Last Updated:
A lofty Theater design
As you can probably guess, you never know where you will be asked to build a custom home theater. Having a completely blank slate is almost unheard of, and this particular project began its life as a bonus room over a new home’s garage space.
Like most structures not built from the ground up as dedicated screening rooms, this build had its fair share of design challenges. Chief among them was the litany of angled walls, the vaulted ceiling, and the need for a doorway to access a hidden attic library space in the middle of the room.
Every theater room is different, yet with thoughtful engineering even challenging shapes can sound extraordinary.
We broke up the room’s long walls with columns. These columns did two things:
- Added visual interest
- Helped with acoustic panel placement and bass trapping
One major challenge was keeping access to the attic library without breaking the theater’s aesthetic or sound isolation. We tackled this with careful planning and concealed entry design.
We ultimately settled on concealing a door inside one of the room’s decorative columns.
This was accomplished using a custom door, with acoustic treatments applied directly to its face.
Space was also at a premium, and we also needed to find a way to minimize the equipment’s footprint and visual impact inside the room.
We were able to commandeer some unclaimed attic space and installed a recessed rack to house all the equipment. This kept things accessible while also not encroaching on the livable space in the room.
Audio
For the main stage, we chose identical in-wall Focal 300-series speakers across all seven channels, paired with timber-matched 8″ overhead speakers for Atmos effects..
A duo of Focal subwoofers rounded out the low end.
Nice HR40 Remote
This also marked our first deployment of the new Nice HR40 remote control. It offers seamless control of all of the sources in the system and even shows cover art from the Kaleidescape during playback.
Kaleidescape, The Finest SOurce
It’s been a long-standing secret that if you want the best picture quality, there’s only one place to get your movies.
Long hailed by Hollywood moguls and used in their own personal theaters, the Kaleidescape Strato player serves up movies at a higher quality than HD Blu-Ray with unadulterated audio to match.
Construction Gallery
Full Equipment List
System Configuration 7.4.2
Visual
- Projector: JVC NZ-7 8K Projector
- Screen: 150″ Screen Innovations Zero Edge Pro, Acoustically Transparent
- Video Processing: MadVR Envy MKII Extreme
Sound
- Audio Processor: AudioControl Maestro X7s
- Amplification : AudioControl Savoy G4 , Audio Control Pantages G4
- Speakers: 7x Focal 300IWLCR , 4x Focal 300ICW8 (Atmos)
- Subwoofers: 2x Focal Sub1000F
Everything Else
Sources: Kaleidescape Strato C, Oppo Blu-Ray, Nvidia Shield, Bluesound Node, and DirecTV Gemini
Control: Nice / Elan SC-100 & Nice HR-40 Remote Control
Lighting: Proluxe COB RGB-W Linear LED with matching extrusions
Seating: Valencia Theater Seating – Tuscany Ultimate Slim
Fabric: Guilford of Maine Anchorage (Charcoal with Cobalt Accents)
Paint: Tricorn Black
How long does it take to design & Build a custom home theater?
Most projects take 4-8 weeks, depending on complexity and scheduling availability.
