Assembling the Perfect Home Theater

When we recently decided to build a new home theater facility in our office showroom, I knew that I had to put together some design criteria and components that would provide the kind of results expected from a "dedicated" home theater environment. Choice of components, acoustical treatment, screen, projector, DVD player, remote control, cables, etc. -- all are contributing factors that determine the final results.

So I asked myself, "What is the best speaker system to use without stepping too far towards diminishing returns?" Immediately, the PSB Platinum speaker line came to mind. Paul Barton's latest and best ever design is getting rave reviews from all the trade publications. Cost: $7,600 for two of the PSB M2's, one PSB C4 Center Channel, four M6x1 Flush Mount Surround Speakers, and one Subsonic 10 subwoofer in our theater's speaker mix.

Now that we had a really great speaker system, what kind of amplifier should we use? Probably not a combination surround receiver, which puts the amplifier and processor into a single box. Although combo receivers can sound great, it seemed more appropriate in our scenario to step up a notch and use separate components like the NAD T163 Processor with the latest Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoding and matching T973, 7-channel amplifier. Over the years, I've found that using separate components can offer a noticeable improvement in sound quality, especially when connected to a great speaker system like PSB. Cost: $3,500 for T163/T973 package.

Now that the sound part of the theater is taking shape I asked, "What video products would be complementary?"

The new Sony VPL-HS51 front projector is setting absolutely groundbreaking standards in the "price to performance" ratio. At $3,500 it performs as well as many $10,000 products (in my humble opinion). In fact, I recently upgraded to the HS51 at home. Combine this with a Stewart 10' diagonal screen ($2,000) and you have a breathtaking video display. Add the High Definition TiVo ($599) and a high-end Sony DVD player ($999) and we're ready to rock. Almost.

The next thing I had to consider was, "How do we control all this?" So I thought, "What does Disneyland use?"... AMX. The new AMX Modero color touchpanel remote system really makes things easy to use. Touch the button for DVD and the lights dim, the projector turns on, surround modes are adjusted and you're ready to go! Cost: Roughly $6,000 for the remote with programming -- but best to call for a quote to get a tighter figure, as the programming varies quite a lot.

Okay, now things are starting to come together, but what's the final stage? Not surprisingly, acoustics play one of the larger roles in what the ultimate sonic experience will be in a theater. We decided to add absorptive materials to the walls in order to smooth out the higher frequencies and three bass traps in the corners to improve the bass response. Of course, it still had to look nice so we covered the acoustic treatment with an aesthetically pleasing fabric from Guilford of Maine. It was actually quite easy to hear the improvement just by listening to our own voices in the room. Cost: Acoustics prices will vary based on the room. Ask for a quote.

Finally, our company would not be called Supercalibrations if we didn't bring some test equipment into the mix. Our Audio Control Spectrum Analyzer allows us to set the volume levels of each speaker in the system to within plus or minus 0.5 DB of each other. In addition, we recalibrate the "color of gray" on the projection system to a reference level using our color analyzer.

Whew! This whole project took a lot of time and effort. I was pretty tired by the time it was done, and of course, this was the evening before our Grand Opening! Nevertheless, I wasn't so tired that I couldn't take time for a quick break-in session. After hearing the first few notes of a familiar CD, I knew that the sound was even better than I had imagined it would be. It's easy for me to tell when a system is really performing well because I have trouble turning it off!

Now for the viewing, my favorite is high-definition football. WOW! Sharpness and clarity that still shocks me, even after experiencing it many, many times. I might be biased, but the visual experience in our controlled environment seemed better than being at the game itself!

If you want to see and hear how things can work out when you dedicate a space, enhance the acoustics, calibrate the A/V and use quality equipment, visit and installer/dealer who has taken the time to build a model theater like ours. But allow yourself some extra time as the experience can be addictive. I know you will really like what you see and hear.