# Cinema Room Build



## ardandy

Well the selling of the 330i had to be offset by something and this is it, a dedicated cinema room that I'm starting. Hopefully ready to watch within 2-3 weeks and sticking to a pretty tight budget.

This is the room that's been converted. It's roughly 10.5ft by 13.5ft, has no windows and is 2 floors from any bedrooms so noise shouldn't be an issue. We moved in around 6 months ago so this is how it was when we arrived.





































I've just bought the projector and ordered the AV equipment but as always I think my ideas are outstripping my budget so something's may have to wait a bit.

The first thing to do was to get rid of that god awful brown we inherited! I've settled on 3 colours. 3 of the walls are Dulux 'Urban Obsession' which is like a dark grey. The ceiling is Craig & Rose 'Arabian Red', which should match (roughly) the carpet I've chosen.

This is the only in-progress pic I remembered to actually take!










I did come across a significant budget issue regarding the screen I was wanting to order which has meant a rethink. For now basically I cannot afford one so I've gone down the painted wall route.

Some sanding and some 'Warm Pewter' later and this is the projection wall.










Then onto the ceiling in Arabian Red!





































I'm doing some testing later on tonight with the actual projector.

BenQ W1070 - http://www.trustedreviews.com/benq-w1070-review

It's still at the very good price of £437!! Given I have no windows to compete with and it doesn't have to be hidden anywhere etc this seemed a great choice and value!

Also got a 5 star bargain in my audio options.

Yamaha RXV377 - http://www.whathifi.com/yamaha/rx-v377/review
Q Acoustics 2000i 5.1 Package - http://www.whathifi.com/q-acoustics/2000i-51-pack/review

£650 for both!

More to follow as it progresses...............


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## t1mmy

This looks great, I'm looking forward to more updates.


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## R7KY D

Looking forward to this :thumb: , I've just started humming the Pearl and Dean tune :lol:


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## SteveyG

Who are Pearl and Dean? Always wondered why it comes up at the cinema and no one I've spoken to knows.

Looks good so far. £650 is a good price for the receiver and speakers.


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## PaulaJayne

Pearl & Dean is primarily known as a British cinema advertising company. It was founded in 1953 by brothers Ernie and Charles Pearl, and Bob Dean.


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## SteveyG

So the buggers who ruin the cinema by making us watch 30 minutes of adverts?


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## Maniac

I love this. I did it several years ago in my home at the time that had a twin garage under the house. I put up a backlit glass block wall between the two garages to make one room that was accessed off the hallway. Put in a few big subs and speakers a nice big widescreen (quite a new thing at the time) projector in the roof and a big L shaped sofa to crash on.

The kids in the road used it more than I did and the parents always knew where the kids were, all lined up on the sofa making a mess with crisps being deafened by my cinema while I sat out the back drinking wine with the parents hardly ever using it after all that investment!


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## ardandy

Got some new toys last night!!!!









Took a while to do a test setup but well worth it!

How'd you like my test projector mount?










And some test footage shot with my phone camera so not quite the best example, def better in real life!



















Not sure how good this is going to be but did a brief video on the phone as a test. Sound is awesome through these speakers!


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## SteveyG

ardandy said:


> Got some new toys last night!!!!


Have you got an aquarium too? (The Tropica box)


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## ardandy

Roma 240. Not in the cinema room though.


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## ardandy

More work gone on now! Got Friday as the opening night!





































Everything in wood at the moment will be black.

I've bought a load of speaker cloth which will be covering the front panels (detachable) so all you should see is darkness underneath the screen.




























More tonight/tomorrow!

Sofa just arrived!! Woohoo!


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## LeadFarmer

Nice work:thumb:

What colour are you painting the sofa?


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## ardandy

It's dark chocolate!


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## ardandy

Last nights work:

Got the removable panels done and all the little bits painted!

Pretty much how it's going to look now.



















Also changed both doors so they open out to make more room for the sofas etc. Sorted the flooring ready for the carpet installing today!


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## R7KY D

Nice , If i may please 

I would paint your skirting and architrave black


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## ardandy

I was going to finish them in the same grey I used for the walls (gloss obv) but I think the black will go well with the units etc!

Good call!

Pity I didn't think of that before the carpet went down!


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## ardandy

Pretty much done now (bar paint touch ups, 2nd coats here and there).

Going to get stuff for walls but not sure yet, certainly some sort of acoustic treatment.

Anyway, the carpet is down and sofa set in!





































First film: Avengers Assemble!


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## sfstu

For acoustically treating the walls, how's about egg boxes...? :lol:

Really nice job, I like what you've done there...:thumb:
Bet it will look and sound awsome the first time you sit down to watch a film in there...


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## ardandy

Already got my eye on some Acoustic Grade 0 foam to go behind some fabric prints of some films.

Money allowing!

We watched Avengers last night!

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!


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## CarPro.UK

Have you considered building a wood box to sit the rear sofa higher than the front to create a completely unobstructed view? 

Looks great, I'd love something like that at home


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## ardandy

That's happening when funds allow. For now there's usually only going to be 2-3 of us watching.


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## Crispo

This looks awesome. Good job!


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## M3simon

Nice.


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## Ravinder

Nice. Wish I had a spare, big enough room to have something similar.


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## Raimon

Very good.


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## LeadFarmer

Have you has sex on the back sofa yet? You have, haven't you


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## ardandy

Na, I'm married.


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## BenEarles

Great job this! Well done!


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## robertdon777

ardandy said:


> Na, I'm married.


Try the popcorn trick, just don't get a large popcorn in case she can't find it.


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## alan hanson

CarPro.UK said:


> Have you considered building a wood box to sit the rear sofa higher than the front to create a completely unobstructed view?
> 
> Looks great, I'd love something like that at home


and a ticket booth sure it will pay for itself, that would be fun watching ermmmmm yeh those films


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## Sy1441

Very nice.


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## SteveyG

Where are the front speakers?


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## ardandy

SteveyG said:


> Where are the front speakers?


Inside the unit at the front (black).

The panels you see on page 2 (pic 5 & 6) with the cloth been wrapped around them come out so I can get to the amp/speakers if necessary. The cloth that covers the panels is thick speaker cloth so acoustically transparent.

There'll be a small media centre in their eventually too. I like things to be hidden.


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## ardandy

Just had a tally.

So far the whole lot, projector, AV, room & carpet etc came to £2100.


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## sfstu

Really love this...:thumb:

Makes me wish I had a room in our house that I could empty out to do the same...

Thinking about an earlier suggestion someone made, raising that rear sofa is a great idea...? 
Bit of a pain that the carpets down now but you could still do it...

I'd cut the carpet (neatly!) across and behind the first sofa then build a raised wooden platform and use the carpet you've cut to cover it with.
Obviously there wouldn't be enough carpet to cover the front/vertical part of the raised platform, but you could paint that face black and even put some little led's set in, just like the cinema...

Or maybe just remove the feet from the front sofa...:thumb:

rgds Stu


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## sfstu

ardandy said:


> Just had a tally.
> 
> So far the whole lot, projector, AV, room & carpet etc came to £2100.


That's pretty good...:thumb:


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## SteveyG

ardandy said:


> Inside the unit at the front (black).
> 
> The panels you see on page 2 (pic 5 & 6) with the cloth been wrapped around them come out so I can get to the amp/speakers if necessary. The cloth that covers the panels is thick speaker cloth so acoustically transparent.
> 
> There'll be a small media centre in their eventually too. I like things to be hidden.


Doesn't that ruin the sound stage? Tweeters on the front speakers should be at ear height.


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## ardandy

SteveyG said:


> Doesn't that ruin the sound stage? Tweeters on the front speakers should be at ear height.


I'm no audiophile and believe me when watching a film it sounds fantastic. They're pointing at centre seat for what its worth. I would imagine the difference in height to the end user is no more noticeable than putting super unleaded is in your car.

Have you sat in various areas of a proper cinema and thought the sound was really bad in those seats but great in those?

It sounds great, is a big screen and when watching the film I concentrate on that rather than acoustic issues (which to my untrained ear there aren't any).


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## ardandy

sfstu said:


> Really love this...:thumb:
> 
> Makes me wish I had a room in our house that I could empty out to do the same...
> 
> Thinking about an earlier suggestion someone made, raising that rear sofa is a great idea...?
> Bit of a pain that the carpets down now but you could still do it...
> 
> I'd cut the carpet (neatly!) across and behind the first sofa then build a raised wooden platform and use the carpet you've cut to cover it with.
> Obviously there wouldn't be enough carpet to cover the front/vertical part of the raised platform, but you could paint that face black and even put some little led's set in, just like the cinema...
> 
> Or maybe just remove the feet from the front sofa...:thumb:
> 
> rgds Stu


That will happen in the near future when funds allow.

Already have enough offcut left over from the carpet installation (planned it!) to do the stage when its built and that can sit on top of the current carpet.

It was either wait a few weeks and get the stage done , then carpet it. Or, carpet it now, forget about any chumps in row 2 (not me!) and watch films for a few weeks!


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## SteveyG

ardandy said:


> I'm no audiophile and believe me when watching a film it sounds fantastic. They're pointing at centre seat for what its worth. I would imagine the difference in height to the end user is no more noticeable than putting super unleaded is in your car.
> 
> Have you sat in various areas of a proper cinema and thought the sound was really bad in those seats but great in those?


It does make a massive difference - you should try moving them about. You'll lose a lot of detail with them being low down as the floor and seats make a great low pass filter. Yes to the cinema, it's obviously unbalanced as you move to the sides and sounds muddy at the front.


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## djgregory

To the untrained ears, sound is sound. Only audiophiles will notice the difference.


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## DJ X-Ray

Steve's right...positioning and toe-in of speakers makes the world of difference.


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## DJ X-Ray

djgregory said:


> To the untrained ears, sound is sound. Only audiophiles will notice the difference.


??? Err no ,you don't have to be an audiophile to notice the difference...we're not talking expensive cables as opposed to bell-wire etc; the differences in speaker positioning would be instantly noticeable to anyone.


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## djgregory

Cant say iv noticed any difference with moving the position of speakers before.

Personal preference i suppose.


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## ardandy

The speakers are tilted towards me and there is nothing in the way between them and my ears.

They may make a bit of a difference but weighing up hidden vs visible speakers I chose hidden. If they were either side of the screen then they would be a visual distraction.

Choice between visible speakers with better sound or hidden speakers with better visuals. I went for what I can see. Also helps keep 4 year old hands away from them!

I went from standard speakers through a stereo (which I thought was good at the time) to a room with these in and a proper amp! Right now I'm going 'wow, how much better is this!'. What you've never experienced you never miss so if I never put them higher I'll never think I'm missing out.


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## ardandy

Also why I didn't go for an actual projector screen.

1, Couldn't afford it right now. (£350)
2, Painted wall grey for £20 and with a modern projector it's a fantastic image!

Could I get that extra 5-10% better image with a proper screen? Yes. Is it worth another £350?.

Not right now.


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## DJ X-Ray

djgregory said:


> Cant say iv noticed any difference with moving the position of speakers before.
> 
> Personal preference i suppose.


Watch a film like Saving Private Ryan, Star Wars or whatever, something with a lot of shooting etc and you'll notice the ricochets etc will be alot more accurately placed at the correct height/toe in:thumb:


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## DJ X-Ray

ardandy said:


> The speakers are tilted towards me and there is nothing in the way between them and my ears.
> 
> They may make a bit of a difference but weighing up hidden vs visible speakers I chose hidden. If they were either side of the screen then they would be a visual distraction.
> 
> Choice between visible speakers with better sound or hidden speakers with better visuals. I went for what I can see. Also helps keep 4 year old hands away from them!
> 
> I went from standard speakers through a stereo (which I thought was good at the time) to a room with these in and a proper amp! Right now I'm going 'wow, how much better is this!'. What you've never experienced you never miss so if I never put them higher I'll never think I'm missing out.


I built a unit for a guy once and his front speakers were inside, apart from the center but what i did was a cut out on the doors and covered them with black acoustic mesh/fabric...you wouldn't know they were in there unless you opened the doors.


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## ardandy

That's basically what Ive done with these panels. They're all covered with speaker cloth.


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## HeavenlyDetail

DJ X-Ray is correct about positioning etc but if your not concerned then its not a problem.

For me i am lucky enough that my friend is a reference builder at KEF and Ron who does all the show installations and company demos came round to my house and set all my system up. This included doing the measurements from ear to speaker from different seating positions which I can adjust on my iPad. Moving the centre speaker down 10" from its natural position now dead centre below the screen threw me out when watching after it was moved. You suddenly realise that the mouth moving on screen doesn't correspond with the sound your hearing once you have had that adjustment.
I think if you speakers were set up exactly and maybe your sub set on a granite slab etc you would know how perfect it could sound and going back would frustrate you, but as you say its what it is and your fine with it.
I have the KEF R series Set up floor standers and twin Sub and although my REL sub blew this one away its superb. 
I like what you have done, and i do agree with a comment earlier, a cheap raise of the rear seats even temporary would complete what looks like a great room to have in your house!


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## ardandy

Few more things have arrived. Ordering 2 more to go on other walls!

Really like these! Look darker than in photos.



















I haven't got proper brackets up yet so they're not level etc. More for reference right now!


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## LeadFarmer

What you been measuring whilst sat on the sofa? :doublesho


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## ardandy

My huge schlong.


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## jolls

As mentioned in previous post speaker position/placement is important but equally so is subwoofer placement. If you haven't already done so there is a guide here http://www.svsound.com/t/art-of-subwoofer-placement that you may find useful. Also a sound pressure meter is a great way to accurately set up the timing of speakers rather than relying on the amps measurements. The room looks great and I love the artwork. &#55357;&#56397;


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## ardandy

More wall art!

These will probably be it as all walls will have something on now.

Avengers one has incredible detail.


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## Starbuck88

When do I get the keys to move in?


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## Starbuck88

Also where did you buy the prints? They look fantastic!


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## ardandy

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/hot-picanova.co.uk#2019479

Be quick!


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## Starbuck88

ardandy said:


> http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/hot-picanova.co.uk#2019479
> 
> Be quick!


Cool so you uploaded the pics yourself then?


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## ardandy

Yep!

Google Images! Needs to be 6MP or better typically.


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## ardandy

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/s-b...om-20-postage-free-del-orders-over-45-2043233

Offers back on for anyone wanting prints!


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## RPC

Giving me some good ideas for when i get my batchelor pad lol. 

How does a projector compare to a full HD tv in quality then?


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## gatecrasher3

ardandy said:


> http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/s-b...om-20-postage-free-del-orders-over-45-2043233
> 
> Offers back on for anyone wanting prints!


Thanks for the link. Been meaning to get a couple of canvasses done from our wedding photos.

Just placed an order.


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## ardandy

RPC said:


> Giving me some good ideas for when i get my batchelor pad lol.
> 
> How does a projector compare to a full HD tv in quality then?


Full HD projector so considering it's nearer 105" screen you'd barely notice.


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