Lets see YOUR Home Theater:

[bonedoctor]

Very nice looking room Bone, very neat and clean. Nice flag

Thanks. The guy I bought the house from had a theater in a box 5.1 system with the rear Klipsch surrounds (some 3650s). He had a local company do the set up including running the wiring to the two mains and a 75 ohm coaxial cable for the sub. I upgraded the rear surrounds to the 5800s and added the THX surrounds for a 7.1 system, then added the front height THX speakers when I got the Denon receiver (I had been using the Yamaha receiver). I have easy access to the entire ceiling from the attic, so it's not a bad job to run wires. I really was going for a clean installation. All eighteen speakers run from the Denon receiver in the BDI stand below the TV. They're all Klipsch, from 3650s to 5800s to the THX Ultra 2s, to the RF-7s and the RC-64. Only the sub isn't Klipsch. Hey, gotta go with the home town team....I live in Arkansas and Hope is just down the interstate from me. I bought a 6 speaker Sonance controller and will probably add a pair to the office and a pair in the other bedroom. It's just been too damned hot here this summer to even think about going up in the attic space.

The TV is sitting in really the only space for it to go. I had to find the biggest screen that would fit and then find a matching stand I liked. The TV and the BDI Revo stand are virtually the exact same width. When I sell the house, the system will probably just go with it, minus the RF-7s maybe.

The flag is my father's service flag from his funeral in 1976. He was a WWII vet and fought in Germany.

[Youthman]

It's about 14 feet from the speaker to the 'sweet spot' on the couch, so I'm not sure if it would make much difference. Haven't tried it though.

You might be surprised at how much difference it makes. I had an RC-7 and wasn't really impressed with it until someone suggested that I angle it down. It made a huge difference in my setup but it was about 5' off the ground and the couch was about 10ft away.

And, yes, it's a Canon 5D Mark II, just got it. I'm curious how you knew.

I zoomed in to the reflection on your TV, inverted the image and read the logo off the front of your camera.

Ok....I think that only works in the movies. [] I downloaded your image and looked at the EXIF data. It tells all of the camera settings when you took the photo (F-stop, Shutter Speed, Focal Length and camera model).

[bonedoctor]

Another angle, looking towards the kitchen area. The room is about 1000 sq feet, not counting the kitchen, but the system will get plenty loud. The sub is about 22 ft from the sofa, but it'll shake the floor and you feel it sitting on the sofa. I think it probably helps the sound pressure with such a big room that the floors aren't covered and the walls also provide some reflection. The rug and big furniture seem to provide just about the right amount of damping and I've never had any problems with reverb or reflectance, like what you experience when trying to talk inside a racquetball court.

[bonedoctor]

It's about 14 feet from the speaker to the 'sweet spot' on the couch, so I'm not sure if it would make much difference. Haven't tried it though.

You might be surprised at how much difference it makes. I had an RC-7 and wasn't really impressed with it until someone suggested that I angle it down. It made a huge difference in my setup but it was about 5' off the ground and the couch was about 10ft away.

And, yes, it's a Canon 5D Mark II, just got it. I'm curious how you knew.

I zoomed in to the reflection on your TV, inverted the image and read the logo off the front of your camera.

Ok....I think that only works in the movies. I downloaded your image and looked at the EXIF data. It tells all of the camera settings when you took the photo (F-stop, Shutter Speed, Focal Length and camera model).

I'll give it a try angling the center channel. It sits about 65 inches high now.

Ahh, I knew there had to be some sort of embedded data that gave me away. I first shot the pics at 21 megapixels, but they wouldn't load, so dropped down to a smaller file setting. Still can't get one file to load even at the lower resolution.

[Islander]

If you shrink the file down to about 200Kb, it will load easily and look fine onscreen. That's the file size I use whenever I post photos here or email them to friends.

BTW, beautiful home and system.

[Rivernuggets]

And, yes, it's a Canon 5D Mark II, just got it. I'm curious how you knew.

I zoomed in to the reflection on your TV, inverted the image and read the logo off the front of your camera.

Ok....I think that only works in the movies.

Nice.

Watched Blade Runner a couple weeks ago - great great movie. Gotta see it at least once a year.

Excellent room and setup, bonedoctor.

[The Dude]

Looking good !! Nice job !! Very elegant HT

I agree, looks like it could be in a magazine.

[bonedoctor]

And, yes, it's a Canon 5D Mark II, just got it. I'm curious how you knew.

I zoomed in to the reflection on your TV, inverted the image and read the logo off the front of your camera.

Ok....I think that only works in the movies.

Nice.

Watched Blade Runner a couple weeks ago - great great movie. Gotta see it at least once a year.

Excellent room and setup, bonedoctor.

Yep, Blade Runner. I remember seeing it in the theater in 1982. I just bought the 5 disc set. The version without the narration really is much better. On another note, a blu ray disc that'll knock your socks off visually and sound wise is Baraka. Check it out!

[bonedoctor]

If you shrink the file down to about 200Kb, it will load easily and look fine onscreen. That's the file size I use whenever I post photos here or email them to friends.

BTW, beautiful home and system.

Here's the file that wouldn't load, so I'll try again. I got this cool theater sign off eBay. A guy makes them custom for you. Lotus Valley is the name of the small neighborhood where I live. Lucky coincidence is that the script Lotus Valley matches the script on the nice sign at the front of our neighborhood. The guy can do this style or a more vertical style sign, complete with custom slogans and custom logos. Cost about $100 total for sign and shipping.

If anybody would like his information, I can give it to you.

[dtel]

I like the way the rooms are arranged, very nice, the colors are cool,[H] warm really, looks great.

[CECAA850]

If anybody would like his information, I can give it to you.

You can post it or PM me, thanks.

Carl.

[mbajner]

bonedoctor

looks like you could use a very large front projection system in that room, that would really make it

[Rivernuggets]

And, yes, it's a Canon 5D Mark II, just got it. I'm curious how you knew.

I zoomed in to the reflection on your TV, inverted the image and read the logo off the front of your camera.

Ok....I think that only works in the movies.

Nice.

Watched Blade Runner a couple weeks ago - great great movie. Gotta see it at least once a year.

Excellent room and setup, bonedoctor.

Yep, Blade Runner. I remember seeing it in the theater in 1982. I just bought the 5 disc set. The version without the narration really is much better. On another note, a blu ray disc that'll knock your socks off visually and sound wise is Baraka. Check it out!

I was seven in '82 [:$], and remember watching it in my early teens. Looked cool as all hell and I didn't know what the hell was going on. Can't watch that one with a short attention span.

I've drooled over that 5 disc set many a time. I like knowing the background that the narration provides, then never watching that version again and staying with the 'quiet' version.

Rock On.

[psg]

Gorgeous home Dr!

[bonedoctor]

Thanks. The whole house is painted in slightly different terra cotta shades. The ceiling in the main room is a little lighter and makes the room look bigger. A woman who lived with me insisted it was 'peach' and that we should repaint. Notice that there's no woman in the picture and that the walls are still the same color! But anyway, here's another angle. I turn the lights on in the alcoves above the shelves as a little bias light so that it doesn't hurt your eyes. I also usually set the TV to 'cinema' which isn't quite as bright.

Yes, the arrangement of the rooms is one of the things that caught my eye and why I bought the house. The other rooms all open off the main room and there are no hallways in the house. The kitchen is completely open to the main room, too, and you can clearly see and hear the movie even standing in the kitchen. I had to buy some large furniture to fit the room.

[bonedoctor]

Here's his eBay user name: roger_signs (include the understrike). He makes all different kinds of signs from home theater, to poker rooms, to bars, businesses, etc. I don't have any connection to him, just happened to run across his signs while looking for something else.

[jacksonbart]

Nice Theater, must be good to be the bone doctor. Top Notch!!

[psg]

And I thought there was only ONE bone doctor...

Nice Theater, must be good to be the bone doctor. Top Notch!!

[bonedoctor]

Nice Theater, must be good to be the bone doctor. Top Notch!!

Even the bone doctor isn't immune from the crummy economy. I did all the work and wiring myself over a couple of weekends. I got a killer deal on the THX surrounds from Vann's for $399 each, ordered two of 'em. Had a little anxiety sawing two gigantic holes in the ceiling, but those big round grilles really blend in with the round recessed lights and they're not even noticeable. I bought the TV (it was about $4K), had the original Yamaha receiver and used my Yamaha carousel player for a while. Bought the Oppo blu ray player and splurged on the Denon receiver. The Panamax was worth the money if just for peace of mind protecting this stuff. The BDI stand was fairly expensive, but fit into the space perfectly and swivels left and right (the TV doesn't). Bought the RF-7s locally for $1400. I got a second set of THX speakers used off eBay for seems like around $700-800 and those are the front height channels. I don't think I would have popped for them at $999 MSRP, but they sure do disappear in the room and do sound nice. I like the way there's not much equipment to be seen. The SVS sub was about $1300, I think. Spent a couple hundred on wiring (I used 16 gauge), did all the work in the attic, including fishing wires down the inside of the wall between the TV and the fireplace, put in all the data port outlets, wired everything myself (not much fun to remove the Yamaha and put the Denon in its place). I was always pretty good at setting up stereos back in the day, but things sure have gotten complicated.

I have a Sonance 4 speaker control box for Klipsch ceiling speakers in the master bedroom, bathroom, and the two decks and wired them into the Zone 2 of the Denon receiver. Got the receiver all set up for 9.1 and then couldn't for the life of me figure out why the sonance box didn't seem to be getting any sound. I figured that there was some conflict with the 9.1 system, so switched back to 7.1 (the speakers had been working), but still no sound when it had worked before. Luckily, the Denon has an on-screen menu that's not too complicated and I finally figured out that the 9.1 arrangement takes over the Zone 2 amplifier. When you switch back to 7.1 (if you want to used the 4 other sets of speakers), just gotta go into the setup menu and tell it to 'turn on' Zone 2 again. Only little glitch I found, but it had me stumped for a few weeks. Guess that's one of the benefits of wiring everything up yourself, you have a little better knowledge of how everything's connected. Case in point, the PO didn't know anything about HT, had a local company wire up his HT in a box. When he was moving, he said something about just 'cutting' all the wires to remove his system. I quickly said, 'don't do that, I do it for you'.

[bonedoctor]

Here's a shot of the wiring behind the BDI cabinet. I used those data port outlets (bought at Lowe's) that have the stiff fibers covering the opening, so there's more room for the cables. The wiring is 16 gauge. The main power cord goes to the Panamax box, then everything is connected to it. I bundled everything with zip ties and have the pairs of speaker wires together for each speaker. The Denon in the stand controls 18 speakers. The Zone 2 is wired to the Sonance box, then 4 pairs of speakers are coming off the box. I've got a new 6 speaker Sonance box, but haven't installed and don't have the other two pairs of speakers bought yet. Currently there are 18 speakers hooked up, can bring up to 22 total if I get around to adding the other two pairs. I actually meant to buy the Sonance model with the volume controllers and inadvertently bought the non-volume control version off eBay, but it was fairly inexpensive. The speakers on the two decks have in-wall volume controls, so no biggie anyway since they're the ones that is nice not to have to walk back inside to control.

The sub is wired using 75 ohm coaxial cable (that's how they did it when building the house) and I just crimped on RCA phono plug connectors (they did have it kinda jury rigged using zip cord spliced onto the end of the coaxial cable since the PO's system didn't have the phono plug connections, just spring loaded speaker connections. The coaxial cable goes up into the attic, then over to the far corner (the sub is that black cylinder about 25 feet away), comes down in the corner and out through an electrical outlet cover. You don't see any of the wiring. The mains have only about 4 feet of wiring to be seen, so the whole installation looks very clean, especially with the in-ceiling speakers. It just sort looks like a typical stereo system (the components are hidden behind the smoked glass doors of the BDI stand), but it sounds like a big theater when you fire it up. If I sell the house, I'll probably make the system part of the house and sell it along with everything as a really neat feature. That way, the new owner doesn't have to buy a bunch of stuff to hook up. It'll be a turn-key system, 9.1 surround sound (thought about going up to 9.2 with another SVS sub in the opposite corner), with speakers in each room and on both patios. Nice sound systems seem to becoming the 'norm' with houses these days, so probably would help it sell (it helped with me having the beginnings of a nice sound system in place that I greatly expanded).