krusty46 Posted June 29, 2003 Share Posted June 29, 2003 We're doing some remodeling of my house and it looks like I'm getting my own room to do with as I please :-) The room is being built from scratch and I was wondering if people here could share some pointers with me from their own experiences with building a Home Theater. I wont have money for new gear, so I will be sticking with what I own for right now. The biggest problem I think I have is the size of the room which will only be 12' x 12'. Any thoughts on wiring, outlets, insulation, where to put the door, lighting, etc. Basically anything you felt you may have done differently in hindsight or thought worked out really well the first time. Sorry if its a little open ended, I'll share more info if needed. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted June 29, 2003 Share Posted June 29, 2003 Put the door as close to a corner as you can, so it does not interfere with speaker placement. In a perfectly square room, reflections and interference will be double plus ungood. In this case I'd look into some real sound treatments, like SoundBusters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted June 29, 2003 Share Posted June 29, 2003 I agree, if your are building it, change something to get away from 12 x 12. I'd angle the ceiling or build some sort of cathedral ceiling, too. Angled walls work. Hint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krusty46 Posted June 29, 2003 Author Share Posted June 29, 2003 I cant angle the ceiling very much since a second floor will be going right above it and its only an 8' ceiling to begin with. 12x12 is the max size, but do you guys feel I'd be better off if I did and 11x12 or a 10x12? I could always build a wall out or build shelving into a wall for the components. If I put a fake wall up, it would help insulate the room from the rest of the house. Two of the walls are shared with outside walls and the third wall is shared with my laundry room. So if i built a double wall that is shared with my living room, It would cut down on noise so I can crank everything up and it would make the room more rectangular. But 10x12 is kinda small, no? How about reflective panels on the wall or maybe building cd and dvd racks onto the side walls. Thanks again. Getting back to the angled walls--you mean to start out as a 10' across and work up to 12' across? I would want it narrower in the front? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 There are many "magic" room sizes... but the best bet would be to avoid room dimensions which are divisible by common factors. You didn't mention the height of your room either, this could be critical as it will also affect room resonances and standings waves. You want to avoid rooms like 8x16x8 as each dimension is a factor of the next. Your room also has a similar problem as 12x12x? where the walls factors of each other and the ceiling, whether 8' or 9', share a common factor with the walls. How about 10'3" by 12'1" by 8'1" (123x145x97)? You can adjust the sizes but that is the basic principal... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Check this URL: http://www.damononline.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Web_Links&file=index&req=visit&lid=6 That forwards to a page that talks about optimal room dimensions. Given the space you have to work with, 10.24 feet by 12.32 feet with an 8 foot ceiling is a golden ratio for sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Krusty Looks like Damon you are refering to the Golden mean. The Golden mean is designed for listening and has problems when it comes to speakers generating sound in the rear half of the room. A golden mean in OK for HT but is designed mor for 2 or 3 channel listening with the speakers in the front of the room. For HT, I would build the room as big as you can. Other pointers not mentioned here, run grey PVC conduit to speaker locations so you can repull as needed in the future. Re-enforse the corner that you are going to put your sub in. Go 8 or 12" centers on the studs or if you want 16" centers, tie them together with several 2x4s running at an angle to stiffen the corner. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Are you saying the sub will in fact do structural damage? I have heard this but thought it was an old wives' tale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 It shouldn't do any structural damage but it will keep away unwanted vibrations and will maximize wanted vibrations. My sub is near a window and I have to stick a wedge between the top & bottom window section or it rattles when the sub is cranking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 ---------------- On 6/30/2003 9:54:15 AM damonrpayne wrote: Are you saying the sub will in fact do structural damage? I have heard this but thought it was an old wives' tale? ---------------- Damon I assume you are talking about my post about re-enforcing the corner. It is not to avoid structural damage, but to keep the walls from absorbing the sound translating its energy into useless unwanted vibrations. Having a more ridgid wall will help the sound bounce into the room where we want it resulting into a more efficient and better sounding Sub. FWIW - This is also recomended for Khorn corners too although that is not the topic here. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbflash Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 I'm kinda getting started to do what you are doing. This is what I have come up with so far. 1. Min of 2 20A dedicated power runs for equipment. 2. No flourence lights. 3 Pocket Door into the room and into the closet. I don't want any door's close to any corner. Who knows were that sub or Khorn is going to end up. 4. No suspended ceiling. 5. Ceiling fan unless I go with projection tv. Go look up Artto and read his post's. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 ---------------- On 6/30/2003 6:03:54 PM dbflash wrote: 3 Pocket Door into the room and into the closet. 5. Ceiling fan unless I go with projection tv. ---------------- Quick questions for you... I don't intend on having one in either case, but do ceiling fans have a electrical problem with only projection TV's? Or just because it might be in the way? Secondly, why pocket doors? Convenience factor? The way I see it, the wall will be structurally weaker with them, and any potential rattles will be harder the chase down... It's also easier to add a acoustic seal / drop sill on a std door. just wondering... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbflash Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 Rob, I don't intend on having one in either case, but do ceiling fans have a electrical problem with only projection TV's? Or just because it might be in the way? I'm not sure yet where I am going to hang the projector on the ceiling.If its behind the ceiling fan the projector will have to be hung lower than the fan. I have read that ceiling fans has caused ripple on the AC feed. If your equipment is on dedicated AC power feeds this should not be a problem. I am adding a ceiling fan in my 2 channel room. I love ceiling fans. I have one in every room except the Bathroom. Secondly, why pocket doors? Convenience factor? The way I see it, the wall will be structurally weaker with them, and any potential rattles will be harder the chase down... It's also easier to add a acoustic seal / drop sill on a std door. Doors just get in the way. The room I'm going to use for HT use to be a sewing shop. The previous ownwer was a seamstress. There are two big closests that she stored sewing machines, etc. The doors are in the corners. I have to rip out the closets and build a fake wall across the room. I still want to have storage space behind this wall. I am going to put a pocket door in the wall so I can get into the room. I don't want a door swinging in to either the room or the closet. It's just me. The doors that are there now swing into the room. Every time I need to get into the closet I hit my sub. I was going to put up curtains over the the opening for the pocket door. This is just me. Every room that I have ever used for either 2 ch or HT there has been a door or door opening in the way. The way the front door is now I had to put my surround's above the door. The couch is butted up against this 2nd front door. I am going to remove this door when I redo the room. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 Ok that clarifies it... I was wondering if I had overlooked something or if these items were convenience factor for your case. There are so many items to consider when adding a music/HT room to an existing house, often times they are controlled by non-audio factors. I have a basement area that I've been wanting to convert myself, but I too have different compromises. By the way, I think moving doors away from the corners is a good idea for the same reason... you never know where that sub or k-horn will go. Later... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iXtreme Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 A few quick things I have learned too: - Run an audio cable from potential computer location to the receiver for playback of MP3's and such from the computer. Great for parties. - If you have built in lights and plan to add dimmers to them, go easy on the load from the dimmer as heavily loaded dimmers can make an annoying buzzing noise. Especially if they are the cheaper kind of dimmer. The more dimmers you use, the better room ambiance you will have control over. - If you have satellite, run an extra coax cable from your unused cablevision service entrance (probably beside your panel) in case you decide to go back to cable. - Keep your loads on wall outlets lean so you can add to them if needed later or put a heavy load on them if needed without tripping breakers. - Keep TV on seperate circuit from room lighting as turning TV on will make lights flicker.... annoying if you have this problem like I did in my old house. - Insulate the walls, you'll be glad you did. Won't keep inside sounds from coming out as that is near impossible but will help keep quiter than your stereo outside sounds from coming in. - Sometimes it's easier to plan your room around your seating then the other way around. Seating is HUGELY important to having an enjoyable experience. - Be creative with sound controlling options. Bass traps are very expensive and can be matched quite closely with other means. See the attached pic of my theater in construction for an idea of what I mean. Look at the angles at the ceiling forming a rounded like corner. These are all around the room. I'll post if I think of anything else. Hopefully some of this gives you some ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krusty46 Posted July 11, 2003 Author Share Posted July 11, 2003 Thanks to all. This is exactly what I've been looking for. If I wanted to keep my options open to add a ceiling mounted LCD projector in the future, I would just need an outlet in the ceiling? And I guess maybe a PVC tube run so that I could pass a video cable through later on? I cant afford to hire a local shop for plans/ideas so I'm trying to figure out what I need on my own. I'm lucky the wife is letting me have this room :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruinsrme Posted July 11, 2003 Share Posted July 11, 2003 Not sure if the walls are already there or not but this one gutted room I saw today was being built for an HT. The room was studded with 2x6 and the first 4 feet of the wall board was durarock, usally used in bathrooms it is tough to cut but is a lot stronger than wall board. Anyway the entire room had 2x8s running between the studs just like they would in a kitchen for cabinets. great idea if you want to mount rears and sides. Good luck scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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