Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners New HT Room Advice

Finally opened escrow on what I hope to be my house by the end of next month so I feel comfortable starting to ask for some advice about the room and setup. It’s bank owned but in perfect condition and they are only asking 85k for it when similar models in the neighborhood are on the market for 125k-150k. Maybe it’s built on an old burial ground.

The HT room is 21.5 x 13.5 x 8 to 12.5 (vaulted ceiling). Below are some pictures.

I’ve already changed my initial plans based on some threads/info here and want to get some specific feedback before I get “target lock” and go charging off in the wrong direction. So I’ll probably be starting some threads on specific topics looking for advice.

I’m going for a projector & screen setup, initially with an AT screen but recommendations to another member in a recent thread and comments/pictures by Randy about the PorterPlex V2 showed I could use a good size screen and still fit the M80s under it with a 9.5 foot ceiling. (thanks for linking to the PorterPlex V2 Pics Randy).

My plan is to make the first picture the front and build a false wall on which to hang at least a 120” x 68” 1.78:1 (16:9) screen. The false wall will run the full 13.5 width of the room but I’m not sure if I would need or benefit from completely enclosing that end of the room. Since the 3xM80s would fit under the screen I have complete freedom of placement so if they were far enough out that the first reflections off the side walls were symmetrical would the small opening that would be left to the kitchen and the larger one to the bedroom likely be a problem?

I also need some way to tame the reflections off the glass in pictures #2 and #3 as well as eliminate light intrusion. Not sure if curtains would be enough for either job?

Originally I planned to put the equipment in the closet in picture #3 but I will likely store all the media in the office through the double doors in the same picture. So I’m thinking now it might be easier (especially when wearing my eye patch) to have everything all in the same room.

I’m also going to be looking for info on the following:

Projector/screen combos (total noob here despite much reading)
Room treatments
HT furniture/accessories. (some ideas already at the end of the thread)

This end opens to a bedroom on the right and the kitchen on the left. The ceiling is 9.5 feet where it meets the closest wall.



The other end with an arcadia door to the backyard on the left, front door on back right and double door to an office on the right.



Side view of the office doors and hallway with double wide closet.



ACCESSORIES (so far)

Part of the garage (not pictured) will include something like this converted for natural gas.



And they tried to tell me that the gas hookup was for a dryer.

And the kitchen will have something like this.

200K gets you a starter home around here. I would be luckey to find a one bedroom condo here for that price.

85K!! what's the catch? does Rosanne bar sunbathe next door?

I have been surprised by the light and acoustic control that good curtains plus "blackout" curtains provide. My room was very bright and I knocked it down dramatically with this simple addition. It also helped the reflections (audio) as it is a heavy drape that is non-rigid and non-uniform (pleats, etc). My plan is next to cover every doorway so that for "Daddy's happy time" I pull all the curtains closed and block the light and trap the sound. When the room must be seen by non-me’s, then we open the curtains and reveal the windows and doors. Not cheap, but not ridiculously expensive. You can do your patio doors, for example, for the price of some Transparent Audio Speaker Cable! Oh, and plan to go wider than the window by a good 12" on each side with the top curtain so you don't get any light. The blackout curtain also comes with Velcro on the edges to make it tightly grasp the inside of the window frame. Very effective.

You guys got me on what’s going on. It did sort of remind me of that episode of the X-Files where if your street light went out some monster from the HOA came and ate you. When my realtor and I first drove up we each looked up and down the street in opposite directions and then at each other and I said “that’s creepy.” the neighborhood looked like it was ready for a Marine Corps IG inspection. No clutter or visible cars but ours and every recycle bin including for the empty bank owned houses were out and positioned exactly the same relative to the curb. I’m talking Twilight Zone/Stepford Wives creepy.

But seriously I am wondering what people think about the best way to build the false wall for the screen at the open end of the room (first picture). I’m inherently lazy so if I could just build the wall and not have to enclose the whole end of the room that would be nice but I’m worried that big doorway to the right will cause problems.



Hey Zimm, thanks for the info on the blackout curtains. Do you think the curtains could be set up to stop all the light intrusion or will they need some help. I ask because in my apartment I had a total blackout DIY setup and found that the darker I got it the more annoying even the tiniest amount of light was. I didn’t know that some come with Velcro sides so I was considering both blackout blinds topped with blackout curtains to stop the light.

Thanks,
Dean

That is going to be one awesome room Dean. The vaulted ceilings really open things up... I've thought about temporarily removing my front stage so I could move my 80's under the screen, and even consider a 3rd m80's for the center. Also, I could move my left/right m80 a bit closer and fit my 350's on the outside corners versus between the two. Or, maybe some day I'll get some SVS PC13 Ultra cylinders to fit in the corners..... ok come back to reality Randy.

When you mentioned in another thread that w/o our stage your M80s would fit under the screen that was the clincher for me to ditch the AT screen idea. I like the look the stage gives your setup but to have total freedom of placement for my front speakers I’ll forgo it.

One question, how far is your seating and how is the vertical viewing angle? The screen being to high was my only worry about this setup. If I go with one row of seats they will be about 14-15 feet back.

Also Randy, you are running your EP350s off the subwoofer out and not using stereo subwoofers correct? Just wondering as some time down the road I was thinking about trying stereo subwoofers.

I agree about the openness of the sound with the vaulted ceiling. The rooms in every other house I saw that had vaulted ceilings were very poorly shaped for HT/audio. I had held out 4 months looking for a rectangular room with a vaulted ceiling. That day I had given up and was going back to decide which of another model with a 12 x 16 x 8 master bedroom I would put a bid in on. Jami, my realtor said why don’t we at least go look at this one that came on the market 2 days ago since it’s the only floor plan in the development I hadn’t seen. It was love at first sight.

And the added coolness was that when the people had that house built they elected to have the bedroom through the double doors made into an office/den. So instead of a closet there’s a built in desk and shelves. Perfect for a media/computer room.

Cheers,
Dean

Wow.

Same phrase, totally different meaning here.

First, don’t kid yourself, that is creepy sounding. Check the backyard for recent signs of digging... 6x3 holes would concern me. Also check for scratching on the inside of closet doors etc. Finally, if they are so tight with their recycle bins, are they going to like 3 M80's plus who knows what sub-works you have, going off on Master and Commander? Just thinking, they may put you in the recycle bin.



I don't want to oversell it so let me be more exact. I found the light blocking at all points except the edges to be 100% - i.e., the material is effective. At the edges you have two problems - seems down the middle of the panels and window edges. The middle seem has Velcro and then is covered by the outer nice looking drape so it is very dark, but I could not say absolute dark. The side edges, once velcroed, are as dark as the middle. You do have to work to get all holes covered, but once you do that it is dark.

Here is the one trouble spot I have not fixed - the top. Because the whole rig hangs on a pole, it is about 2 inches from the window frame. That is good for doors etc, as you don't have to impede their utility when opened, but you do have to deal with light coming over the top as the top of the drape does not got to the wall. If I was planning ahead, I would have bought a blackout about 12" longer than needed. Then staple/sew velcro across the top (horizontally) at the height of the window frame. That way you just run your hand across the top and around the sides to seal out the light by making contact along 3 sides (assuming it drops to the floor like mine).

I have a curtain over another opening that has the "blackout" built into the curtain, and it is only about 50% as effective as the double setup I am describing with the separate blackout drape under the "pretty" (and also heavy) drapes. Bought the blackout at Bed Bath and Beyond so nothing exotic (about $50 per 4x8 cover, I think???). Good news is a place like that lets you bring it back if it is not dark enough! Big plus.

Yeah I’m planning to pull the moving truck right up to the garage so they can’t see me unloading the audio equipment. No reason to have them looking for something to complain about.

You are right about possible sound leakage to the outside. All these houses are wood frame stucco and pass sound easier than I’d like. I figure the false wall for the screen will help control the sound going out the kitchen wall (another reason I might just go aheaad and enclose that whole end of the room. After that the only really bad sound leakage to the outside will be through the back wall and the part of the side wall with the arcadia door. I’m thinking about enclosing the patio and installing a Jacuzzi which should also help attenuate sound leaving that way. That should just leave the back wall. Not sure what to do with that if it’s a problem. Might have to cover it with an assortment of acoustical treatments since I don’t really want to build another false wall back there.

Might be a mute point if it isn’t that loud outside. Who am I kidding, Master and Commander will be as loud as hell out there. Well at least there’s no WAF issues to work around.

Thanks for all the info on the curtains Zimm that’s really helpful. I’ve been hoping that some sort of curtain based solution would work since I want to be able to let the light in when I want it. For some beer the guys at the parachute shop at work will sew custom curtains for me so if I can get the bulk material I can get them made-to-order relatively cheap. Cheaper if I do the sewing on their machines myself.

Cheers,
Dean