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bruce3404
10-21-2005, 07:49 PM
I have a rather narrow theater room (114") and given the size of my front speakers and the recommendations that I place them at least 12" in from the corners of the room, I've realized that this will limit my screen size as the speakers are quite tall (40") and the ceiling is only 96". Since I purchased this rather expensive set of Paradigms only about a year ago and I have no other place in my house for them, I'm faced with the choice of a narrow screen (at best 90" diagonal) or using a perforated screen (well, I guess I could dump the Paradigms, but I have around $2,000 sunk into the matched six speakers and would prefer to keep them). How much will a perf screen limit my speaker performance? What are some of the best ones out there? Or should I just go with a smaller screen and bigger speaker performance?

edtyct
10-22-2005, 10:57 AM
This may not be the problem that you think. Perforated screens can have their drawbacks--both for audio and video--but when's the last time you were positively grossed out by the sound (well, for being muddy, anyway) or the picture (for moire patterns or visible holes in the screen) at your favorite cinema, which almost certainly has that kind of setup. Theaters tilt the treble to compensate for what perforated screens do to soundtracks, providing the rationale for the compensation that many receivers and processors provide to counteract home sound that's too bright. Any problem in an HT will revolve around whether your fixed pixel display interacts with the holes in the screen adversely or your speakers lose presence. Usually the smaller the peforations, the better is the video performance and the worse the audio. But compromise can be satisfactory on both fronts. You should work with a qualified dealer on finding the best one, rather than buying sight unseen on the web, but don't expect it to be cheap. Your electronics will probably handle many of the sonic anomalies. Choice of screen should take into account its inherent gain. I've heard good things about Screen Research's Clear Pix2, which is made of a custom knit material that sound can pass through easily and light can hit without showing the weave, but it ain't cheap (it's THX and ISF approved). It's also limited in gain to two options--.75 and .95, I think. But other companies, like Stewart, have options as well. Good luck.

Ed