The McCabe Family Theater

Description:

I have a dedicated Home Theater measuring(13.5' x 18.5'). The room is an isolated (room within a room design). I framed a new room so that the theater does not touch the rest of the home. The walls are 2 layers of 5/8 drywall. The door is an exterior grade solid core door with a seal all the way around. The front stage is filled with 1500 lbs of play sand to isolate the subs from the floor & walls. All the sound isolation techniques used in my construction was successful. I can watch action movies at an enjoyable level while the wife and kids sleep soundly upstairs. I hired out the drywall, the woodwork (columns & trim), & the carpeting. Everything else was about 6 months of DIY work and countless trips to Home Depot.

There are 8 reclining theater seats, 2 rows of four with the back row on an 11" riser. Each seat has a Buttkicker powered by a remote control amp. The front row of seats is approx. 1 1/2 times the width of the screen to the viewing distance. The riser is filled with fiberglass and vented to act as a bass trap.

I have a Lutron 3104 four zone light controller. It controls the sconces on the columns, halogens on the screen, rope lights in the soffit tray, and a step light on the riser step.

My equipment rack consist of :

• Dish Network VIP 622 HDTV DVR receiver
• Monster HTS2600 MKII Power Center
• Yamaha RX-V2600 THX Select2 Receiver
• Yamaha DVD-S1700 DVD Player
• JVC HR-XVC26U VCR/DVD Player (this plays my HT Market Custom Intro DVD)
• Sony CDP-CX455 400 Disc CD Player
• Audio Control C-101 Series II EQ
• Audio Control Phase Coupled Activator II
• Klipsch KA-100 THX Ultra 2 Subwoofer Amp
• Sony 9" TV to que up movies

I control the system with a Harmony 880 remote that feeds into a Niles remote flasher system.

My projector is a Panasonic PT-AE700U that projects a 720p image on a 106" 16x9 DIY screen. A black velvet curtain on the sides of the screens/front columns look as if it open and close, but the real function is to keep the light from the screen from reflecting off the stained finish of the columns

My speaker system is a Klipsch Ultra 2 5.1 setup: (This is a killer speaker system!!!)

• 3- KL 650 THX (Front Left, Right & Center)
• 2- KS 525 THX (Rear Left & Right Surround)
• 2- KW 120 THX Subs

The soffits are dual purpose. They have removable grills all the way around so I can easily update wiring. They are filled with Ultratouch Cotton Insulation and act as a bass trap. The electrical wiring for all the lights runs through the soffit to the outlets. This way I did not have to make holes in the drywall and diminish the sound isolation of the room.

The interior finish of the room is:

• -Black ceiling/soffits/screen wall
• Burgundy Ralph Lauren ragged paint on textured walls
• Shaw "Widescreen" style carpet
• Oak columns, baseboard, door trim, equipment rack trim.

The burgundy colors of the walls, the khaki color of the seating, & black color of the ceiling/soffit are all colors featured in the carpeting which coordinates the room.

We are thrilled with the resulting package. It exceeded our expectations and we love using & sharing it with friends/family.