Home theater design requires at least three key things to give them an appropriate theater feel. 1) chairs, 2) a screen and 3) you need a means of getting the image onto a screen. These are of course the very basics of home theater design. In this article we will discuss some of these elements and some of the key home theater construction elements you should consider.
Home Theater Design Elements
Now, you might ask: Can't you just use the living room as a media room if that's all that's needed? While it is true that living rooms, dens or a third bedroom can provide for a movie watching experience, it’s not quite the same thing as a dedicated home theater. Televisions and DVD players simply do not possess the same charm as a screen and projection system does. Many screens are much larger than televisions right now and sometimes produce a higher quality image as well. To find out more about planning the audio and visual needs of your home theater check out a Dolby planning tool here.
Planning is a key element in designing and constructing you home theater system. Putting together a great home theater takes more than just buying the right electronic gear. The space itself must be planned from the placement of the sound reinforcement gear and viewing screen to the seating arrangements all the way down to the popcorn maker. Designing and planning your project is easy when you use your quinju account.
One of the biggest concerns in building the home theatre is outside noise elimination. A great home theatre room will not allow sound waves to provide rattles or buzzes due to lose-fitting or poor material quality. A key component in the construction of a home theater is choosing the correct types and quality of materials. In addition, these materials should enhance the right sounds while blocking out others.
Home Theater Construction
1. Flooring options
Just like professional recording studios, you need to think about the floor and vibration. Most recording studios have a floating floor and this insures that sound vibrations do not transfer through from the floor joists. A common construction method is to use sheets of rigid foam and neoprene pads are popular isolation techniques. Place the foam under the joists of the new floor and then plywood will be installed on top of this platform. This type of construction stops sound vibrations are stopped from coming up through floor and the low frequency waves from the subwoofers will not cause rumbling sounds welling from beneath the floor. We recommend that the spaces between the joists should be packed with fiberglass insulation. A properly constructed floor is something you should consider in you home theater design.
2. Walls
The walls of the room are built after the floating floor is installed and so sit on the rigid foam. They can be constructed in the exact same manner as the floor or "doubled." This is when an inner wall is built adjacent to the outer wall but the two never touch. This space is also filled with an acoustic barrier. Sound transference can be an issue to rooms above or below home theater if this element is ignored.
3. Ceiling
Using a standard drop-ceiling grid will be adequate for holding sound-deadening materials. All the major gypsum manufactures have a multitude of acoustically rate selections in drop in ceiling tiles. If you opt for a gypsum ceiling these panels, you should these panels using acoustic strips called resilient channels. These strips provide a barrier to sound transfer between the ceiling joists or wall studs. Is important too that the floor joist cavity is filled with acoustic material like fiberglass insulation to prevent further sound transfer as well as echoes caused by the empty space.
4. Acoustic Coverings
Bare walls get covered or partially covered with sound diffusing material frequently. There are two types of acoustic materials: sound absorption and sound diffusion. For absorption choose soft or porous materials that will trap sound into the cavities. On the other hand, diffusive materials enhance sound and reflect it in different directions. Keeping the drywall uncovered will allow the wanted frequencies to remain active. Then by adding blocks of sound deadening materials such as wall hangings on the walls in patterns and changed to meet the sound requirements. This is where experimentation comes in. These are diffuses, that direct the sound off the walls, and deadeners that kill unwanted sounds.
5. Ventilation
Just like any other rooms home theaters require air circulation. We suggest that the vents get placed at the back of the room and are attached to a low-velocity air exchanger that will give ten to fifteen air changes per hour. We recommend a duct liner board or metal ducts lined with glass fiber should as well as a plenum silencer near the fan. These items can be purchased from a commercial HVAC distributor. For more on home ventilation check this article out.
6. Acoustic Sealant & Caulking
When attaching items in the construction process you should always use an acoustic sealer. This is a sticky substance that will not transmit sounds and works great when deadening the sound reverberation in vents. After the construction is complete you should use a finishing caulking around trim, doors other components.
7. The Door
The easiest solution for the door is a pre-hung, solid-core exterior door. Beside the sound-dampening of the foam core the weather stripping also keeps out unwanted sounds. Of course if this does not fit your design or decor another suitable solid wood core door is an attractive entrance to welcome your family and friends. Whatever you choose the door should be tested for echoes as well as it may need additional sound diffusion.
When you have decided to take the next step in your project plan or are simply in the dreaming stage its very easy to get organized with your quinju account.
