Building a Home, Want the Home Theater to Sing

[DA1984]

We are in the planning stages of building a new home and I want to make my home theater system sing both for music and movies. Well I am very strong in the equipment area (Klipsch all the way, lol) but need some advice on in-wall wiring, wiring systems, placement and archtectural stuff. I have included the floor plans of the house as attachments. I really would like to put the system in what is known as the "bonus room," it is a second living room upstairs but the "great room" is a possibility also. The "bonus room" is 19.8 x 12.2 and te "great room" is 19 x 21.

Anyway this builder I am using wires in 5.1 standard and Cat 5s the entire house, but obviously I want to go a little further for the future such as 7.1 or higher.

What is the best room?

Where should the panels be placed. (RB-35, RC-35, SVS PB1-ISD, 4 RSX-5 (fr and r channels) (perferrably on walls.) TV - Samsung HD 35in (not flat).

What style panels?

What should I know and make sure the builder knows about the system?

Speaker Placement?

What am I overlooking?

I know its a lot, but Im spending a lot and want it right, please help if you can?

[artto]

see "artto's klipschorn room" in this topic area (Architectural, ....180days)

[the plummer]

I'd like to put my two cents in on this one as I am doing the same (designing a new home, with theater included). My first imperession is to put the theater in the family room as this lends itself to ease of being on the same floor as where you would have formal entertainment. I.E. guests would not be comfortable in venturing through the house to watch a movie. Plus a fresh drink is an inconvenient venture upstairs.

Although the upstairs lends itself to an easier room to dedicate to a theater as the rectangular shape is about the right aspect to for corner placement and side speakers as in a 7.1 configuration.

My choice would be to eliminate the fireplace in the great room. I know "OUCH". But, Just think about this for a minute. Consider the guests comfort, your comfort, and maintaining the public part of your home as public. A good example of this is your upstairs bathroom is trashed from the kids and you don't have time to clean it before your gathering. If your theater is upstairs, that's where you are going to send your guests for relief.

The other issue, that I partially eluded to earlier is as follows. Have you ever tried to arrange a room full of furniture with two focal points. One being the theater screen; the other, the fireplace. This is difficult enough with just a television and fireplace, much less trying to find optimal placement of speakers and ideal seating arrangements. I think that your guests would appreciate not having to huff a flight of steps to watch a movie, get a drink, go potty, or leave early as this would be a disturbance to you also.

I hate to say it but the fireplace has to go, unless you plan to mount the screen above the fireplace and configure the center channel on the mantle above the fireplace. This is considering that your not planning to have in-wall speaker placement.

Just my two cents, good luck.

[J.4knee]

I agree use the "Great Room" but loose the fireplace. It is not an easy thing to give up and fireplaces are nice focal points but IMO they tend to make walls useless for just about anything else. Second get in contact with "arto" on this topic. Next you should also contact the folks at Auralex. (http://www.auralex.com/) they will be able to help you with room conditioning. You can send them your room set up/dimesions and they will send you ideas and recommendations. You can download the form from their web site.