THE PIT
PREMISE
Our home theater is the manifestation of a dream. My previous effort included a mixture of Bose speakers. Buying a new house, we looked for an unfinished basement that would be large enough to build a very unique theater. To our knowledge, it had not been done before, at least not on a common consumer level. What specifically am I talking about? A surround sound system made up entirely of Bose 901 speakers!
SOUND IS EVERYTHING
For many, the picture is the most important ingredient in a higher end theater system. I was determined to get the most realistic sound possible. Even a mediocre picture would look great with when accompanied with 6 Bose 901 speakers.
But could it be done? Although not much has changed in the basic design of the 901 in thirty years (few speakers can make such a claim), they sound awesome and very realistic, and handle the hi-fi output of today’s digital sources impressively. But the 901s were built as a stereo system. I saw no reason though that they could not be applied to a surround format for stunning results.
I contacted Bose directly. The technical support staff there was very helpful. They looked over the specs of my current equipment at the time and encouraged me to pursue the project and even made some suggestions.
Before we started construction of the theater, I bought two more pairs of 901s (I owned one pair already), which includes two more equalizers, which are needed to make the 901s sound correct. I got my hands on some acoustic panels (which I thought I might utilize later) and built some “stand-in” walls to lean them against. We positioned the 901s, wired them up and ran a series of sound tests for one month.
The results were indeed fantastic. The sound was unbelievable! With that, the speakers were put away and construction began.
THE PIT
We called the previous theater “The Pit.” It seemed to be the natural thing to do once again. An adjoining game room and bathroom were built as well, but unlike many home theaters, the Pit is not a multiple use room. It is strictly a movie theater and music listening room, and was built as such.
Two electrical runs serve the Pit, which were installed after the framing was completed. The ceiling features some beveled angles to aid in the reflecting of sound, which is the basic principle the 901s utilize in sounding so realistic. The theater is 23 feet deep. The upper viewing level is 12 feet wide, the lower area is 15 feet wide. An additional level that accesses the components adds another 4 feet of width to better than half of the room.
6 inches of insulation was installed in the walls, and 12 inches was installed in the ceiling. Sound reflects better off of wood, so behind each 901 speaker station we hung particle board OSB. Drywall was hung around it and the varying surfaces became indistinguishable with completing the taping and texture.
The trend is for theaters to be decorated in darker motifs. I went against this trend as I like bright rooms with plenty of light, knowing I would have to plan accordingly when it came time to purchase the projector and screen, but it was always my intention to control the light as well. The Pit has white walls, 16 recessed 5 inch lights and 5 sconces, along with two step lights, controlled by a Lutron Grafik Eye programmable unit.
14 gauge speaker wire was run through ¾ flexible conduit, some of which proved to be a chore (see footnotes below). This conduit was easy to install, but I should have gone with my original 11/4” conduit idea, even though it would have been more expensive and challenging to install.
Once the wiring was in place, the gray carpet was installed, which would go well with the blue recliner furniture from the previous Pit incarnation. Solid oak trim finished off the theater, along with four custom oak cabinets built into the walls (I should never run out of storage space).
OTHER FEATURES
Along with the system lighting, we have opaque blinds on the windows on the south side of the room. When listening to music, the blinds are usually up to enjoy the view outside. They block most of the light, but not as much as I had expected. I’ve developed panels that snap into the windows when viewing a movie during daytime hours and that takes care of any light that may bleed through. Obviously a theater with no windows would have been ideal, but I like my light and fresh air!
A double French door is the entry into the theater. Frosted glass panels adorned with the Pit logo are mounted on each door, along with custom handles that match the cabinetry hardware. The entry is on the higher level, where two seating positions are stationed and the 6th channel speaker and projector can be accessed.
Extensive custom oak cabinetry assures we’ll never run out of media storage space. There are four cabinets plus the component cabinet, with storage capacity easily into the thousand range for DVDs. Video tapes are stored in previous cabinets rescued from the previous theater in a storage room.
A lit step leads to the lower level and two more seats. We’ve also “padded” the room with bean bags, pillows and blankets for a very cozy atmosphere. People love it! A step to another upper level provides access to the component cabinet. All 901 speakers except the center channels are stationed on the upper levels or stages.
THE PROJECTOR AND SCREEN
Obviously, much research was done over the course of the project. I looked at all sorts of projectors spanning a wide price range. I then considered many different types of screens. Many hours were spent on the internet reading up on this stuff. Talk about a steep learning curve! Much of my time was spent right here at Projector Central reading up on reviews and stats on many projectors and screens. After a while, it was overwhelming.
Luckily through the length of the project, I had the benefit of a friend and technical advisor, who happens to work for a company whose clientele are home theater installation contractors. After a while I had to ask him to narrow down the choices for me. His knowledge proved invaluable when it came to matching the projector to a screen, because he knew what the conditions were and how the lighting was going to be controlled.
We eventually narrowed it down to three projectors, two by InFocus. I can’t remember any model numbers of the projectors or screens that we considered, but we knew we needed a screen suitable for a 15 foot throw distance and with a gain of 1. We chose the outstanding InFocus SP-5700 projector, a fabulous deal for the incredible picture it produces, and it’s easy to operate right out of the box. Believe all the accolades you hear about it because they’re all true, and a great review (which convinced me to buy the SP-5700) is right here on Projector Central. The picture is stunning and surprising in quality. The screen is a Vu-Tech white screen which performs beautifully. The screen frame is a two inch beveled frame coated in black velvet. Dimensions are 92 by 54 inches (16:9).
THE SYSTEM
The InFocus SP-5700 projector is mounted on the ceiling. A kit comes with the projector for mounting, but the bracket is sold separately. Yet another separate piece for extensions, a piece of pipe, is also sold separately. I got my own pipe and used it and saved a bit of money, and it looks great. A video composite cable provides the feed. Cable TV is also supplied to the Pit, but we have yet view it regularly since most everything on TV is crap.
A higher end Sony DVD single tray player (which has performed flawlessly for three years) is used for stereo, SACD, DVD Audio and movie playback. A standard VCR signal also looks remarkable, another compliment for the SP-5700.
The signals are processed through a wonderful Yamaha receiver/controller that serves as a preamp. A preamp signal is sent through 3 Bose 901 equalizers. Equalizer #1 serves left and right front channels; Equalizer #2 serves left and right rear channels; Equalizer #3 serves center front and rear channels. The signals are channeled for final amplification through a Parasound amplifier. The Yamaha handles the LF and rear channel signals.
A Sony universal remote controls all components and lights. Depending on the activity, several start-up and power-down sequences are activated with the touch of one button.
The heart of the Pit is the unique sound system. The 901s, in my opinion, are unmatched when it comes to realistic sound performance. This is because the basis of the 901 system is sound reflection. In each cabinet are nine speakers, eight of which are aimed toward the wall, reflecting 89% of the sound off of other surfaces before it reaches your ears (which is how we hear most sound in real life). 11% is generated by direct radiation. During a wide frequency signal, the 901s can move air produced by three air columns (per cabinet) up to 60 miles an hour. Even at low volumes, the realism is impressive because of the way the 901s move the air. At the right volume, when the Spinosaurus in Jurassic Park 3 roars, his breath shakes the room. Most sources are reproduced in the Pit at -40 to -30 db, only a fraction of what the system is capable of generating.
The 901s have an incredible range, reaching impressively into the LF range (35Hz). The Definitive Technology subwoofer has a charmed life with relatively little to do, taking over the LF duties at about 40Hz. The result is a lot of directional low end, which is a real treat!
SPECIFICATIONS
PROJECTOR: InFocus ScreenPlay 5700
CD/DVD SOURCE: Sony DVP-NS700P
POWER CONDITIONER: Panamax M5100-EX
REMOTE CONTROL: Sony RM-AV2100
PREAMP: Yamaha RX-V1000 105 watts/channel (6th and LF channels)
PRIMARY AMP: Parasound 5125 125 watts/channel
LF SPEAKER: Definitive Technology PF15TL
SPEAKERS: Bose 901 Series VI & VII Direct Reflecting Speaker System
LIGHTING CONTROL: Lutron Grafik Eye
BOTTOM LINE
It would have been easy to just buy a pre-designed sound system and install it. Bose makes a great “Lifestyle” system in which the speakers are small, almost invisible and sounds great. Wall speakers would have certainly been the choice for many people. But for me, it was worth it to plan for the space and other required special conditions to have the 901 system in the Pit. There are obviously nicer home theaters out there. They may have many nicer features, but I have something they don’t. I have six Bose 901s! The sound is amazingly realistic. On a 6 channel movie, that’s 55 speakers (counting the LF) cranking away!
Approximate cost for total construction and all components: $35,000.
FOOTNOTES
1. Always go with the largest size of conduit you can possibly use. Anticipate future upgrades!
2. Figure the price of a spare lamp for your projector (bought at today’s prices!) into the projector budget. Buy the lamp with your projector so you’ll have a spare when you need it most.
3. Some projectors emit more noise than you first realize. Plan accordingly, keeping ventilation requirements in mind. One of the fine adjustments for the Pit will be a vented enclosure for the projector to cut down on fan noise, (which in my case isn’t too noticeable).
4. You can’t learn enough. Research-research-research! Gather up and use all sources! Projector Central was invaluable.
5. Test your sound system before hand, if at all possible.
Remote sensor relay devices may or may not be necessary. I installed a system ($149), but found out later it was unneeded thanks to the screen reflecting the signals. But I’m glad I did it just in case.
Great sound makes a great picture. Mediocre sound can make a great picture look mediocre. Great sound is not expensive. Do your research and don’t skimp on the sound. The rest will fall into place.
[Edited by forum admin on Jun 15, 2006 at 2:35 PM]
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