Designing new house - Theater design help/questions

[krips]

We are currently at the point where we're looking through house plans and the wife has actually suggested I have a big mancave downstairs! I'm wondering if there will be an issue with it being directly attached to the stairwell? I'm also considering having a false wall (?) in which I would house my A/V rack, IB (!) sub, etc. What are your thoughts on this, and what other things would you add if you were building a (semi) dedicated HT/gaming room? This isn't cost is no object by the way :W. Thx.

I'm also considering doing a projector with in walls behind, are there speakers in the ~$500 ea. range that include enclosures which are held in high regard these days?

[aud19]

If I was building from scratch but on a very defined budget...I'd do simple stuff like exterior grade doors/seals and staggered stud (and insulated) walls with sound proofing membrane drywall. The ceiling is a bit trickier but you have options there as well.



That and caulk EVERYTHING.

-Other tricks are to make sure you have larger (quieter) HVAC vents/lines (preferably dedicated) and ensure there's a couple 90 degree bends in the feeds to reduce sound transmission to/from other rooms. AC and/or venting for your gear stack is a good idea as well.

-Dedicated wiring/circuits for your AV gear.

-OVER pre-wire and run conduit that allows for easy addition of some future cable format nobody's even thought of yet.

[krips]

Thanks for the reply. I am not sure I understand the staggered stud...is it only attached to the top and bottom plate and one wall? would the wall not be super floppy? Wiring will not be an issue as that is what I do for a living .
Is having open stairs to the main floor with no door a no-no/deal breaker? Is it basically a must have to have a dedicated 'room'?

[aud19]

The studs are on 12" centres so that each wall has 24" stud spacing still. It's plenty strong What it does is help decouple one surface from the other to minimize sound transfer between rooms as well as add additional air space for insulation (further sound reduction). I suppose you could do 8" centres if you really wanted but that seems overkill and would cost a fair chunk more for little/no benefit.

As for the door... You can certainly do it without but you'll be able to hear the system pretty easily throughout the rest of the house. A good exterior door and sealing will block a LOT of noise. It's the difference between being able to watch movies/music etc while enjoying the full benefits of your HT system while kids/wife are sleeping, studying etc vs having to listen at "polite" levels ans straining to hear dialogue etc.

[Lex]

It's only a must have to have a dedicated room if:

1. You need to be able to close the door to control lighting.
2. You need to be able to close the door to prevent disruptions to other parts of the house. (Watching movies while kids asleep, WAF etc...)
3. You are concerned about noise "leak" outside your house. Neighbors could be an issue for subwoofers.

But if everyone in the house either will watch the theater, or it isn't going to be a problem, then you have no problem.

[krips]

Excellent points guys. Controlled lighting would be great since the window I have in my 10x10 "man cave" right now is a pain and I don't want to have the volume on low all the time. Thx.