New Dedicated Cinema Room advice please

I'm looking to have a large extension built onto the house which will be a cinema room in the fullness of time. I'm saving hard for this and I reckon I'll have the funds for it around this time next year. It is however fun to think about the kit I'll be getting for it and where it's going to go even though the time this will be a reality is a long way off.



So the drawing shows the size of room I'll have when it's done, which is a pretty decent size. I currently have an HD projector in the lounge which will be moving into this new room and I'm thinking this will project onto a fixed screen on the left wall shown on the diagram rather than the bottom wall that the furniture is pointing at.

So some questions -

• Would a 5.1 system be suffice or would a 7.1 system be a better proposition?
  
• What height should the surround speakers be at? (looking to wall mount them and hide the cables) I'm thinking about shoulder height?
  
• Considering the position of the door, where would be the best location be for the rear surround speakers?
  
• Currently my starting point for equipment auditoning will be the Yamaha A3030 amp with B&W CM9 Theatre which will obviously be expanded upon if I go for a 7.1 system - any other recommendations for kit I should be looking at at this kind of price level?
  
• Any top tips on how I should hide all the cables - something like a skirting trunking type arrangement?

Pretty excited about the prospect of this even considering the current timescales and I'll put some pictures on here once the build is underway. Until then feel free to post any questions or advice on here to give me some food for thought.

If your having it built specifically then get some conduits put into the wall, etc. for the likely cabling.

No harm going for a 7.1 setup imo, positioning will depend if you want to work to dolby or THX, etc. specs for surround.

EDIT: Also ambient light (dealing with reflected/scattered light and that kind of stuff as well) and so on is worth getting your head around early on IMO if your going to do it proper it can make quite a difference to the end experience.

Other stuff that may need consideration sound proofing/damping (EDIT2: Just noticed the sound proofing on the image) and ventilation.

Rroff said:

If your having it built specifically then get some conduits put into the wall, etc. for the likely cabling.

No harm going for a 7.1 setup imo, positioning will depend if you want to work to dolby or THX, etc. specs for surround.

EDIT: Also ambient light (dealing with reflected/scattered light and that kind of stuff as well) and so on is worth getting your head around early on IMO if your going to do it proper it can make quite a difference to the end experience.

Other stuff that may need consideration sound proofing/damping (EDIT2: Just noticed the sound proofing on the image) and ventilation.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.

Will defo be looking at conduits in the wall for the surround speakers hence my question about the surround speaker mounting heights. I'm wondering if there is a good solution that gives good access around the skirting board for all the cables that'll be snaking around.

7.1 is the current favourite - thinking the side speakers will go between the windows for side right and same position opposite for side left. Rear left will go to the left of the door and rear right the same distance out form the corner.

The room will be painted a very dark matt colour and I'll get proper black out blinds for the windows. The walls will be sound proofed to minimise sound transfer to the rest of the house and outside.

What ventilation considerations do I need to make?

Be better if someone like Lucid went into specifics on that, I've supported the construction of a few setups enough to know of the possible issues/things to consider but never done the planning, etc. to know the all the ins and outs of the details in entirety.

I think your jumping the gun with the 5.1/7.1 question. lucid will be able to detail more as Rroff said but what size screen are you wanting? how far back will you be sitting?

A 7.1 setup does really want 3-4ft + behind your seating position to be worthwhile and a poorly setup 7.1 system can sound worse than a well setup 5.1 one.

Speakers and equipment all depend on your budget. Is it purely for cinema or some music as well?

I know the diagram isn't accurate with sofa positioning but according to the sofa layout on their you have no 'prime' seat as in a centre directly facing seat with perfect positioning for picture and audio. It's not necessary but if I was investing this much into a cinema i'd want a good seat!

Not trying to put you off or scare you but I am doing almost exactly the same except converting a lounge into a home cinema and theres a lot more to it than just what setup and speakers. Have a look on Avforums.com for more advice in the all their different sections.

Other's here make some good points. I'm not going to spend too long on this because I have my business to run, so I just throw in a few pointers.

Screen - consider 21:9 and acoustically transparent. Place the front channel speakers behind it.

Room build 1 - Unless there's some planning reason for it, have a look at the window positions. The right window is smack bang where I'd expect to install a surround speaker. If you're going to the expense of having a room specifically built for a theater/media room, then shouldn't the building layout accommodate the equipment rather than forcing compromises?

Room build 2 - You want the room to work for you as a cinema, but also need to consider what would happen if you ever sold the property. Have a think about panelled walls with removable section that cover the windows.

Room build 3 - Give some thought to sound proofing on the other walls and ceiling and using a fire door. Two reasons for this - first, to reduce airborne noise carrying beyond the room but second, to keep noise out. Gaining 10dB in dynamic range because the room is quieter is far more effective than trying to add 10dB's worth of additional amplification.

Room build 4 - Acoustic treatment. Having a room that deals with the energy from the speakers is far more effective than spending top dollar for high-end kit

Room build 5 - HVAC - equipment and people create heat and use up oxygen. Some ducted AC will allow you to exchange the air while keeping the noise level down.

Room build 6 - Lighting - remote controlled dimmable scene lighting serves a couple of purposes; it makes it safe to move around the room, it gives you task light and it adds the wow factor.

Room build 7 - plan space for subs and equipment

Room build 8 - Bass travels. If you want the feel of huge bass without waking up half the neighbourhood then look in to bass shakers for the furniture

Room build 9 - Decor - Light reflected from the screen is the picture equivalent of background noise. Choose a colour scheme and materials that will help you deal effectively with reflected light without then causing strong colour casts on screen

Room build 10 - Hide stuff. Panelling the room with fabric covered frames helps hide cabling while still keeping it accessible. Acoustically transparent fabrics allow sound treatment products to be concealed too.


Equipment choices

* Speakers

- I wouldn't consider any speaker system for a dedicated room that didn't include at least dipole, or better still dipole/bipole switchable surround speakers..... Period.

- Get a good centre speaker. Floorstanding fronts are great if you're building a music room but an unnecessary expense in a cinema room. The centre speaker is the workhorse

- buy good subs. Don't be afraid to mix 'n match. Britain is home to some terrific brands sold direct. Make use of the performance they offer

- consider front heights before 7.1 rear surrounds in a smaller room. They'll have a greater impact especially where there's insufficient space for rear 7.1 speakers to develop a proper sound field

- don't be afraid to look at secondhand speakers. Speaker technology hasn't changed radically in 20 years. So what was reference quality in the 90's and noughties is still reference quality today, except it's not today's reference pricing. If you can save £2000-£3000 on the equipment budget by choosing carefully selected used speakers then that's money that can be used far more effectively elsewhere.

* Electronics

- If the room is going to be used for more than just Blu-ray, or if you've got DVDs and Laser Disc, then give some thought to a scaler. It can make a huge difference to the performance of those sources and really lift the quality.


* Control

- Set aside some budget for a properly designed and implemented control system. It's worth it. Harmonys and manufacturer apps just don't cut it. Get something that is designed and tailors to how you and your family want to use the system rather than making you adapt to how it wants to work your gear.

* Services

- Hire good people. It may seem like an extravagance but trust me, it saves money in the long run.

Intelligent room design means getting the most out of the gear you invest in, and having a room that works for you as an asset. That kind of experience takes 1000's of hours to acquire. As much as people on the net want to offer their advice, they're all working to their own agenda and their own sets of compromises. Also, they won't be around if things go wrong.

- Get the system calibrated. In performance terms it's worth 3 or 4 times what it costs to have done.

Crikey - I read the replies a few days ago and there is a ton of info there thats taken a bit of time to digest.

To comment on the points made.

@Richeh

The seating shown in the diagram is not representative at all of what I'll ultimately be getting. I'm thinking of two rows of three seats with a raised platform for the three seats behind so there is no obstruction to the view for the people behind. The middle front seat will be the optimum seating location in the middle of the room, so about 2.5m away from the screen. I will be using it as a music room as well as a cinema so my preference is some good floor standing speakers for the front left and right channels. Screen size will be as big as possible depending on the ceiling height. For the av equipment racks - I'm thinking of the BLOK SUPER-STAX but two wide instead of three and there will be two in total, one either side of the stand mounted centre speaker.

@lucid

Wow, I'm getting the distinct impression your business is professionally installing Home Cinema, thanks for the big reply.

Screen ratio is something I have given some thought to and will be exploring that once I have a better idea what size of wall I have to play with - having some way to electronically adjust the width of the screen would be a cool feature if I went for the wider screen.

Window position is something I hadn't thought would get in the way of the rear surround speakers as I was thinking they'd be going on the back wall so I'll need to know exactly where the speakers will be going before the build starts. A single window in the middle is now looking like an option but presumably this is where the left surround (for 7.1) will go.

The panelled wall covering the windows is something I hadn't thought of and will be exploring this as an option.

Sound proofing is already in the budget for the build and I'll have two fire doors between this room and the rest of the house, so I've got that covered.

Accoustic treatment, another aspect I'd not thought of - has anyone on here tried it? Presumably I'll need to get a speciallist in to do an assessment.

HVAC - another thing that hadn't occured, but I suspect I won't need it as I'll have a max of 6 people in rarely - most of the time it'll be me and my wife.

Lighting - yes I'll be looking into having remote controlled lighting and some good mood lighting - anyone recommend some good kit?

I've a reasonable idea where the AV equipment will go as outlined above - need to suss exactly the best location for all the surround speakers though.

Love the idea of the bass shakers and will be looking into that.

Decor the walls and ceiling will be painted in a dark near black colour, the floor will be a very dark, probably near enough black carpet.

Accoustic transparent panels will be investigated further too.

Equipment choices, yes your suggestions for speaker types are under consideration.

Thanks for all the other advice in your message - I need to have a think about where the speakers will go and presumably my suggestion for the speaker height was about right.

sk3lph said:

HVAC - another thing that hadn't occured, but I suspect I won't need it as I'll have a max of 6 people in rarely - most of the time it'll be me and my wife.

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You will need it, my room is similar size to yours with all the equipment in the room. With only two people it can easily hit the high 20s in the summer, with 8 in for a movie night it was low 30s and basically unbearable without opening the window and the door which then allows light in.

I am in the process of getting a AC system fitted, probably going to go for a Dalkin system just waiting for some quotes to come in.

Dangerous Dave said:

You will need it, my room is similar size to yours with all the equipment in the room. With only two people it can easily hit the high 20s in the summer, with 8 in for a movie night it was low 30s and basically unbearable without opening the window and the door which then allows light in.

I am in the process of getting a AC system fitted, probably going to go for a Dalkin system just waiting for some quotes to come in.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that - I think I'll suss it out after the room is finished, the new room will have a pitched roof, so it should be easy enough to fit some HVAC if it's required.

sk3lph said:

Thanks for that - I think I'll suss it out after the room is finished, the new room will have a pitched roof, so it should be easy enough to fit some HVAC if it's required.

Click to expand...

Bad choice.

lucid said:

Bad choice.

Click to expand...

Hmm, ok the ceiling is going to have a hatch into the roof space above which should give easy access - is this a bad choice because the HVAC system is going to be bulky and won't be easy to install once the ceiling is in place?

No. It's the missed opportunity to plan something that's concealed, low noise, and that deals effectively with not only with cooling the air but also providing new fresh air rather than simply cycling the existing oxygen-depleted air. Also, to do all this without ruining the benefits of any sound-proofing.

I think this is a dedicated games and media room as opposed to home cinema.

He did say that it will be a cinema room in the fullness of time. Digging good foundations when it's cheap to do so is rarely a bad investment unless there's no clear long term plan.

In the end though he's come for some free advice and it's worth exactly what he's paid for it.

There's lots of good advice in this thread. I'll echo what Lucid mentioned re. fabric panels and perhaps stress it even more! Especially in a projector setup - they will do more to improve the picture than pretty much anything else. They also look great

Here's an example picture pinched from avforums:



You don't have to go full on or have panels coming out as far - my next room will be completely panelled! - but even just a meter or so around the screen makes such a difference!

Here's some snaps from various rooms I've worked on:

They look great. Do you do this for a job, Lucid?

Yes

Velvet. Velvet everywhere. Also just start with a cinemascope screen, you'll only end up changing to one later on anyway .

Dangerous Dave said:

You will need it, my room is similar size to yours with all the equipment in the room. With only two people it can easily hit the high 20s in the summer, with 8 in for a movie night it was low 30s and basically unbearable without opening the window and the door which then allows light in.

I am in the process of getting a AC system fitted, probably going to go for a Dalkin system just waiting for some quotes to come in.

Click to expand...

Depends a bit on your viewing habits, if its just a couple of people and prepared to wait til its cooler in the evenings then HVAC isn't essential (probably). If your going to do it "proper" and going for a reasonably high end setup it would be a bit silly not to have it though.

I never really needed it with my old setup but it was a fair sized room (340x240x540 WHD IIRC) but I don't recall ever having a crowd when it was overly warm to be fair. (EDIT: Also had a rooflight though that could be ventilated without letting any real light in which would have taken hot air out the top of the room - wasn't a purpose built room).