Home Theater

Surprised that we don't have a home theater thread yet. Post your setups here.

My home theater is on pause right now but I thought I would start by sharing mine, I had help with the riser but it's done. Not sure if I need to insulate it, it's only 3 inches high and I read that you only need to insulate risers that are higher than 6 inches. Carpet will be the next step and I'll have Home Depot install it for me.

My suggestion is to insulate it. Once you have the carpet down, you won't be able to change your mind. This isn't something you will regret if you do it but if you don't, you might regret it. Definitely insulate.

I like how it's looking so far. Good call running all the wires through the wall. Will definitely be much cleaner.

What gear will you be purchasing? Receiver, amplifier, speakers, TV, etc? My only other word of advice is to go as big as you can for your TV. No one has ever said "Gosh, my TV is so big, I wish I got a smaller one." but people always say "Damn, I wish I got a bigger TV."

Here's some pics I took and I shared before. I'll take updated photos. I made some changes since taking these. Definitely need to clean up the wires behind my rack.

My speaker wiring is equipped for a full 7.1 system but so far I only have 5.1.


My front speakers are Energy CB-20 bookshelf speakers. I didn't want to go with floorstanders due to space constraints. I wanted three of the same speaker and had I gone with three full-size floorstanders, my TV would have had to be mounted higher and I didn't want to do that. The speakers are sitting on three Monoprice 24" stands. I think I should have done 18" speakers and hang my TV six inches lower. Not that big of a deal. I can always just raise my couch somehow. Maybe with a riser like yours.

The CB-20's were purchased from Newegg on clearance for $132 per pair. They are the best sounding speakers I have heard for their price. They retailed for like $400 when they were released.

My subwoofer is an Elemental Designs A2-300. That company self-destructed several years ago. Grew too fast and imploded. I was lucky enough to purchase this subwoofer about a year before they started to have major issues with their suppliers sending them faulty amplifiers.

The television is a Samsung 65" MU8000.



The side speakers are Polk R300 floorstanders. I have since purchased a couple of Ikea stools and elevated them above my head. Surround sound is ridiculous now. I should have done that to begin with.


My rack from top to bottom is
Panasonic DMP-BD35 blu-ray player
Sony DVD upscaling player. I forget the model at this time.
Apple TV 4K is behind the blu-ray and DVD players
Xbox 360
Playstation 3 and a Rosewill 3x1 HDMI splitter
Playstation 4 Pro
Yamaha RX-V765
Emotiva XPA-5

I remember you posting your setup a while ago joey. You've got a very nice setup! Looks like we picked a very similar darker color.

joey con carne wrote:My suggestion is to insulate it. Once you have the carpet down, you won't be able to change your mind. This isn't something you will regret if you do it but if you don't, you might regret it. Definitely insulate.

You're right, better to do it now. I insulated the room too, I used the wool kind because of it's sound rating and it fits in snug between the frames.

joey con carne wrote:I like how it's looking so far. Good call running all the wires through the wall. Will definitely be much cleaner.

Yep, I have speaker wires for a 7.1.4 setup.

joey con carne wrote:What gear will you be purchasing? Receiver, amplifier, speakers, TV, etc? My only other word of advice is to go as big as you can for your TV. No one has ever said "Gosh, my TV is so big, I wish I got a smaller one." but people always say "Damn, I wish I got a bigger TV."

I went with an Epson projector. Plan on going with a 110" screen. Will be getting a screen that does 16:9 and 2.35:1 aspect ratio eventually. Like you, I have a Yamaha receiver, PS3, and PS4 as well.

I guess the Random thread was on top for so long Wylde didn't notice he posted in a different thread.

joey con carne wrote:I guess the Random thread was on top for so long Wylde didn't notice he posted in a different thread.

I never notice that but it's probably because I only jump to the latest random posts, I don't go searching through that part of the forum.

I now realize my mistake......

WyldeMan wrote:I never notice that but it's probably because I only jump to the latest random posts, I don't go searching through that part of the forum.

I now realize my mistake......

lol Gotcha! Time to spice things up in the General thread.

Post your setup, curious to see what it looks like.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:I never notice that but it's probably because I only jump to the latest random posts, I don't go searching through that part of the forum.

I now realize my mistake......

lol Gotcha! Time to spice things up in the General thread.

Post your setup, curious to see what it looks like.

I don't even have a surround system anymore. I had one for a decade that I shared with you guys quite awhile back when I built my floating entertainment shelving but eventually that system shorted out and I always planned to purchase a new one but I just never got around to replacing it. I haven't had thunderous tv audio in probably five years, I'm straight tv speakers like your grandpa.

WyldeMan wrote:I don't even have a surround system anymore. I had one for a decade that I shared with you guys quite awhile back when I built my floating entertainment shelving but eventually that system shorted out and I always planned to purchase a new one but I just never got around to replacing it. I haven't had thunderous tv audio in probably five years, I'm straight tv speakers like your grandpa.

That's unacceptable! You gotta have at least a 2.0 setup. The difference from TV audio to speakers alone is a big upgrade. Now you know what to get for Black Friday this year. Do you have an AV receiver?

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:I don't even have a surround system anymore. I had one for a decade that I shared with you guys quite awhile back when I built my floating entertainment shelving but eventually that system shorted out and I always planned to purchase a new one but I just never got around to replacing it. I haven't had thunderous tv audio in probably five years, I'm straight tv speakers like your grandpa.

That's unacceptable! You gotta have at least a 2.0 setup. The difference from TV audio to speakers alone is a big upgrade. Now you know what to get for Black Friday this year. Do you have an AV receiver?

My entire entertainment system consists of my Roku tv.

WyldeMan wrote:My entire entertainment system consists of my Roku tv.

You have failed yourself! Not interested in having a surround sound system in the future? What size is your TV?

Russ? Tyger? WatchUGot?

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:My entire entertainment system consists of my Roku tv.

You have failed yourself! Not interested in having a surround sound system in the future? What size is your TV?

Russ? Tyger? WatchUGot?

It's a 55" TCL Roku 4K.

WyldeMan wrote:It's a 55" TCL Roku 4K.

That's a decent size. You just need the audio to match it.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:It's a 55" TCL Roku 4K.

That's a decent size. You just need the audio to match it.

Just get a soundbar with a sub. That's all I have. More than good enough for a small room.

Rusty wrote:

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:It's a 55" TCL Roku 4K.

That's a decent size. You just need the audio to match it.

Just get a soundbar with a sub. That's all I have. More than good enough for a small room.

I'd planned on getting the Roku soundbar eventually.

Miami Vice is an incredibly enjoyable cop show. It's all great music, hilarious/interesting clothes/ babes with big hair and little clothes and not a single episode ends with an arrest, every single criminal opts to shoot it out with Vice because they're all fueled up on that 80's cocaine and packing Mac-10's. I've always said my biggest problem with cop shows is all the arrests and not enough executions and it turns out that Miami wrote the blueprint that very few have been willing to follow.

Also, not a single episode goes by without there being at least two fairly big actors who are still working fairly regularly four decades later. Everybody who was anybody did an episode of Miami Vice and they also cast a lot of popular singers at that time. It's an interesting series.

Reported to admin for derailing thread twice in the wrong thread. Enjoy your ban, Wylde.

joey con carne wrote:Reported to admin for derailing thread twice in the wrong thread. Enjoy your ban, Wylde.

I second this motion.

joey con carne wrote:Reported to admin for derailing thread twice in the wrong thread. Enjoy your ban, Wylde.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

joey con carne wrote:Reported to admin for derailing thread twice in the wrong thread. Enjoy your ban, Wylde.

I second this motion.

Hey, hey, you know what, its all your fault! I blame this on you bastards! Nobody has ever ever EVER posted outside the random thread, FOR YEARS and now you bastards just unanimously vote in secret to derail my forum with these unsanctioned discussions about focused targets instead of nonsense and then threaten to report me?!?!? Oh no sirs!!!! NO!!! I will not stand for these shenanigans!!!!!

WyldeMan wrote:Hey, hey, you know what, its all your fault! I blame this on you bastards! Nobody has ever ever EVER posted outside the random thread, FOR YEARS and now you bastards just unanimously vote in secret to derail my forum with these unsanctioned discussions about focused targets instead of nonsense and then threaten to report me?!?!? Oh no sirs!!!! NO!!! I will not stand for these shenanigans!!!!!

We will take your case under advisement and get back to you in 6 months. In the mean time, I would reflect on your actions.

WyldeMan wrote:

Rusty wrote:

Just get a soundbar with a sub. That's all I have. More than good enough for a small room.

I'd planned on getting the Roku soundbar eventually.

I will say, the one major downside to a 2.0 Soundbar is audio fluctuations during movies. You have to have the volume up during dialogue scenes, but as soon as an action sequence starts with big sound, you have to turn the volume down immediately. The difference is jarring.

That's the benefit of 5.1 and up. Different parts of the soundtrack come from different speakers to keep a decent constant.

I'm in the middle of watching Godzilla: King of Monsters, and I have the remote sitting on my armrest next to my hand because every few minutes I've got to jump on the volume buttons.

Rusty wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:

Rusty wrote:

Just get a soundbar with a sub. That's all I have. More than good enough for a small room.

I'd planned on getting the Roku soundbar eventually.

I will say, the one major downside to a 2.0 Soundbar is audio fluctuations during movies. You have to have the volume up during dialogue scenes, but as soon as an action sequence starts with big sound, you have to turn the volume down immediately. The difference is jarring.

That's the benefit of 5.1 and up. Different parts of the soundtrack come from different speakers to keep a decent constant.

I'm in the middle of watching Godzilla: King of Monsters, and I have the remote sitting on my armrest next to my hand because every few minutes I've got to jump on the volume buttons.

I bet Gojira sounds amazing!

WyldeMan wrote: I bet Gojira sounds amazing!

It does. Almost makes me wish I saw it in a cinema.

Screw it, man, just keep it on blast! That's what I do when I watch movies even if the dialogue seems too quiet.

I did not know that soundbars had the limitation you spoke of. I always thought the soundbars have five or more drivers with each driver or driver set utilised as a speaker in a 5.1 system. Like if you have this:

Left Speaker 1 -- Left Speaker 2 -- Center -- Right Speaker 2 -- Right Speaker 1

I always thought the soundbar would have each of those drivers do a certain job of a 5.1 since there's five speaker inputs on the back.

Anyway, rambling too much. Thanks for teaching me that, Russ. Now I'll know what to expect if I ever get a soundbar.

WyldeMan wrote:
Hey, hey, you know what, its all your fault! I blame this on you bastards! Nobody has ever ever EVER posted outside the random thread, FOR YEARS and now you bastards just unanimously vote in secret to derail my forum with these unsanctioned discussions about focused targets instead of nonsense and then threaten to report me?!?!? Oh no sirs!!!! NO!!! I will not stand for these shenanigans!!!!!

This gif is killing me. I love how they fall off the edge when she ejects them. Cracks me up. I wonder if that was improvised.

joey con carne wrote:This gif is killing me. I love how they fall off the edge when she ejects them. Cracks me up. I wonder if that was improvised.

Ortiz overselling the shit out of that ejection with a back bump on the apron edge following Aubrey's windup is what really makes the gif. I believe that Aubrey may have Leveled Up at Revolution given her ejection powers now apparently include strong winds capable of knocking grown men off the apron.

I have no idea if it was improved but either way, that's just good wrestling comedy and has gifted us a fantastic reactionary gif for situations such as Abe pretending he has power in my house.

WyldeMan wrote:I have no idea if it was improved but either way, that's just good wrestling comedy and has gifted us a fantastic reactionary gif for situations such as Abe pretending he has power in my house.

That kind of talk will only get you a negative rep.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:I have no idea if it was improved but either way, that's just good wrestling comedy and has gifted us a fantastic reactionary gif for situations such as Abe pretending he has power in my house.

That kind of talk will only get you a negative rep.

I can ban you for life, can you ban me?

Discussion Over. Fatality. I win.

This thread is hilarious, we went a little crazy. I blame it on COVID.

Decided to get back to this. The room has been sitting like this for 3 years. Too lazy to get it done and I came up with new ideas now so nice timing.

Today I took out the subfloor to put insulation in it. Took me an hour because I forgot there was liquid nail underneath it so I had to use my heat gun to loosen it before prying it out with a crowbar. Is liquid nail even necessary? Have no idea what I'm doing but trying to figure it out as I go.





I'm going to take out the drywall to run some electric wires to these 2 outlets in case I get electric chairs in the future.



I want to add 2 more here facing out but I don't know if it's possible since the width is only 3.5 inches. The outlets above will be facing up towards the subfloor so it's not an issue. Any ideas?

UltimateMarvel wrote: This thread is hilarious, we went a little crazy. I blame it on COVID.

Decided to get back to this. The room has been sitting like this for 3 years. Too lazy to get it done and I came up with new ideas now so nice timing.

Today I took out the subfloor to put insulation in it. Took me an hour because I forgot there was liquid nail underneath it so I had to use my heat gun to loosen it before prying it out with a crowbar. Is liquid nail even necessary? Have no idea what I'm doing but trying to figure it out as I go.

I'm going to take out the drywall to run some electric wires to these 2 outlets in case I get electric chairs in the future.

I want to add 2 more here facing out but I don't know if it's possible since the width is only 3.5 inches. The outlets above will be facing up towards the subfloor so it's not an issue. Any ideas?

I remember when you posted the original photos but you left it empty and untouched for three years?!?!?! Wasn't COVID the perfect excuse to actually complete the project? Oh well, no time like the present and it allowed you to refine your ideas some more.

Liquid Nail isn't necessary to attach your sub flooring if you're also putting hardware into them but one benefit is that if you glue your boards down, then you will have a much better chance of keeping them from squeaking as they age and warp and lift up. If you've ever walked through an old house, you know the sounds I'm talking about.

I'm a bit confused by your last question though. Are you talking about just installing floor electrical boxes on the outside of the 2x4 or are you talking about something like recessed floor outlets? Either way, trying to mount electrical outlets to just a single 2x4 stack up on the floor is likely to be a pain in the ass due to endless clearance issues, I don't know if it can be done but maybe if you clarified I might be able to help a little more. Why do you want to install new outlets in the floor when you're so near the existing wall outlets?

WyldeMan wrote:I remember when you posted the original photos but you left it empty and untouched for three years?!?!?! Wasn't COVID the perfect excuse to actually complete the project? Oh well, no time like the present and it allowed you to refine your ideas some more.

Yep. lol Could just never find the right time for it. It became a storage room for a while but I just cleared it out.

WyldeMan wrote:Liquid Nail isn't necessary to attach your sub flooring if you're also putting hardware into them but one benefit is that if you glue your boards down, then you will have a much better chance of keeping them from squeaking as they age and warp and lift up. If you've ever walked through an old house, you know the sounds I'm talking about.

This is an old house. I know those sounds. lol I will reapply the liquid nails.

WyldeMan wrote:I'm a bit confused by your last question though. Are you talking about just installing floor electrical boxes on the outside of the 2x4 or are you talking about something like recessed floor outlets? Either way, trying to mount electrical outlets to just a single 2x4 stack up on the floor is likely to be a pain in the ass due to endless clearance issues, I don't know if it can be done but maybe if you clarified I might be able to help a little more. Why do you want to install new outlets in the floor when you're so near the existing wall outlets?

Yeah, recessed floor outlets. I figured I would add the outlets to hide the wires and becoming a trip hazard. There is another outlet I want to add in the back for my equipment rack too, thinking about this one. But that switch there is also too loud and now I'm not sure if I want it in the theater room. I was going to put it on the rack.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

I want to add 2 more here facing out but I don't know if it's possible since the width is only 3.5 inches. The outlets above will be facing up towards the subfloor so it's not an issue. Any ideas?

Spoiler:

Have you considered just mounting a power board/strip to that spot?

Rusty wrote:

UltimateMarvel wrote:

I want to add 2 more here facing out but I don't know if it's possible since the width is only 3.5 inches. The outlets above will be facing up towards the subfloor so it's not an issue. Any ideas?

Have you considered just mounting a power board/strip to that spot?

A power strip would be the simplest way to go although since he wants to hide the wires, unless we're talking a zero clearance hidden compartment for it, I got no ideas.

Power strip would be too bulky I think. How about something like this? It's 2.4 inches wide so it would leave half an inch on both sides of the 2x4.

So, a little update, I've been working on this the whole week and I decided to go with a higher platform using 2x8s in the end. Ran all my electrical wires. Hardest part was the drywall, specifically tape and mudding. I now understand why people hate doing drywall. They make it look easy on YouTube videos. I never want to deal with that again. lol

Anyway, did a ton of research and decided to make some changes and turn it into a bass absorber type of riser. Once the insulation is in, there will be an air gap under the insulation to trap high frequencies. Will add vents on the sides to let sound in and act as a bass trap. Supposedly, it improves the acoustics of the room.



This is a 1/2 inch plywood but I don't trust it, think I may need to upgrade to 3/4 inch to make it stronger and that's generally what most people use for risers.



I've never done any type of carpentry or drywall before but this was fun. Learned a lot through out this process. Only thing left now is paint and carpet. Will keep you guys posted!

UltimateMarvel wrote:So, a little update, I've been working on this the whole week and I decided to go with a higher platform using 2x8s in the end. Ran all my electrical wires. Hardest part was the drywall, specifically tape and mudding. I now understand why people hate doing drywall. They make it look easy on YouTube videos. I never want to deal with that again. lol

Anyway, did a ton of research and decided to make some changes and turn it into a bass absorber type of riser. Once the insulation is in, there will be an air gap under the insulation to trap high frequencies. Will add vents on the sides to let sound in and act as a bass trap. Supposedly, it improves the acoustics of the room.

This is a 1/2 inch plywood but I don't trust it, think I may need to upgrade to 3/4 inch to make it stronger and that's generally what most people use for risers.

I've never done any type of carpentry or drywall before but this was fun. Learned a lot through out this process. Only thing left now is paint and carpet. Will keep you guys posted!

The 2x8's were a nice call, I just couldn't see how you would have the needed clearance with the 2x4s and now it won't be an issue.

A bass trap? Lol, sounds like you're gonna be sitting on a vibrator.

When it comes to plywood, I nearly always use 3/4" and I've never regretted it and never had any crack from walking on it. I've always used it on my work bench tops and I can stand on those and they won't even flex and I'm 235lbs. You typically use 1/2" in places that won't be walked on too much because it can flex if it's not properly braced, so I personally wouldn't use 1/2" for my flooring. However I should mention that when it comes to my projects I always tend to err on the side of caution and over build everything to prevent any possible failures and I've yet to have any of my builds fail on my so far, so it works for me anyways. I think that if you're putting the kind of money that I can see you are into this home theater then you should definitely go with the stronger and more reliable 3/4" and you won't regret it, especially when you pack that riser full of honeys sittin on top of your vibrator home theater.

I've enjoyed following the progress of this project.

I got the 3/4 inch plywood today. Will finish it tomorrow hopefully.

WyldeMan wrote:The 2x8's were a nice call, I just couldn't see how you would have the needed clearance with the 2x4s and now it won't be an issue.

A bass trap? Lol, sounds like you're gonna be sitting on a vibrator.

When it comes to plywood, I nearly always use 3/4" and I've never regretted it and never had any crack from walking on it. I've always used it on my work bench tops and I can stand on those and they won't even flex and I'm 235lbs. You typically use 1/2" in places that won't be walked on too much because it can flex if it's not properly braced, so I personally wouldn't use 1/2" for my flooring. However I should mention that when it comes to my projects I always tend to err on the side of caution and over build everything to prevent any possible failures and I've yet to have any of my builds fail on my so far, so it works for me anyways. I think that if you're putting the kind of money that I can see you are into this home theater then you should definitely go with the stronger and more reliable 3/4" and you won't regret it, especially when you pack that riser full of honeys sittin on top of your vibrator home theater.

I've enjoyed following the progress of this project.

lol Thanks! Some people do put woofers on large risers but I'm not doing that. You'll see in this video 5 mins in only I'm doing just the sides of the wall.

The speakers I purchased went down an additional $90 today for early Black Friday sale so I contacted them and they refunded me the difference.

Paint is done. Carpet installed.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Paint is done. Carpet installed.

That's some quality work, everything looks good.

I can't remember though if we discussed why it was in the middle of the room. Were you setting the far wall up for a huge screen?

WyldeMan wrote:That's some quality work, everything looks good.

I can't remember though if we discussed why it was in the middle of the room. Were you setting the far wall up for a huge screen?

Yeah, I'm shooting the projector on that wall.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:That's some quality work, everything looks good.

I can't remember though if we discussed why it was in the middle of the room. Were you setting the far wall up for a huge screen?

Yeah, I'm shooting the projector on that wall.

Right, that's what I was remembering but as its been well established that sometimes I just imagine things and think they happened.

It's such a long narrow room what was it originally used for, the laundry room or did you build the whole room for this purpose? I just remember the pictures of the riser construction and can't recall if the room was ever unfinished when you posted pics.

Great work. Nicely done.

Are you projecting straight onto the wall, or are you using a fabric screen?

WyldeMan wrote:Right, that's what I was remembering but as its been well established that sometimes I just imagine things and think they happened.

It's such a long narrow room what was it originally used for, the laundry room or did you build the whole room for this purpose? I just remember the pictures of the riser construction and can't recall if the room was ever unfinished when you posted pics.

Yep, it was an unfinished storage room before the remodel. I didn't take any before pics but I should have.

Rusty wrote:Great work. Nicely done.

Are you projecting straight onto the wall, or are you using a fabric screen?

Just the wall for now. The plan is to build the screen using fabric in the summer.

Have you made any more progress with your theater? 

Are you gonna bring in any memorabilia or do you plan to keep it mostly empty?

WyldeMan wrote:Have you made any more progress with your theater? 

Are you gonna bring in any memorabilia or do you plan to keep it mostly empty?

Yes, I put the projector in yesterday. I will be installing the speakers and subwoofers this week. Will post pics soon.

No, it will be empty. Not putting up posters and such since it's a small room.