Welcome to Acoustic Frontiers Blog

Creating a system you love shouldn't be difficult. The Acoustic Frontiers blog is here to help.

Home Theater Design & Calibration for a NC, USA client

by Nyal Mellor March 01, 2016

Home Theater Design & Calibration for a NC, USA  client

Client Profile

Mr. Parvathaneni is a computer executive with a young family from North Carolina.

 

Project Overview

Mr. Parvathaneni came to Acoustic Frontiers mid-way into his home theater build. The home theater was in an existing basement and had already been sheetrocked and wiring run. The client had a preliminary layout and finished aesthetic in mind as well as some provisional thoughts about equipment.

 

Acoustic Frontiers Solutions

We provided the following services on this project:
  • Design Review
  • Equipment
  • Acoustic Treatment Design
  • Baffle Wall Design
  • Audio Calibration

 Our Home Theater Design Review is a thorough analysis of a client's plan that includes comparison to best practices / industry standards and preparation of a written report. The report scores the plan against the design standards and suggests options to improve the performance of the space. Our recommendations are discussed with the client over a phone call and the path forward agreed. The Design Review differs from our Home Theater Layout process in that it includes no design work - it is purely a review of a client's design.

 

Front of theater at the time of client's engagement with Acoustic Frontiers

 

Rear Wall of Theater

Client's floorplan


Following on from the Design Review we made some amendments to the layout and finalized the equipment list together. This included the following set of high performance, high value components:

  • Procella Audio speaker system, including P6 and P5
  • SVS PC-12+ subwoofers
  • Yamaha RX-A1040 AVR
  • Sony VPL-VW40ES projector with Lumagen 2020 video processor for lens-less widescreen projection
  • Seymour AV 2.35:1 screen
The next step in the process was completion of the Acoustic Treatment Design. The depth available for acoustic treatment on the side and back walls was minimal, and budget was tight, so the design process was a little more challenging than usual! We specified the following products, carefully placed to balance absorption and reflection characteristics of the room:
  • Kinetics Versatune used for side and back wall absorption. This product is a multi-density fiberglass panel that offers a consistent absorption of 0.7 above 100Hz or so. We really like this panel because it has some reflectivity and absorbs lower than an equivalent thickness plain fiberglass panel
  • Kinetics TAD hybrid absorber / diffuser, used on the sides and rear of the room
  • Vicoustic Multifuser DC2 on the ceiling

GET THE RESULTS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR WITH ACOUSTIC FRONTIERS

  • You'll have a system you love.
  • You'll experience audio-video like never before.
  • You'll have no doubt you got the best performing system for your budget.

REQUEST A QUOTE

 

Acoustic Treatment Plan for one side wall in the theater

We also created a baffle wall to improve the room acoustics and provide optimal support for the Procella Audio P6 speakers. Most of the walls we are designing now a "hybrid" type, meaning they include some solid areas and some open areas. The solid areas provide a diffraction and speaker boundary interference free environment for the speakers and provide increased low frequency output. The open areas allow air to circulate into the area behind the baffle wall which is filled with a deep layer of pink fluffy insulation. Experience has shown this approach works exceptionally well at controlling room mode resonances.

One of the views of the baffle wall design that we created for the client


The final step in the process, after the room was finished and the equipment installed, was to perform the Audio & Video Calibration. Our techniques for this very important phase of the project allow us to work effectively with clients that are not located locally.

The Video Calibration was performed in our shop before the projector was shipped to the client. We performed a comprehensive calibration to THX standards using the controls available in the projector as well as the greyscale and color cube controls in the Lumagen.

 

Gretyscale projector calibration

Greyscale, pre and post calibration.

Color Cube Calibration
Pre and post calibration color accuracy

 

For audio we sent an acoustic measurement kit (laptop, mic, cables) to the client. We accessed the computer via the internet and over the course of two sessions with the client adjusted the settings in the AVR (levels, delays) and EQ'd the system.

The Results

Home Theater towards screen

Home Theater towards rear

In the Client's Words

"My initial plan was to build out a basic HT room with off-the-shelf AV equipment without any intentions to treat/tune the room acoustically. After doing a bit of research and speaking to a few local AV dealers (unsatisfactorily), I felt the need to take the extra step and speak to an acoustic professional. I came across Nyal Mellor on one of the AV forums where he is very active, and felt from his comments / feedback that he knew what he was doing.

Nyal started out with a design review (since the room work had already begun) and after a couple of interactions I was comfortable enough to let him plan/guide the rest of the build, and purchase the AV equipment from him. He took the time to understand our requirements, discuss equipment options and budget considerations, and was able to provide his recommendations without any over-selling. Nyals build/acoustic plans have been very thorough, and he always took the time to explain the details and ensure that the plans were properly executed. After the build and equipment install, Nyal was able to complete the room by calibrating the equipment remotely.

Everyone that has been to the room have had good things to say at how well the room looks and sounds. The room has turned out beyond our expectations, and it would not have been possible without Acoustic Frontiers' home theater products & services." Mr. Parvathaneni, North Carolina, USA.

GET THE RESULTS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR WITH ACOUSTIC FRONTIERS

  • You'll have a system you love.
  • You'll experience audio-video like never before.
  • You'll have no doubt you got the best performing system for your budget.

REQUEST A QUOTE




Nyal Mellor
Nyal Mellor

Author



Also in Blog Articles

January 2024 Newsletter

by Nyal Mellor January 20, 2024 0 Comments

Dreaming of a home theater but think you lack space? Think again. In this month's newsletter, we present a client's story who faced the challenge of not having a designated space for a home theater.  While considering converting the garage, the plan proved more challenging than anticipated due to complexities in obtaining building permits. The project encountered exceptional challenges that required unprecedented solutions.

Continue Reading

Another AVS HTotM! Reimagining Home Theaters in Small Spaces
Another AVS HTotM! Reimagining Home Theaters in Small Spaces

by Nyal Mellor January 19, 2024 0 Comments

Discover how Acoustic Frontiers transformed a small space into a high-performance home theater and another AVS Forum Home Theater of The Month. Unique challenges and innovative solutions deliver an immersive audio-video experience.

Continue Reading

AVS Forum Home Theater Projects....22+ with 6 Home Theater of the Month Awards
AVS Forum Home Theater Projects....22+ with 6 Home Theater of the Month Awards

by Nyal Mellor November 29, 2023 0 Comments

Here's the list of all the AVS Forum home theater projects we have helped design (in no particular order. Last update 11/29/23.

Continue Reading

Contact Us About This Product

video-design

Nyal Mellor, Founder, Acoustic Frontiers

  • (415) 524-8741
  • Serving USA & Canada
  • Fairfax, Northern California, USA

ask us a question about this product