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acoustically transparent screens


Paducah Home Theater

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Wondering who here likes them and who doesn't. :) I went to an extremely high end place that had like 6 showrooms with $7,000 Lexicon amps, $10,000 Revel and Wilson subwoofers, $22,000 a pair Revel towers, $26,0000 Sony projectors, every Klipsch speaker imaginable, every McIntosh component you can think of, had hundreds of thousands of dollars of this crap laying around everywhere, been in business for 40 years, etc., etc., etc... and the top guy there is basically saying to stay away from them unless they're absolutely necessary. This wasn't the first time this has happened either, same story in a different city. But, they have quite the fan base elsewhere. Thoughts? :)

Edited by MetropolisLakeOutfitters
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I'm hoping to experience mine in a few months.  For now, it's tucked away in it's tube behind my door. 

 

MichaelandKlipsch just purchased his (not sure if it's installed yet). 

 

Wakejunkie also has a DIY made from spandex. 

 

Maybe they will chime in.

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I have had non AT screens for the last 20 years , and this time i made the jump to a SeymourAV 180" Scope Screen (195" diagonal), and I love it. It is so nice to have the speakers behind the screen, and hear everything coming from where it should be on the screen. If you want that last little bit of performance from your big bucks speakers and don't even like to have a speaker grill... Then an AT screen is not for you. I am not as picky, and I am just happy to have it sound so good behind a screen.

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The only reason I can see someone talking you out of an AT screen is if the ones they sell are not AT.  Mine is spandex and I am very pleased with it.  I can definitely see the difference in quality in the Seymore fabric, but have yet to see it in action. I went from a 100" non-AT to 130" AT and will NEVER go back.  I firmly believe that the larger the screen the more important it is to go AT.  Even at 100" it was easy to notice the center sound coming from below the screen even though it was as close as it could get to the screen.  The Center channel at the same height as the mains anchors the sound directly in the center of the screen where it should be.  Much more realistic, especially if watching from a short distance.  I have not noticed sound quality issues at all, but my mains are outside the screen with only the center concealed.

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Wondering who here likes them and who doesn't. :) I went to an extremely high end place that had like 6 showrooms with $7,000 Lexicon amps, $10,000 Revel and Wilson subwoofers, $22,000 a pair Revel towers, $26,0000 Sony projectors, every Klipsch speaker imaginable, every McIntosh component you can think of, had hundreds of thousands of dollars of this crap laying around everywhere, been in business for 40 years, etc., etc., etc... and the top guy there is basically saying to stay away from them unless they're absolutely necessary. This wasn't the first time this has happened either, same story in a different city. But, they have quite the fan base elsewhere. Thoughts? :)

The people you talked to must not know much about AT screens. I mean no disrespect to them but really they couldn't know much with that type of statment. Its just like a speaker grill, Same thing. A good one barley hinders 1 db. For a high out put speaker its like its not even there. Someones hair would hinder sound more than a good AT screen would.

 

I guess the only bad for some would be you have to hide your speakers. I love everything hidden myself. 

 

Edit: Wake could also be right with it being some kind of a sales thing. 

Edited by Pro-Cinema_Head
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The guys I have talked to were more concerned about video performance than audio, they said the perforations kill some of the resolution. Plus, yeah they like to sell huge and pretty speakers and weren't big on ugly ones that were meant to be hidden. Hiding $22,000 Revels behind an A/T screen doesn't make much sense. Both guys carried these.

I like seeing my speakers but at the same time I don't like having a different center channel that is lower in height.

Edited by MetropolisLakeOutfitters
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The guys I have talked to were more concerned about video performance than audio, they said the perforations kill some of the resolution. Plus, yeah they like to sell huge and pretty speakers and weren't big on ugly ones that were meant to be hidden. Hiding $22,000 Revels behind an A/T screen doesn't make much sense. Both guys carried these.

I like seeing my speakers but at the same time I don't like having a different center channel that is lower in height.

Perforated screens are like the ones in the HT... Mine is a weave... Maybe the weave is better for HT use?

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Perforated screens are like the ones in the HT... Mine is a weave... Maybe the weave is better for HT use?

A weave makes more sense to me than PVC with holes punched in it. Apparently if you get a weave then tilt it when cutting, the pixel layout from the projector does not match up with the perforation pattern on the screen which cancels out video problems that these guys were talking about.

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I like seeing my speakers but at the same time I don't like having a different center channel that is lower in height.

Also I don't like seeing reflections off of a nice shiny RC-64ii that is directly under the screen, it's distracting.

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I can tell you who doesn't like at screens. Videophiles. Simple. Just like some guys think speakers sound better with grills off. It's just a preference. They want is as pure as possible and at screens do lose a bit of light compared to a non at. But today's projectors totally make up for that. When I am in my theater I wanna feel like I am at the movies. And show me a movie theater that has speakers out to the side and a center under or over the screen. The experience to me doesn't get any better than at. Plus like you mentioned you can have all matching speakers behind the wall. Go at, sell your 64 buy a third rf-7ii, run em all full range like you like and the NEVER look back.

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Apparently if you get a weave then tilt it when cutting, the pixel layout from the projector does not match up with the perforation pattern on the screen which cancels out video problems that these guys were talking about.

Correct.  I bought a larger piece of fabric for that very reason. 

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Scrappy is right.  I always thought having 3 identical speakers was unnecessary and maybe over-hyped.  Not anymore.  :D   Having a LaScala as a center was a HUGE improvement over the RC-64 (and it's an awesome center channel).  With three identical speakers, with all three tweeters aligned, it's absolutely seamless across the huge sound stage.  One of the main reasons people can't use an identical speaker as a center is because the TV is in the way.  The AT screen solves that issue and allows for perfect anchoring of sound directly where the action is taking place on the screen.

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One does not spend 22 large on two speakers without caring what they look like. :)

With my new setup, my speakers will be able to be "revealed" with lighting behind the screen as well as the entire screen can be opened up on gas shocks.

 

They are completely hidden when you need them to be (watching a movie), yet easily accessible to show to guests.

 

Final-Front-Wall-1.jpg

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buy a third rf-7ii, run em all full range like you like

Just out of curiosity, has anybody ever ran an RF-7ii as a center? :)

I know what to do when building a house from scratch, at least NOW I do, but I don't know how to retrofit an AT screen when carpet is already down and trim is already installed. I'm not sure about the depth either, some of these screen manufacturers say put the speakers 12" back from the fabric, then add 12-16" for the speaker itself, assuming it is front ported or you're plugging a rear port off. You're losing 2-3' in the room if you do this. Considering I'm going short ways right now which is 15', that's a lot. Could switch the room around but then I have a door to deal with. Would be nice to go back and rebuild my house with certain things in mind but at this point that would be hard.

Do speakers really need that much clearance behind the screen? I can understand subs but for speech I can't see why this much is needed.

As for the RF-7ii's, I think they look badass so I'd have a hard time covering the left and right's up but hiding a center would be nice.

Edited by MetropolisLakeOutfitters
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