What to do with my room?

[anm]

hi - as you guys are aware, I have shifted back to my house. HT/ Music system is going to be in the living room. Therefore the WAF and VWF (visitor wow factor) come to play at topmost priority. Looks first and SQ second.

Any suggestions on how room decor should be done so that audio also gets its due? Corner traps etc are welcome only if they make themselves invisible.

I want to have both a projector screen and TV, but if required I can sacrifice projector :annoyed:

Do not have a false ceiling, and may not go for one either. Conduits for carrying cable (at least for projector) to surround will look ugly. Seems HDMI cable will not pass through existing internal pipes.

I want to do something around the TV like a wooden panel [wide enuff for projector screen], or wall painted by asian paintwaala or maybe wall paper.

The front wall is 20ft wide, but after putting sofa etc I would not be able to get more than 5-6 ft between speakers, 1.5 ft from front walls, and about 7 ft between speakers and listening position.

I will post photos soon.

 

[olly42]

Anm Photos would help get a good idea

 

[ajay124]

It's complex and confusing to put together a good HT system. It's complex and confusing to put together a good stereo system. Trying to do both together means 'squaring' that complexity and confusion. Ultimately folks who attempt it, wind up with a compromise that is good neither for watching movies nor for listening to music.

Check out the best home theatre systems on the forum. Check out the best two channel systems on the forum. They all belong to guys who have focused only on movies or on music. The requirements and equipment are completely different. For a music system it is absolutely essential to have a dedicated cdp/tt/dac. A stereo amp. Good, short running length speaker cables, and balanced or singled ended interconnects. And most of all, a great pair of perfectly placed speakers. For a movie system the requirements are very different. It would need a huge room and a huge budget to buy and integrate all the stuff required for both in one room.

I have an extensive collection of films from around the world. But due to my music and stereo obssession since early last year, films have taken a back seat for the moment. I rarely watch films thes days, although I have most of the films that I want to view or re-view. I am not interested in viewing cinema on a small screen. I would love to have a projector based home theatre. But I do not have a room or a budget for it at the moment.

HT and MT (music theatre) are two birds which should never be caged in the same room or within the same budget.

 

[olly42]

Well folks not sure if you agree with me but I am going to have a different set of towers with dedicated amp for for music. (Maybe Rotel/Arcam amp + EPOS Epic 5 Towers) along with my current HT set up (Polk RTi A9/Jamo S406/CSi A4 + denon 3312)Last two components have been booked. So my set up may end up looking like a audition room but then what the heck a mans got to do what a mans got to do - lol

 

[anm]

Here are some pics taken past midnight.
I am still a novice with a DSLR. Owning it for last 3 months hasn't helped much as time spent with camera is less. Shot with my tokina wide angle without flash in low light.

Close look at the rack.
After I clicked the pics I moved the AVR from the bottom to top, and placed center speaker on it. Now I plan to remove the lower partition, and take the upper partition a bit down, where I can keep blu-ray player, appletv, wii etc, and use the lowest partition for storing vinyl.
I got this rack made on order much before I understood that having so much closed space can create boxes for air to resonate. I am thinking of replacing this with a new rack that is almost the same height, but is two units wide.

 

[anm]

I am splitting pics into multiple posts, so that it is easier for people to quote when responding, and making responses with quotes less image heavy.

Moving back a couple of steps you can see the speakers. After taking this pic, I wired up some more connections and reduced the visual clutter of wires hanging from the TV. By knotting them together and bunching them behind the center speaker.
Speaker positioning changed every day by lady who cleans up the place. So they keep going back to the wall and coming to front, and then go back again. I think she thinks I am fool to pull them away from the wall, and she corrects that diligently everyday.

I am vary of the current rack between the speakers. I THINK it makes the sound a little boomy due to drawers and 3 side enclosed partitions.

 

[anm]

pls forgive me for the bag, cartons etc lying around. Hope to sort these out this week.
BTW, thinking of replacing entire stuff including projector screen, front/ center speakers, rack, avr, TT, sofa - minus the samsung 50C6500. Maybe projector as well. I am eager to get things out, but replacements would come this time after more research.

For speakers, maggies are strong contenders, hoping to find a willing carpenter to bring them to better WAF.
I have to postpone everything (except sofa replacement) beyond end of aug. Thinking of getting the main wall wall papered.

Looking forward to get important insights and suggestions on room decor, basic treatment, rack, equipment placement etc. Pls be ruthless while reviewing and suggesting.

 

[GeorgeO]

I have just got Anutone acoustic panels for my HT room. They are 4 X 2 ft and I was lucky to get Praveen from Anutone to come and suggest how I should install them. I plan to insert them into appx 4 X 2 frames of MDF, stick on another material( called synth) they have supplied to the rear of the board, and on the front, cover it with light coloured fabric-maybe silk to make it look aesthetically acceptable. The panels on the two sides will be staggered-not wall to wall, while the rear wall will be mostly covered.
There are many threads about what to do and you will benefit by going through some of them.

 

[anm]

moving back a few more steps and you can see dining table on right, kitchen door on right and main entry door on left. The larger central sofa is where sweet spot is desired.

 

[anm]

I have just got Anutone acoustic panels for my HT room. They are 4 X 2 ft and I was lucky to get Praveen from Anutone to come and suggest how I should install them. I plan to insert them into appx 4 X 2 frames of MDF, stick on another material( called synth) they have supplied to the rear of the board, and on the front, cover it with light coloured fabric-maybe silk to make it look aesthetically acceptable. The panels on the two sides will be staggered-not wall to wall, while the rear wall will be mostly covered.
There are many threads about what to do and you will benefit by going through some of them.

can u post some pics? so would these be 4 ft high from floor?
Do u mean rear wall as in one behind the listener or behind the speakers?

 

[anm]

View from rhs of the listening area. Behind the curtains, it is a glass panels + glass doors. Almost entire wall is made of glass. Curtains are pretty thin right now.

Shot at 2011-08-03

 

[anm]

As the TV watches me. A shot of the listening position and the backside of the room. The length is ~30ft, width of the room is ~20ft. pls note the extra two corners created just behind the main sofa. One next to the MCB box and other near the dining table.

 

[anm]

Another view of listening area

 

[GeorgeO]

The calculation is based on what are called points of reflection, and the panels will be placed about 3 feet above floor level on all sides. The speakers are positioned in the location where they will be finally placed( mine are stand mounted monitors) and then the first point, the second point and third point are identified, and these are where the acoustic panels need to be placed to absorb reflections.

Rear wall is the wall behind the listener.

I haven started work yet, so I will not post any pictures at this time.

 

[anm]

thanks GeorgeO. All suggestions are welcome, and not just room treatment as I am open to change everything.

 

[anm]

Can someone point me to a cabinet/ design that is two units wide and same height as my current cabinet?

 

[ssf]

I browse through the site mentioned below to give me design ideas for my apartment. They have some nice designs in their living room section too.

Media Room Design, Pictures, Remodel, Decor and Ideas

 

[prem]

Hi anm

Pull your speakers from the backwall. Add a carpet/rug between the speakers and the listening chair. Put 4 small triangular pillows at the four top corners of the room where the ceiling and the side walls meet

 

[manoj.p]

Your speakers are too close to the floor. If the driver is close to floor, then it will have floor reflections. Try to get them stand mounted, so the drivers are lifted off the floor.
You can put a thick carpet between the seating area and front of the speakers. These will take care of floor reflections.

If you want to get acoustic panels, take a look at this thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1316623 You can get custom fabric printed, can be movie posters, pictures or paintings and then use those to build the acoustic panels. Will work as decor and serve the purpose acoustically too.

 

[sdurani]

Aside from getting the speakers off the floor a bit, I would also spread them out (for a wider soundstage).

The way they're currently pointed, anyone sitting on the side couches will have the nearby speaker dominate what they hear. Toeing the speakers inward will help balance the sound for off-axis listeners; the nearby speaker will be slightly softer (pointing away from you) while the farther speaker will be slightly louder (pointing towards you).

Do you have any surrounds in this set-up?