room / space will support. It's not today's content per se, imho the multi-channel immersive content will be more compelling over time.

Rule #3: You want AMPLE clean dynamic headroom for the space.

There's more, but mainly common sense applies. Tonally match all speakers that produce sound above 65Hz, etc.

Oh, and you'll want 40 to 80 amperes of dedicated power from the fuse box into the room. Run handline Ethernet of course.

[7sins]

Originally Posted by jltait

Hello TRF friends,

Any other home theater enthusiasts here? I know there are specialized a/v forums elsewhere on the interwebs, but prefer hanging with us friends here.

We’re moving in a few days into a new (to us) home and have been doing a bit of planning in my head as to how I want to set up a home theater.

Our current home has a theater in the basement where I’ve done a 7.1.2 Dolby atmos setup, all in wall and in ceiling with a giant Samsung tv. This setup has somehow gotten the wife into home theater too. She’s totally on board for whatever I want to create in the new space which is amazing. If only she was as supportive of my watch addiction ha.

The theater room we’ve identified in the new house is going to be in a large room in a finished attic. There are some complexities with this as the side walls are not perpendicular to the ground, so not sure what to do with the surround channels primarily. Likely going to do a standard 5.1 setup as well. After living with a 7 channel atmos system the discernible advantages of it are not quite worth the hassle, to my ears at least.

I also have not chosen the speakers yet. Leaning towards the new Polk reserve line having read some good reviews. Similar to Rolex watches there’s really aren’t many places to go and try lots of things out before buying. Do you have recommendations re set up, equipment, other stuff I should be thinking. What sorts of home theaters have you set up at your own house?

Do you have a best buy magnolia near you? That will be your best bet to demo those Polk and similar type speakers. Otherwise a higher end home theater shop should allow you to A/B demo speakers. Worth the drive.

We need to start a home theater thread!

[uscmatt99]

Big home theater junkie here. We recently moved from a home we built with a fully soundproofed and light-controlled theater, and I miss it dearly. We plan to do one in the new house, but it won’t be soundproofed given the constraints of the space.

We had JTR speakers and Seaton subwoofers. AMAZING to the point I much preferred watching movies at home. Whatever you do, after addressing your room, the front 3 speakers and multiple subs are the priority. The additional channels should have wire run and I’d go with at least 5 bed layer channels and 4 Atmos channels.

When we do our room, we’ll be deciding between JTR, Triad, and James speakers. Subwoofers will be Powersound Audio. Electronics will be left to whatever the install guys recommend, I just want a bulletproof system that we can crank. If you’re shopping for yourself, look to get a processor with Dirac Live room correction software.

Regarding video, the new JVC laser projectors look amazing. We prefer an acoustically transparent screen, as long as you can get the room coloring and light control optimized.

Enjoy, and remember to have room to double your budget!

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

....Enjoy, and remember to have room to double your budget!

Great post and yeah a proper room is the way to go

As for budget... let's be glad he's not asking about a sound bar

[PackPride]

First step- hire a well regarded company- let them tell you what is important and what isn’t.

Agree with enjoythemusic- room prep and stage can outweigh the equipment. Kind of like golf- a good swing is the fundamental- once you have that fine tuned, the equipment does matter. Spend your time on the basics and expand as your ears and taste do.

[BrazenC5]

Second JTR and Seaton. I have a Seaton submersive sub....amazing when you feel the sub before you hear the sub. Edge of Tomorrow first 20 seconds.

Sent from my SM-G781U1 using Tapatalk

[neophyte88]

my old school set up before and today,.

before: stereo music/ home theater combined using, krell, mark levinson, theta, conrad johnson, music fidelity,
Sony, yamaha.
speakers: dyna audio & kef reference, velodyne
wires: transparent, nordost & audioquest

today: B&W all around, velo sub, yamaha
sony.
wires: van den hul

these days set are all modern. through
HDMI & Ethernet connections & etc,..



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jltait]

Thanks all for the input! One thing I definitely had not considered before was room treatment. Will need to set aside some funds for that. Also will be prewiring for additional channels even if only starting out with speakers for 5.1. Please keep the recommendations coming and would love to see more photos of your own home theater projects!

[enjoythemusic]

If they have not thrown up the sheet rock, NOW is the planning time for strategic sound deadening material behind/on the sheet walls and prepare any in-wall speaker 'enclosures' plus as you said the wiring.

Btw, I noticed some contractors are cheapening out and not putting insulation inside inner walls within homes, I'd ensure they do that for the entire home. Not an audio thing, just that I've seen hundreds of homes being built in the past few years and it's easy to tell the good builds from the cheap no insulation lackluster aluminum 2x4 studs instead of proper wood....

[Mifune]

a diagram of the room from overhead would be helpful...

did you have an approximate budge in mind for the speakers or everything all inclusive, because it matters?

are you talking about an attic room of this configuration?



are you doing behind the screen projection or standing monitor?

[JasoninDenver]

Absolutely spend the money on speaker box framing and sound deadening materials in ceilings. Cheapening out here will make the best set of speakers sound like a cheap pair of junk.

I was limited to freestanding rear speakers due to a bedroom above. However, mine sounds so much better than my neighbor who had his installer simply stick an enclosure in the ceiling.

[jltait]

Originally Posted by Mifune

a diagram of the room from overhead would be helpful...

did you have an approximate budge in mind for the speakers or everything all inclusive, because it matters?

are you talking about an attic room of this configuration?

are you doing behind the screen projection or standing monitor?

Yes the room looks pretty much just like that. I’m planning on putting the tv on the wall opposite the door though so it can be a larger screen and placed on the wall. The room is about 16x20.

I have a tv, sub, and receiver already which I really like. My budget for 5 channels of speakers is $3k.

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by jltait

Yes the room looks pretty much just like that. I’m planning on putting the tv on the wall opposite the door though so it can be a larger screen and placed on the wall. The room is about 16x20.

I have a tv, sub, and receiver already which I really like. My budget for 5 channels of speakers is $3k.

Okay so in that budget range, I'd skip anything related to sound isolation. Doing isolation correctly requires stripping a room to the studs and would go way past your allotted budget. For our room, for example, it was framed independently as a room within a room with triple-layered drywall/OSB and a special door.

But that doesn't rule out best practices for acoustic treatment. You can purchase or construct absorptive and diffusive panels and play with placement to optimize your room reflections and the degree of "liveliness" you desire. Regarding your sub, placement relative to the seating position can be a big deal. You can download REW (Room EQ Wizard) for free and purchase an inexpensive microphone that plugs into a laptop and see how moving the sub and panels effects the sound at your seating position. This is the highest ROI action you could take for audio optimization.

For speakers in that range, can you stretch? Powersound Audio offers a 5-channel package with a dedicated center for just over $4k. Up it to $5k and you'll have two front towers and a larger center channel. This would be vastly superior to anything Polk offers, and these speakers are easily driven with a receiver, no need for separate amplifiers. You can always wire for Atmos, but I'd put that on the back burner relative to the front 3 speakers. In my opinion, PSA has filled the void previously occupied by JTR when they were more affordable. JTR has understandably moved upmarket as they've proven to be at the upper echelon of home theater speakers. Both of these brands are made in the USA and sold directly to consumers as opposed to using an installer network. The only downside is that these brands are relatively spartan from a design perspective, as opposed to brands like B&W and Revel where the cabinet work is more intricate. But for HT when the lights are out, who cares

[BrazenC5]

OP, for the speaker budget of $3K, check out SVS (svsound.com). They started out as a direct to consumer subwoofer company, branched out into speakers and also sell through Magnolia/Best Buy.

If you contact them, they can give you ideas for speaker selection based on your needs.

Great trial, return and upgrade program.

I previously had an SVS sub, then moved to 2x Seaton Submersives (dual oposed 15" subs in a sealed cabinet driven by a 2,400 watt integrated amp).

For speakers I have Martin Logan Motion series (with ribbon tweeters).

Given that my HT setup is in a living room, I wanted function and form without being overbearing, and the clarity is fantastic.


Sent from my SM-G781U1 using Tapatalk

[pk552502]

I prefer a 2.1 system for my tv area. I have Klipsch reference floor-standing speakers, a yamaha 2.1 receiver and a JL audio e-sub 110. I highly recommend the JL subwoofer- a little pricey, but sounds great!

[perpetualman88]

I have a full bowers and Wilkins speaker set up with Macintosh amp mc255 and mctinosh home theater receiver mx123. Just dont get speakers that are way better than your amp or you won't get nearly their full dynamic range. also some audio quest cables

[Mifune]

Originally Posted by jltait

My budget for 5 channels of speakers is $3k.

do you have issues with used equipment?

that's a tough price point for 5 channels...

[jltait]

Thanks all for the feedback! Yes I have heard good things about SVS as well. Looks like they are in budget too. I can stretch sure, but lots of other house projects going on simultaneously so trying to not put too much attention on the man cave. I know it will be something that we use for a long long time though so should do it once and do it right.

Room EQ Wizard sounds great. Definitely going to check that out. I guess it’s used in conjunction with whatever room eq software is built into the receiver set up.

Because of the angled side walls thinking of using in walls with aimable tweeters as surround speakers. Bookshelves on stands may make it awkward to walk around the seating. I imagine on walls may be better though generally? The klipsch bipole surrounds may fit the bill there. Reference Premier line looks to be pretty well respected, but feel like that may be too lazy a choice.

[904VT]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Rule #1: Get the room's acoustics right. This including lowering the noise floor as much as possible.

Rule #2: It's a new room, I'd add as many friggen channels as the room / space will support. It's not today's content per se, imho the multi-channel immersive content will be more compelling over time.

Rule #3: You want AMPLE clean dynamic headroom for the space.

There's more, but mainly common sense applies. Tonally match all speakers that produce sound above 65Hz, etc.

Oh, and you'll want 40 to 80 amperes of dedicated power from the fuse box into the room. Run handline Ethernet of course.

Thanks Steven

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by 904VT

Thanks Steven

Always happy to help on new projects. I'm still amazed how many new home builds have left out key pre-wire jobs.

[1hoot]

I just put a Sonos surround system in the basement, ARC sound bar, sub, and a pair of Sonos Ones for the rear, all for under $2k. It’s a 5.1 system with Dolby Atmos and sounds wonderful. Coupled with a 77” LG C1 OLED, it makes a pretty sweet setup for sports and movies.

[alphadweller]

In the main living room, I use a 5.1 setup with AV receiver Onkyo TX-SR607 coupled with 6 JBL speakers, two LS90 at the front, two LS8 at the rear, one central ES25C for the voice and one subwoofer ES250PW. A mix of 12 years and 20 years old gear.

The man cave has a smaller setup with an older Onkyo TX-DS555 coupled with two Bose 301s, stereo only, but could do Dolby Digital 5.1.

The main setup is amazing and produces great DTS Master-audio and Dolby True-HD. It also features a pure audio mode for hi-fi stereo. Not high-end HI-FI by any stretch but very satisfactory for the money, nonetheless. More noise than what my wife and neighbours can bear .

For music, I still use ipods. So I can couple them to pretty much any speakers in the house, either the two Onkyo AVs, a JBL Charge 4 bluetooth in the kitchen, a Philips setup in the main bedroom, a dock in the computer and the old ICE head units in the cars with the right cables.

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by BrazenC5

OP, for the speaker budget of $3K, check out SVS (svsound.com). They started out as a direct to consumer subwoofer company, branched out into speakers and also sell through Magnolia/Best Buy.

If you contact them, they can give you ideas for speaker selection based on your needs.

Great trial, return and upgrade program.

I previously had an SVS sub, then moved to 2x Seaton Submersives (dual oposed 15" subs in a sealed cabinet driven by a 2,400 watt integrated amp).

For speakers I have Martin Logan Motion series (with ribbon tweeters).

Given that my HT setup is in a living room, I wanted function and form without being overbearing, and the clarity is fantastic.

Excellent setup! I left my beloved Submersives in our old home when we moved as part of the sale. Miss them dearly.

Originally Posted by alphadweller

In the main living room, I use a 5.1 setup with AV receiver Onkyo TX-SR607 coupled with 6 JBL speakers, two LS90 at the front, two LS8 at the rear, one central ES25C for the voice and one subwoofer ES250PW. A mix of 12 years and 20 years old gear.

The man cave has a smaller setup with an older Onkyo TX-DS555 coupled with two Bose 301s, stereo only, but could do Dolby Digital 5.1.

The main setup is amazing and produces great DTS Master-audio and Dolby True-HD. It also features a pure audio mode for hi-fi stereo. Not high-end HI-FI by any stretch but very satisfactory for the money, nonetheless. More noise than what my wife and neighbours can bear .

For music, I still use ipods. So I can couple them to pretty much any speakers in the house, either the two Onkyo AVs, a JBL Charge 4 bluetooth in the kitchen, a Philips setup in the main bedroom, a dock in the computer and the old ICE head units in the cars with the right cables.

Great setup, JBL makes some top notch equipment.

In our current home we are still a work in progress. I recently bought 2 subwoofers, one for our bedroom and one for our living room. Only the bedroom one is hooked up. It's crazy mixing a small passive LCR soundbar with a sub utilizing a 15" driver (Powersound Audio S1512df), but boy does it make a difference. Even my wife was like "I accept this" and that is after I had to move her desk chair and have her use the sub as an office desk seat

[Goin2drt]

I can't help other than we have one. Guy built it before we moved in. He was a junkie so the room is crazy "acoustic ready". He took all his stuff so we hired the local home theater company to come in and do it up. Our budget was small and based on my research it is really all about budget.

I thought ours was expensive but it is nothing compared to what they have done around here.

For us it is perfect. We get the movie experience without the annoying people sitting by you. We haven't been to a movie theater in 3 years.
IMG_9724.jpg

[TunaTuna]

You don't need a home theater system anymore with today's technology. Just buy the Bose soundbar and you are covered

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by TunaTuna

You don't need a home theater system anymore with today's technology. Just buy the Bose soundbar and you are covered

Blasphemy! Reported!