Advice Please - Complete HT.

[Southey]

I have searched the forum regarding a few issues, and haven't found the answers I am looking for. Basically, I am building a 13' x 13' dedicated home theatre room in my basement. I am deciding on whether I should buy the components I want and just hire someone to prewire and set it all when it is done because I am stupid when it comes to that. The alternative is hire a company that has their own installation team and supplies the products. I am thinking I would rather go through a company who specializes in this, rather than trust someone that I don't know too well to do this for me.

I am dealing with a company in Calgary called Sounds of Music. The guy I am dealing with there is a super nice guy and really seems to actually listen to what I want. Here is what has been sort of decided on/proposed for my home theatre setup:

1) Rotel RSX 1057 - $1,444
2) Paradigm Monitor 11 towers - $1,119/pair
3) Paradigm CC290 Centre Channel - $399
4) Paradigm Atom surrounds - $239/pair
5) Paradigm PS1000 subwoofer - $559
6) Optoma H57 Projector (discontinued) - $1,899
7) Stewart 82" diagonal screen (Grayhawk) - $2,000
8) Panamax Power Supply - I don't have the model - $350
9) Wiring estimated to be about 10% of total cost of equipment - $800
10) $85/hour, 2 men to do job, estimated 16 hours or less - $2,720

Total for everything approximately $11,529 + GST.

The pricing on most of this sounds ok to me. The things that I am most curious are the screen obviously at $2,000 and the discontinued projector at $1,899. I will be hooking up a PS3 for gaming and Blu Ray usage. Also buying a Shaw HD box. They also said they don't do universal remotes because of compatibility problems. I don't feel like having 4 different remotes laying around that is for sure.

I have attached my terrible drawing of the layout of my room. Currently I have a 5.1 setup upstairs in my living room and all of my components are in the proposed home theatre room already. I use an IR control and Harmony remote.



I will also mention that the projectors they are solely carrying now are Runco which start at a min. $4,500+. Please critique what I have wrote as this is a fair amount of money to spend so I want to make sure that I get the best bang for my buck. I can't do this setup or wiring myself as I said, so that isn't an option unfortunately. Thanks everybody!

[cmurray]

When I look at the list of items a few alarm bells go off. Firstly, to spend more on the screen than the projector seems unusual. An 82" screen may not be big enough for you - have you tested various sizes and viewing distances to see what your preference is? Personally, I would do away with the screen, upgrade the projector and try painting a screen on your wall (assuming it is smooth). The $85 an hour per person labour charge is excessive considering the skills required for the job.

[hugh]

That Optoma has been out of circulation for quite a while. I would avoid it completely. I think a 92" screen would be nicer from that distance but you need to make the decision yourself since screen size is a very personal choice.

The Stewart Screen is a wonderful, albeit pricey screen. I would recommend a Carada 90" Criterion Series which would set you back about $900 and put that extra money into a more recent 1080p projector.

[57]

A few suggestions.

- you may wish to run some extra speaker cables to potenial positions for a 7.1 setup?

- Run conduit to the projector (and perhaps other areas) with some extra strings inside so that you can pull another cable in the future if necessary.

- I also thought that the price of the screen was out of line with the projector.

- I believe the projector may not end up in the middle as you have shown. I don't think they have that short a throw?

- Since it may end up closer to the seating, you may wish a hush box.

- Think about IR controlled lighting that you can programme into your Harmony. (lower lights to a preset level when you hit "watch TV".

- Are you going to have an HD STB or PVR? You'll need to allow for that in the wiring/setup, along with other components you mention but don't list.

- You'll need to turn your seating around since it's looking at the wrong wall.

[Southey]

I would have to agree with everyone that the projector and the screen are big issues. I would rather put more into a projector and especially one that isn't discontinued. Everything they sell is Runco which starts at $4,500+. They also don't work with Harmony remotes so I am wondering how compatible all of the above components would be with that. The lighting isn't an issue for me as I don't want to get too crazy.

As far as the seating facing the wrong wall, I think it appears as though it does because of the way I inserted the text box to label the couch. The seating will face the screen don't worry. I wish there was someone in Calgary on here who knows how to prewire and set this up and consult for me. They could do the work on the side and I would pay cash. I really don't know what to go with at all. I don't think I need to spend $1,400 on a receiver either. I already thought about prewiring it for a 7.1 setup. Any more advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks again folks!

[Kaoru]

When I started building my Black Ice Theater, trying to imagine how it will look and the actual dimensions of things like doors, rack, screen, etc. is hard. I found it easier to pull out a marker and draw on the concrete floor essentially the floor plan. Take into account rough sizes and finished sizes, i.e. a 32" door requires a 36"-38" opening and a 2x4 stud wall is actually 4.25" thick with 1/2" drywall on one side. I suggest this because your dimensions (13' x 13') are close to mine and I was supprised how much space an entrance, couch, rack, etc. takes up.

According to your diagram you have the entrance on the back wall along with your seating. If your seating is a large couch or HT recliners (like mine) and prefer it to be centered, walkways behind and arround the seating has to be planned for. Also, placement of your projector is critical and dependent on the projector throw distance. My Hitachi Ultravision is about 2/3rds from the screen just above the headrest of my first row of seating. I did this so that it's not in the way (I have a riser in the back row) and the first row is my sweet spot. I could run the projector in whisper mode, if the fan noise is annoying, but I don't (burns out bulb quicker). I don't notice any noise when a movie playing, but I have planned a projector mount that could second as a hush box with some modifications (and can accomendate different projectors in terms of centerline/offset lenses).

As for screen, I agree as well with everyone... it seems too small and too expensive. I have a 110" screen which is excellent size sitting in the first row. Now all I've read suggest min. 1.5 x screen width for the distance from the screen to first row. I'm barely 1 x screen width but I prefer a large screen since it gives a large theater feel. It is important to have a good projector/equipment to eliminate any screen door effects, artifacts, etc. because being closer to a screen make these flaws more noticable.

My screen is a DIY, and is beautiful until my oldest daughter's friend tipped over my front speaker and it's corner went through the screen. Her friend offered to pay for it, lucky for him that my screen cost only $330. $300 of that is for the Goo Systems Screen Goo (digital lite grey) that I sprayed over my screen made from about $30 of blackout fabric stretched over a hardwood frame like a canvas.

Imagine if something happened like that to a $2000 screen. My advice is to put your money into a good projector first, receiver/cabling/components second, framing/electrical/insulation/drywall third, and everything else last (where you can make changes/grow in time; this may include speakers if your design allows for it).

If you want more details, suggestions, just PM or post in my Black Ice Theater construction thread.

Cheers,
Kaoru

[Andrew Pratt]

I do CI work as a side business here in Winnipeg and I'd love to be able to charge that labour rate! Anyway I'd make some changes to the list of equipment as some items seem a little lopsided to me. The greyhawk screen is quite good but IMO its nothing fancy compared to much cheaper alternatives and would free up some budget. The Rotel receiver is a fine choice and worth the money...if you really enjoy music. If this is mostly a movie room look at an Onkyo 805 instead as its very capable in its own right and cheaper. The speakers are fine but IMO take some of the freed up budget and step up a notch for the subwoofer. I'd much rather have a solid subwoofer and decent monitor's then tower mains and a weak sub....for that matter in a room this size you may consider in-wall speakers to free up floor space esp with the door off to the utility room etc. For what he's charging you for the paradigms you could get Dynaudio's IP17's that are very well respected. If they're running cables in the walls make sure they're CL2 approved for fire code reasons.