This customer had high hopes for their very own home cinema space. Cinema Rooms set about making it happen.
Simon Gregory, Director at Cinema Rooms, explains, “Our client contacted us in 2019 and was keen to have a dedicated cinema room. The client was clearly and home cinema enthusiast and previously had his old system in Home Entertainment Magazine.
The client made a visit to the Artcoustic showroom to see what could be achieved in his own home.
The project which while not difficult to win but was subject to delay due to the pandemic. As the rest of the house was having rebuilding work completed the pandemic caused delays with materials and builders. During this time first fix commenced while the rest of the house was being finished off.”
Discussions continued to get the room which measured 7 x 4m technically correct. After completing a bass simulation starting with them in the preferred locations, the team could then see how the room would react and what bass quality could be expected. To get the correct output to deliver Dolby’s 115db, the room required four subwoofers.
Simon says, “Trying to get the clients to have four subs is not easy, but the customer has seen the bass simulation it was agreed to go with two Artcoustic sub 3 at the front (two 10in long-throw woofers in each sub) and one Artcoustic sub 4 (employing 4 x 10in long-throw woofers).”
The customer loves 3D movies and after the release of the new Avatar movies was keen to get a projector that was capable of 3D and to have enough 3D glasses for the seven seats that were going into the room.
Simon adds, “Due to the size of the room and number of seats, we also wanted to get in air conditioning in place, but due to the bar and hidden projector we were limited for space. Due to the lens shift capability on the projector, it was decided to move the projector to one side so the ducted air con unit could fit within the bar area.”
Building the cinema
Simon recalls, “The first job we needed to undertake was the build out of the screen and side walls. We built the screen wall out by 300mm and created a carcass to house the Artcoustic LCR’s and sub in the centre of the wall. The void was then backfilled with rockwool and clad over with OSB leaving the speaker carcass exposed in the centre. The same process was carried out with the side and back walls with much smaller carcasses for side and rear speakers.
“The next job was to create a dropped ceiling to allow for a coffer towards the front of the room at the original ceiling height. The framework was built, filled with rockwool and again clad with OSB.”
Simon adds, “We also created a bespoke bar cabinet along the back wall to house the AV rack, projector and air conditioning unit. Antique mirrors and LED lights were added and a custom grill for the projector. We also built a stage to create better viewing for the second tier of seating. The window and curtain coffers were lined with the same material as the bar and stage step cladding to create a reoccurring theme throughout the room.”
The team also applied 12mm foam to the walls and ceiling to help with the acoustic quality of the room and then stretched fabric to create a seamless finish. The majority of the fabric in the room was navy blue with a contrasting gold feature band running around the centre. The fabrics chosen were from our own cinema luxe acoustically transparent range. A star scape ceiling was added to the ceiling coffer to finish the room with the coffer perimeter being finished in the same material as the bar, window liner and stage cladding.
Once the room fit out was completed the equipment was installed and calibrated. Multiple subs were installed at front and back positions to address room modes that were shown in the initial design processes. Simon reveals, “By installing subs at both the front and back, we measured an incredibly flat response in every seat. The system has enough headroom to be able to play Dolby’s reference of bass at 115db down to below 20Hz in the seating positions. The Sony projector offers a fantastic picture with the benefit of lens shift and 3D functionality. The client already had a Oppo Blu Ray offering great picture and sound. We also installed the excellent Zappti for its versatility in movie watching. A Starscape Infinity modular star panel system was added for that wow factor along with Rako lighting control to set the right scene for whatever is being watched.”
Any particular challenges?
Simon says, “This particular client is a movie fanatic and naturally wanted the biggest screen he could possibly have but also wanted two rows of seating. We built the stage 100mm taller than we normally would to ensure the full screen could be seen wherever you sat in the room. Due to our experience most technical issues will be ironed out at the design stage ensuring a stress free and seamless install.
The 16:9 screen for sports and movies is still 3.3m wide 149in diagonal plenty big enough and technically correct from the main seating position. We of course had the projector off set in the room but you would never know due to the excellent lens shift on the Sony projector.”
Talking of seating, the cinema benefits from two rows of FrontRow Serenity chairs, the middle front pair are in the lounger option for extra comfort.
As for a fav aspect of this project, Simon reveals, “Our favourite part is how the room sounds! It’s one of the best we have ever done and only with careful planning and acoustic simulations have we been able to achieve this. And thanks to our partners at Cinema Luxe the room looks amazing which has also helped with the sound due the quality of the room build!”
The customer says, “It has been dream to have my own home cinema for a long time. Even though it took longer than planed due to the covid situation and other unforeseen circumstances we finally got there in the end and the wait was well worth it. To choose a favourite part of the new cinema room would be hard because everything was so well thought out by Cinema Rooms. The picture and sound and the overall look and feel of the room Is amazing and has all come together perfectly.”
The client is going to call the room The Majestic after the movie about an old run down cinema called the Majestic which has become derelict due to hard times, but the small Town get together and decide to restore it, nice touch.
Essential Kit List
Starscape Infinity modular star panel system
1 x Sony VPL590 Projector
1 x Denon AVCA10 Amp (special anniversary celebrating 110 years of Denon)
1 x GUDE-Expert Power Control 8031-4
1 x Sky stream
1 x Oppo Blu Ray Player
1 x Sony PS5
1 x Apple TV
1 x Zappiti Neo with NAS SE
1 x Rako Lighting
Artcoustic Loudspeakers package
Dolby 9.4.8 configuration
3 x Spitfire 6-3, Black
6 x SL Target, Black
4 x SL Architect 2-1, Black
2 x Artcoustic Sub 3,SL Black two 10in long-throw woofers in each sub
1 x Artcoustic Sub 4, SL Black employing 4 x 10in long-throw woofers
FrontRow Serenity Seating in MEG fabric