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Fred1942
05-14-2012, 12:26 PM
Rather than buy new speakers and try to fit them into a room, I have decided to add on to my house. Room will be around 42 x 24 with 10 to 12 foot ceiling. Far short wall will have large screen tv, speakers, couches & chairs, etc. Room will also have pool table, bar and stools, card table, some cabinets. Anyone with design experience? I would like to eliminate as many acoustic problems as possible. I have an Onkyo 5009 that allows for high and wide 9.2 system. What Ascend speakers should I get? How many subs?

Dark Ranger
05-16-2012, 12:55 PM
Hi Fred,

Welcome to the forums! I do not have design experience in this area, but I wanted to solicit a bit more information from you that can help with the process. It's always a good idea to outline goals and expectations for a project like this.

- Content preference: this room appears to be tasked as a dedicated home theater, along with possible background music during leisure time at the bar and pool table. How do you envision the HT/music ratio? For example, 90% movies and 10% music.

- SPL preference: what kind of loudness are you looking for? For example, 75-85 dB or are we talking about rock concert volume?

- Budget: what's your desired spending range and/or limit for audio gear?


Other thoughts:

The tentative dimensions suggest a very large listening environment, between 10,080 and 12,096 cu. ft. of space. Room layout, carpeting/floor, and furniture placement will have an effect on the sound quality.

If you're looking to arrange an optimal listening area, I'd suggest checking out the following links:

Dolby speaker placement guide (http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/setup/connection-guide/home-theater-speaker-guide/index.html)

THX speaker placement guide (http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/surround-sound-speaker-set-up/)

HT speaker layout guide from Audioholics (http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/speaker-setup-guidelines/home-theater-speaker-layout-an-essential-guide)


If I were building a dedicated HT of that size, my personal preferences would lean towards the following two options:

- Ascend's NrT Towers/Horizon up front, 4 CBM-170SE for surrounds, and 2x Rythmik Audio F15 subwoofers.

or

- Ascend's CMT-340SE up front, 4 CBM-170SE for surrounds, and 2x Rythmik Audio F15 subwoofers.


Again, the two options listed are based on my own preferences for a dedicated HT. :)

Fred1942
05-17-2012, 09:35 AM
Hi Fred,

Welcome to the forums! I do not have design experience in this area, but I wanted to solicit a bit more information from you that can help with the process. It's always a good idea to outline goals and expectations for a project like this.

- Content preference: this room appears to be tasked as a dedicated home theater, along with possible background music during leisure time at the bar and pool table. How do you envision the HT/music ratio? For example, 90% movies and 10% music.

- SPL preference: what kind of loudness are you looking for? For example, 75-85 dB or are we talking about rock concert volume?

- Budget: what's your desired spending range and/or limit for audio gear?


Other thoughts:

The tentative dimensions suggest a very large listening environment, between 10,080 and 12,096 cu. ft. of space. Room layout, carpeting/floor, and furniture placement will have an effect on the sound quality.

If you're looking to arrange an optimal listening area, I'd suggest checking out the following links:

Dolby speaker placement guide (http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/setup/connection-guide/home-theater-speaker-guide/index.html)

THX speaker placement guide (http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/surround-sound-speaker-set-up/)

HT speaker layout guide from Audioholics (http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/speaker-setup-guidelines/home-theater-speaker-layout-an-essential-guide)


If I were building a dedicated HT of that size, my personal preferences would lean towards the following two options:

- Ascend's NrT Towers/Horizon up front, 4 CBM-170SE for surrounds, and 2x Rythmik Audio F15 subwoofers.

or

- Ascend's CMT-340SE up front, 4 CBM-170SE for surrounds, and 2x Rythmik Audio F15 subwoofers.


Again, the two options listed are based on my own preferences for a dedicated HT. :)

Thanks for your reply. We are in the early stages of designing a large room (about 24 x 42 x10) for a home theater plus games. I want to avoid as many acoustic mistakes as possible. We are about 70% movies and 30% background music, soft jazz, opera, classical. One end of the room will be a large screen tv, 70 to 80 inches, speakers with surround sound. Couches would be placed about 12 feet from the wall where the tv will go. I have considered a projector and screen, but it appears the room would have to be fairly dark to keep from washing out the picture, and this would interfere with other activities. My budget for a tv and speakers is 15 to 16,000. I already have an Onkyo 5009 and an Oppo 93 that is now being used in another room that I would transfer to the new room. The Onkyo 5009 allows for additional height and wide speakers. So I am looking at two towers, six surrounds and probably two subs. I don't have any experience with Rythmic, but they have good reviews. I looked at a website called Real Traps that allows you to put in room dimensions, but I don't understand the results yet. Wife probably would not appreciate absorbtion panels or bass traps. Room would be carpeted. Would an arch ceiling instead of flat help the acoustics? Planning on building a bookcase unit around the tv and front speakers once I get them placed. The far rear wall will have some cabinets. Side walls mostly bare with some light sconces and pictures. One side wall will have sliding glass doors opening to the pool area. Will have curtains there. Any thoughts?

Dark Ranger
05-18-2012, 06:36 PM
Hi Fred,

Sorry about the delay, I had to handle a couple of issues that pulled me away from the boards.

To be honest with you, I don't feel comfortable giving you suggestions on actual construction and design of your HT because that is not my area of expertise. However, without absorption/diffusion panels, bass traps, and other methods of acoustic control, I believe you'll be limited in how good the room will sound. There are trade-offs, of course, and WAF can be significant player. At minimum, the carpeted floor and sofas will help keep things from being too "live." Avoiding parallel walls can also help with controlling acoustics. For example, consider how many concert halls and auditoriums are laid out with sloping ceilings/floors and angled walls. When combined with diffusion/absorption treatments, this controls acoustic energy, reflections, and standing waves generated in the room.

Real Traps and Auralex Acoustics (http://www.auralex.com/) are two companies among others that offer products and consultation for room optimization. One suggestion is to check out AVS Forum, specifically their Home Entertainment & Theater Builder (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=3) rooms. You may have more success there.

If it were me, I would also solicit professional advice from companies that do this for a living. Building a HT from scratch is no small task or investment.

Sorry I'm not much more help here. Perhaps there is someone on the Ascend boards with more experience in this area. :)

Fred1942
05-19-2012, 10:59 AM
Hi Fred,

Sorry about the delay, I had to handle a couple of issues that pulled me away from the boards.

To be honest with you, I don't feel comfortable giving you suggestions on actual construction and design of your HT because that is not my area of expertise. However, without absorption/diffusion panels, bass traps, and other methods of acoustic control, I believe you'll be limited in how good the room will sound. There are trade-offs, of course, and WAF can be significant player. At minimum, the carpeted floor and sofas will help keep things from being too "live." Avoiding parallel walls can also help with controlling acoustics. For example, consider how many concert halls and auditoriums are laid out with sloping ceilings/floors and angled walls. When combined with diffusion/absorption treatments, this controls acoustic energy, reflections, and standing waves generated in the room.

Real Traps and Auralex Acoustics (http://www.auralex.com/) are two companies among others that offer products and consultation for room optimization. One suggestion is to check out AVS Forum, specifically their Home Entertainment & Theater Builder (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=3) rooms. You may have more success there.

If it were me, I would also solicit professional advice from companies that do this for a living. Building a HT from scratch is no small task or investment.

Sorry I'm not much more help here. Perhaps there is someone on the Ascend boards with more experience in this area. :)

Thanks for your reply. I looked at GIK Acoustics and have found some panels and bass traps that may be acceptable. Non parallel walls is a good idea.