Yahoo! Picked for Audio Video Interiors!!!

[westcott]

Well, it is official. I got a call from Audio Video Interiors and they have selected my home theater for the March issue!!!

Thanks to everyone here who provided advice and support. It is truy appreciated.

Keep your eyes peeled for the "His and Her Room!" (http://www.webshots.com/user/jbwestcott)

[icarus]

thats awesome congrats, im lookin forward to seein it in print.

[Tarheel_]

don't forget to throw in a shoutout for this forum..maybe bring in some new folks to the neighborhood.

[drseid]

Congrats... Looks fabulous!

---Dave

[topspeed]

Great news, Westcott!

Congrats.

[westcott]

Well, here it is for those who wanted to know when it was published.

His and Her Room! (http://www.audiovideointeriors.com/readerqa/0307diy/)

Thanks again to everyone here who helped with the design, component selection, and guidance. I could not have done it without you.

[edtyct]

I said it before and I'll say it again. The Wescotts have proved that you can have a genuine theater in your house and not sacrifice design and good taste. Nice work, you two. Wescott, you should get your wife in here to take a bow as well.

[westcott]

I said it before and I'll say it again. The Wescotts have proved that you can have a genuine theater in your house and not sacrifice design and good taste. Nice work, you two. Wescott, you should get your wife in here to take a bow as well.

This was a project that was a true joint effort that took long hours of planning, hard work and most importantly, a vision. A vision of not only a great home theatre that was my husband's dream, but also to achieve a comfortable space for family and friends without compromising style and elegance. The true genious behind the entire design of the home theatre is my husband. I took my cues from him on how to design the aesthetics around the sound system for an optimal entertainment experience without giving up style and comfort. I did not, however, truly appreciate the benefits of the home theatre system until we started to use it. I started to realize how much I had been missing in sound quality and visual performance. My husband kids me now and calls me an audio/visual snob because I catch all the bad sound and picture quality more easily now on our so-called "HD" satellite programming (she is referring to TNTHD and RAVEHD, they both compress the audio signal, TNT cuts the left and right ends of the image off, blows up the image to fill the screen, and removes audio information below 50 or so Hz). I have to admit I'm spoiled now. I refuse to see a movie at the theatre anymore. It simply cannot match the quality and comfort I get in my home. The investment of time, money, and hard work was worth it, as the enjoyment we receive from it each day is priceless. The only regret I have is I wish we would have done it sooner. Thank you for showcasing our room. It is nice to know our hard work is being shared by many, as we both hope that it gives some inspiration to those who have their own visions. We are proof that you can make your vision a reality.

Ellen Westcott

[L.J.]

Well, here it is for those who wanted to know when it was published.

His and Her Room! (http://www.audiovideointeriors.com/readerqa/0307diy/)

Thanks again to everyone here who helped with the design, component selection, and guidance. I could not have done it without you.

Nice!!!:thumbsup:

[edtyct]

Westcott is rightly esteemed in this jungle, but he clearly has the benefit of a partner with uncommon modesty, eloquence, and intelligence. Maybe if we're lucky she'll lend us a little perspective from time to time. Forgive me, but the number of women who participate in discussions of this sort is pitifully small; one with a well-rounded perspective is a special resource.

[westcott]

Westcott is rightly esteemed in this jungle, but he clearly has the benefit of a partner with uncommon modesty, eloquence, and intelligence. Maybe if we're lucky she'll lend us a little perspective from time to time. Forgive me, but the number of women who participate in discussions of this sort is pitifully small; one with a well-rounded perspective is a special resource.

Thank you, kind sir. I am happy to contribute from time to time.

[Dusty Chalk]

Wireless speakers (not really, but...effectively) -- nice!

[Feanor]

Well, it is official. I got a call from Audio Video Interiors and they have selected my home theater for the March issue!!!

Thanks to everyone here who provided advice and support. It is truy appreciated.

Keep your eyes peeled for the "His and Her Room!" (http://www.webshots.com/user/jbwestcott)

I handsome room and set up. Congrats.

[westcott]

Wireless speakers (not really, but...effectively) -- nice!

Thanks Dusty!

If you look REAL close, you can see some of the speaker wires. I was careful to try to keep the wires out of the frame when I was taking photos but they are there. You may have to zoom in to see them. I beleive the overhead shot has one showing. I did not disconnect the wires, believe it or not, for the photos as I have seen done in some high faluten audio magazine ads.

Maybe someday before I pass, speakers like this will be wireless but not today!:cornut:
Boy, would that have made things a lot easier.

[westcott]

I handsome room and set up. Congrats.

Thanks Feanor. I added some notes to your analog set up. I believe I have the same turntable as you.

I eagerly await your input to my comments. I have lost touch with the analog world over the last few years.

Thanks again for the kind words.

[Dusty Chalk]

Maybe someday before I pass, speakers like this will be wireless but not today!Actually, wireless systems do exist. Check this (http://www.oheocha.com/index.php?g=products) out (look at the two O-Link products).

[westcott]

Actually, wireless systems do exist. Check this (http://www.oheocha.com/index.php?g=products) out (look at the two O-Link products).

I have seen similar solutions before. Looks like a good solution for someone starting from scratch and does not mind all the antennas everywhere, visible receivers, and digital amp use but definately a long way from being an everyday incorporation into everyone's products.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Maybe I should get married! :yikes:

I have a question. Was there any discussion about ceiling treatment? The reason I ask; while I was in the attic rerouting and cleaning up the satellite and antenna cables, I had a small mishap. I sorta put my foot through my ceiling a little bit, kinda. :blush2: Needless to say I'll be taking a crash course in drywall repair very soon. I have this ugly popcorn ceiling, and I know I'll never be able to thoroughly blend the lines with the spray-on popcorn stuff from Home Depot, but I had an idea. Is there such an animal as accoustically beneficial popcorn ceiling treatment that can be applied with something along the lines of a paint sprayer. My living room right now is an echo chamber, and I must change that. I'll probably need to add acoustic panels, which of course would be the easiest route to take for that problem, but I could kill two birds with one stone with a ceiling treatment. -Rich

[westcott]

There are two reasons why I did not put acoustic treatments on the ceiling. One, my wife would not allow it and second, due to the height of my ceilings at 18 feet, ceiling interaction is minimal when compared to the floor and walls.

There are spray on insulations but the required thickness to be affective would require about 2 inches minimum. It is also probably going to require a second layer of something, like sheetrock or screen material. Lots of work but can be very effective with smaller rooms and\or with lower ceilings. It is not cheap and would probably require a professional with the proper equipment.

If you are interested in acoustic panels, I would start with bass traps in the corners of the room, followed by panels on the side walls (primary reflections point) and behind the front speakers, including the sub. If this does not alleviate the problems, then move on to the ceiling intersections and place the panels on a diagonal or float\hang a large panel from the ceiling. GIK makes great products if you are not a do it yourselfer but Dow Corning rigid fiberglass panels are also a favorite cost savings approach and one I will be using on my study door. Just cover them in a fabric conducive to air passage like speaker grill material and they can look pretty good. Just stack them together. 2 inches is a generally accepted minimum but anything is better than nothing in most cases.

Sheet rock work is not that dificult and your local home center may even give free classes. If I were going to just repair my hole, I would scrape the entire ceiling and remove the "cottage cheese" entirely. It will look better (no one seems to like the cellulite look) and will be much easier to match the patch using a traditional spray on texture gun or roller that you can do yourself.

Hope this helps.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Thanks. I started the repair; it got messy but I'll just have to deal with it. It's a 10' ceiling so at least the hole isn't hard to reach.

I should have mentioned that I'm converting this room back from it's former life as a game room. Right now I'm trying to sell the pool table and buy a sofa/loveseat or sectional which of course will help tone things down. My problem right now is that it seems like my tweeters (qty. 5) are too crisp, and with an SPL meter I measured an LFE dead spot right in the center of the room. I don't want to move the sub if I can avoid it. I saw the pictures and descriptions of the panels L.J used, so after I've been able to sit down with my chair in the proper location and absorb the sound, I'll go from there.

-Rich

[westcott]

Thanks. My problem right now is that it seems like my tweeters (qty. 5) are too crisp, and with an SPL meter I measured an LFE dead spot right in the center of the room. I don't want to move the sub if I can avoid it. I saw the pictures and descriptions of the panels L.J used, so after I've been able to sit down with my chair in the proper location and absorb the sound, I'll go from there.

-Rich

WOW! I AM impressed now! You have discovered the null. Almost every room has one (rectangle\square) in the center of the room, as you described. That is why one should sit 2/3 back from the front wall and not in the center of the room or against the rear wall. Ideally, speakers should be 1/3 into the room from the front wall although this is very difficult to do in reality. The point being that the speakers should be as far away from the front wall as one can bare and as far away from the side walls without collapsing the sound stage.

A little acoustics 101 and you will be dangerous!:ihih:

[Rich-n-Texas]

I'm beginning loathe that word...

Unfortunately, because the picture window is on one narrow wall, and the front door foyer shortens the opposite wall my only option is to set up the room width-wise. Of course this means I can't bring the speakers out too much away from the walls.

I've gotten sidetracked a bit with reading a good article about bi-wiring that a guy posted as a response to someone's question over on Audio Asylum, but I'll follow the link you included in your enlightening post for R-T-R about acoustic principles shortly.

I seem to be having a bigger problem right now with my sub though. I'm going to post details and questions in a new thread when I get home and can sit in front of my receiver. The short explanation is: my sub's gone null!!! :(

Edited so as not to confuse Westcott's white paper with the CRC Studies one.