Home Theater Room Dimensions for Audio and Viewing

[psi4pwr91]

So I have finally found a floorplan that I really like, and I've looked at some good pieces and parts to put everything together. Now I need to find out how well they will work together. I plan on putting the home theater room in the basement of a new construction home. At least two walls of the room will be poured concrete, while the remaining walls will be 2x6 construction. The concrete form dimensions for the total room will be 14Wx18L' and either a 9 or 10' high ceiling. This is where I need some help. I want to mount in wall speakers, so I figure that I will have to fill the room in with 2x6 walls and then tape and texture them. This should reduce every dimension but the floor by 1'. I'm worried about the seating position and the audio reflection and absorbtion. Does anyone have any recommendations?

[ILoveC4]

Try avsforum. You'll get more responses on this topic there.

[dentalben]

You'll get a lot of opinions so I'll add mine: Serious audiophile guys will want pretty exact specs for spacing, speaker placement, etc. In a room that size however, unless you're the only person that's ever going to use it and sit in the "sweet spot", it doesn't make too much of a difference where you put the speakers (as long as they're relatively in the right place). There's a lot to consider when planning this type of room and it sort of boils down to how serious do you want to get and how much are you willing to pay. There are a number of forums (see previous post) that will give you guidance on speaker placement, etc as well as wall acoustic materials, bass traps, etc, etc. In-wall speakers aren't that deep (as compared to in-ceiling) so 2x4 walls on the poured concrete should be fine, which will save you 4-5 inches over 2x6, unless you want the added insulation.

Basically, try to lay out where your seating will be and plan your speaker setup accordingly. Do you want 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 9.1, 9.2? For your dimensions, 6.1 or 7.1 would probably work best with the right speakers (I'd go with Definitive Tech). Good luck!

[CFUG]

^At the risk of starting something, I'd go Mirage over DT...

[thecodeman]

There's a free iOS app called home theater assistant that you might try.

[safety1st]

^At the risk of starting something, I'd go Mirage over DT...

At the risk of starting something?! I can honestly say I never thought I would here anyone say such a thing!! No judgement, just a drastic difference in sound. Why the Mirage over DT?

I agree with the comments so far that it depends on how particular you want to be with this set up. I've seen some crazy non-negotiables for some movie rooms in my time. We had someone with a similar size room and they just had to have a Def Tech Trinity sub. It is underutilized and looks ridiculously huge in the room. We also have someone in a similar size family room that has 30k+ in a B&W/McIntosh 7.1 set up.

I would be curious to know how the concrete would affect sound and would lean towards the 2x6 idea w plenty of insulation for dampening. That being said B&W has back boxes for their speakers that would isolate the speaker from the concrete part of the wall. Also, running the audio calibration on the AVR to my knowledge is designed to allow it to listen to how the room affects the sound and adjust accordingly. Acoustic treatments will never hurt and a call the Mfg of your speaker of choice may also prove handy.

My realistic dream set up would be a Marantz AV7005 for processing paired with a MM7055 & MM7025 for power. I am undecided on the B&W vs MartinLogan front, however I would/do lean more towards the ML subs.

[CFUG]

Ease-up. This thread is about architecture and not brand loyalty. But, since someone brought DT I thought I'd chime-in. I've heard both and prefer Mirage. Plain & simple.

[safety1st]

no worries just curious. Both companies have a great sound no matter where you sit in a room. They just go about it in 2 different design methods.

Bottom line is I'd be concerned if there wasnt quite a bit of insulation between my in-wall speaker and a slab of concrete. Other than that running a good calibration software after connections are made would in theory make up for any speaker placement or room acoustic deficiencies.

[cdepaola]

I have to agree that post at AVS is going to provide the answered your looking for. A bit of a hint is to post on the Official Triad Speaker thread. One of the best theater builders in the world, Dennis Erskin, post there and helps folks out with things like this regularly.

In-Wall Gold LCR's over DT or Mirage

[HookedOnC4]

I never heard of these speakers or even the James loudspeakers before I bought them a couple of months ago but very happy with the James loudspeakers and their subs. It probably depends on your budget.

Codeman, I downloaded that app thanks.

[LSDave]

With peoples tastes being soo different, its crazy to be recommending speakers over a forum. Just buy what sounds good to you in your budget. Personally, i prefer Focal for my music listening. I also have a mix of Focals up front and Def. Techs in the read for movie watching. And bottom end is being handled by an old HGS servo subwoofer from Velodyne.