The Ellis family Go Big or go home Theater

[ellisr63]

Our HT is now 99% complete, so here are some pics of it and what equipment we are using...

First reflection panels:

1. (3) 2'x4' panels on the left and right walls made of 2 layers of Roxul R80 2" thick sheets (6 in total).
2. (6) 2'x4' panels on the ceiling made the same as the side wall panels.
3. Front wall behind screen is covered with 3" of Roxul R60 wall to wall, and 4' high (from the ceiling to 4' down).
4. Rear wall has 9" of Roxul R60 wall to wall EXCEPT for the corners which should be done this week (the corner traps will be of R80).
5. Front stage is stuffed with R19 Pink Fluffy, and topped with OSB.
6. Rear seating stage is stuffed with Pink Fluffy, and topped with OSB.


Room Construction:

1. Room within a room construction with R19 insulation (inner, and outer walls).
2. Complete sub floor is stuffed with R19 topped with OSB.
3; One layer of OSB covers the wall with a 2nd layer of drywall separated by Green Glue on all four walls.
4. Hat channels on the ceiling with 2 layers of drywall separated by Green Glue.
5. 2 solid core wood doors with 2 layers of 3/4 MDF added.
6. Fire clay used for all outlets, and switches to seal the hole.
7. Automatic door closers on both entry doors.
8. Automatic door seals on both entry doors.
9. Door seals for the area around the doors.
10. 1950 Art Deco glass door handles (inside HT one is modified with Blue LEDs, and frosted finish).


Room Finish:

1. All of the walls will have Blue or Black GOM covered panels (as will the ceiling), but only the ones listed will have any acoustic materials added to them.
2. The stage is covered with Home Depot black carpet, and the soffits are covered with JoAnnes Black Triple Velvet (after the complete room was painted flat black).
3. Floor has Lowes Plum colored Carpet with premium pad.


Equipment:

Front stage...
1. JBL 2360A horns with EV DH1a drivers for the front 3 channels.
2. DIY 1/4 Pie Bass Bins.
3. Danley DTS-10 subs (one under the front stage, and the other under the rear seating area).
4. MiniDSPs 2x4s for crossover for the front 3 channels.
5. Topping T chip amps for the front 3 channels (powering the Horns).
6. (2) Yamaha P2500s amps for the bass bins.
7. (1) Yamaha P7000s amp for the subs.
8. Denon 4520 for processing and surround amplification.

Surround...
1. Surround, and rear surround speakers are Klipsch HIP powered by the Denon 4520

Media...
1. DIY Unraid NAS
2. i3NUC for HA PC
3. i3 NUC for Media Server.
4. PS3 for gaming
5. XBox 360 for gaming.

Video...
1. Panasonic AE8000 projector.
2. SeymourAV 195" diagonal scope AT screen.
3. Darbee Darbet Processor.
4. Monoprice Redmere cables.

Miscellaneous...
1. APC UPS for Computers.
2. APC UPS for Projector.
3. Monster 7000 for power conditioning.
4. Samsung Galaxy Note for control via CQC HA Software.
5. Monoprice speaker wire.

Lighting...
1. Blue LED rope lighting for the soffits, stairs, and entry hallway.
2. LED spot lights in soffits for entry and exit lighting.

Now for the pics...

[

[fschris]

I love the lighting here.. and is great for ideas for my own future home theater. Do you have any pictures of the blue LED lighting in ambient light so we can see how you installed?

Is this room in a basement or is it a room on the same level as home? How sound proof is it to the rest of the house?

[ellisr63]

I love the lighting here.. and is great for ideas for my own future home theater. Do you have any pictures of the blue LED lighting in ambient light so we can see how you installed?

Is this room in a basement or is it a room on the same level as home? How sound proof is it to the rest of the house?

I don't have any ambient lighting pics as the room is very dark and hard to take pics. What we did was build a soffit, and run the rope lighting with a piece of wood attached to it about 2" from the ceiling so the LED lights are not visible at all.

The room is a 2 car garage that has been converted to a HT utilizing the "Room within a room technique". The outer walls are R19, inner walls R19, with the inner walls having 5/8" OSB, and 5/8 Drywall with GreenGlue in between. The ceiling is insulated and has hat channels to isolate it from the upstairs room. The ceiling is 2 layers of 5/8" drywall with GreenGlue between them also. Right now i can listen at reference levels, and we can hear the bass in the room sort of like you are outside of a Nightclub when the door is closed. Once we get the HVAC completed we are hoping it cuts it down some more... If not it is still ok as we normally listen at -20db and it is pretty quiet through out the house.

[aud19]

Nice job :T

What'd you do for HVAC out to your garage?

I see you're using unRAID. Just building one myself

[ellisr63]

Thanks,
We made a short hallway, and the old water heater and furnace were in a recess in the wall. We made a removable wall panel to conceal the water heater and furnace. We purchased a Carrier HVAC setup and are using Aprilaires zone controller for a 3 zone setup in the house. One zone is for the HT, and the other 2 are for the first floor and second floor. I like UnRaid... It just takes a while to prep the drives when you first start out. Once you have it setup it is real nice. The only time consuming part is when you add or replace a HDD as you need to prepare the HDD again.

[fschris]

Nice job :T

What'd you do for HVAC out to your garage?

I see you're using unRAID. Just building one myself

I have been running a unraid server for 3-4 years now. rock solid. i cant even remeber how i set it all up but I have added a couple HD's in the past. Its ready for a major upgrade.

[ellisr63]

I have been running a unraid server for 3-4 years now. rock solid. i cant even remeber how i set it all up but I have added a couple HD's in the past. Its ready for a major upgrade.

I am thinking of moving up to a faster CPU so we can run Plex on it too... Currently we have a Atom CPU.

[aud19]

Yeah finding out about the preclear time thing with a 2TB drive at home right now I'm only running 1 pass on it and another drive that have already been in use for a couple years but I can't wait to see how long it takes to run 3 clears on the 4TB drive I just ordered 8O

Just did a new build with an i3-4150. I'm really just going to be using it for media server and to do backup for the most part but I figured for a bit more $$, I may as well have the headroom to do more (while still keeping it pretty efficient).

[ellisr63]

Yeah finding out about the preclear time thing with a 2TB drive at home right now I'm only running 1 pass on it and another drive that have already been in use for a couple years but I can't wait to see how long it takes to run 3 clears on the 4TB drive I just ordered 8O

Just did a new build with an i3-4150. I'm really just going to be using it for media server and to do backup for the most part but I figured for a bit more $$, I may as well have the headroom to do more (while still keeping it pretty efficient).

I have some 4TB drives, and I think it took 2-3 days to preclear them.

[aud19]

I have some 4TB drives, and I think it took 2-3 days to preclear them.

2-3 days to preclear them once or three times....?

[ellisr63]

2-3 days to preclear them once or three times....?

Once... Is the i3 powerful enough to transcode or run multi streams of 1080p on Plex? I am currently running Openelec/XBMC on a i3 NUC for a media server and also a Celeron NUC as a Media server and have noticed pauses recently on the Celeron when viewing 1080p movies streamed from the NAS.

[aud19]

Depends on the model but the 4150 should support 2-3 1080p streams. There are some higher models than I purchased if you need a little extra horespower.

If you need a lot of extra horsepower you'll probably have to go i5. How many streams are you hoping to run?

[ellisr63]

Depends on the model but the 4150 should support 2-3 1080p streams. There are some higher models than I purchased if you need a little extra horespower.

If you need a lot of extra horsepower you'll probably have to go i5. How many streams are you hoping to run?

The most I would ever anticipate is 3. That being said i expect 2 most of the time. Now my Media/pc i3NUC has to handle 2 dual tuners, but that is why i am looking at running Plex off of the NAS (to remove some of the load. I'm thinking the i3 might be enough for the NAS since my tuners save to my Media/pc rather than the NAS already...

[aud19]

Apparently, the rule of thumb is to start at a 2000 PassMark score for a single 1080p stream, and 1500 PassMark for 720p content.

http://cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

The i3-4150 I have scored at 4944 so theoretically that should comfortably do two 1080p streams (or two 720p and one 1080p closer to it's limits) but would likely struggle with three 1080 streams (hiccups).

It looks like the highest scoring i3 is the 4360 but it's still not up at/past 6000 (at 5558 ).

For a 6000+ score you're looking at minimum a i5-2500, 3340, 3350, 3450, 3470 etc.

[ellisr63]

Apparently, the rule of thumb is to start at a 2000 PassMark score for a single 1080p stream, and 1500 PassMark for 720p content.

http://cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

The i3-4150 I have scored at 4944 so theoretically that should comfortably do two 1080p streams (or two 720p and one 1080p closer to it's limits) but would likely struggle with three 1080 streams (hiccups).

It looks like the highest scoring i3 is the 4360 but it's still not up at/past 6000 (at 5558 ).

For a 6000+ score you're looking at minimum a i5-2500, 3340, 3350, 3450, 3470 etc.

Looks like I might need to go i5 then as who knows when i will want 4k streams.

[fschris]

Looks like I might need to go i5 then as who knows when i will want 4k streams.

... i only stream one at a time and use an i3

I use this and I love it

http://mediabrowser.tv/

[ellisr63]

... i only stream one at a time and use an i3

I use this and I love it
http://mediabrowser.tv/

Thanks, I will try it out.

[Chris D]

Lovin those pics.

[Lex]

Radical man, totally rad. :-)

[ellisr63]

This took quite some time to achieve but the end result was "perfection". One question, where did you get your acoustical wall panels?

Jason

I made them after talking to a person at GIK Acoustics.


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[ellisr63]

System has been torn down, and house sold... We are building a new Home Theater in the living room of our new home in Mexico. I will post up pics when we get some progress.

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[ellisr63]

Update in New HT build...
1: 3 Klipsch k402 synergy horns. For the front 3 channels...2 more full size MEHs in progress and also 1 or 2 mini MEHs.

2: 4 Klipsch RP 150Ms for height channels... currently 2 are being used for surrounds, and 1 pair for heights.

3: Xilica XP4080 crossover

4: 2 Yamaha P2500s amps...for heights, currently being used for fronts until the new 10 channel amp is completed.

5: 2 Nobsound amps for surrounds, and height channels.

6: Black theater stage curtains (electric) have been installed for the front wall, and 2 front side walls (7' from front).

7: Zappiti Reference media player


8: Panasonic 820 4k player.

Under construction...

1 : New AV Rack with a 8020 aluminum frame, and 1 1/2" thick mahogony top, and sides. This also has 1/2" mahogony veneered MDF shelves with a South African hardwood outter trim.

2: New Krell KSA 50 Amp case (Chinese copy) that will enclose 7 B&O bridged/balanced amp modules. The amps are the 125asx models which are way overkill for power, but I originally planned on the amps being next to the speakers, but the new case changed that. The amp is having the center front plate made that will have 3 power buttons. The back panel is being made with xlrs for inputs, Speakons for speakers, and 1 PowerCon for power connections. I am also contemplating getting plexi for the top of the amp, but it would not be very visible due to the amp being on the bottom shelf of the rack.

3: I have purchased some old 15" film reels, that will be made into end tables.

All of these items should be done by sometime in November, and hopefully 2 18' high bass traps too.

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[ellisr63]

I just snagged 2 more k402 horns...should have them in the next month, and then have them up and running early next year. Funds are delaying them being converted to Mehs until next year. Then we need to make new cabinets, and mod the horns for a pair of 15" horns.

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[ellisr63]

Just got the rack back from the carpenter.

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[technodanvan]

Hey, I know it's been a bit but it's a first for me. That stand looks really quite nice, probably even wider than what I've been thinking about doing.

[Lex]

I have a project TT as well.... Goodluck! Be patient to get it setup right.

The setup is looking real nice!

DW

[ellisr63]

Progress has been slow, but we start cutting up the 4 K402s this week. I am only going to use 3 of them for now, and the 4th will be for making a mold to make. Ore down the road. I hope to have the ,402 MEHs completed in the next few weeks. We are making them as an open baffle style with a twist...we will have a cabinet that can be added or removed depending on which we like better. The speakers will be 4' high (horn will be on its side vs lengthwise as most people use), and have a space frame in a triangular shape for the rear. A cabinet that will slide over the space frame is planned for a sealed box. I have ordered 6 4x8 sheets wood backed Mahogany veneer for them. We also should have one 2 channel bi amped IcePower amp built in the next month. We will be building 3 more later for the center, surrounds, and rear surrounds...all will be biamped, but only the front 3 channels will be balanced.

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[ellisr63]

Pics of the progress so far... still need to veneer the front baffles, and make the cabinet boxes.

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[ellisr63]

Today I picked up all the pieces for the front 3 horns, plus a spare....minus veneer and cabinets. Starting tomorrow I will start on the backbone frame, and then decide on the cabinet shape, and design. Once we test one without a cabinet, and another with a cabinet... I will then get them veneered with my Mahogany veneer. Hopefully they will be to the listening/tuning stage sometime next week.

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[ellisr63]

Update to the rear support, and woofer mounting pads. The center channel will also be the test bed for adding a cabinet to the frame.

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[ellisr63]

It has been a while since I posted... I have replaced the Emminence woofers with Celestions and gained 10db @20hz! I now have the front 3 channels completed and I am working on 3 more full size k402 MEHs, and also 1 or 2 smaller versions. I also am working on my DIY IcePower amps. I also have 3 new additions to my setup. A 86" LG FP, Zappiti Reference media player l and a Panasonic 820 4k player. Progress on my speaker badges, and pic of room setup.

[ellisr63]

More progress pics.. The big amp is having a face-lift and reconfig. I am using it for the front 3 channels woofers, and for Atmos. I hope to have it completed in the next week. So far I have the front panel done, and I am working on the metal brackets for 3 amps to be in the center Instead of 2. This is the first amp to get a facelift...all of the amps will have Mahogany faceplate (metal and wood or just wood) and some with mahogany rear panels. .

[technodanvan]

Wow, big project! Why will only 'some' of the amps have mahogany rear panels? Also, did you buy the amps as kits, and if so, where?

[ellisr63]

I am trying to match the mahogany speakers to my equipment. I like aluminum and mahogany...so I decided to take my audio cases and mix and match aluminum and mahagony wood. One reason I am doing the wood rear panel is I do not have anywhere to go locally anymore for metalworking CNC. The main amp has been changed quite a bit on the rear...so it is wood too. I should have some pieces done next week so everyone can see how they turned out. I am also debating on having a plexiglass top, but I do not think it would be visable in the rack. Now the media server case will be all mahogany wood.

[ellisr63]

Here is the rear panel installed, and a pic of the front panel completed.

[technodanvan]

Wow, that looks great!

[ellisr63]

Update: I have come up with a new design for a rack inside of a cabinet. The new design will keep all the equipment concealed, free of dust (I know it will not be 100% free of dust, but it will be considerably better than my current setup), and will provide cooling . The rack shelves are made of 1 1/4" wide steel plate that has been cut, welded, and painted with charcoal grey metallic automotive paint by a body shop. The rack shelves are completed and each of the metal rack shelves will be supported by 7 1 1/4" Parota wood rods. each of the rods has a 1/4' 3" long piece of allthread, attached via threaded inserts on each end of the rods. 1st step for assembly will be to attach each of the 7 rods the topside of the bottom of the cabinet via 7 1/4" allthread and then 7 hockey pucks swill be attached to the bottom of the cabinet. once this is done, I will lay 1 metal shelf on top of the 7 Parota rods, and then lay a 1" thick Parota wood shelf on top of the metal shelf. Next, I will screw the next 7 rods through the metal shelf to the 1st layer of 7 Parota wood rods... then I will keep doing this until all 4 shelves and the top and bottom Parota is completed. Then we will measure the distance from the top of the bottom piece of the cabinet to the bottom of the top piece of the cabinet (for the construction ofslatted panels).. The front and sides will be made of 1 Parota wood frame that has black grill cloth attached to it, and then 1x1 strips of Perota wood will be run vertically with each piece separated by approximately 1". I have not decided if i want the rear to also have slats or just a frame with grill cloth, yet. The cabinet will be a bit over 6' wide x 4' high, by 28" deep. I will also be installing LED lighting facing downward from the top of the cabinet.




The end of the month we will be building a pair of Joseph Crowe subwoofers. The cabinets will be made of plywood and then wrapped with 1" Parota wood. Sometime next moth they subs should be ready for testing, and then the cabinets will be sent to my carpenter to mod with Parota wood.




Then the long awaited MEH wood horns will be started. The first 1 or 2 will be made of MDF stacked layers, and if they come out as expected, I will try 2 or 3 of them out of stacked Parota wood. The MDF versions will be painted to match the charcoal grey shelves. The last part of the the horns will be to try them cabinet less, and if i like them that way they will be complete...if not I will make cabinets out of MDF for the 2 MDF horns and paint them to match the MDF MEH. Then I will look at how the Parota horns look with a mdf cabinet. If the contrast looks nice I will most likely stop there.

[ellisr63]

Progress pics on Rack/cabinet, and new f20 sub (which is currently tuned with the MEHs as a 3 way), and new amp cases have arrived....still need to build the new amps. Quick REW Autotune with the old compression drivers...right channel had no Autotune and was almost as good as the left which used 12 PEQs.