Ricky's Audio Video Barn Build Project

[Quadmon]

Thanks Quadmon. Perhaps a little out of line here but that red blanket over the chair is offensive to us Michiganders

Haha! Get that! Guess we can make peace through music.

 

[GOS]

Haha! Get that! Guess we can make peace through music.

Go Illini! Oops.

 

[DuncanS]

How about building a Bass/Sub-Woofer transmission line speaker under the floor?
Might want to strengthen the walls to cope with the 'earthquake' level Bass though!

 

[4-earredwonder]

How about building a Bass/Sub-Woofer transmission line speaker under the floor?
Might want to strengthen the walls to cope with the 'earthquake' level Bass though!

Adding a NEW element to Dolby ATMOS' Height channels

DEPTH CHANNELS

Ingenious, Dunc!

 

[4-earredwonder]

Adding a NEW element to Dolby ATMOS' Height channels

DEPTH CHANNELS

Ingenious, Dunc!

You can call it Dolby ATMOS with Depth.Con 1

"The rumble that'll make you tumble!"

 

[DuncanS]

You can call it Dolby ATMOS with Depth.Con 1

"The rumble that'll make you tumble!"

...... for those that like their Martinis shaken not stirred

 

[ar surround]

In case you don't realize it, the AV-10 does NOT have multichannel analog inputs, only stereo. You will have to go with one of their older pre/pros like the AV8805A or the AV7706.

My Marantz AVR has those 7.1 analog inputs. I don't use them because they are almost unless. They only respond to volume controls, not tone controls; and being analog, they are not tied to the room correction software.

So I've got a Parasound P7 preamp which has two sets of 7.1 multichannel inputs. I've run 2.0 with XLR's directly from the Oppo 205 for pure stereo; analogs from a Surround Master to one set of 7.1 inputs; and analogs from the Marantz to the other set of 7.1 inputs. The amplifiers in the Marantz are only used to drive the Atmos ceiling speakers. The 7 floor speakers are driven by large Parasound amps connect with XLR's from the preamp.

Yes, it is complicated but it allows me to do weird things like incorporate Auro 3D with the Surround Master.

Confusing? Yes...perhaps someone can explain to me one day what the hell I've done.

 

[MidiMagic]

The way to ensure no crawling is to run plastic flex conduit everywhere, 3/4" minimum and 1" minimum if you want to pull connectors thru it or multi pair cables. Can also use for updating to fiber later. And before you close any walls/areas or ditches, take lots of photos!

I am having to build a new media room. I am about to sell my stair-filled house and find something flat.

I am thinking of using cable trays so I can get to the wiring. The sound wiring in my present house is in the walls and some of it has gone bad.

 

[barfle]

I am having to build a new media room. I am about to sell my stair-filled house and find something flat.

I am thinking of using cable trays so I can get to the wiring. The sound wiring in my present house is in the walls and some of it has gone bad.

Iff you’re actually building the room, and you decide to take it down to the studs, run conduit in the walls. As big as you can fit, and run it to places you might not use. The stuff is cheap, as is drywall, and the investment will pay off.

I don’t think they teach drywall in any schools, but it’s not hard, and if you mess it up, it’s fairly easy to fix. Lots of drywall compound or spackle (spackle supposedly shrinks less as it dries), and use screws instesd of nails to fasten it to the studs.

Going down to the studs lets you run all the wiring you need, including power, Ethernet, HDMI, speaker cable, antenna cable, and line-level. It might take an extra week depending on your DIY skills and time to decote to the task, but compared to running wire through blind wall cavities, it is likely to pay off.

Just my rwo cents.

 

[marpow]

Iff you’re actually building the room, and you decide to take it down to the studs, run conduit in the walls. As big as you can fit, and run it to places you might not use. The stuff is cheap, as is drywall, and the investment will pay off.

I don’t think they teach drywall in any schools, but it’s not hard, and if you mess it up, it’s fairly easy to fix. Lots of drywall compound or spackle (spackle supposedly shrinks less as it dries), and use screws instesd of nails to fasten it to the studs.

Going down to the studs lets you run all the wiring you need, including power, Ethernet, HDMI, speaker cable, antenna cable, and line-level. It might take an extra week depending on your DIY skills and time to decote to the task, but compared to running wire through blind wall cavities, it is likely to pay off.

Just my rwo cents.

Not to mention, permits with building inspectors will happen.
This build is not being done without permits, guaranteed.

What you are referring to is electrical rough in and must be signed off. Then insulation R-13 minimum in walls, once those two inspections are completed then it is ok to drywall.
Trust me Ricky knows all this.

 

[Owen Smith]

What you are referring to is electrical rough in and must be signed off. Then insulation R-13 minimum in walls, once those two inspections are completed then it is ok to drywall.

You need sign off inside an existing private domestic dwelling for replacing the wiring in the walls? I'm surprised, there's no such requirement in the UK. Building a new house or for commercial properties sure, but not for changes inside the house you currently live in. You do need a qualified electrician for wiring changes in the fuse box/consumer unit (breaker box in the US?), but that's all.

 

[audiomaster]

Iff you’re actually building the room, and you decide to take it down to the studs, run conduit in the walls. As big as you can fit, and run it to places you might not use. The stuff is cheap, as is drywall, and the investment will pay off.

I don’t think they teach drywall in any schools, but it’s not hard, and if you mess it up, it’s fairly easy to fix. Lots of drywall compound or spackle (spackle supposedly shrinks less as it dries), and use screws instesd of nails to fasten it to the studs.

Going down to the studs lets you run all the wiring you need, including power, Ethernet, HDMI, speaker cable, antenna cable, and line-level. It might take an extra week depending on your DIY skills and time to decote to the task, but compared to running wire through blind wall cavities, it is likely to pay off.

Just my rwo cents.

If you run a conduit to each wall and then run a conduit horizontally thru the wall studs all along the wall, then you can access any stud section without much cutting. Run it high. Easier to get wires to go down than up and stays away from the receptacles near the floor.
And run your AC power in "MC" or metal clad wire, but get steel clad rather than the aluminum which does not provide magnetic shielding. Use all metal boxes which the flex will ground. Then you can use isolated ground receptacles with the green wire in the MC cable grounding the receptacle screw.

 

[Owen Smith]

And run your AC power in "MC" or metal clad wire, but get steel clad rather than the aluminum which does not provide magnetic shielding. Use all metal boxes which the flex will ground. Then you can use isolated ground receptacles with the green wire in the MC cable grounding the receptacle screw.

It really is a different world over in the US, none of the stuff you've described above exists in the UK for domestic properties. Metal conduit is common in commercial buildings, but metal clad wire is something I haven't seen for a long time. Interesting how different it all is.

 

[marpow]

You need sign off inside an existing private domestic dwelling for replacing the wiring in the walls? I'm surprised, there's no such requirement in the UK. Building a new house or for commercial properties sure, but not for changes inside the house you currently live in. You do need a qualified electrician for wiring changes in the fuse box/consumer unit (breaker box in the US?), but that's all.

Ricky’s build is not an existing build. It is brand new from ground up.
Yes, in USA you need permits and inspections for all new builds and remodels.
Do some people not get permits even when they are supposed to, of course.

 

[audiomaster]

It really is a different world over in the US, none of the stuff you've described above exists in the UK for domestic properties. Metal conduit is common in commercial buildings, but metal clad wire is something I haven't seen for a long time. Interesting how different it all is.

Metal clad and conduit are not common for residential here as the contractors use the cheapest they can get (what we call Romex). But a serious home theater should be wired more like a recording studio than a living room. Including grounding. Just my opinion!

 

[Owen Smith]

Metal clad and conduit are not common for residential here as the contractors use the cheapest they can get (what we call Romex). But a serious home theater should be wired more like a recording studio than a living room. Including grounding. Just my opinion!

Every time I've tried to use pre-power I get mains hum pickup on the pre to power links. I've given up trying to sort it out after various experiments. Better earthing may or may not help, but most of the wiring is buried behind dry wall (plaster board as we call it) stuck to solid walls (breeze blocks) so it would be a huge amount of work to do anything with it. The sub station less than 10 metres away may not be helping. Our cable in the walls is called flat twin and earth which from what I've seen is very similar to Romex.

But yes I agree good screening and earthing of mains is a good thing.

 

[Owen Smith]

Ricky’s build is not an existing build. It is brand new from ground up.

Midimagic's room is what I was referring to, sounds like it could be a remodel.

 

[audiomaster]

And yes, here, you would need two electrical inspections, a "rough-in" inspection when the walls are still open and a final when finished where they check each receptacle with a plug-in tester for proper wiring and grounding. And each inspector has his little pet peeves about how they want grounds done etc. You can do your own wiring on your own (owned) home, but you have to take a simple open-code-book test for the AHJ. That's the "authority having jurisdiction" or building inspector. That's in N Carolina, but could be different in another state if they go by different rules. All are supposed to go by the Nation Electric Code. But each city gets to decide if they want to adopt it and what version? Lots of fun.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Ricky’s build is not an existing build. It is brand new from ground up.
Yes, in USA you need permits and inspections for all new builds and remodels.
Do some people not get permits even when they are supposed to, of course.

The need for inspection on a remodel depends on where in the USA you are too. In the county I live in in NY, low voltage wiring requires no inspection at all and service wiring on a remodel is only required if it involves additions or modifications to the breaker panel.

 

[cbmmm3]

Pour Pour Pitiful Me !
they poured the walls Friday in the snowstorm !! Brave Soldiers !! The forms will come off on Monday.