The Home Theater Thread

[bigmcclarron]

Thought I would post back into this thread, for anyone that might need some help
My job basically is to design cinemas all day long, but designed perfectly to each room based on maths

A couple of designs that have just been signed off below for you

If anyone needs any help with anything cinema related then just shout, more than happy to chat with anyone about any aspect of cinema

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[wubears71]

Moved in. Why am I not surprised we are watching Doc MCstuffins on 120” and 7.2.2 Dolby atmos.

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[wubears71]

My son is watching a lego thing in 4K on the new projector. This is the first 4K source I’ve see on it. Holy wow.

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[J4U]

Not a home...but 250" 7.1 anywhere is pretty fun. Can shake the whole gym if they want. May or may not have tested this theory.

 

[rlefig]

Here is mine, 120” screen, viewsonic projector and Yamaha receiver with roku

 

[SHIFTY]

Old photos. My work in progress.
165" Carl's premium screen, roughly 11'x7' image.
It's epic for sports, and StarWars Battlefront II on xbox.
And got the skytrak for those winter months.

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[WMac19]

Well, finally took a frivolous leap of faith and ordered 6 home theater seats (2 rows of 3).

My LONG WINDED rehash/vent session can be skipped to the bottom two paragraphs, if desired!

*****

I always wanted home theater seats but the Mrs effectively lobbied for power reclining sofas as she prefers the look and we were in fact using some of her bonus money.

But a very poor experience with what is a big and reputable furniture dealer here in the Raleigh region (Whitley Furnitire in Zebulon), wound up working out in my favor.

First, after nearly 2 hours sampling everything offered, we ordered 2 power reclining sofas. They were in fact beautiful and supremely comfortable with power headrest adjustment also. I was actually very happy with them.

Only, about a week or more after placing the order, Whitley contacts us saying that the sofa was left on the showroom floor in error as it is a discontinued model. Our order was effectively cancelled.

Smelled like bait & switch to me, I wanted out. But the Mrs loves ("loved," now) Whitley and insisted that we use them. She went back to order our runner up choice as we both liked that model too, very comfortable and also with power headrests.

Only... she didn't order that one. She went custom, larger and apparently WITHOUT power adjusting headrests!

She declined to cancel the order upon my urging saying only, "I promise, you'll love them. They're beautiful."

Order was delayed and took over 10 weeks.

Once finally delivered and in the basement, I DID NOT LIKE THEM as she promised. Not AT ALL. Looked great, comfortable in the NON-reclined position...

But basically, if you could place very nearly the worst possible choice for seating in a home theater as to seating position, these sofas would be it. They reclined normally at the outset but then halfway through, they'd also rock forward in a strange type of a half-moon maneuver of cupping ridiculousness.

Once reasonably reclined, no where near fully mind you, you're left staring at the ceiling.

I was bummed. LOTS of money for something that was literally useless to me.

But...

When the wife came home, she wouldn't even sit in them when she said, "those are not my sofas. They're not what I ordered."

EUREKA!!! Here's my OUT!!!

She'd ordered them with the decorative nail-head studs that are on some sofas and chair arms' front down to its base. But what incensed the wife about Whitley was that it wasn't merely an innocent omission nor error. The manager admitted that that particular option was never available as a custom order on these particular model sofas.

Ridiculous, they took an order that could never be filled and not a word about it while waiting over 10 weeks. And on the other end, the factory saw a work order that could never be filled yet filled it with non-complying sofas anyway.

Those stud things were apparently the main reason why my wife went custom, confirmed with them numerous times about it. Yet someone, be it the saleswoman or others down the line, essentially lied and took our money anyway.

/RANT

*****

Which brings me to my preferred result. Frustrated, once returned and full credit was confirmed, she said, "I've had it with them and lost the desire to shop for replacements, so get what you want."

Score!

These were ordered today in dark brown, 2 rows of 3 chairs. Valencia Tuscany model. Fingers crossed they work out well!

 

[JB]

That is quite the journey

 

[WMac19]

That is quite the journey

And what I left out was how she came to her final frustration and gave in to me.

Other than Whitley, the closest furniture stores/dealers are 50 to 100 miles away. She was looking at other stores' sofas when I tried to show her something on my phone, the since purchased home theater seats.

Because she was annoyed at the whole ordering odyssey, she wouldn't even look and snapped at me, "absolutely not, I am not ordering something that I've never tested nor sat in."

"Hmm," I muttered. "Like what you just did to me? Ordering sofas that I'd never sampled?"

I walked the dog and 15 minutes later when I come in she calls me over and asks, "why don't we just get these? They review well and I like the look."

Sarcastically I ask, "that wouldn't be the Valencia Tuscany model that I just tried to show you, would it?"

"Um, yeah." She responds sheepishly. "Did you really try to show me these? I'm sorry, yes, let's get these because I'm done with shopping for seating. Or get whatever you want."

Seesh... all's well that ends well. I guess, anyway.

 

[tahoebum]

And what I left out was how she came to her final frustration and gave in to me.

Other than Whitley, the closest furniture stores/dealers are 50 to 100 miles away. She was looking at other stores' sofas when I tried to show her something on my phone, the since purchased home theater seats.

Because she was annoyed at the whole ordering odyssey, she wouldn't even look and snapped at me, "absolutely not, I am not ordering something that I've never tested nor sat in."

"Hmm," I muttered. "Like what you just did to me? Ordering sofas that I'd never sampled?"

I walked the dog and 15 minutes later when I come in she calls me over and asks, "why don't we just get these? They review well and I like the look."

Sarcastically I ask, "that wouldn't be the Valencia Tuscany model that I just tried to show you, would it?"

"Um, yeah." She responds sheepishly. "Did you really try to show me these? I'm sorry, yes, let's get these because I'm done with shopping for seating. Or get whatever you want."

Seesh... all's well that ends well. I guess, anyway.

I got a good laugh at this after just going through a complete remodel/gutting of our Florida condo with my wife. The older I get the less involved with the decorating process. She does all the furniture, mirrors, light fixtures, counters, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, paint colors, etc. I get to do the TV’s/audio gear, windows/doors, lighting automation, and have some input on flooring. When the furniture shows up it’s all a surprise to me, lol!

 

[WMac19]

I got a good laugh at this after just going through a complete remodel/gutting of our Florida condo with my wife. The older I get the less involved with the decorating process. She does all the furniture, mirrors, light fixtures, counters, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, paint colors, etc. I get to do the TV’s/audio gear, windows/doors, lighting automation, and have some input on flooring. When the furniture shows up it’s all a surprise to me, lol!

I think I prefer that arrangement as that was our natural modus operandi when we were back in NY.

But because we bought in NC about 6 months prior to when the Mrs changed jobs, I was left down here alone to my own devices. Idle hands, and all...

She kept asking me to wait but the few pieces I'd moved of our NY furniture just didn't jive at all with the design and layout of our new home. And I got tired of the disturbing, to me, contrast of it all.

On a wing and a prayer as to her eventual approval, I ordered custom living room and custom dining room furniture. I bought the custom frames and found pics for the dining room and then bought the wall feature for above the mantle along with lots of other wall decor. Along with area rugs, end tables, drapes, etc. I also handle our finances and bills so she had no idea.

To my great satisfaction and amazement, she loved my choices without reservation. Since, I'm actually our defacto interior designer now!

So it was a brief break in hierarchy fashion decision making when she took the lead on the sofas for the basement. But in truth, visually, as pieces of fine furniture, the sofas she selected looked phenomenal and certainly surpassed the appearance of the home theater seats.

But I'm a guy, so... it'll always be function OVER form. When the two align? Awesome. But if only choosing between the two?

Gimme what works.

 

[maxw72]

This is the best place I could find for this question. Hoping I can get some answers. I'm currently finishing my basement which will be equipped with my 60" TV. I'm looking to put in some really good surround sound at a decent price. Something I have been eyeing on Amazon was the Klipsch Black Reference Theater Pack 5.1. The room is going to be relatively cozy at 14'x10' as it will be a sort of section off area of a larger room. I'm not looking to shake the house but I'm looking for something that will be very clean sounding. I have heard good things and some nice Klipsch systems, but I'm a bit up in the air as far as receivers go. We don't have cable, just Apple TV and Playstation 4 is what we use most. Any good options as far as Receivers go? Or any Surround systems for a relatively decent or similar price.

 

[Junkyard]

This is the best place I could find for this question. Hoping I can get some answers. I'm currently finishing my basement which will be equipped with my 60" TV. I'm looking to put in some really good surround sound at a decent price. Something I have been eyeing on Amazon was the Klipsch Black Reference Theater Pack 5.1. The room is going to be relatively cozy at 14'x10' as it will be a sort of section off area of a larger room. I'm not looking to shake the house but I'm looking for something that will be very clean sounding. I have heard good things and some nice Klipsch systems, but I'm a bit up in the air as far as receivers go. We don't have cable, just Apple TV and Playstation 4 is what we use most. Any good options as far as Receivers go? Or any Surround systems for a relatively decent or similar price.

I'm partial to Yamaha receivers; used to be a Denon guy but then was shown that their construction had gotten cheap. I'm also partial to Paradigm speakers, but that's probably a Canadian thing.

 

[badolds]

This is the best place I could find for this question. Hoping I can get some answers. I'm currently finishing my basement which will be equipped with my 60" TV. I'm looking to put in some really good surround sound at a decent price. Something I have been eyeing on Amazon was the Klipsch Black Reference Theater Pack 5.1. The room is going to be relatively cozy at 14'x10' as it will be a sort of section off area of a larger room. I'm not looking to shake the house but I'm looking for something that will be very clean sounding. I have heard good things and some nice Klipsch systems, but I'm a bit up in the air as far as receivers go. We don't have cable, just Apple TV and Playstation 4 is what we use most. Any good options as far as Receivers go? Or any Surround systems for a relatively decent or similar price.

I have not researched home theater component's for a few years but Pioneer makes good affordable receivers and they're Andrew Jones designed speakers get lots of good reviews.

 

[Mark_UK]

Something I have been eyeing on Amazon was the Klipsch Black Reference Theater Pack 5.1.

I was looking at those quite seriously. They look great. I have however decided to go with SCS prime speakers. Seem to get great reviews everywhere.
For the receiver, I don’t need a lot of the stuff offered. I don’t need zones, or Alexa, or google or any sort of network capability, so I’m going for the Sony receiver that goes for about $350 (forget the reference). Again, seems to get really good reviews. That being said, I’ll probably change my mind yet again before I pull the trigger LOL.

 

[TheDoctor]

This is the best place I could find for this question. Hoping I can get some answers. I'm currently finishing my basement which will be equipped with my 60" TV. I'm looking to put in some really good surround sound at a decent price. Something I have been eyeing on Amazon was the Klipsch Black Reference Theater Pack 5.1. The room is going to be relatively cozy at 14'x10' as it will be a sort of section off area of a larger room. I'm not looking to shake the house but I'm looking for something that will be very clean sounding. I have heard good things and some nice Klipsch systems, but I'm a bit up in the air as far as receivers go. We don't have cable, just Apple TV and Playstation 4 is what we use most. Any good options as far as Receivers go? Or any Surround systems for a relatively decent or similar price.

It might not be as much of an issue with new receivers now, or something you want, but you might want to check and make sure that whichever one you go for has the ability to process 4K signals (assuming you have other 4K items of equipment)

I currently have a Yamaha receiver paired with a set of Mordaunt Short bookshelf size speakers at the front of our living room (L/C/R), Mordaunt Short sub and 1a pair of small Cambridge Audio speakers for the rears (small and white to blend in with the room) - it may not be the most expensive setup but it works for the size of our room and produces a good sound

 

[maxw72]

It might not be as much of an issue with new receivers now, or something you want, but you might want to check and make sure that whichever one you go for has the ability to process 4K signals (assuming you have other 4K items of equipment)

I currently have a Yamaha receiver paired with a set of Mordaunt Short bookshelf size speakers at the front of our living room (L/C/R), Mordaunt Short sub and 1a pair of small Cambridge Audio speakers for the rears (small and white to blend in with the room) - it may not be the most expensive setup but it works for the size of our room and produces a good sound

Thanks for the advice on checking for 4K capability. That is something I probably would have missed. Right now the only 4K component I have is the Apple TV but we use it for all our TV viewing. Also any movies that we purchase via Itunes is 4K.

 

[maxw72]

Looks like I will be picking up a Denon AVR-X2200W for my favorite price of FREE! Fortunately my sister took both the receivers in a divorce, and one happened to be a Denon. Asked if she still had them and she said they were just in her basement! Happy to be saving a small amount of cash on my basement budget.

 

[Smiter]

Y’all way out of my league with most of this. I tripped and put my head through my big TV about a year ago, ouch-twice.

I do have a killer surround sound that can have the police out in my neighborhood of, ahem, elderly folks. I can get away with blasting the crap out of it up until normal bedtime (9-10ish, but have to tone it down after that.

I have a fairly modern house so I honestly didn’t realize how loud it was outside until the police showed. I blasted it and walked outside the next day (during daylight time) just to see how loud it was. I’m half deaf anyways but it was loud loud. I can’t even remember the wattage but I’m thinking 1200? Might be less. Makes the house shake pretty good though.

Now my kid plays guitar and has two huge amps stacked on each other beside the TV. I can almost drown him out if I don’t like his choice of music, lol.

 

[tahoebum]

I ordered a new(open box "excellent") Sony 75" x900H from Best Buy for pickup today just in time for the NFL season. It is replacing an older inexpensive 65" that isn't big enough to fill up the opening in the bookshelf. My indoor putting green is right in front of the tv and my son actually hit it chipping with a golf ball last spring and cracked the display. I did quite a bit of research online before choosing the Sony over the Vizio, LG, and Samsung models in the same price range. It won't be as good as an OLED but I couldn't justify spending more than twice as much on a TV that we don't use very much.

Best Buy had a bundle deal and I added the Sony Dobly Atmos soundbar that is on sale for $399 for only $207. We will use that with a TV in our master bedroom.

Update: The open box Sony 75X900H had some issues so I returned it. I found last years Vizio PX75-G1 at the local Costco for $1299. Great price as on the Costco website it's listed as $1499 delivery only. I've had it installed for a few days now and am blown away with the picture quality especially from 4k streaming or HDR/Dolby Vision Blu Ray. The new version of this TV that just came out a few weeks ago is $1999 and the Sony XBR75 X950H with similar picture quality is $2,799 at Best Buy currently. A killer deal at less than half the price of the Sony if anyone is looking for a 75" TV.

Sony X950G vs Vizio P Series Quantum X 2019 Side-by-Side TV Comparison

The [nolink:Vizio P Series Quantum X] is slightly better than the Sony X950G. The Vizio has slightly better reflection handling, a better black frame insertion feature, and it's brighter. The Vizio also has a much wider color gamut, but the X950G has much better gradient handling. The X950G also...

www.rtings.com

 

[Smiter]

Sounds like a killer setup for football. Sadly without my buckeyes playing I’m going to forego my usual Hulu Live subscription through football season. All I have to look forward to is the Browns, which is about as exciting as looking forward to plain Cheerios for breakfast every day. I’ll probably golf a lot more this fall.

Foam balls for chipping in the house though, lol. You’ve gotta have some rules.

We play around the house golf if we get a 20*+ day in the winter. Snow unimportant, we hit it like bunker shots. We start at the corner junction box and end it there. Par is 6 because I have a very strict no cutting off any portion of the house EVER rule. Sadly I am the reason for said rule. I have a lot of trees and a lot of windows. We play it with a hybrid and a wedge. So a punch and a chip club. I allow my 5hc middle son and I to use real balls (it’s my damn house if I break something) but my oldest boy and little guy have to use foam balls.

 

[Mark_UK]

Well, my dipping my toe into the waters of Home Theater hasn’t exactly gone to plan. Found what I thought were a great set of speakers for what I thought was a great price, Monoprice Monolith bookshelves, only to realize when the box arrived, the was for one LOL. It seems from further investigation, that 4 ohm speakers may need quite a bit of power behind them, so they are getting returned. Put that in the expensive mistake file. Think I’m now going with the Polk S20’s up front with the Polk S30 in the center. Will almost certainly add the HTS 12 woofer to the set as well. All seems to get good reviews, especially for the price.

 

[SHIFTY]

for a wall in my sim, I don't have room for full chairs. So am looking for actual theatre chairs. With the fold up seat and arms it will work nicely in my room.
Found a few used ones on ebay, but am having a hard time finding some new ones. Anyone know who sells these?

 

[Mark_UK]

Time to start down this slippery slope that is home theater

 

[Mark_UK]

Temporary set up whilst I wait for coronavirus to disappear and ikea can get some stock back!
Denon AVR-S750h powering Polk S55’s. Have a center S30 coming later this week. Definitely needs a woofer. That’s next on my list!