Journey from Room to Home Theater with DIY Acoustics

[ShutterX]

nice gear that you have bought. polks are supposed to be pretty bright form what i have heard.

only one question. do you think its wise using such huge speakers in a 17x12 room? my friend has B&W 683 floorstanders as stereo setup and can barely manage to go over 40% volume without getting into trouble... youll have sound deadening... but youll also have an HT setup...

 

[aloklala]

Thanks ShutterX!

 

[aloklala]

nice gear that you have bought. polks are supposed to be pretty bright form what i have heard.

only one question. do you think its wise using such huge speakers in a 17x12 room? my friend has B&W 683 floorstanders as stereo setup and can barely manage to go over 40% volume without getting into trouble... youll have sound deadening... but youll also have an HT setup...

Thanks ShutterX! I had currenlty put the Polk's in a 2.1 setup with my Denon in my Living room and I am never able to take then more than 70-80%. They are really amazing. I want to occasionally use this room as a party room also and so the loud volume would help. The Acoustics I am planning to do will help shield it from the neighbours to a large extent.

Frankly I am new to the Hifi AV space and so am still learning the nitty-gritties.

 

[cmsajith]

FYI, Acoustics will not do anything wrt sound proofing unless you seal all the air (even minute) leaks in the room, Decoupling the room is the best option to get the maximum sound proofing, but it will shoot up the project budget. Hence I told you about closing all the openings with brick structure.

 

[Tanoj]

Hello Alok

IMO what Cmsajith , is telling is absolutely correct, Use brick insted of ply

if you use ply wood, they will resonate very badly and also remove the almarah, tables etc, no furniture shoud be there

also there are chances that the false celing you planing to make will also vibrate, because of the hollow gap inbetween the sealing and the wall, so i suggest stick the sound absorbers like material on the roof

Sound Absorbing Foam for Computers


the window on which there is an ac that whole window seal with brick, atmost you can plan a small vent with a sound proof exaust system,

because if the room does not breate for few days it will smell stale


Ceiling/Window Ventilation Fan -2 - China Ventilation Fan Exhaust Fan,Quiet Exhaust Fan,Noiseless Exhaust Fan in Electrical Fan & Exhaust Fan

also the screen which you will use should be of good quality so that it will not over throw the light , orelse it will start hurting the eyes

conclusion

1. no false sealing , use damping material insted
2. no wood work at all , insted spend money on thick and better carpet
3. seal the window completly with brick
4. leave a small vent and make sure there is air flow, ( you can actually seal the vent hole with damping material and the exaust is at the outer side, it will still suck the air, no worry ) so from inside you will not see the exaust fan at all


Cheers all the best


Tanoj

 

[vinay]

Dedicated Theatre At Home

It is going to be a mother of great journey, all the best.

Your start is very good because you are at the forum when room is bare so you can get multiple ideas from members, especially who have made a dedicated private theater.

• Please consider a thicker door with rubber sealing s and use hinges instead of floor spring.
  
• Importantly try to remove or hide the windows and use a split a/c.
  
• The storage area keep it open instead of concealed and use it for some movie related show pieces with halogen lights.

V.

I am on a journey to create a dedicated Home Theater room out of my normal room on the 1st floor of my Noida house. I am startig off today by adding pictures of the bare bone room and the wood I bought to start the acoustics. :yahoo:

Details of photos below:
1. 1st photo - Enterance door ro the HT room
2. Back wall where the projector will go
3. Left back top corner to show the beam and space behind it in detail
4. Front wall where the screen would go
5. Enterance room door from inside the HT room and the door to the storage space above it

Will post more photos and details shortly.

I request you to provide suggestions on acoustics and anything else you think appropriate.

 

[manoj.p]

Very good advice by Vinay and others. But I have my reservations about the false ceiling. Instead, I would suggest whole ceiling acoustic treatment. Build a frame of woods, filled with acoustic material intermittently, run all the cables and wires above it. Put the lights where you want. Then cover the entire ceiling with acoustic cloth of your choice and color. Will look awesome, it will be cheaper and will serve the purpose right for the theater room.

Having a flat surface is a bad recipe for reflections and audio. An uneven area is better than flat area. An uneven area will cause diffusion, a flat area (unless its absorption) will cause reflections and those will be in pointed in a direction.

Too much of absorption is also bad because it will make the room very much dead. You should have some combination of diffusion/absorption. I would suggest absorption for lower frequencies and at mid to high - go for diffusors.

Also, plan for a thicker carpet and padding below it. That will help from the floor reflections. If you have some padding below carpet, even better.

 

[vinay]

Room Length

Congratulations for a good room length, is it possible to stretch more?

V.

My room is 17'(Long)x12'(wide)x9'6''(high)

 

[santhosh]

Very good advice by Vinay and others. But I have my reservations about the false ceiling. Instead, I would suggest whole ceiling acoustic treatment. Build a frame of woods, filled with acoustic material intermittently, run all the cables and wires above it. Put the lights where you want. Then cover the entire ceiling with acoustic cloth of your choice and color. Will look awesome, it will be cheaper and will serve the purpose right for the theater room.

Again, very good guidance by cmsajith, Vinay and Manoj. Don't go for a false ceiling made of gypsum/POP. I too have done exactly like manoj has said. I routed all the electrical cables through the ceiling and all audio cables through the floor such that they don't meet each other (as this can cause EMI/RFI). I have also made steps in the ceiling to break the sound waves. Only the centre of the ceiling (reflection points and few feet around it) is absorptive, borders are bass absorbers.

 

[vinay]

The Plan

You are like Santosh who from the day one shared his ideas, and this is the best way to go forward. Congratulations.

I think it is a very good idea to close the windows or other openings. I too have closed my 5 X 6 feet window with bricks while i have closed the smaller window with wooden frames wrapped with acoustic cloth, which is importantly a see through in terms of light and air passing, such cloths can be easily seen in leading sports stores with their products of shoes, 'T' shirts, bags, etc.

To buy a another sub etc, you should go ahead if it is really required then regretting later or please make provision in terms of wiring for sub etc and later see if more lower frequencies are required.

It may be better not to have a fixed screen especially when children are around or lot of visitors, or there is scope of more dust then the usual if windows are not buried/sealed.

It is a good idea that you are considering carpet for flooring but you need to be sure that it is well maintained and in such a situation the room should be more focused for watching movies or projector based activities and not for regular sessions of chit chat etc. By taking this discipline route automatically maintenance is better cared and offers free respect to a dedicated entertainment room.

It is a further good idea that you are going for false ceiling because that will help in hiding the cables and the looks of ceiling also will improve and not to forget you can use ample halogen lights with various dimmer options.

The idea of creating step is just too good, in such a situation please consider foot light on steps and a running light on the side ways.

In order to have a 2nd row, maybe there will be a problem because of your room length. The recliners should be ideally placed at back row but please be guided that they occupy a lot of space in terms of length and breadth while in the front you can consider a sofa. To have a chair for watching movies is not going to work as it will be alarm bell for our back and loss of comfort.

V.

I was thinking of closing the window using plywood and glasswool. Do you think closing with brick would be a better option?
I have already bought the AV equipment and so buying another Sub now is not possible.
I have bought the following:
1. Denon 3312 AVR
2. Polk Audio RTi A7 Fronts
3. Polk Audio CSi A6 Center
4. Polk Audio FXi A6 Surrounds
5. Polk Audio DWS Pro 660 Sub
6. Epson 3010 projector
7. Monster Speaker, Sub, HDMI and Optical Digital Audio cables
8. I am planning to use a 9x5 fixed screen (Not yet decided which one)
9. Flooring would be carpet
10. All 4 sides of Room will have Acoustics done (will provide details later)
11. I am still deciding on what to do with the roof. A false ceiling will definately be there as i have already bought the lights and LEDs
12. A 6" Step at the back to house a second row of seating
13. 3-4 Recliners in front row (I am not yet sure where to get the recliners from)
14. An HTPC for showing all the Audio and Video content (Not sure yet on how to build one)
15. A 2-seater Sofa and big boss chair in the back row (I am attaching pictures of the Sofa and the boss chair in this post)

 

[vinay]

Door

It is a good step to have the door open outside, this way the room will generate more space.

I have also done acoustic on the inner door via glass wool and covered with fabric.

I have used a huge handle door inside/outside of about 5 feet and have used a lock with 3 bars for security while i am travelling.

V.

Currently the door opens inside but i will have it change to open outside.
I will also have Acoustics done on the inner side of this door and also on the door opening towards the balcony in the back.

 

[vinay]

Party

I think the room should not be used for party because it can damage the gadgets, interiors, etc.

V.

I want to occasionally use this room as a party room

 

[vinay]

Vibrate - Smell

With low frequencies several easily movable and non sturdy things in the room are likely to vibrate so in that case the false ceiling shall also vibrate on a low profile. To a certain extent vibrate is not a bad idea, after all the power of low frequencies will be in motion.

In my case with no windows the room does not smell stale etc because of a simple trick to keep the room open in morning and evening for a few minutes. Further there are other precautionary measures to keep the stale at bay.

V.

there are chances that the false celing you planing to make will also vibrate, so i suggest stick the sound absorbers like material on the roof

the window on which there is an ac that whole window seal with brick, atmost you can plan a small vent with a sound proof exaust system,

because if the room does not breate for few days it will smell stale
Tanoj

 

[vinay]

Flat - Padding

Indeed anything flat is not good, as per advice i have made my ceiling slightly sloppy as it goes toward the screen and i have used several interior items which are in different shapes but surely not flat.

It is true that too much of absorption is bad, i am probably facing some problem on this count.

I too have used padding below the carpet and this was rightly advised to me.

V.

Having a flat surface is a bad recipe for reflections and audio. An uneven area is better than flat area. An uneven area will cause diffusion, a flat area (unless its absorption) will cause reflections and those will be in pointed in a direction.

Too much of absorption is also bad because it will make the room very much dead. You should have some combination of diffusion/absorption. I would suggest absorption for lower frequencies and at mid to high - go for diffusors.

Also, plan for a thicker carpet and padding below it. That will help from the floor reflections. If you have some padding below carpet, even better.

 

[vinay]

Ceiling Tiles

I was to opt for false ceiling made out of gypsum but was timely advised to refrain.

The acoustic white + red ceiling tiles which i have are of "Armstrong" brand and they seem to be world leaders in such tiles. It seems in recent past they have come out with black tiles and they are likely to be too good for a movie watching environmental.

V.

Don't go for a false ceiling made of gypsum/POP.

 

[aloklala]

Thanks everyone for the very useful suggestions. I could not reply yesterday as I went to Panipat (Haryana) go buy carpets and cloth for walls, recliners etc. I know a few factory owners in Panipat and so was able to the the cloth and carpets at approximately one third the market price.
Here are my responses/clarifications on some of the points raised in various posts in the last few days
1. I have removed the Window A/C and will put a 1.5 tom split A/C in the room (photo below)
2. I will cover all the windows with brick and leave the door alone as an entry to the balcony behind. (Another photo of full window and door below)
3. I am not planning to put an exhaust in this room. I will both the balcony and room doors a few times every week for a few minutes to more than and hour on weekends for keeping the room fresh. My wife will help me in this
4. I have got the main entrance door corrected to open towards the outside of the room (photo below)
5. Both doors will be acoustically treated for the face towards the HT room (I will mention how in a later post)
6. I will not have a rough party in this room. It will be decent parties only and am not expecting people to fall on the equipment during this party. I have had such parties in my house in the past and they are pretty decent.
7. The room will not have anything except the HT equipment in it.Everything you see in the pictures right now is temporary and will be removed from this room. Actually a lot of these things will be put in the balcony behind which has been covered with acrylic sheet yesterday only (Another picture below shows this balcony from behind the room) I got the acrylic sheet custom made at about half the price and double the quality in a factory in Ghaziabad (UP)
8. Flooring - I will not use wood flooring but carpet. Below the carpet I will use a 8 mm thick dense foam sheet. This is specially made to be put below carpets. It will act as an acoustic material and also make the carpet soft (photos of carpet and foam are given below)
9. As of now I am not considering any IB woofer and any other woofer in the attic or behind the beam. I think the Polk Audio DSW Pro 660 is big enough for me for now
10. The area behind the beam I will cover with glass wool on the sides and cloth in the bottom over wood frame. As per Manoj, this will also act as a Bass trap and I really like the idea
11. The attic I will have to leave as is for now. The attic door will also be acoustically treated from outside. If you think treating it fro both side will help then please let me know. What would be the problem if I leave the attic as is (It is used as a store and I intend to use it that way at least for now)
12. I will have 2 wooden pillars on each side of the room for beauty and to break the flat surface. Also the cloth will be in 3x2 panels
13. I will receive the glass wool tomorrow. I have bought 48kg/m3-50 mm thick Twiga A grade glass wool pre-cut in 3x2 size. Twiga - the widest range of thermal, acoustic, and fire insulation
14. I have also got 40 gsm A grade Tissue to wrap the glass wool before installing. This will prevent the glass wool from flying around later ifit chips off form the sheets. Also handling while installation would be easier
15. I am still not decided on the room but am now not planning to have a false ceiling with a 10" hollow space inside. Only wire running from the room would be the HDMI cable to the projector. Also the attic door should be easily openable and so can't have a deep roof. Any good ideas to cover the roof which will be just a few inches below the surface are welcome
16. The Sound absorbing foam for computers for the room (suggested by Tanoj) are costly in itself and are difficult to put on the ceiling as they have to be pasted. I am getting these very close to my house though. Also they do not look very nice in a HT setup. They are used inside the body of silent generators and in factories etc.
17. I have separate lines laid for electrical and sound wires for this room. Electrical is in walls and ceiling. Sound wires in walls only
18. Santosh, How did you make borders bass absorbers in the ceiling? How did you make steps in the ceiling? Any photos?
19. I am planning to put LED lights in the step. There will be a single step 6 inch high 3 feet long across the breath of the room. Brick sides and19 mm board top. IT will be hollow inside. Is this an issue? How can I make it as a bass trap?
20. I am planning to put a 2 seater sofa and boos chair on the step and 3 recliners in the front row. Any more visitors will have to sit in chairs we will bring from outside or on the carpet

 

[aloklala]

Pictures of the cloth I bought for recliners, Sofa and walls (from Panipat) is also posted below. The factory owner says that this cloth is selling from Rs 1500-2000 per running meter (54 inch width) in Showrooms in Delhi and Mumbai!
The cloth with dots is for recliners and the other one for walls.

 

[pupupuchi28]

It should be so exciting to go through this exertion of building a HT room on your own. wish you best of everything! God help me so that I can have my own in near future.

I dont want to be a party spoiler, but want to say something about the carpet.

In my native house, I have similar carpets in all rooms along with the foam underneath. Assuming they are not specific accoustic foams, they will absorb only normal talk that we do. For movies they certainly will not serve the purpose, forget about the low frequencies. In B'lore (rented place :-( ) I'm using a thick carpet infront of the speakers and it works wonders. You may want to test them over a small area before cutting the entire piece. Since you are investing so much money and effort, why not do the best

 

[aloklala]

pupupuchi28,

Thanks for the wishes. The carpet is actually not as thin as it looks in the picture.

The small porting coming out on the top is the front. The foam actually is not like a proffesional acoustics abrosbant but that is fine as the ground floor is my children's room and my wife will anyway not allow me to play load during their study time and 80% of the time they will watch movies or listen to songs with me. My elder son (in class 5th) can actually explain to all my relatives and friends the fundamentals of HT and Acoustics etc. as he is learning with me. No one in my friends or relatives knows anything about HTs and so this would be the first one in our cirle

If anyone wants details of where I bought various things from then they can contact me on this tread itself.

One help I need is to understand what kind of UPS is required behind the projector and what kind of stablizer is required for the whole system.

In another thread I am asking about the fixed screen and am yet not able to decide. I definately want to go for a fixed screen. My last shortlisted item is Liberty 110", 9x5 screen for 19K. Anyone knows about this one?

 

[aloklala]

Now a little about how I plan to make the doors and wall acoustically sound:

The current door is a 1.5 inch wood door with 12 mm Teakwood in between in wood chaukhat.

On the HT side of the room I will do the acoustic treatment. The other side faces the drawing room and will look as it is.

First layer would be on 50mm 48 Kg/m3 Glasswool wrapped in 40 gsm tissue.
Second layer would be foam about 1 inch thick and this will be covered with the same kind of cloth as the walls. The sides of the door will have cloth till its edges and will fit tight. My carpenter says that the door will not allow air to pass through its sides also. The bottom of the door will have a seal kind of thing on the outside.

Will paste pictures of it when it is ready / WIP.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

The walls will be a frame of 2" Canadian pine with 3x2 space in between. 50mm 48 Kg/m3 Glasswool wrapped in 40 gsm tissue will go in these gaps flushing the wood. Strong thread used in making Sofas would be tightened on the wood frame to hold the glass wool pieces intact. Individual frames of 3ft 1 in x 2 ft 1 in outer dimensions of same wood will be made for top side. These will be made tight from inside by tat. (Jute mats used in building sofas) 20 mm foam sheets will be put on this and then then the cloth material will be tightened on it and these will be put on the whole frame in such a manner that they will be removable. There would be a hollow space of about 1" between the tat and the glass wool.