KillHour posted:

That room is beige-on-beige-on-beige with dorm room furniture from Target. Try burning your house down and building a less depressing one with the insurance money.

Hold The Ashes posted:

nothing but sewing

Hold The Ashes posted:

Thanks, looking into all of that now.

It probably would've helped if I'd said we and the wife have 5 bedrooms empty now that all the kids are gone, so I had to claim this room quickly before she made it into her second room for nothing but sewing

Animale posted:

Speakers are Dynaudio Emit M10s and the center is the corresponding center. The tv is 32", old and from like 2008, I need to update but I don't have space for something too huge. In the cabinet I have a Denon x4200, an xbone, wii, PS2, and PS3 and my sub which is a Waterfall Highforce 1. The record player is a Rega RP1 w/ perf pack that I got for nothing when Insound went under. All Art is by James Jean. Booze is all stuff people have left behind.

Animale posted:

I did a little updating. The biggest thing is I changed out the TV to a Sony 940e and got a PS4 Pro and a Switch. I need to do something to place the center above the TV at some point.

Rinaldi posted:

I have a future AV set-up in the works. We have a partially finished basement and are considering turning one of the unfinished rooms into a theater. I've budgeted for the remodel but haven't started talking to any contractors yet. We initially were thinking it'd be a fun long-term DIY project but seeing as how we don't have any experience in framing, drywalling, etc and that we want it to actually not look like garbage, we decided to leave some of that up to professionals. So, I'm hoping to get some advice;



Pic from what will likely be the back of the room.




Pic from the front looking back. To the left is the finished portion of the basement. To the right is an unfinished room we are using for storage. That white pipe is for the radon mitigation system.


Yes, it is currently dingy and gross. The stuff on the walls was there when we bought it. The rough room dimensions are 21' x 11.5' with a ceiling that is 7'10" tall.

I've never built a theater but here are some ideas:

-We probably need to frame it. There's piping for our radon mitigation system in the back so we'd need to figure out a way to frame around it but keep it accessible I guess? What kind of stuff is reasonable to keep the rattling down and insulate the sound? I want it to be decent and don't want to sound like a dumbass talking to the contractor. I've read putting rock wool or some other kind of insulation behind the drywall is a good idea.

-The ceiling. The ceiling isn't very tall so we can't really do a drop ceiling. I'm guessing we just do a standard ceiling or small drop and stuff some sort of insulation up there?

-Wiring and lights. Currently there are no outlets, so we'll have to get an electrician to add some. We'd also add an outlet on the ceiling to plug the projector in. We would get rid of those two fluorescent lights and maybe do dimmable rope lights in crown moulding? Maybe wall sconces?

-Equipment - Obviously need a projector, screen, and speakers. I'll worry about those specifics later. I'm thinking freestanding speakers.
In-wall looks better but seem like a pain and I'm guessing not as functional. Would anything higher than 5.1 be worth it? I'm thinking I'll put the equipment rack in an adjacent unfinished room to free up space and decrease heat in the room.

-Ventilation - There are a couple vents in the nearby finished part of the basement, but none in this unfinished room. It stays cool year-round, maybe chilly in the winter but that's what blankets are for. I was planning on leaving it without vents unless the heat from a single projector would somehow cause the temperature to rise to unpleasant levels.

So, that's where I'm at so far. Any opinions or suggestions? Does anyone that has already been through the process of building a theater have any pearls of wisdom or warnings of potential pitfalls?

n.. posted:

Honestly, I don't think you need to frame that at all. For a proper theater, you'd hang heavy black theater drapes all around the room. Not only will this dampen the sound but it will making hiding the cables and everything stupidly easy. Of course it will also cover up the existing walls and make it look like a theater.

The Dave posted:

You also might want to check out some of the threads in DIY like Fix it Fast and Interior Design.

Is there a bathroom close to that room? That's would be like my biggest concern as I now have the bladder of a 60 year old.

eddiewalker posted:

Couple things: the basement is well-insulated, but has no heating or cooling. (We redirected all of the basement ducting to the vaulted room above where more service was desperately needed)

As a result, its a perfect 73 down there all summer, but low/mid-60s in the winter, so a 5000BTU electric unit sounds like a great cheap way to take the chill out as needed. Plus, I’ve already got a hole in the wall. Seems worth using rather than losing floor to a stove.

Second, the room is very short, just barely 7ft, so I don’t think the TV is really as high as it looks in that picture. Center would be maybe 60”

I don’t think that’s quite miserable front-row height, but I didn’t realize the aim was supposed to be for eye-level.

I suppose if I chisel out the bottom row of white fire bricks, I could move the electric insert down a few inches. That, plus moving the center channel speaker to the top could bring the tv center down to maybe 45” (as long as heat on the screen doesn’t become an issue.)

n.. posted:

Honestly, I don't think you need to frame that at all. For a proper theater, you'd hang heavy black theater drapes all around the room. Not only will this dampen the sound but it will making hiding the cables and everything stupidly easy. Of course it will also cover up the existing walls and make it look like a theater.

Hold The Ashes posted:

Both equally dickish and weird considering how cheap and lovely your own setups you keep posting look

Rinaldi posted:

I have a future AV set-up in the works. We have a partially finished basement and are considering turning one of the unfinished rooms into a theater. I've budgeted for the remodel but haven't started talking to any contractors yet. We initially were thinking it'd be a fun long-term DIY project but seeing as how we don't have any experience in framing, drywalling, etc and that we want it to actually not look like garbage, we decided to leave some of that up to professionals. So, I'm hoping to get some advice;



Pic from what will likely be the back of the room.




Pic from the front looking back. To the left is the finished portion of the basement. To the right is an unfinished room we are using for storage. That white pipe is for the radon mitigation system.


Yes, it is currently dingy and gross. The stuff on the walls was there when we bought it. The rough room dimensions are 21' x 11.5' with a ceiling that is 7'10" tall.

I've never built a theater but here are some ideas:

-We probably need to frame it. There's piping for our radon mitigation system in the back so we'd need to figure out a way to frame around it but keep it accessible I guess? What kind of stuff is reasonable to keep the rattling down and insulate the sound? I want it to be decent and don't want to sound like a dumbass talking to the contractor. I've read putting rock wool or some other kind of insulation behind the drywall is a good idea.

-The ceiling. The ceiling isn't very tall so we can't really do a drop ceiling. I'm guessing we just do a standard ceiling or small drop and stuff some sort of insulation up there?

-Wiring and lights. Currently there are no outlets, so we'll have to get an electrician to add some. We'd also add an outlet on the ceiling to plug the projector in. We would get rid of those two fluorescent lights and maybe do dimmable rope lights in crown moulding? Maybe wall sconces?

-Equipment - Obviously need a projector, screen, and speakers. I'll worry about those specifics later. I'm thinking freestanding speakers.
In-wall looks better but seem like a pain and I'm guessing not as functional. Would anything higher than 5.1 be worth it? I'm thinking I'll put the equipment rack in an adjacent unfinished room to free up space and decrease heat in the room.

-Ventilation - There are a couple vents in the nearby finished part of the basement, but none in this unfinished room. It stays cool year-round, maybe chilly in the winter but that's what blankets are for. I was planning on leaving it without vents unless the heat from a single projector would somehow cause the temperature to rise to unpleasant levels.

-Seating - A couple rows of comfy seats, probably build a riser for the back row.

So, that's where I'm at so far. Any opinions or suggestions? Does anyone that has already been through the process of building a theater have any pearls of wisdom or warnings of potential pitfalls?

veiled boner fuel posted:

This is an excellent idea. You're probably going to end up with some exposed concrete block here and there (below the screen, above the doors, etc) but who gives a poo poo. Throw some paint on it and it'll look fine IMO.

You'll also save ~6" or so on either side and 11.5' wide isn't a huge amount of width to work with in terms of screen size and speakers so every inch counts IMO. You're going to end up with speakers in the corners which is never ideal but some good, heavy drapes (which will not be cheap) will help with sound reflection.

The ceiling is concrete or something? You can afford to lose 6" or so there but not sure how drywalling the ceiling but not the walls will look. Rope lights in a crown molding (above the drapes) is a good idea and for the ceiling they make glue/stick on ceiling tiles though I've never used them so I don't know what they're like.

You could do all that poo poo yourself (sans electrical work) and see how you like it and if you don't then you go from there.

Rinaldi posted:

Thanks for all the advice! At this point I like the idea of trying it without framing first and if we use it and like it and want it fancier, we can always do that later. Curtains will be expensive but far cheaper and less frustrating than getting a contractor here. We can get an electrician out to add outlets and probably do the rest ourselves.



Yes, the ceiling is concrete (the room is below the garage). I'll look into stick-on panels and see what they're like.

I'm still not sure about the lighting. Rope in crown seems ideal but can I affix crown molding to a concrete wall? Would that look jank? I don't know of any other good lighting solutions.

jonathan posted:

I just learned that Henry Rollins listens to his vinyl on wilson alexandria xlf speakers. I wonder what a speaker like that sounds like and how it would compare to something like a Klipsch jubilee setup.

qirex posted:

I remember reading that and then wondering what all those old punk records that were recorded on like a cassette 4 track or answering machine tape sound like coming out of 6 figure speakers.

jonathan posted:

Deep Purple - Lazy

jonathan posted:

There are a lot of great songs where the distortion of the song gives it a character that makes it more than if it was recorded clean. Deep Purple - Lazy as a prime example of intentional distortion, or something like the Stooges where it's just the best they could do. I would assume that for someone like him, where many of those records he sat in and watched during recording, there are nuances that probably just sound correct on those speakers. I looked up the speakers and saw a picture of his claimed listening room which is all glass window on one side. Makes me wonder if that's actually his listening room or just promo material for an advertisement for the speakers.

Electric Bugaloo posted:

Lastly, in-wall speakers in the front would allow you to put your fronts and center channel directly behind an acoustically neutral screen, which could then take up the entire wall.

Rinaldi posted:

Thanks for all the advice! At this point I like the idea of trying it without framing first and if we use it and like it and want it fancier, we can always do that later. Curtains will be expensive but far cheaper and less frustrating than getting a contractor here. We can get an electrician out to add outlets and probably do the rest ourselves.



Yes, the ceiling is concrete (the room is below the garage). I'll look into stick-on panels and see what they're like.

I'm still not sure about the lighting. Rope in crown seems ideal but can I affix crown molding to a concrete wall? Would that look jank? I don't know of any other good lighting solutions.

Olympic Mathlete posted:

This one?



I imagine with all that music down the back on shelves that it's his.

Olympic Mathlete posted:

spookygonk posted:

Photo of his listening sofa:
https://twitter.com/kcrw/status/884462223770492929

quote:

Henry Rollins is a long-time musician, host of a self-titled radio show on KCRW and an evangelical audiophile. He leads DnA's Frances Anderton and Rhythm Planet's Tom Schnabel on a sonic tour of his high fidelity audio-equipped home, and doesn't mince words about why we all should all own analog sound systems: "If you're going to listen to an MP3 -- which is sacrilegious -- through those ridiculous headphones through your phone, every band you're listening, you're sticking knives into their ribs, you are throwing them into the curb, and running them over with a truck."