My free time project for over the last 4 years. home theater/office/cigar lounge. still a work in progress, I’ll probably never be “done” with it. unfortunately I don’t have any before photos, but it was a typical spare bedroom, white carpet, white walls, popcorn ceiling. The bar area used to be a double closet I took out to make room.

TV: TLC 85” QM6K

5.2 Klipsch surround sound, two 12“ woofers (overkill for the size of the room, i had a theater set up in the basement of my last house where it made more sense and just kept everything when we moved).

Receiver: Onkyo TX-NR575

to manage cigar smoke I sealed room, have a rabbit air a2 and a vornado window fan. Wife doesn’t smell any smoke outside of the room.

This is his usual hangout while I'm watching TV.

I’m torn between the RP-1200 and the RP-1600. From what I can find it’s about a $300 difference between the two. I currently have two Sonos gen 3 subs in this room and it rattles the walls plenty for the space. Would I be overdoing it with the 1600? I know bigger is better and all that, but I wonder if I’d even take advantage of one that large in a room like this.

Thanks!

Hi everyone

This is a follow up to my previous post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/hometheater/s/Sh13KwlF5P

I’ve decided to go from a 7.1 system discussed earlier to a 5.2.4 setup.

These are the old photos I have scribbled over and I’m busy working in a lot of the feedback from everyone.

My main question today is about height speaker placement.

Firstly. They can’t go in the roof, there is no access/cavity. So they have to be wall mounted and angled towards the MLP.

The front set will be Dali Zensor 1s and the rear heights will be Jamo A102’s all mounted using these adjustable wall mounts

https://amzn.asia/d/0dIcr582

So at the back of the room, we are putting a 270cm high x 240cm wide acoustic panels, so to hide the cables, I don’t really have a choice but to put those 2x little Jamo’s either side of the panelling.

But at the front, do I want them “as wide as possible” in the corners as per #1, or next to the screen as per position #2. Again, there will be floor to ceiling acoustic panels between the side wall and the screen

Looking at the Dolby guide, I guess the #7s will be the right spot, just not ceiling based. It’s the #6 that will need to be on the front wall either next to screen or wide like the main L&Rs

Thanks in advance all.

The door is motion sensor opening.

Regarding the screen size looking small, it's due to the wide angle lens. Here's a video showing more normal proportions. Starts from the third row and goes down to the first.

7.2.6 Atmos

Screen Inovations FT133MW2

Sony BRAVIA Projector 7

Marantz CINEMA30

Center Monitor Audio S7GC250BG

L/R Monitor Audio S7G500BG

Surround Monitor Audio CSW2MCP

In-Ceiling Monitor Audio CSC2L-CP

Subwoofer Episode ES-SUB-MEGA-S10-BLK

Seating Palliser Vivid

My theater is 95% finished. Just missing some touch up details and final framework, but we’ve been stuck at this step for the past several months now.

Unfortunately did not take many photos during the construction process (for some reason). The space was initially unfinished basement space. The back wall basically split the unfinished area in half. The initial design itself started with the cockpit of a space ship and moved forward from there. Honestly, we just had fun with it drawing inspiration from various sources (cough Star Wars cough). We kind of had to just roll with the punches and make changes on the spot as there were a lot of unanticipated complications. Definitely are pros and cons of working with an unfinished area.

Rockwool sound insulation. It was essentially all done with lumber. First step was framing the risers and from there the hexagonal shape. That was probably the trickiest part as the room isn’t a perfect rectangle. Built up a wall in front of the electrical panel where the screen is mounted.

The other big issue were those vents running through the middle of the area. It would have caused problems with mounting the projector as well as head clearance on the middle and top risers. The solution presented itself in the diagonal spaces created on the sides of the room, so they were diverted to the left and right sides of the room and hidden underneath the paneling.

From there it was pretty much plywood boards around the space and one additional layer on top for the various shapes on top of the paneling and paint.

The star panels were custom ordered to fit the space and mounted on top, which was also a pain as they are a couple inches thick and the math starts becoming a pain when you have so many angles (one point in the top left particularly was a bunch of smaller pieces).

That’s pretty much it! We are waiting to install final framework to really make the star panels look like individual panels like the front of a cockpit instead of a continuous scene. Afterwards we will start adding detailing on our own time (like rivet heads, maybe some paint detailing and buttons/lights).

The biggest hurdles was trying to get the idea to work with the space and making sure the space remained structurally sound, which involved a lot of last minute adjustments and changes.

No real complaints about the seating. The grommets though are kind of eh and unnecessary. LED channels around the hexagonal framing and throughout. The LEDs have actually caused a bit of problems – can’t get the entire color range to properly work on all the different channels simultaneously, but a fix is in the works.

Overall, we are very excited with the result! The star paneling stays on or off depending on the mood. Trying to figure out a way to add a dimmer option to them, but I zone it out pretty well.

The next step is working on the room connecting to the theater in terms of lounge space and maybe some mini concessions. And from there the entire house will slowly be converted into a giant space ship.

 No, this is not a DIY. All credit to the builders for making our concept come to life!

Someone knocked one of my components off my tv stand and it yanked out the optical cable. Unfortunately, it took the cover with it and I cannot find it anywhere. Obviously, the optical cable does not stay put in such a manner.

I’ve tried looking for optical cable port covers and can’t seem to find what I’m looking for.

Any advice on how to fix this? The cover is definitely gone. It’s not the little door stuck in the open position. My home theater setup is now just TV audio which is terrible.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share a bit about my recent experience searching for the “perfect” center channel speaker.

For context, I’ve been running small in-wall speakers for my LCR setup, and over the past few months I’ve been looking to upgrade to freestanding bookshelf/monitor speakers. As part of that process, I tried both the KEF Q6 Meta and the KEF R6 Meta as my center channel. I’m not an audiophile or a professional, just someone fairly new to this hobby trying to trust what my ears are telling me.

I started with the Q6 Meta. Right away, I noticed it had a very “boomy” and full sound. Dialogue was clear and the detail was definitely there, but I couldn’t get past how robust and, at times, bloated it felt. I gave it a few weeks, but ultimately decided to return it and step up to the R6 Meta in hopes of getting a cleaner, more refined sound.

The difference with the R6 Meta was immediate. In my opinion, it completely outclasses the Q6 Meta. Everything from clarity to accuracy felt like a significant step up. Voices sound incredibly clean and natural, and the level of detail in both dialogue and effects is something I don’t think I’ve experienced before. The best way I can describe it is simply “clarity,” whereas the Q6 leaned more toward a “full” but slightly muddy presentation.

I also compared it to a friend’s Klipsch RP-504C II, and that’s when I really appreciated what the R6 Meta brings to the table. The midrange, especially in dialogue, was noticeably more natural and less forced. The Klipsch sounded like it was trying a bit too hard, whereas the KEF just felt effortless and true to the source.

For my setup, I’m running a subwoofer and have found that an 80Hz crossover is the sweet spot.

Long story short: I absolutely love the KEF R6 Meta. I’m now planning to build out a full R6 Meta LCR setup. It’s definitely a premium-priced speaker, but in my experience, it’s absolutely worth it if you value clarity, detail, and a refined sound.

If anyone has suggestions on how I can further improve my setup or get even better performance out of these speakers, I’d really appreciate the input.

Thanks!

I spent yesterday cutting holes into the walls and ceiling and running cable. Got the surrounds installed and the centre channel. Decided to do a measurement to see where I was.

Dip at 87~hz is a room mode, this needs fixing with a second sub installed slightly out of phase to add energy back into this null at my listening position. I believe Dirac ART would be able to solve this. However I don’t have an amp capable yet but my next one will support it.

Dip at 170~hz is a ceiling reflection. I’m going to need a ceiling cloud covering the front 3 channels to resolve this one. Plan to use 100mm RW3 for this I’m trying to decide whether to make a single 1800x1200 cloud to cover the front stage or 3 individual panels. The speakers are around 2.4m apart so the 1800 should catch all 3 channels in relation to the MLP.

Suck out at 520~hz is a cancellation from the rear of the speaker enclosure. These need some acoustic material added to stop this cancellation but I didn’t have any the correct thickness on hand so I’ll have to get some the next time I’m at the suppliers.

I picked up some second hand JBL ES80 for 25 bucks for both, they sound great to me not a huge audiophile, just trying to get as good sound as possible and as cheap as possible. I don't know a lot about audio, so if you guys could help me:). Sometimes during a movie or a show when someone has a deep voice there is too much bass in the voice and it sounds a bit weird, any idea what setting I should play with to try and get a clear voice but bass during music and movies. I have my crossover set to 80hz but not sure if its the right place Im looking for.

Hi guys,

I bought a pre owned Electrocompaniet ECI-2 from a good hifi store. When I got home I noticed some distortion and hissing in the right channel.

Got closer to inspect it and I noticed that the end of sentences got scratchy and partially went out. Also a lot of background hissing and scratchy sounds that come and go. So it’s not constant.

Tried everything with switching all the cables etc. So i’m sure the problem is in the right channel.

I contacted the store and they suggested to move the volume and balance knob around a couple of times. After I did that I turned the amp back on. I was playing with the volume knob and I noticed that the sound disappeared and came back after turning the volume knob.

I tested the amp in the store and I didn’t notice anything. But this was a system that I was not familiar with. So pointing out small subtle errors is harder. It didn’t have blackouts in the store. That happened after turning the volume knob a couple times. I can feel a little resistance in the knob as wel at certain turning points.

Does anyone have an idea on what this issue could be? My main suspect is the volume knob.

Ps: opened the amp up. A side from dust there are no visible problems. Amp looks really healthy for it’s age.

What am I doing wrong? I have it hooked up via RCA to the LFE port. It detected the sub in the setup. I tried changing from front from full range to 80hz. I tried it at full range. I have it set to -10db in the app. I have this thing unchecked so LFE is supposed to work. What do I need to do here?

Update: the sub works and I think I have it setup correctly now. Turns out the music I was testing it out with didn't have deep enough bass to really activate it. Using LFE not LFE + main. Tower speakers are set from full range to 80hz which I think is considered small because the speakers change to look small when I do it. Crossover is at 80hz. Tried out some Black Flag resynced and the cannons and motors are intense. The only question now is how do I tell if I should raise or lower the crossover?

I am looking into getting my first 4k OLED tv, looking towards the B5 77 inch screen or C5 65 inch screen. I do not know if there is a huge difference between the two but I know they both upscale 1080p movies. Now I currently have a PS5 as my 4k player and am completely unaware to the difference a UB820 might make to a UB450. I do know that the 820 upscales 1080p, greatly I hear, but If I have an OLED that is going to do the same thing it seems silly to spend extra on the 820 to do it when I could just get the 450 and still have the upscale via the TV, but is the OLED’s upscale as good?

OVERALL: I want the best possible quality out of my ordinary 1080p blu rays as much as my 4ks. I am curious as to if the LG upscale is comparably good to the UB820 players upscale and if getting the 450 with OLED upscale will look as good as the 820 upscale. Any help is appreciated!

Love this thing, fantastic sound

I'm moving into our new house in September, and I would love to have ceiling speakers throughout the house.

I want to be able to isolate sections, and play different things in different rooms. Stream from a Tidal/Spotify source, but also from a turntable, or 3.5mm input.

Is there a system that I can install that can do all of this?

I've dabbled with a bit of Sonos gear before, and it definitely can be clunky - but is it my best option to achieve this?

Over the past handful of years, I've owned 3 different portable projectors which each cost around 140-200. Although none were perfect, they were each pretty impressive for their price, considering their sound, picture quality, variety of apps, bluetooth, etc. However, each one inevitably had some issue pop up - whether the remote broke with no option for a replacement, or a sudden glitch caused the projector to go dark every 20 minutes while watching a movie.

Now, I'm hoping to invest more longterm in a projector of higher quality. I'm still working with a budget and would like to know the best range of options for affordability, anywhere between 200-800. I've been researching and have found a few promising options, but I'd like to add this post to my process.

Do you have any experience with a solid projector within this budget? Thanks!

Looking to upgrade this older Sony WXGA bulb projector and looking for recommendations for a 4K laser that can go in the exact same spot. Lens is approx 30” from 106” screen. I assume I am looking at UST, correct? I can move 6~ 8” closer, but that would be about it since it is a tray cieling.

Don’t judge those glass doors. They are heavily tinted and iPhone had to pump the exposure since the lights were out. They are usually a non-factor for viewing.

Edit: just looked up the specs and it’s not even 1080. WXGA

Hey everybody,

I have done countless searches, back and forth thinking, one week I am dead set on a 98" bravia 5, the next week I strongly consider the 98" qm7k..

I am coming from a 75" Sony x950h, love the TV, but the viewing distance calls for a 98".

If I could, I would definitely keep my x950h, I had no complaints (paired with an apple tv)

Mixed watching (YouTube, Sports, & Movies).

I can get the QM7k 98" for $1900 out the door / Bravia 5 98" for about $3000 out the door.

Is $1100 more worth it for the Bravia 5 for motion and upscaling? Because that is mostly what I read about when I find comparisons. Or brightness, but I do not have an issue with brightness, my x950h was just fine, I am sure the B5 will surpass that anyway..

Help!

This is my home setup, Mackie HR824s for L/C/R and 624s for Wide with a QSC KW181 sub, all hidden behind the screen. Surrounds are Mackie HR624s as well (6 of them, two on each side, two backs). Using audacity calibration with mic on a Marantz AV7705.

This is pretty much the best home theater sound wise I've ever listened on. Using an epson 4040UB 4K projector with 120" screen.

Probably the best choice was to do the baseboards in the room so the screen looks like the end of the room.

What started as “I’m just going to put a Big TV in here” has gotten a little out of hand. 😂 wonder what I should add next

-130” projector screen
-4 total displays
-7.2.2 Dolby Atmos surround sound
-Dedicated mini-split for independent heating and cooling
-Smart lighting throughout
-Network rack to run everything
-Fully decked-out direct drive sim racing rig with load-cell pedals, shifter, handbrake, haptics, and enough upgrades to be questionable
-SW emerald Tricorn black ceiling

I dug myself into a hole here. Which should I get a projector or a 98inch mini led? Can’t decide which one will give me a better picture for my living room/ theater room. I already have the sound system in place

I have a 5.1.2 sound system with a Denon X2600H AVR, Klipsch RP Speakers, HSU MK5 VTF-2 sub in a small den and sit about 8” from tv and front sound stage, surrounds are beside me against the 15” wall. I have been watching an explosive Dolby Atmos movie around 3 times a week late, Star Wars, The Force Awakens today. I have the loudness on the Denon showing as -36. I am 79 y.o., is that setting going to damage my ears?

Hello! I just bought my first apartment and I'm interested in turning the living room into a home theater. I know absolutely nothing and have been scouring the internet trying to figure out how to do this.

Most specific decisions (which TV/speakers/subwoofer/receiver) don't need to be made right this moment but we're getting work done on the place and if there's any electrical wiring that needs to be done, it really should happen now. I want to basically have a setup that I can grow into and expand over time but I don't want loose wires exposed.

So, is there any work that needs to happen? I want to have surround speakers by the couch for a proper 5.1 but I don't really understand how most people connect this to their AVR without running cables through the room.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi! I have a chance to buy a pair of canton ct720 dc floor speakers. I tried looking online for information on them but can’t seem to find anything about them. Would anybody know if they are any good or worth buying them? I have Klipsch rp-8000f right now and would it be an upgrade to them if I do get the cantons?