As some of you may remember, I put the home theater in the new house in a formal living room. This was somewhat less than ideal, but it was the only space available if or until I get the basement done. After moving in, getting settled and compiling the list of all the stuff I want or need to do to the house, I realized that a dedicated theater in the basement could be many years off. Knowing this, I decided to go all out.
I wanted everything to look as clean and classy as possible, so all of the wires are run wall plates that are hidden behind bookcases and the BDI media cabinet under the TV. The TV has power, HDMI, optical and Ethernet on a plate behind the display, which should cover all of the needs. The system is currently running in 5.1, with the surrounds in the back corners of the room, on top of book cases.
The rear of the room is open to the entryway, with the exception of a pair of pillars and a half-height wall connecting each to the sidewall (the aforementioned bookcases are on the short walls, so the ports can breath). I removed the glass doors from the short bookcases.
The back of the entry (from the point of view of the living room) has a window centered on the entrance to the living room with a glass-doored cabinet on either side. I'm stuck with these doors, as the bookcases contain a lot of fragile curios, but they are directly behind the pillars and frame a window that will soon have wood blinds. The room acoustics are actually pretty good and will only improve with an area run and drapes.
Phase two will add a pair of Paradigm Atoms on top of those bookcases in the entry, firing slightly downward toward the listening position. The distance from the seating to the side surrounds is about six feet. The distance to the proposed rear surrounds is closer to 12 feet. I also have a nice pair of Paradigm in-wall speakers that I was going to use in the family room. Those will now be installed in the living room ceiling for Atmos.
The only real downside is that the three-seat reclining sofa is the only seating that will fit. I can slide it over a bit and pull in a comfy Ikea rocking chair from the family room on an as-needed basis, but that is about it. The room actually looks pretty great. Pictures will follow, showing the current setup. I will also post the final pictures after the ceiling and rear surrounds are in place.
I wanted everything to look as clean and classy as possible, so all of the wires are run wall plates that are hidden behind bookcases and the BDI media cabinet under the TV. The TV has power, HDMI, optical and Ethernet on a plate behind the display, which should cover all of the needs. The system is currently running in 5.1, with the surrounds in the back corners of the room, on top of book cases.
The rear of the room is open to the entryway, with the exception of a pair of pillars and a half-height wall connecting each to the sidewall (the aforementioned bookcases are on the short walls, so the ports can breath). I removed the glass doors from the short bookcases.
The back of the entry (from the point of view of the living room) has a window centered on the entrance to the living room with a glass-doored cabinet on either side. I'm stuck with these doors, as the bookcases contain a lot of fragile curios, but they are directly behind the pillars and frame a window that will soon have wood blinds. The room acoustics are actually pretty good and will only improve with an area run and drapes.
Phase two will add a pair of Paradigm Atoms on top of those bookcases in the entry, firing slightly downward toward the listening position. The distance from the seating to the side surrounds is about six feet. The distance to the proposed rear surrounds is closer to 12 feet. I also have a nice pair of Paradigm in-wall speakers that I was going to use in the family room. Those will now be installed in the living room ceiling for Atmos.
The only real downside is that the three-seat reclining sofa is the only seating that will fit. I can slide it over a bit and pull in a comfy Ikea rocking chair from the family room on an as-needed basis, but that is about it. The room actually looks pretty great. Pictures will follow, showing the current setup. I will also post the final pictures after the ceiling and rear surrounds are in place.
