Beginning the HT journey.

[ke3qz]

Hello all.

I've been lurking for some time now...the stars are about to align and the HT project will soon begin.

The space-
An existing 19'L x 15.5'W x 8'H room that was added to the back of our house a few years ago. This room shares one of its 15.5' walls with the house and has been serving as a beauty shop for my soon to be unemployed wife.

The equipment-
Nothing purchased yet but the plan includes Sanyo Z2, Yamaha 2400, Axiom 60 Fronts, Axiom VP150 center, and Axiom QS8 surrounds. I've test driven and very much liked the Lazy boy home theatre offering so two of those are planned as well.

The plan-
Sound proofing wise, the shared wall is my big concern. I'll probably add a second wall here -- resilient channel is a definite possibility too.
The A/V equipment closet will be new construction. That space is currently unused space within the utility room.
Planning to add all of the standard HT trappings -- recessed lights, remote control dimming, etc.

Leaning toward a 100" Carada screen (white or gray -- as yet undecided)...seating distance will be around 12.5'. Based on what I've seen at a friends house (he's got a Z2 too) I'll have no problem with SDE at that distance.

As part of the deal with my wife I have to move the PC out of the bedroom so I'll need to squeeze a desk in here somewhere. I'll likely custom build a work surface into the corner opposite the A/V equipment closet (behind the seating).

Sorry for the long post....I'll attach the layouts and stand by for your comments. Any and all observations and suggestions will be appreciated!

Thanks. Randy KE3QZ

[Glen]

Looks good. Make sure you post some pictures of the construction so we can follow your progress. :yesnod: (ya know we love this stuff! )

[David Meek]

Hi Randy, welcome to The Guide! :later: I hope you'll call us home. . . .

It appears that you have a good handle on the initial idea of what you want to do, so I'll keep this short. At least, to start with anyway. :

Doubling up on the common wall is a good idea to minimize sound transferrance - as long as you make sure the new wall's studs don't contact the already-existing wall's studs or surface material. Separation good - contact bad.

When you run your electrical and A/V wiring, be sure to keep at least 24 inches of separation between them when they run parallel. If you absolutely can't avoid it, any intersections should be at a 90 degree angle. Try to avoid them though - it can be done if you get creative.

Plan any risers or colonades in now. That way the runs for tactile transducers, discreet lighting, etc. will be much easier to organize. Retro-fitting can be a monumental pain!
:#

Have fun and keep us posted, okay?




David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker

[Paul H]

Just a thought on your receiver as you noted you haven't bought equipment yet. If you're looking at the Yamaha 2400, consider the 3300. I believe the 3300 is about $100 more. You would lose the video upconversion for composite to component cabling, and the parametric equalizer by changing to the 3300. What you would gain in my opinion from listening tests is noticeably cleaner and more powerful sound.

The specs on the 3300 are very close to the Z1. While the weight of a receiver does not necessarily directly translate to quality (it could be filled with rocks ) I noted during my shopping a few months ago that the 3300 weighed approx 50% more than the 2400.

Paul

[ke3qz]

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

There will be a 1/2" gap between the new and existing common wall. Keeping the electrical code in mind I'm trying to minimize the number of holes I have to cut in my new wall.

I'm in the mid stages of planning the electrical now...lighting placement, branch circuit assignment, etc. Futureproofing inlcludes conduit runs to the front stage, projector, the in-floor box mounted under the seats, and the proposed 'computer corner.'

I'll get some 'before' pictures posted soon. The demolition phase will begin within a month or two -- removing two closets and a half bathroom. Debating whether to remove ALL sheetrock and start over or work around the existing finished walls. Leaning toward a complete tear out of sheetrock and electrical...its probably the easiest in the long run.

Nice to have some ears to bounce this stuff off of....my coworkers don't share my enthusiasm for this project and I think they're tired of hearing me talk about it!!!

Randy

[David Meek]

Nice to have some ears to bounce this stuff off of....my coworkers don't share my enthusiasm for this project and I think they're tired of hearing me talk about it!!!

Randy, I feel your pain! Our uh "hobbie" doesn't seem to generate the enthusiasm that beer drinking or NASCAR does in the un-washed heathen.
:

Fortunately, I've found some good friends here on The Guide and in person (Burke Strickland) in Houston to hang with.




David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker