Upgrading to Dedicated HT

Kiran,

My 2 paise.

Focus on the room/wiring and initial treatment etc. This is going to put a dent in budget and it cannot be delayed. Make sure the wiring is as flexible as possible up to 9.x.y or 11.x.y if feasible. Make sure your contractor keeps power and audio wires in separate lanes/conduits.
Consider using something like these specially for speaker wiring.
Audio/Video Keystone Jacks - Monoprice.com

You already have an AVR + 5.1 speakers. So you can use them as test system till you budget for an expanded system. You are making friends locally; so try to see if you can try out some of their equipment once your room is ready.

In the meanwhile, keep auditioning to strike a budget balance between integrated components vs separates. Separates may cost up to 1.5-2x times AVRs.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
Kiran,

You may have already discussed this with your architect, but let me put it out here.
Plan for proper power distribution.
5/15A circuits for AV equipment - 2 circuits
15A circuit for AC - 1 circuit

Try and get dedicated MCBs for 5/15A circuits installed in the HT room itself if feasible.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
Kiran,

You may have already discussed this with your architect, but let me put it out here.
Plan for proper power distribution.
5/15A circuits for AV equipment - 2 circuits
15A circuit for AC - 1 circuit

Try and get dedicated MCBs for 5/15A circuits installed in the HT room itself if feasible.

Cheers,
Raghu

Thanks for mentioning it Raghu, it will be helpful for me as well :)

Cheers,
Aditya
 
Kiran,

You may have already discussed this with your architect, but let me put it out here.
Plan for proper power distribution.
5/15A circuits for AV equipment - 2 circuits
15A circuit for AC - 1 circuit

Try and get dedicated MCBs for 5/15A circuits installed in the HT room itself if feasible.

Sure Raghu... I will check on this. I haven't discussed this as it si not at this stage yet. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
Heres the making of HT... Had difficulty in uploading the pics... am not able to rotate them now. first one is the wall where the screen would come up... second is the entrance... the door is at the back..
 

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Kiran,

My 2 paise.

Focus on the room/wiring and initial treatment etc. This is going to put a dent in budget and it cannot be delayed. Make sure the wiring is as flexible as possible up to 9.x.y or 11.x.y if feasible. Make sure your contractor keeps power and audio wires in separate lanes/conduits.
Consider using something like these specially for speaker wiring.
Audio/Video Keystone Jacks - Monoprice.com

Raghu,Any suggestions on how many and what colors would i need for 9.2.4 setup? As suggested by the gurus, I'll plan the wiring done for 9.2.4. Thanks!
 
Raghu,Any suggestions on how many and what colors would i need for 9.2.4 setup? As suggested by the gurus, I'll plan the wiring done for 9.2.4. Thanks!

Good start Kiran :clapping:
When you are saying colors ..... u mean wire colors ?
Colors dont matter, you will have to get the wire according to the speakers you buy, maybe a 12 AWG and 14 AWG should be good ....... as Raghu suggested go with Monoprice or Monster, Monster is a bit costly, check prices for both :)
Wires go in-wall and u can use name tags on each wire at the AVR, it will be done while installing the wires :)
when u do that 18mm wooden frame for walls before getting the acoustics material, get the wiring done.

Keep Posting the photos from this stage itself, it will be a very good journey to go through :)

Cheers,
Aditya
 
use Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet to upload pics and u will get a "Direct Link" of the image uploaded, copy that link, and while posting here ..... click on Insert Image icon and paste that link and submit .... we will get the full size image :)
Basically u will get all types of links to post ur image in any forums .... copy them and post here :D

Cheers,
Aditya
 
Good start Kiran :clapping:
When you are saying colors ..... u mean wire colors ?

Sure Aditya.. will keep updating the progress... the question was regarding the link that Raghu shared on Audio/Video Keystone Jacks...

Are Monoprice wires available in India?
 
use Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet to upload pics and u will get a "Direct Link" of the image uploaded, copy that link, and while posting here ..... click on Insert Image icon and paste that link and submit .... we will get the full size image :)
Basically u will get all types of links to post ur image in any forums .... copy them and post here :D

Cheers,
Aditya


Thanks for this info Aditya... :clapping:
 
Sure Aditya.. will keep updating the progress... the question was regarding the link that Raghu shared on Audio/Video Keystone Jacks...

Are Monoprice wires available in India?

Oh .... I didnt see that link :D
I think they are available .... check with Vector, they got lot few speaker cable brands they deal with, I dont remember which ones ... but I remember they mentioned few brands when I inquired with them few months ago.
Cheers,
Aditya
 
Kiran,

The suggestion for keystone jacks was for convenience. I did not know they come in colors. Monoprice can be sourced in India; or if you know people traveling to US, you can order to a US address and have them hand carry it. Jacks and plugs should not be an issue to carry. A spool of say 200-250 ft can get heavy and bulky.

As far as wire goes, in theory there is no special stuff in this simple element. Just low resistance copper (as pure as possible) and insulated cladding. So there are many options, some are:
1. Expensive esoteric speaker wire - high cost and don't know about in-wall uasge
2. Affordable speaker wire - if you can source it in India or for US; Finolex/Monoprice/Bluejeans are some sellers with reasonable pricing
3. Plain old electrical wire - cheapest option; Finolex is very good

Finolex makes speaker wire with thickness up to 14AWG or 2 sq. mm; this seems good enough for the run in your case. Length matching is built-in. Check for in wall capability
If using Finolex electrical wire, you can go to 12 AWG or 2.6 sq. mm
One Red and one black spool may be enough; each spool is 90m and costs about 1.6K
Length matching is your responsibility. Within pair, length match to within 2 - 3 inches. Between pairs, say FL and FR, length match to within 8 - 12 inches.

Plan on where you will place your equipment; it is always safer to go long on speaker wire than on interconnects.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Raghu

Edit: I have not done any dedicated HT stuff, so I am not qualified to comment on treatment/acoustics; just my take on speaker wire options for longer than normal runs.
 
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As far as wire goes, in theory there is no special stuff in this simple element. Just low resistance copper (as pure as possible) and insulated cladding. So there are many options, some are:
1. Expensive esoteric speaker wire - high cost and don't know about in-wall uasge
2. Affordable speaker wire - if you can source it in India or for US; Finolex/Monoprice/Bluejeans are some sellers with reasonable pricing
3. Plain old electrical wire - cheapest option; Finolex is very good

Finolex makes speaker wire with thickness up to 14AWG or 2 sq. mm; this seems good enough for the run in your case. Length matching is built-in. Check for in wall capability
If using Finolex electrical wire, you can go to 12 AWG or 2.6 sq. mm
One Red and one black spool may be enough; each spool is 90m and costs about 1.6K

Thank you Raghu for the detailed inputs. I will go with 14 AWG for all speakers. Initially thought of 12 AWG for FL and FR and 14 AWG for surrounds... but looks like going with 14 AWG for all makes sense.

Question: If I have to get the wiring done for 9.2.4 (for future upgrade, I may be good with 7.1 or 7.1.2 for now), How do I calculate the points on where to place the equipment so that wiring can be done accordingly.

Will I be able to do it on my own with the help of the experts suggestion here or do I have to get the marking done by external people.

Length matching is your responsibility. Within pair, length match to within 2 - 3 inches. Between pairs, say FL and FR, length match to within 8 - 12 inches.

What do you exactly mean by this... sorry if this is a very naive question.
 
I would start with this initial assumption and then work towards fine tuning.

1. Screen (parda) will be on the 18ft front wall; other FMs who have knowledge and experience are already guiding you on size and distance from projector lens. I don't know about this aspect, so sorry I can't be of much help here.
2. Electronics (AV Rack) will consume 3' x 4', including wiggle room for mobility to connect/disconnect wires and air circulation.
3. Let's assume you place this on the 18ft back wall (one with the door); Majority of power points should be here.
4. If possible, plan for the AC on the same wall as electronics, so that it blow cool air around the equipment as well as the room.
5. That leaves about 18' x 18' seating space
6. Assume the first seating row is about 9-10ft from screen. I guess this is the comfortable distance. Others FMs can confirm.
7. You are kind enough to allow others to share the HT experience. Assume 2 seating rows with 4 seats per row if going with plush sofas/recliners/love-seats. Family definitely, friends selectively; neighbors, well .... :)

Now from here on, you can decide the front/sub/surround/VoG (Voice of God) speaker placements. If you are using some kind of wall jacks for wiring, you can always place the surrounds on stands and make adjustments. If wall mounting them only then pre-planning becomes important. If possible, bring in experts on placement, but eventually having the freedom to move things around to suit your listening experience is desirable.
After all it is "<Your_Name_Here> Talkies" :)

Now to length matching:
1. Each speaker needs 2 wires (+ and -). These should be as closely length matched; preferably equal length; not more than 2" difference
2. Each speaker pair, say FL and FR should have their paired cable lengths within 12"; meaning if you run 25ft of cable for FL, FR should be 24-26 ft
3. Length matching is important for very long runs; in your case I don't see it exceeding 50ft per run. Try to keep it symmetrical for the sake of your own sanity. Check the resistance of the cable you plan to use and calculate the addition to the speaker's nominal impedance.
3. You need not run the wires in wall or ceiling. Since it is a dedicated HT room, you may choose to run it along the floor/wall edge with some kind of cable cover or inexpensive cable management solution. This allows for easy cable replacements if and when required.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
16 awg or 14 awg will work. 12 gauge may be too thick to work with. I have the Monoprice 14 awg which i got from someone returning from the US.
 
Raghu, thanks a lot for the detailed inputs and suggestions.. have few more questions though!

2. Electronics (AV Rack) will consume 3' x 4', including wiggle room for mobility to connect/disconnect wires and air circulation.
3. Let's assume you place this on the 18ft back wall (one with the door); Majority of power points should be here.

Should the AV Rack go to the back wall? I was thinking that it will be under the screen.

6. Assume the first seating row is about 9-10ft from screen. I guess this is the comfortable distance. Others FMs can confirm.
7. You are kind enough to allow others to share the HT experience. Assume 2 seating rows with 4 seats per row if going with plush sofas/recliners/love-seats. Family definitely, friends selectively; neighbors, well .... :)

Yes, I was also thinking about 2 rows.. 5 in the last and 4 in the first (from the screen) but since I have the door at the back, need to check on this later. And Obviously the most generous people like you, Aditya and other FMs who are educating me and helping me to make this happen are welcome too :eek:hyeah::eek:hyeah:


3. You need not run the wires in wall or ceiling. Since it is a dedicated HT room, you may choose to run it along the floor/wall edge with some kind of cable cover or inexpensive cable management solution. This allows for easy cable replacements if and when required.

If I want to get the wiring done for ATMOS, it has to be done on the ceiling before I get the false ceiling done. I think I'll have to do the placement right for these atleast.

Thanks,
Kiran.
 
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