Setting Up Home Theater / Listening Room

[marpow]

I have also been going back and forth with GKI Acoustics trying to get my head around room treatment. I finally got them to calm down a little bit as I felt they wanted to suggest this bombastic room treatment, one, I don't want to look like I live in a foam bunker and two I kinda like the live room sound. Anyway this is there last response and I feel like we are getting closer.
Hi Mark,

Great! Thanks for that. Let's look at options for each location:

• Corners. Here you can use stackable corner units, or thick panel traps mounted either across the corner, or flush wtih one or both walls butted into the corner. Performance is mostly about thickness, SOffits are best, Monsters 2nd, Tri Traps and 244s third.
• For reflection points (side walls & ceiling) I like 244s but any of the ones listed can be used.
• For the closet doors, perhaps you can mount panels directly to the doors themselves? Or you can use freestanding panels. Again thicker is better. Monsters with Scatter Plates, Alpha 6As, or 6" Impressions are top choices here.
• The above will be a great start, but if you can fit more panels it will help even more.

Let me know which panels are preferred for each role and we can dial this in. For best bass response make each one as thick as you can.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

Some progress today. Electrical rough in done. Well all that back and forth with the Cat6, and I took the electricians advice, also based on the fact putting the PC in closet and running 18' HDMI and USB was kind of ridiculous. So, Cat 6 runs from modem in kitchen, under house, up in garage and up into the room at point of audio rack, then a second Cat 6 runs from the audio rack switch back. He explained if you can go Cat 6 directly to the first switch at the audio rack your much better off, then going thru 2 switches from the closet and then the audio rack. Hopefully 4 ceiling speakers and wire will arrive tomorrow and by next weekend I will be ready for, sheet rock patch, paint and floor.
View attachment 54348
This picture shows electrical outlet on left and Cat 6 box on right.
View attachment 54349
This picture shows run of electrical on right with piece sticking up will be the floor outlet where the power recliners can plug in and Cat 6 on left.
View attachment 54350
This picture shows left box electrical, next Cat 6 in and out, the quad box will be where the two floor and four ceiling speaker wires come together and out. Then far right is another electrical box. the yellow romex going up the wall will be for the wall outlet that will be behind the TV.

Damn that's a lot of drilling. Maybe you'll strike oil
Or even better Audio Nirvana.

Edit: Maybe you should wait for Cat 24.1.10 cable?

Edit #2: Damn that's a lot of drilling. Now we know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.

 

[marpow]

Was able to do a little today. I was hoping my for speakers and speaker wire would have arrived this weekend from Best Buy, but they say truck broke down and will arrive Tuesday, I have heard that before. Two pictures below. I framed up any loose spots on sub floor (some plywood got damaged during demo) and I ran PVC for for left rear speaker wire.

This is 3/4" PVC and will only carry one speaker wire. Left rear surround.

 

[HomerJAU]

Why are you running speaker wires in conduit?

 

[marpow]

Why are you running speaker wires in conduit?

Why not? If I ever want to change or if a failure I can easily pull and replace.
Is there something other you think I should be doing?

 

[HomerJAU]

I never use conduit. I don’t expect to re-run any of my speaker cable and if I did I could just pull it through existing runs.

To me it’s just the extra cost and time to do it.

When I was in the US all the petrochemical plant cabling was done in conduits. Everywhere else in the world it’s cables on cable tray, unless the plant was designed by a US company (then it was conduits).

We were selling electrical and control systems design software. I remember one company wanted us to create conduit design s/w and said it would save them over $1mil if they could design more efficiently and reduce parts. I said you could save $5 million if you just used cables without conduit.

 

[marpow]

I never use conduit. I don’t expect to re-run any of my speaker cable and if I did I could just pull it through existing runs.

To me it’s just the extra cost and time to do it.

When I was in the US all the petrochemical plant cabling was done in conduits. Everywhere else in the world it’s cables on cable tray, unless the plant was designed by a US company (then it was conduits).

We were selling electrical and control systems design software. I remember one company wanted us to create conduit design s/w and said it would save them over $1mil if they could design more efficiently and reduce parts. I said you could save $5 if you just used cables without conduit.

I got it, well you can’t blame for being a Yank. Time, I don’t mind it’s all fun for me and cost around 30 bucks I think. I will not do it with the ceiling speakers cuz I can get to them, but under the floor would be a disaster.

 

[HomerJAU]

I got it, well you can’t blame for being a Yank.

Of course not. It’s the standard method in the US.

Here all domestic electrical wiring is run as free cabling through stud walls, you never see conduit in a house.

 

[proufo]

Was able to do a little today. I was hoping my for speakers and speaker wire would have arrived this weekend from Best Buy, but they say truck broke down and will arrive Tuesday, I have heard that before. Two pictures below. I framed up any loose spots on sub floor (some plywood got damaged during demo) and I ran PVC for for left rear speaker wire.
View attachment 54457
View attachment 54458
This is 3/4" PVC and will only carry one speaker wire. Left rear surround.

It may be difficult to pull wire through those 90 degree elbows. Yes, I understand you have no plans to rewire.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

It may be difficult to pull wire through those 90 degree elbows. Yes, I understand you have no plans to rewire.

Yeah I think PEX pipes would be cheaper, easier to use & easier to make gentle curves.

 

[marpow]

It may be difficult to pull wire through those 90 degree elbows. Yes, I understand you have no plans to rewire.

Well Garry planted a seed in my head more like a worm so I decided to not do the PVC and pulled out what I did and just going to run the speaker wire by it self. I was thinking of all this stuff and then I started thinking what if the conduit rattles just a little from the subs, how terrible would that be.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Well Garry planted a seed in my head more like a worm so I decided to not do the PVC and pulled out what I did and just going to run the speaker wire by it self. I was thinking of all this stuff and then I started thinking what if the conduit rattles just a little from the subs, how terrible would that be.

Where you would really need a PVC chase like that is when going vertical, like 1st floor to 2nd floor. There were several installed in the house I built 2 dozen years ago. Mainly for power and cable etc. I believe they were 3" NPT runs. If you are going to conceal wires in the wall going up to the TV monitor, it works well there too. It allows for an easy change of an HDMI cable for instance.

For what you are doing horizontally just make sure the drilled holes are clean cuts, the larger the better. Then fasten a new line to the existing line, lube-up the new line a little, and it will all pull right through.

 

[marpow]

100% complete with sub floor patching, everything still not secure, all holes drilled for speaker wire (Audioquest Rocket 22) ceiling and floor, no PVC anywhere except for 2" vertical piece at TV wall, I have not yet picked a TV so the 4' PVC and the wire for outlet both behind TV are not secure until I find out what TV and bracket I will use. Really hoping ceiling and speaker wires come tomorrow than I can button up floor, install hardwood, paint,etc. Still working on ideas for room acoustics, just not there yet.
I drilled two holes on the right floor run, one for the surround speaker and one for the sub coax and the high frequency wire that REL uses.
Getting there. Hopefully insulation on Thursday, mostly ceiling and under floor, and the little patch on wall.

 

[markshan]

I said you could save $5 if you just used cables without conduit.

How did that go over?

 

[HomerJAU]

My typo. $5 million. I can’t remember their exact reaction now, but I doubt they changed their methods.

 

[4-earredwonder]

100% complete with sub floor patching, everything still not secure, all holes drilled for speaker wire (Audioquest Rocket 22) ceiling and floor, no PVC anywhere except for 2" vertical piece at TV wall, I have not yet picked a TV so the 4' PVC and the wire for outlet both behind TV are not secure until I find out what TV and bracket I will use. Really hoping ceiling and speaker wires come tomorrow than I can button up floor, install hardwood, paint,etc. Still working on ideas for room acoustics, just not there yet.
I drilled two holes on the right floor run, one for the surround speaker and one for the sub coax and the high frequency wire that REL uses.
Getting there. Hopefully insulation on Thursday, mostly ceiling and under floor, and the little patch on wall.
View attachment 54478

Markie, you might want to consider moveable room treatments. Putting permanent room treatments is a VERY TRICKY ENTERPRISE which requires the involvement of an acoustician. You just can't arbitrarily put them anywhere because they may do more harm than good.

Also, have you put dedicated outlets in the room for your components? All my equipment is plugged into power conditioners which all have dedicated outlets and I just had a surge protector put into my main panel which treats the entire house.

And having wood floors greatly helps to increase the bass output from your speakers.

 

[marpow]

Markie, you might want to consider moveable room treatments. Putting permanent room treatments is a VERY TRICKY ENTERPRISE which requires the involvement of an acoustician. You just can't arbitrarily put them anywhere because they may do more harm than good.

Also, have you put dedicated outlets in the room for your components? All my equipment is plugged into power conditioners which all have dedicated outlets and I just had a surge protector put into my main panel which treats the entire house.

And having wood floors greatly helps to increase the bass output from your speakers.

Your right, I’m getting a little burned out on all my treatments research. I think I’ll hold on thAt and focus on the system for now. Funny you mention dedicated outlets, I’m adding two 20 amp breakers and just this morning I was looking at outlets. Audio quest sells one for $177.00, wow.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I’m adding two 20 amp breakers and just this morning I was looking at outlets. Audio quest sells one for $177.00, wow.

Yes there have been a lot of technological breakthroughs in AC outlets lately...

 

[4-earredwonder]

Your right, I’m getting a little burned out on all my treatments research. I think I’ll hold on thAt and focus on the system for now. Funny you mention dedicated outlets, I’m adding two 20 amp breakers and just this morning I was looking at outlets. Audio quest sells one for $177.00, wow.

Also grounding all your outlets will further enhance the power going to all your components. My system is DEAD quiet.......no outside interference. Should be done by a licensed electrician.

And don't forget to put a little wet bar in the corner ...... have to have your Jack and ale ON TAP at ALL times.

 

[Wagonmaster_91]

When I re- wired my system 10 years ago, I had three additional dedicated circuits run to the 'control' room and a power conditioner for the entire home wiring at the breaker box.