Building a Moderately Priced HT - Equipment List

Now that we outlined our room and wiring plan, we were ready to complete the equipment list by adding in the equipment we would need to complete Reference System 2. This included bringing in some new pieces of reference equipment to ensure the room was up to speed and ready for use in testing new products for our readers. The required equipment included HDMI capable display products, up-to-date receivers and sufficient power to run the RBH Sound CinemaSITE (whose components we detailed earlier in this article). For our needs we spec'd out the following:

Whew, we're glad we saved up our pennies. This isn't exactly a small shopping list of equipment we've put together for our home theater reference room.

Room Acoustics Drawing & Evaluation (Provided by Rives Audio)

The additional (but not necessarily last) step needed before executing the room construction was to consult with a knowledgeable and reputable acoustical design firm. This helped determine the best design for the room as well as room acoustic treatments that would aid in getting a much improved listening experience for all seating positions. We selected Rives Audio for this task and had them do a Level Two Room Acoustics Consultation which included having them evaluate and model our room to determine proper acoustic materials and seating positions. We supplied them with our room dimensions, window and door positions, and any design limitations or preferences that would otherwise affect their acoustical design. What we received back was a clear-cut plan to follow in order to best arrange and treat our room.

Rives Audio worked around our physical and design limitations (there were a few grumbles about the locked-down subwoofer positions!) and placed the room acoustics accordingly around the room. They also laid out the optimal surround speaker positions and gave us a full set of plans by which to proceed with the room. For anyone wanting to really design a home theater room, this is a step that cannot be ignored. Failing to implement good room acoustics will only result in a room that has a bunch of gear in it and perhaps a large screen that will likely look better than it sounds. If you want your movies and music to sound their best, this is not a place you want to skimp.