MitchOK Theater Construction Thread

[mitchok]

Salvasol

7.1 is the choice. I think we solved some of the problem by sticking with 2 rows. 3rd row seating (aka fold up chairs ) can be brought in for football games and surround isn't an issue. This is less crowded and I think we are going to target the surround system for the front row. I am still considering ceiling versus wall for surrounds and may run some extra wires in case I don't like it in one position or the other. Same is true for rears. The back wall is windows and doors... not much room for speakers. I am considering a wall mount but have it extend away from wall as far as possible. Directional ceiling speakers are not ruled out either.

Since I am not an audio expert, I can say what you have done is pretty cool. At the end of the day it seems to me as long as you respect V=IR and understand timing/phasing you can do it. Even us aero/mech engineers had a class or two in electronics. Enough to be dangerous anyway. 110... 220... 440 whatever it takes. Juice it til it smokes. jk.

Have a good weekend.
MitchOK

[bonehead848]

whats up mitch! I just moved from Norman in December when I graduated. It sucks because I would have loved to stop by and help out. Anyways looks like you have a pretty good design going so far.

[mitchok]

bonehead848 wrote:

whats up mitch! I just moved from Norman in December when I graduated. It sucks because I would have loved to stop by and help out. Anyways looks like you have a pretty good design going so far.

Thanks Brian... I could use the help. I am cheating in that I have a trim carpenter helping me. I orginally did most of this build out about 12 years ago and now am semi-destroying it for the better I hope. This one has to last me a while.

Mitch

[mitchok]

First Draft of Wiring Plan.

The guest plug is primarily for two purposes...
HDMI/Composite for Guest Gamebox
I wonder if it would be better to run Component (~30') cable and put a composite plate on? Has anyone done this?
Internet for Guest Laptop or Guest Gamebox to Internet

I don't know what LCD TV I will end up with otherwise I might not run component to it. Once sheetrocked, this is a bear to get to. Same thought on projector.

Note...I didn't complete speaker wire (16 AWG from Monoprice... no Monster ripoff for me thank you) run on diagram for clarity... they all go to the A/V recvr of course. Also the Mini D doesn't go to the A/V.. just to the cabinent for now.

Comments?

Thanks
Mitchok

[bpape]

Looks pretty good. If you haven't purchased it yet, I'd recommend at least 14 ga for the speaker wire. If you want to completely future proof, run 12ga. 16ga will work but it's pretty skimpy for 4 ohm speakers over much of any distance.

Bryan

[mitchok]

bpape wrote:

Looks pretty good. If you haven't purchased it yet, I'd recommend at least 14 ga for the speaker wire. If you want to completely future proof, run 12ga. 16ga will work but it's pretty skimpy for 4 ohm speakers over much of any distance.

Bryan

My mistake... I had it in my head when I was doing the layout that 16 ga was minimum, but I actually bought 14 ga from monoprice. Longest run is about 35' to LF. However, I didn't buy enough for spare locations so I may purchase 12 ga and run that to fronts and centers. Also, I may run a couple of pairs to the sub location. Although this sub doesn't need it, my older one does and speaker wire is relatively cheap (as long as you steer clear of those monsterous prices).

Mitch

[tritonman]

mitchok wrote:

My mistake... I had it in my head when I was doing the layout that 16 ga was minimum, but I actually bought 14 ga from monoprice. Longest run is about 35' to LF. However, I didn't buy enough for spare locations so I may purchase 12 ga and run that to fronts and centers. Also, I may run a couple of pairs to the sub location. Although this sub doesn't need it, my older one does and speaker wire is relatively cheap (as long as you steer clear of those monsterous prices).

Mitch

Im not sure if you already bought your sub cable but to save cost in the cable i recommend using a standard RG6 coax cable with RCA connectors at each end. The rca connectors can be bought at any Radio Shack and of course you can get RG6 coax cable just about anywhere. I personally used Quad Shielded RG6 which is a bit overkill for a sub (at least my run) but RG6 is 75ohm rated and it can easily be used as your sub cable. Im using it with my SVS 20-39 PCi.

For my speaker cable I used 12ga solid strand electrical cable that is in-wall rated for runs (not the stuff you use to hook up your outlets and lights etc). It can be had pretty cheap at any hardware store. Its usually on their big wire roller and the stuff can be had for about .07 a foot or a little more. The only thing about the solid strand copper is its a pain to run because it is so stiff but it works very well and is cheaper than most speaker cable. It comes in a few diff colors..Black, Red and Blue. It can also take a beating on corners and being bent better than most speaker cable can and the jacket used on it seems to be better than some of the cheaper end speaker jackets. I used banana plugs at each end to simplify attaching to speakers and the back of the receiver as well.

[bonehead848]

mitchok wrote:

My mistake... I had it in my head when I was doing the layout that 16 ga was minimum, but I actually bought 14 ga from monoprice. Longest run is about 35' to LF. However, I didn't buy enough for spare locations so I may purchase 12 ga and run that to fronts and centers. Also, I may run a couple of pairs to the sub location. Although this sub doesn't need it, my older one does and speaker wire is relatively cheap (as long as you steer clear of those monsterous prices).

Mitch

Just to make sure were on the right page, your svs will use an rca connection not speaker wire. Also, you can certainly follow tritons recommendation with the coax but I would very strongly recommend one of the cables from monoprice here

http://monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236

By the time you bought a coax and the connectors from the evil that is radioshack you could save on the monoprice cables. You can use either the standard or high quality for a pb10(for an extra $2 the high quality is a better deal). I have used them on my huge diy sub and it sounded incredible. Also, dont sweat 12 gauge. Unless you are planning on amping your surrounds or buying monster surrounds 14 gauge is FINE. This is especially true if your longest run is under 30 feet.

[mitchok]

bonehead848 wrote:

Just to make sure were on the right page, your svs will use an rca connection not speaker wire. Also, you can certainly follow tritons recommendation with the coax but I would very strongly recommend one of the cables from monoprice here

http://monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236

By the time you bought a coax and the connectors from the evil that is radioshack you could save on the monoprice cables. You can use either the standard or high quality for a pb10(for an extra $2 the high quality is a better deal). I have used them on my huge diy sub and it sounded incredible. Also, dont sweat 12 gauge. Unless you are planning on amping your surrounds or buying monster surrounds 14 gauge is FINE. This is especially true if your longest run is under 30 feet.

Yes I am running a 75 ohm sub cable. Actually went for bluejeans LC-1 cable because the length was in between. A bit more expensive than monoprice. As you said, this is all I need for the SVS.

I was just looking to a what if as far as running speaker wires to this space.

Not really shown on my plan...I am actually going to build a small door (12"w x 8"h) in the wall near floor to allow access to between wall area (about 10" wide) so I can put a UPS (or at least a surge protector) in line for the sub. This way the cables are out of site and all that is in the room is the sub with the power and sub cable exposed.

So much to think about before we can close up.

Mitch

[mitchok]

Hello Everybody and Happy Thanksgiving.

Its been a while since my last update & I apologize. I won't bore you with details but life has gotten in the way of the construction project. Job, surgeries, son's college, etc. etc. Suffice it to say, I am very thankful today that my family is healthy and we are going to enjoy the day. I certainly wish all of you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Anyway, attached a few pictures. Since the last update these items have been completed.

Rough electrical
Insulation and sheetrock/tape/texture.
Snack area cabinet bases
Equipment cabinet
Trim around back door

I am currently working on projector lift. The basics is that it needs to be a 24" straight drop. I am using a Firgelli Auto FA-150-S-12-24 linear actuator ($138 with brackets) as the beef with a pair of 24" ball bearing guides ($39). I also purchased seperately a 12v 15 amp power supply ($15). I still need to get a limit switches and a up-off-down manual switch.

I am trying to mostly finish each area before moving on. Next up is some additional trim work and trim around ceiling vault area to conceal rope lights.

Take care and God Bless.

MitchOK