Nearly finished with painting
Equipment installed:
HK7300
DV59avi
Aperion 522 7.1 with VAC and 12" sub
Stewart Firehawk 110"
Carpet installed
Berkline 090s
Still to come will be OC703 panels and electroluminescent lighting around steps and riser and under kneewall trim. The painting and carpet on the riser will be finished this Friday. The lighting should be delivered Friday and will probably take several days to install. The sound treatment will probably take a month or more before its installed.

I've only had an hour of screen time so far, but it rocks!

James

 

 

 

I finally finished my acoustical panels and have them hung.  They make a tremendous difference in imaging and vocal legibility.

 

I am also very happy with the electroluminescent light tape.  It adds a terrific ambient glow.

 

I wanted to show you some more of James' Set up. He's got some nice pictures here...

I

 

James, great system!  I love the look!  Could you give us some more information on the DIY sound panels and light-tape?  Both look good!

Jim,

Thanks.  We have really been enjoying it.

The sound panels made a huge difference.  I would recommend to anyone that is serious about their sound to consider installing them.  They are basically 2x4'x3" panels of OwensCorning 703 rigid fiberglass.  Their absorbtion figures are far superior to that of standard foam.

I built frames out of 1x3s, backed them with thick particle board and stapled cheap black fabric across them.  I hung them with standard picture wire.

As a result, my bass is much tighter and voices are much more intelligible.

Here are some photos:

The electroluminescent light-tape is working out very well too.  It is low-heat, has a paper thin profile, can be cut with scissors and is cheap( about $1.50/foot).  I have mine connected to a dimmer and the ambient lighting is perfect when I don't need total darkness.  I ordered mine from http://www.beingseen.com/flatlite.html

James

Thanks for the info. and pics. James!  I am thinking about making some home-brew panels for a dedicated 2-channel room.

Jim,

I found this to be a good source for the glass: http://www.insulationworld.com/prodList.asp

You should give them a call; that's more helpful than the website.

James

Your theater really looks great, James.  When building your panels, did you use "acoustically transparent" cloth, or just regular old fabric from Jo-Ann's?  Also, where did you find the electroluminescent tape?  That's great stuff!

Thanks,

 

Josh,

Thanks.  The fabric is plain stuff from the local fabric store.  I went around and around on this and finally just went with a cheap $2/yard black poly through which I could easily pass air.  It seems to work very well.

The light tape is great and very easy to work with.  I bought mine from http://www.beingseen.com/flatlite.html

James

I switched out the L/R 522 bookshelf speakers for Powered Towers.  I am very pleased with the results and will keep it that way.

James

How do you like those Berkline 090?  I am thinking about getting those ones.  None of the local dealers carries any of Berkline's cinema series recliners so I can't go and actualy try some out.  Every place I have talked to says the 090 is the most popular one.  Where did you buy them and how much did you pay?  I saw four 090 with the combination fake and group 1 leather on ebay for $1899 plus $299 shipping but the guy didn't have any feedback so I am kind of afraid to buy them.  He has a web site too but I am still scared.  I got a price of $2100 plus $299 shipping from another place I feel more comfortable with.  These are obviously with no buttkickers or motorized recline.  I think I am going to spring for the motorized recline on two of them.  The guests can do it the old fashioned way.  I have black leather samples on the way.  I want a dull looking leather.  I don't like the shiny stuff.  I guess right now the factory is offering a certain upgraded leather right now for the group 1 leather price or something like that.

Do you notice deeper bass with your sub, or just more of it. 

I would be interested to hear your tests without the dedicated sub and running all LFE through the PT's.

Hi Kevin,

I just did some research on the Berklines for a local customer that purchased a system from us. They come in 4 different quality levels. If you get the group 2 or 3 quality, the $2K neighborhood +shipping is probably a pretty good deal. Also, I don't think any dealers or distributors stock these so you will expect to wait 6-8 weeks for your chairs.

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Cheers,

John Wanderscheid

Kevin,

I bought my Berklines from AV Outlet.  They were great to work with.  The leather/vinyl combo was $495 each.  They charged $190 to ship 6 chairs.  Their number is 877-271-5398.

James

I just submitted 2 threads to the Speakers and Subs forum.  One was comparing the VAC to the bookshelf.  The other was an evaluation of the Powered Towers in a 7 speakers system without a stand-alone sub.

James