The PatzCatz Theater Construction Thread

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  • Kevin P
    Member
    • Aug 2000
    • 10809

    The PatzCatz Theater Construction Thread

    Well, I've reached the phase in the (re)construction of my house where the home theater design needs to be hashed out and finalized, and any possible issues dealt with before too long.

    The new room is going to be an interesting shape. I can't easily describe it in words, so I'll have to do it with pictures and drawings. Here's a couple of sketches I drew along with proopsed locations of speakers, screen, PJ and such:

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    Basically, the room is roughly 21x13 with a cathedral ceiling. The ceiling is 8 feet high at the far end of the room, and 17 feet high at the peak. The end of the room where the screen will be has a brick fireplace (note, this may end up being torn out, if it ends up costing too much to bring it up to code--I'm talking to the builder about this tomorrow). Fireplace or no, I plan on hanging a 50" plasma on the wall for TV watching, and having a motorized 6' wide screen drop down out of a soffit for movie watching.

    Some interesting notes/features about the room:

    1. There is a skylight on the north side of the ceiling. It will have an electrically operated room darkening blind on it for light control. The two windows in the room will also have room darkening blinds and/or drapes as well.

    2. The back wall has a 8 foot high "shelf" where the wall is set back 2 feet from there up to the ceiling. This area is 7 feet high and I'm thinking of putting the back surround speakers on this shelf. The side surrounds (bipole or dipole type) will be on the side walls.

    3. A friend of mine suggested putting the subwoofer(s) up on that shelf as well. That's an interesting idea, as then the subs won't take up any floor space. What do the bass experts here think of that? It should sound ok up there, right?

    4. The soffit and drop down screen will present a challenge as to where to put the center speaker. One idea is to build the soffit so it doesn't go all the way to the sloped ceiling, leaving a gap where the center speaker can be placed. Alternatively, a shelf could be put on the front of the soffit and the center can sit there. In either case, I'd angle the speaker downward toward the listening area. Any other suggestions for the center speaker? I don't really want it on the floor or in the fireplace.

    5. There will be a cabinet recessed in the wall to house the components.

    As for the home theater itself, I'm thinking of going with Rotel or similar separates, a 50" plasma, a NEC 9PG CRT projector, Lumagen scaler, tower speakers for mains, bipole or dipole surrounds, bookshelves for back surrounds, and 1 or 2 SVS subs.

    So, here I am tossing this out at you guys, if you have any great (or crazy) ideas to help me get the most out of this room, I'm all ears (and eyes)!

    Thanks!
    KJP
    Last edited by masterofnone; 16 December 2023, 10:53 Saturday. Reason: Update image location
  • Andrew Pratt
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Aug 2000
    • 16507

    #2
    2. The back wall has a 8 foot high "shelf" where the wall is set back 2 feet from there up to the ceiling. This area is 7 feet high and I'm thinking of putting the back surround speakers on this shelf. The side surrounds (bipole or dipole type) will be on the side walls.
    That could work. Is there any reason why you can't move them closer together on that shelf so that they're closer to the 120 degrees Dolby recomends?

    3. A friend of mine suggested putting the subwoofer(s) up on that shelf as well. That's an interesting idea, as then the subs won't take up any floor space. What do the bass experts here think of that? It should sound ok up there, right?
    That's a very tough one to guess as given the shape of the room. It'll have far fewer room node issues then most of us have to deal with...of course that also means its hard to model your room to predict what would happen. The easiest way to tell though is simply put your sub(s) where your chairs will be and climb up to the shelf with your SPL meter and plot a freq response curve

    Comment

    • Snap
      Super Senior Member
      • Feb 2005
      • 1295

      #3
      Kevin can you use a audio transparent screen? I just played around with one from Draper and it looks nice. And you can just put the center right above the fireplace?
      That could work for the center speaker/screen issue.
      The Bitterness of poor quality last longer than the joy of low prices.

      Comment

      • aud19
        Twin Moderator Emeritus
        • Aug 2003
        • 16706

        #4
        bipole or dipole surrounds, bookshelves for back surrounds
        May want to reverse that if you plan to do multichannel music listening... Just something to ponder

        Transparent screen is likely your best route. If the fireplace does go, you could mount it below the screens and tilted up.

        As for the sub, I second what Andrew said. You may have great room interaction if you place it midway up and across that wall. But with the odd shape of the room it could cause irregularities so test her out
        Jason

        Comment

        • Trevor Schell
          Moderator Emeritus
          • Aug 2000
          • 10935

          #5
          Congrats on the evolution of your HT Kevin.! :T
          Trevor



          XBOX 360 CARD

          Comment

          • David Meek
            Moderator Emeritus
            • Aug 2000
            • 8938

            #6
            Kevin, have you considered closing in the alcove and using it as the chamber for an IB?
            .

            David - Trigger-happy HTGuide Admin

            Comment

            • Lex
              Moderator Emeritus
              • Apr 2001
              • 27461

              #7
              I was wondering if I could apply for the position of draftsman?

              Kevin, I think you have a handle on what you want to do now, don't you?
              Doug
              "I'm out there Jerry, and I'm loving every minute of it!" - Kramer

              Comment

              • Kevin P
                Member
                • Aug 2000
                • 10809

                #8
                The soffit is framed, and the fireplace has been refaced with an indentation for the plasma. The center speaker will have to be mounted to the front of the soffit. There's no other place for it to go.

                In this pic you can see the fireplace and the soffit above. The plasma is going into the indentation at the top of the fireplace. The screen will drop down from inside the soffit.



                Here's a closer shot of the soffit.



                Here's the west wall. The large opening is where two pocket doors will go (6' opening).



                Here's the rear of the room. You can see the alcove above the window.



                Any additional thoughts on putting the subs up in the alcove?
                Attached Files

                Comment

                • aud19
                  Twin Moderator Emeritus
                  • Aug 2003
                  • 16706

                  #9
                  I'm a little concerned about the centre being so close to a wall of brick.... Definitely have to find a way to move it forward and dampen refelections from behind the speaker....
                  Jason

                  Comment

                  • Kevin P
                    Member
                    • Aug 2000
                    • 10809

                    #10
                    The soffit extends out about 8" beyond the brick, and the center would be mounted to or directly in front of the soffit. I doubt the brick would affect the sound of the center much, especially with the screen lowered.

                    Comment

                    • Snap
                      Super Senior Member
                      • Feb 2005
                      • 1295

                      #11
                      :agree: Kevin nice wirk man....seen the lines of RG6 it looks like. Can you go with in wall subs man? Earthquake makes a killer sub Thore and it rocks. Def Tech just came out with there Super Cube. Jimmy sells earthquake..Ruff in kits are cheep you can probably have the kits in 2 days if you jump on it! That might be a nice idea for the subs bro.

                      Snap
                      The Bitterness of poor quality last longer than the joy of low prices.

                      Comment

                      • Kevin P
                        Member
                        • Aug 2000
                        • 10809

                        #12
                        Well, months and months later I can resurrect this thread...

                        Here's what the room looks like now!

                        This shot shows some of the lighting and the cathedral ceiling:



                        This shot shows the back wall of the room with the alcove just visible behind the platform.



                        Here you can see the fireplace with the mounting bracket for the 50" plasma installed:



                        In this shot you can see the fireplace, with custom DVD shelves on either side. The soffit is easily visible above the fireplace. The projection screen drops down from the soffit, and the center speaker and Xantech remote extender sensor will go in front of the wiring box visible in the soffit.



                        And here's a shot with the 80" wide 16:9 screen lowered:

                        Comment

                        • Azeke
                          Super Senior Member
                          • Mar 2003
                          • 2123

                          #13
                          Looking good Kevin, great progress.

                          Best regards,

                          Azeke

                          Comment

                          • ekkoville
                            Senior Member
                            • Aug 2004
                            • 392

                            #14
                            Great job Kevin. Just curioulsy, what type of screen did you get and what speakers are planning on?
                            ____________________
                            Erik
                            Just another case of the man trying to keep us down! :B

                            Comment

                            • Kevin P
                              Member
                              • Aug 2000
                              • 10809

                              #15
                              The screen is: Da-Lite Cosmopolitan, matte white, electric drop down, 80" wide 16:9

                              Speakers: I snagged a pair of Martin Logan SL3s for mains (I got lucky and got them from another HTG member). The remaining speakers will be Aperion Audio speakers for the time being, until the day comes that I can afford more MLs. Hopefully they'll match well enough for HT purposes anyway. For a sub, I'll be using a SVS 20-39CS, or two, if need be.

                              I already have most of the pieces parts ready to go, whenever the house is ready (now projecting a move date on or after Nov. 8 :roll: ). I have Sherwood Newcastle separates (P-965 and A-965), Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi, NEC 9PG CRT projector, Panasonic 50" plasma, Sony CDP-M555ES jukebox, Lumagen VisionHDP scaler, the Martin Logans and a large wad of CAT Cables either sitting in boxes or on their way.

                              Comment

                              • aud19
                                Twin Moderator Emeritus
                                • Aug 2003
                                • 16706

                                #16
                                Looking good Kev :T
                                Jason

                                Comment

                                • ekkoville
                                  Senior Member
                                  • Aug 2004
                                  • 392

                                  #17
                                  Awesome, Kevin, got some great equipment there. Is the Sherwood setup new, you had thought of Rotel at one point I think. Drove through Queen City Ave. the other day, can't see anymore construction on the outside, must be a good feeling for you now I'm sure.
                                  ____________________
                                  Erik
                                  Just another case of the man trying to keep us down! :B

                                  Comment

                                  • Sonnie Parker
                                    • Jan 2002
                                    • 2858

                                    #18
                                    I think you are going to love this setup... very nice indeed. You having those ML's makes me jealous. When I grow up that's what I want... all ML's.

                                    Comment

                                    • Kevin P
                                      Member
                                      • Aug 2000
                                      • 10809

                                      #19
                                      We started installing gear last night. Here's some pics I took. I have to take some more, since some pics I took last night didn't turn out well.

                                      I haven't tweaked/calibrated anything yet (other than a basic Avia on the plasma), so the MLs aren't in their proper spots, yet. Also, I have no center, surrounds, or sub yet. Still, it sounds pretty good. It'll only get better with tweaking, room treatments, furniture, etc.

                                      Here's all the boxes!



                                      Sherwood Newcastle amp is at the bottom of the cabinet



                                      Testing out the setup with The Fifth Element, Superbit



                                      Another shot, without the flash



                                      The back of the gear cabinet, showing the CAT Cables!



                                      More to come later...
                                      Attached Files

                                      Comment

                                      • Chris D
                                        Moderator Emeritus
                                        • Dec 2000
                                        • 16877

                                        #20
                                        Kev, that's SO exciting! Love the new setup. I really like the look of the Martin Logans there.

                                        As a suggestion, if you put a picture frame around the plasma, especially since you recessed it into the fireplace, it would give it a very nice, elegant finish much like artwork.
                                        CHRIS

                                        Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                                        - Pleasantville

                                        Comment

                                        • aud19
                                          Twin Moderator Emeritus
                                          • Aug 2003
                                          • 16706

                                          #21
                                          Looking good Kev :T
                                          Jason

                                          Comment

                                          • Kevin P
                                            Member
                                            • Aug 2000
                                            • 10809

                                            #22
                                            Here's a shot of the gear rack as it presently exists. Some odds and ends are stashed in there for now until we move in and do the final install.

                                            Top to bottom, the gear is: Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi DVD/SACD player, Sony CDP-M555ES CD jukebox, Sherwood Newcastle P-965 pre-pro, Samson S700 subwoofer amp, Sherwood Newcastle A-965 7 channel amp. I have a BFD still in the box, which I'll use if necessary. I also have a Lumagen VisionHDP scaler tucked behind the DVD player, which will serve as a scaler for the CRT projector.

                                            Attached Files

                                            Comment

                                            • David Meek
                                              Moderator Emeritus
                                              • Aug 2000
                                              • 8938

                                              #23
                                              Kevin, that's FANTASTIC! I really like the "flashless" shot of the fireplace wall. That's going to be a nice, relaxing and inviting room.
                                              .

                                              David - Trigger-happy HTGuide Admin

                                              Comment

                                              • Kevin P
                                                Member
                                                • Aug 2000
                                                • 10809

                                                #24
                                                I put the SVS sub up in the alcove, which is cool since it takes up no floor space (my friend calls this "Heavenly Bass", or "Bass from Heaven"). :B Although I haven't run tests to determine the response curve yet, it sounds pretty good in informal testing so far.

                                                I also tied up the wires behind the plasma so they don't show anymore, and moved the DVD player down one shelf, so it's on top of the jukebox. This leaves the top shelf open for the cable box and for future expansion (e.g. Tivo, DVD recorder, etc.)

                                                Only problem is, I forgot to bring the camera. ops: I'll have to take some pics tomorrow.

                                                Comment

                                                • Lex
                                                  Moderator Emeritus
                                                  • Apr 2001
                                                  • 27461

                                                  #25
                                                  Great cabling job there Kevin! :B I don't just mean the cables, but the work in running them.
                                                  Doug
                                                  "I'm out there Jerry, and I'm loving every minute of it!" - Kramer

                                                  Comment

                                                  • Kevin P
                                                    Member
                                                    • Aug 2000
                                                    • 10809

                                                    #26
                                                    Well, I've been moved in for almost 2 weeks now, and things have been crazy so I haven't had a chance to watch more than one movie on the system (the inaugural flick was "Air Force One", Superbit edition). At this point, everything is hooked up except for the projector. I'm still trying to coordinate schedules to get the projector delivered to the house (the person who has it has to be home, and the person with the SUV has to be available to pick it up, and I have to be available too).

                                                    Just a few quick observations from the limited amount of time I've spent with the system.

                                                    1. Aperion and Martin Logan speakers blend in well together. For HT applications, they're excellent. For 2 channel, the MLs sing. I haven't tried any multi-channel music discs (SACD) yet, but I hope to soon.

                                                    2. The sub works well in the alcove. It rattles the wall lights in the kitchen! :lol: I have vibrations at certain frequencies which I need to track down and address when time permits, and I'm still tweaking the sub level. It's too high for music, but I need to check with a movie and Avia before I simply "turn it down".

                                                    3. The P-965's trigger outputs turn on the A-965 no problem, but they don't produce enough current to reliably trigger a Niles AC-3 power strip which I use to trigger the sub amp. I picked up a 12V wall wart at RadioShack today, which I can use with the P-965's switched outlet to trigger the AC-3.

                                                    I've also been too busy to snap some new pics. Hopefully soon.

                                                    Comment

                                                    • Kevin P
                                                      Member
                                                      • Aug 2000
                                                      • 10809

                                                      #27
                                                      Here's some new pics of the theater, now that it's more-or-less fully functional:

                                                      The NEC 9PG CRT projector



                                                      The view from the main seating position. You can see the center speaker above the fireplace. The Xantech remote receiver is on top of the speaker.



                                                      The alcove, with the SVS sub and surround back speakers



                                                      A pic of the rear of the room. My lovely wife is posing on the couch. :B



                                                      Here's the right surround and surround-back speakers



                                                      And the left surround and surround-back speakers

                                                      Attached Files

                                                      Comment

                                                      • dyazdani
                                                        Moderator Emeritus
                                                        • Oct 2005
                                                        • 7032

                                                        #28
                                                        Looks great!
                                                        Danish

                                                        Comment

                                                        • Kevin P
                                                          Member
                                                          • Aug 2000
                                                          • 10809

                                                          #29
                                                          The gear rack. Top to bottom: Comcast HDTV cable box, Pioneer Elite DVD player, Sony CD jukebox, Sherwood Newcastle pre-pro, Samson amp, Sherwood Newcastle amp. The Lumagen scaler, which converts the video to 720P RGBHV for the projector, is tucked behind the DVD player, so it isn't visible from the front of the rack.



                                                          A rear view of the rack, showing the CAT Cables! You can see the Lumagen on top of the jukebox. 2 shelves down (below the pre-pro) is a component video distribution amp, which sends the video from the preamp to the plasma and the Lumagen.



                                                          A close-up shot of the back of the Lumagen, and some of the CATs. The output cables are RG6 quad shield coax which runs under the floor to the PJ.



                                                          The Russound 6 zone whole house audio system. These components face the kitchen in the upper part of the cabinet. They are: a Russound CA6.4 distribution system, Denon TU-1500RD tuner, and a Sony 5 disc CD changer. The jukebox and Zone 2 on the Sherwood are also connected to the whole house system.

                                                          Attached Files

                                                          Comment

                                                          • dyazdani
                                                            Moderator Emeritus
                                                            • Oct 2005
                                                            • 7032

                                                            #30
                                                            You've really done an excellent job in planning out your new home's electronics. What do you use in the rooms to control the whole house audio?
                                                            Danish

                                                            Comment

                                                            • Chris D
                                                              Moderator Emeritus
                                                              • Dec 2000
                                                              • 16877

                                                              #31
                                                              Wow, Kev, looks good! I like the deep red in the room. And that's the first time I've seen an SVS (or any other sub, for that matter) placed up so high. Are you encountering any issues with that?
                                                              CHRIS

                                                              Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                                                              - Pleasantville

                                                              Comment

                                                              • Kevin P
                                                                Member
                                                                • Aug 2000
                                                                • 10809

                                                                #32
                                                                Danish, there are LCD keypads in each room that has sound. The keypad provides source selection, on/off and volume, plus a remote sensor that relays the IR to the components. Next time I'm snapping pics I'll take one of a keypad and post it.

                                                                Chris, so far, no issues with the sub, other than the usual stuff (objects vibrating, response variations at certain frequencies, etc). Sub calibration has been an ongoing project. I have a BFD still in the box which I can put into service if needed.

                                                                Comment

                                                                • aud19
                                                                  Twin Moderator Emeritus
                                                                  • Aug 2003
                                                                  • 16706

                                                                  #33
                                                                  Looks good Kev :T That's some nice gear you've collected! :P Any plans to mount and angle down the rear surrounds?
                                                                  Jason

                                                                  Comment

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