Building A New Home And A Home Theatre Den

Home Theater Lobby
58

Well said. The DAC is of course the most important factor. We all know that. The “push” for the CAT8 is coming from people who has already experienced the benefits of a good dac, and now into the tiny bits of 5-10% to squeeze every juice out of it. Most serious audiophiles are after this. A casual listener or non audiophile won’t even be bothered if it is cat 6 , 7 or CAT8.

But remember, once We have laid the cables, that’s gonna be very cumbersome to uninstall and install again down the road. Which is why I echo CASH’s sentiment, why are we going backwards with cat6 instead of CAT8?

You have made a valid point above, but note that not all cables are built the same. Some designs are prone to picking up stray signals, working as an antenna that can be detrimental to sound quality

Once the system have reached the stage where you have enough resolution, details and dynamic range, even a non audiophile will be able to discern easily the slightest of change in sound, even by swapping the Ethernet cables

So yes, I confirm again, CAT8 is the way to go… especially when building the room now and $ is not an issue

Optical cable is the best though, if that is available and $ is not an issue as well. They cost way more than Ethernet cables. We all know what we have gotten ourselves into with this hobby, it’s a very expensive hobby!

All of us have the same issues at home with electrical noise. The cables wired from power stations to our home, are just normal cables. When we switch our Power cords from the wall socket to the equipment, we hear a huge jump in benefits

Some will argue they hear no difference whatsoever and measurements cannot prove it etc etc… there are two camps… yet when we do a blind test, every single time the participants are able to tell.

Have you done any blind tests before ? Or participated in one?

I have done numerous with various group of people for power cord, Ethernet cables, interconnects… Except speaker cables. This I didn’t do. In all the test conducted, we are able to discern the differences easily

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For a lot of battles between audiophiles and scientists, can go to the Audioscience Review. DACs that audiophiles like, scientists will say are just pleasant distortions. Scientists argue that blind tests are bad for evaluating audible differences, because the human brain is adaptive. Audiophiles believe in their perception almost like religion.

From many years of experience, the two sides will never agree so its no point trying to argue this out. If you add that $10,000 power cable and it sounds better, and you’re happy, its 100% worth every cent! Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you are not hearing anything.

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60

The screen I intend to have is 4.6m x 2m for 2.35. So the GX300 will 0.8m instead the AT screen?
Is this 3m max because of the design of GX300?

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The ideal position for the GX300 is between 1.8-3m apart and the distance from wall should be 90-100cm.

It’s the design of the speakers

They don’t work as well when you run full range down to 40hz, though they are capable down Low…

I seal the ports as well for superior timing

I measure with every single crossover possible from 40hz up all the way to 800hz… and I have the data to back that up, not hearsay or reading from the internet… lol

I’ve been using this pair for 13 years now this year and never find the need to upgrade . Award the speakers with a head start in headroom, they will perform for u

Anyway, that’s a discussion for another day in another thread…

62

For stereo speakers setup, there is usually a sweet spot in terms of separation and toe in angle. This is related to the off axis response and directivity of a given speaker design.

For a given speaker, if they are placed too far apart eg a small bookshelf placed 5m apart and no toe in, can imagine there will be a ‘hole’ in the center of the sound stage.

Speakers with smooth and even directivity and off axis response will have a better center image and can be placed wider apart, all things being equal.

63

Does it mean the GXC300 also required 90cm of space behind?
The AT screen will need to be about 1.3m from the wall.

64

Good video talking about the design considerations going into a HT design.

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I have to responded to your Q in your odd shape HT room, I think it is better we take it there

66

Some additional room build tips:

Just a little something to share… choose where you place the condenser and do check it’s dimensions. Even the quietest one make noise and emit hot air. If it’s next to your bedroom, some may be affected by the din. Some condensers are pretty big and can block your window view.
Also consider how hard is it to access it and service it.
Don’t site it too far from your blowers as this decreases the cooling efficiency.

67

Of all your home renovation plans, the electric / cabling plan is probably the most relevant to a HT enthusiast:
You can talk to experts, and get the earthing right.
Using a separate DB for your HT den if possible with a higher rated isolator.
If you can get a higher power supply to the home that will be nice.
It will have many overlays

  • lights
  • plugs
  • LAN
  • other installations

Some bros use better power cables and LAN cables for this area. If cost is no object I’ll wire up with the best, but we all live within our constraints…

68

You mean you renovate your den since my last visit?

Well I did huge “reno” to my place as well after some valuable feedbacks from those who visited. So far pretty satisfying results!

69

If you have smart switches, be very very careful as it’ll emit the frequency that will cause some noise to your speakers even if your power amp is in off state

70

Ah no bro, I’ve been putting together some info to help others. Learn from my own experience cheers :slight_smile:

1 Like
71

Procella Reference demo room with SMT V wings.

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72

https://www.facebook.com/Drahmoune-Archi-designer-2095365424038302/photos/pcb.2861741850733985/2861738874067616
All about lights and designs

73

Wow, procella is using SMTs! Very nice, last round I demoed the procella speakers very good for HT as well

74

This was pretty basic but useful:
https://www.audiophysic.com/en/rules-about-positioning/

75

Home owners tend to focus on the aesthetics first, but sound is an essential element, especially when people are living and working in the same place.

Having the sound of traffic disrupt your sleep or neighbours complain about the television volume while you are watching Netflix late at night are not ideal situations.

So, plan for soundproofing and room acoustics, especially if you live near a busy road or in a dense residential area.

There is a difference between the two, says Mr Edric Hwang, co-founder of acoustic-focused design studio Ehka F.

“Soundproofing refers to the prevention of sound transmission from one space to another, like the din of roadworks while you’re indoors,” he says. “Acoustics, on the other hand, refers to the amount of reverberation or echoing that can be heard within a room when one is speaking or playing music.”

Both are equally important during resting and working periods.

Mr Hwang says: “When you’re in a room with proper acoustic treatment, instead of being distant and ‘echo-ey’, your voice will be clearer and easier for others to focus on during a conference call.”

Improving the sound in your home is easy when you plan ahead and use the right materials.

Applying soundproofing

Soundproofing a room takes planning, as most solutions require renovation.

1. Replace hollow-core doors or add seals

Are you still able to hear the TV even though the door is closed?

Doors in standard Housing Board (HDB) flats have hollow cores that let vibrations and, therefore, sound in. You can remedy this by replacing them with solid-core ones, which will cost between $1,200 and $1,800, depending on the size.

For an immediate, less expensive solution, adding top and bottom seals to existing doors can block sound. Invest in aluminium ones; rubber and foam are less effective.

2. Replace regular windows with soundproofed ones

Replacements can start at $2,400 a window, but they can be a good investment if you live next to a busy road or a train track.

Mr Hwang says: “Many HDB-approved window contractors can provide soundproofing solutions.”

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Mr Hwang says wooden floors typically reverberate less and have less echoes than concrete or tiled floors. PHOTO: THELONIUS INTERIOR CONCEPT & DESIGN

Improving acoustics

This is essential for areas of rest or work, where you do not want noise to reverberate. Compared with soundproofing, the renovation process is minimal.

1. Damp sound with soft furnishings or acoustic panels

Damping or reducing resonance in a room can be as simple as adding a thick rug or curtains as these absorb or damp sound well.

In noisier areas, you may need sound-absorbing panels such as the Oddlaug ones by Ikea.

You can also get custom ones that cost between $220 and $450 a panel from companies such as Ehka F. These can be easily added to walls with minimal or no renovation.

2. Opt for wooden flooring if you are renovating

Mr Hwang says wooden floors typically reverberate less and have less echoes than concrete or tiled floors.

He advises hiring contractors who specialise in acoustics to effectively treat and soundproof a home, as the materials and skills needed are different from those used in a standard renovation.

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Wow see this guy, he built it as line source … 15x

Here is what his comments were

Line arrays at max height now
15 x 4 ohm in parallel/series configuration giving a total 6.6 ohm
Line source benefits to 4 kHz covering the fundamentals of most musical instruments with upper harmonics being first point (closest to ear) at any given listening height.Not perfect but damn good fun and far better than other speakers I own/ owned
Superb imaging and awesome dynamics.
8 more pairs of wood cone to match bottom 7 and these monsters will be complete
100db sensitivity, 450w power handling.
Sounding lovely with 7 watt monoblocks

Line source speakers… definitely a consideration

Elsewhere , this is termed as “CBT”

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CBT which stands for Constant Beamwidth Transducer is a loudspeaker line array theory that provides extremely even coverage and flat frequency response at all locations in the listening room with a system that has broadband constant‐ directivity (CD).

2 Likes
77

Heaters :
Buy something simple with less functions
More important is to site it well so you can service or change it
Assess if each toilet needs one or will you share
Longer pipe runs mean inefficiency
Most of the brands in the market are alright. I use Joven, but Smith, AOS, etc all fine.
Personally I would do away with the frills and focus on durability and simplicity.

Piping:
I’ll suggest larger calibre pipes to give you better flow.
Instant heaters work fast, are easy to replace but kill the flow a lot more than storage heaters.