Based in the Hérault region of France, Thierry always dreamed of designing a home theater room. In 2020, as soon as construction work began on his new home, he saved a spot in his garage to create his future room. After taking the time to plan his project, he started work in 2022. Accompanied by the Son-Vidéo.com store in Montpellier for the equipment, he now enjoys his 7.2.4-channel system in ideal conditions.
How big is your home theater? And the technical area (electronics)?
The overall surface area is approximately 21m². The usable area is around 17.5m² (without insulation, as the speakers are located behind the screen). Strictly speaking, I don’t have a technical area: everything is installed underneath the projector, on a low cabinet. Otherwise, it would either have taken up too much space, or prevented the room from having a rectangular shape, which would have compromised acoustic quality. I tried to get as close as possible to the golden ratio (L/l) to ensure the best possible acoustics.
How long did it take you to build this home theater room?
I worked on it in my spare time, according to my schedule, over a period of about nine months.
When and why did you decide to design a private home theater room?
In 2020, we sold our house and began building our new home. While the plans were being drawn up, I got the idea to add a home theater room. At first, I wanted to create a basement with a games room and a home theater area.
Ultimately, as this project didn’t come to fruition, I opted for a large garage measuring around 70m². I purposely left the back of the garage unoccupied with the idea of one day converting the room. Two years after the house was finished, I finally decided to start. I used these two years to research designs, materials, speaker positioning and preferred systems. I drew a lot of inspiration from the articles on Son-Vidéo.com, which helped me enormously.
As I was aiming for the best quality possible, I immediately focused on 4K and Dolby Atmos. I followed a very useful guide to install my speakers in a 7.2.4-channel configuration.
How did you organize the construction work? What was the most challenging aspect?
I started by creating the structure of the room as described on the Son-Vidéo.com website. Wooden rafters on three sides, and 26mm phonic plasterboard on the fourth. I didn’t really have any major problems, as each step involved a different trade. The dropped ceiling, with the mineral fiber ceiling tiles, was the trickiest, as it was the first time I’d ever installed one. Installing the four flush-mounted speakers in this ceiling wasn’t easy either.
How much of the budget was for the equipment? How much for the construction work?
I’m lucky enough to work for a big construction company, so I was able to get very good prices on materials.
For the structure of the room, I used:
- 50x100mm wood beams for the floor and walls: €800
- 100mm-thick stone wool: €900
- 19mm OSB panels for the floor: €250
- BA 26 soundproofed plasterboard panels: €450
- Dropped ceiling with black mineral fiber ceiling tiles: €1,100
For the acoustics:
- Black Digitex Tempo acoustic fabric (20m x 2.80m, with M1 wadding): €2,500
- Red BALSAN Les Greens Confort+ carpet: €1,300
All in all, I think I spent around €7,300 when building the room. As for the equipment (electronics, speakers, projector, etc.), I’d say approximately €6,900. Six months after finishing the installation, I also hired a professional to calibrate the sound and the picture. This cost €600, but it was worth the investment. I spent the entire day with him, about 9 hours, and he explained everything in detail. In my opinion, it’s an essential step if you want to get the most out of your room.
Can you list the equipment used and tell us why you chose these brands?
For the equipment, I put all my trust in the Montpellier Son-Vidéo.com store. They gave me excellent advice, taking into account my budget and the size of the room. This is the setup that I opted for:
- Silver Denon AVC-X6700H AV receiver: €1,900
- 2 x Klipsch Reference R-12SW subwoofers: €300 each
- 4 x Klipsch SLM-3400-C architectural speakers: €300 each
- Klipsch Reference R-50C center speaker (2022 Edition): €208
- 4 x pairs of Klipsch Reference R-50M speakers (2022 Edition): €256 each
- Pair of Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-5000F II floorstanding speakers (black): €1,200
- BenQ TK860i UHD-4K projector
- Oray micro-perforated screen – 3000 x 1690mm (16:9 format): €1,850
How do you control the system (apps, universal remote control)?
No, I control my system using the included remote controls, which are more than enough for me.
Did you use an acoustic treatment? If not, do you plan to use one in the future?
Yes, three walls are filled with stone wool insulation, and the fourth wall has a BA 26 soundproofed plasterboard panel. Everything is covered with black acoustic fabric. Furthermore, the walls are made of brick, so other than the bass, very little sound can be heard outside.
What was the first movie you watched in this room? Which one gave you a taste for home theater?
For my first home theater session, I watched Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, as it features both stunning images and an incredible soundtrack. Like many others, I’ve been fascinated by cinema from a very young age, especially fantasy and science fiction films. The Star Wars and, more recently, Lord of the Rings trilogies really made me want to build this room.
How often do you use this home theater room?
I use my room two to three times a week, depending on how much free time I have. As I still have a young child, I can’t enjoy it every day, but that’s more than enough for me.
Do you watch anything other than movies? Sports? Series? Video games? Concerts?
I mainly watch movies, but I also follow sports, and occasionally I’ll put a concert on, because I also designed this room for sound. Sometimes I listen to vinyl records or watch 4K concerts on YouTube. I’ve deliberately chosen not to decorate the walls or floors, because I really want to achieve the best possible sound. It’s a conscious choice.
As for games, I may go back to them one day, but that’s not what the room was originally designed for.
How would you like to upgrade your system?
I recently bought a sofa that’s more comfortable than the IKEA chair that I had at first due to budget constraints. I also plan to install a star ceiling system at some point in the future.
As for the rest, I don’t expect to change anything for a few years, except perhaps the projector. But for that, the budget is very high: the Sony 4Ks are magnificent, but still nowhere near my budget at the moment. We’ll see when mine is at the end of its lifespan.
What piece of advice can you give to someone who wants to make a room like this?
If you’re handy, just go for it: you can find everything you need on the internet. All you have to do is stagger your spending, and anything is possible. However, you have to prepare your project carefully and take everything into consideration. Think things through, make plans, read up on the internet, and off you go!
