Avoid These Home Theater Mistakes

Top 10 mistakes in my home theater. I built my 9.2.4 Dolby Atmos home theater and it looks and sounds great. However, there are a number of things I would do differently if I were starting over.
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[@00steamcloud]

The fact that your video shows up at my KZbin algorithm, and convinced me to watch it (with ads!) proved that your project was a success.

[@welderfixer]

As far as seating goes - - - many HT owners, including myself, quickly find out that soon after the build is done that you only need one good seat. That would be for the person that paid for the room. It gets lonely in there fast.

[@michael-4k4000]

I agree! Just get an Apple Vision lol

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

These are things we learn after the planning and construction are done 😆. In the beginning we have grand plans of having tons of people over to watch movies. Haha that doesn’t happen.

[@whitecrowuk575]

@@michael-4k4000well this could be the future - we will enjoy cinematic experience using headsets.

[@Smirk80Eight]

Haha I know what you mean about having a theater and no one actually joining you. That’s why this time when I built my room I only included 3 theater seat’s 😂

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I’d love to have a dozen seats crammed in here if there were that many people who wanted to watch movies. But that’s just not reality lol. So why have the seats? 🤷‍♂️ Thanks for watching!

[@Smirk80Eight]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome haha I know what you mean. You have such a cool setup and want to share it with family and friends but it rarely occurs ☺️ Thanks for putting out interesting videos. Can’t wait to see what else you put out.

[@tgamirov]

Don’t worry, even AMC has issue with this.

[@ChesterMan-qd3xj]

As you get closer to 40, a person realizes they don’t have as many friends to invite over as they once did. Not that I would be speaking from experience 😂.

[@Dario12780]

You have no idea how much this transparency helps me. Thnx for the video. So much more to think about before my build.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

So glad you enjoyed it! Good luck with your build!!

[@stefanhartmann624]

Thank you for your brutal honesty. This brings real added value to all home cinema enthusiasts, thank you for that. Especially the issue with the number of seats used in practice.

[@GamingRevenant]

The final one is important. I had the Yamaha A-S1100 for stereo for more than a year before going surround. I eventually went ahead and bought a Yamaha RX-A4A and wired everything up to be powered solely from the receiver, until someone mentioned that I could use my integrated as an external amp for the front L/R and that it would be way better. I went ahead and A/B-tested them on the same movies and music fragments and the difference was staggering.

[@trauma50disaster1]

nice humility, you will probably save other people millions over time.

[@roysonparsons3300]

Good info. Especially about the seating. I have focused my theater on the technical aspects, and haven’t bought my theater seating yet. I’m using a single home furniture recliner at the moment. I have been trying to figure out how many theater recliners to buy, and I was expecting to put them on a raised platform. Like you I mostly watch movies alone. Your comments on theater seating really help me here. Fortunately, my theater is in a converted attic, so I have a 12 foot ceiling, again, your comments helped me appreciate what I have to work with. Other aspects for me mostly good, I use 10 individual monoblock amplifiers, so good there. My speakers are not mounted to the walls yet, so your observations about that are helpful too. I’m glad the KZbin algorithm brought me to your channel. I’ll be watching your previous videos for insight.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I’m glad you’re here. Sounds like you’ve got a good setup. All the best to you!

[@averagejoesworkshop]

You have a few callouts I've thought of integrating. I've lived in my place for 15 years, and Atmos wasn't a thing then, but I upgraded in 2017, and had to run wires externally in a few instances. I finally solved the last speaker a few weeks ago during another upgrade. I thought of a platform, but realizing that aside from the Super Bowl, I too rarely have more than a few in the space. I use Sonance In-Ceiling speakers for my Atmos in the middle and rear of the room, and they are directional in both swivel in their sockets as well as tilt to about 30 degrees. I too have low ceilings, so monitors wouldn't work for me. Finally, I replaced the beige carpets about 4 years ago with middle-dark grey to match the wall color, and it made a HUGE difference. Thanks for the tour!

[@KevinSmith-np8dc]

It's awesome to hear the things you'd change, if only time machines grew on trees. I too have about the same height ceiling and using in ceiling's. I've never really considered bookshelf speakers on articulating mounts. Thanks for bringing that up as it might be worth considering for future.

[@gab7344]

I totally agree with all the things you should've done different. If I was you, apart from changing the amplifiers due to costs at this stage. I would do the changes you said as it would be really worth the effort and time in the end and wouldn't cost a lot if you did them yourself. Like remove the step up flooring and only have one row of seating plus have bean bags, put a door on the back area, move the speaker layout and put 6 atoms speakers overhead. Here's a idea, you could do a video on the changes and upgrades ect. All the things you can do yourself to reduce the costs.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Don’t put ideas in my head! 😆

[@gab7344]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome I think I already have...Well I hope I have...LOL

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

@@gab7344 curse you! 😄

[@andrewtomlinson3195]

Don’t beat yourself up mate. Your theatre is brilliant!! Enjoy your achievement.. 😊

[@MattyDaddy14]

I def feel ya on your wish list! 🎉 however, maybe in the future someone can help you with your wishlist! Shouldn’t be that hard to run the new wires and install a new solid door closer to where you wanted. Side note, if you do undertake the rewire, might as well set it up for 9.4.6!! 🎉 I’d be happy to help ya! Lol

[@abefroman.]

This is like my own checklist of changes I've made over the past few years. -switched from 2 rows with riser of theater seats, now 1 row of cushy comfy oversized seats. -moved wides closer to the screen -switched from in-ceiling to bookshelves -no bar behind the seats -switched from 7.2.4 to 9.4.9 -added transducers -my walls are dark but currently adding velvet to blackout the room -also working on the heat/ac noise check, check, and check. You don't know until you know in this hobby. It's good to follow what others have done when starting out, but eventually you will make adjustments to suit your own taste.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

There are sooo many factors to account for. It’s impossible to nail everything right the first time. Trial and error seems to be the only way.

[@marcoantoniosilva491]

I have a 7.1.4 system and soon will change to 7.2.6 in-ceiling in a new house, is it really better to keep my bookshelves for the atmos than in-ceiling? I have two spare ones and wouldn't even need to buy new ones in-ceiling! I've always thought about adding wides, does it really make diference? Thanks.

[@abefroman.]

@@marcoantoniosilva491 The main advantage to bookshelves over in-ceiling is that you will not only get fuller sound, but more importantly you would be able to directly angle the speakers to your MLP. Sure in-ceiling look cleaner and will be pretty good overall, but the sphere of sound should be better with bookshelves. Plus it's easier to patch the drywall with screw holes from mounts vs huge speaker holes. Wides, eh. They are cool for demos, but audio engineers/mixers haven't taken advantage of them as much as we would like. Hopefully they will get more use in the future. 7.1.4 is plenty unless you just want to max out your speaker count for the rainy day when a mix supports it.

[@iAbdullah_Hamad]

I liked your honesty. Also, great video

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks! I was nervous about shining a spotlight on all the weak spots, but I figured if it helped someone else avoid the same problems then it would be worth it. Thanks for watching!

[@eferronato]

Great video! Love your movie posters, specially the Mission Impossible one... Very cool 😎

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks, my wife chose those! She has a good eye for decorating.

[@adamboyd7327]

I thoroughly enjoyed auditioning your theater room. You need to make it out to my place sometime. Many of the things you mentioned in this video are things I considered in assembling my media room.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

It was great having you over to see it! I’d love to check out your setup. We need to make it happen.

[@briankrohn7482]

Great job. We all make so many mistakes along the way. Don't give up. Finish it for yourself this time, finish your dream theater, Finish it! I'm rooting for you!

[@philiprolenick4475]

I use a a 10 year old Yamaha Aventage 3070 which has 9 channels of power amps, but instead of adding a stereo amp for the last two channels to get to 7.2.4, I sent all four overhead channels out via RCA to a very old Denon AVR that I'm using as an integrated four channel amp. This puts less of a load on the AVR for the 7 bed layer speakers. (The Yammy still does the room eq for the whole system.)

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

That’s a great way of utilizing the older Denon. Love it when “outdated” equipment can serve a useful function. Thanks for watching!

[@gregbe2269]

Enjoying your content. Im in the same boat with dark ceiling and walls and light colored carpet. I am also thinking about adding a dark carpet to the front 6' or so.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks, glad you’re enjoying it!

[@MSflyer2005]

We have a bar as well. I love it! If we want to eat and watch a movie or spread some snacks out, it is a perfect place.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

A bar can be a great feature in a home theater. Unfortunately our room is too small for it. But we didn’t figure that out until after it was installed.

[@MSflyer2005]

@GeorgeTheaterAtHome gotcha! It does take up some space, and it certainly depends on each person and how they will use their theater room. For my family we probably have a higher than avg use rate, and like to do our movie and dinner nights in there. I am enjoying you content, appreciate the work you put into your channel!

[@dorankim9654]

Wish i had him as an uncle or something, would go watch movie every weekend 😂

[@Bork0r]

Fantastic video!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@BobFrostV]

This was an awesome video. You're quickly becoming one of my top favorite channels. I think you should turn your riser into a HEzE build 😜

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thank you so much! Glad you’re enjoying the videos! That’s a good project idea. I’ll have to think on that one.

[@dropzone7]

I'm so glad I talked myself into just starting with a single row of four chairs. Like you, it's just me and sometimes my wife watching a movie so it would have been a waste really. It would be cool to have the option of seating 8 or more people in the room but not worth the money or compromising my great single row view and listening positions for the rare occasion I'm showing the room to a crowd.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Wise man. Thanks for watching!

[@robkunz5]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention soundproofing. This is by far my biggest mistake in that I didn’t include enough so I get griped at frequently to turn it down, even when it’s not that loud.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I did add Rockwool inside the ceiling and walls. It’s not totally soundproof but nobody complains when I really crank it.

[@robkunz5]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome I did that as well to my ceiling and all walls but it’s only one step. I should have added MLV and an extra layer of 5/8” drywall with Green Glue. My theater is in our finished lower level. My wife above the theater can hear everything including spoken words in whatever I am watching.

[@TerminatorJuice]

The first lesson(and quite possibly the hardest/most depressing one) guys learn when they build a home theater, is that nobody else cares about a Home Theater, so you'll be mostly watching movies on your own. And one of the other biggest mistakes in my opinion, is people putting bars and other non-essential things in their home theater, because they don't add anything to the movie watching experience, and are a waste of money, and take up space in the room!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Yep

[@TerminatorJuice]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome it's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission, so I say just start working on it and get it to a point where there is no turning back! Lol

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

@@TerminatorJuice haha don’t put thoughts in my head! I’ll find myself knee-deep in pulled up lumber and carpet, trying to explain it was an accident 😆

[@nrnoble]

Video points out the difficulties with designing V1 projects, the practical use of the design is hard to foresee. Often it is small issues that can be handled, other times it might require a significant change that costs more than a few $$$$. What looks good in paper and even appealing in appearance, does not always translate into the ideal practical design. I am not commenting on this great home theater, just that its common to identify change issues if we could start all over again. 👍 on the video. Thanks!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks for watching!

[@byucatch22]

The platform one surprised me but as I thought more about it I suppose another advantage of not having a platform would be that you have your entire floor to work with and configure furniture but a platform kind of locks in certain bits of furniture. So in the event you needed to seat a large group you can easily reconfigure things to bring out bean bags.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Having only 3 chairs, floating in the middle of the room would open up the space so much. You know me, I’m a minimalist, so having more empty space is preferable for my tastes.

[@jeffjefferson7384]

''I wish we'd done one row of seats'' seems a surprisingly common one.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I wish I had known back then… Thanks for watching!

[@ajbriones]

re: the amplification, I went with 3 monoblocks for the LCR and two 7-channel amps for the bed layer and ceiling speakers (I run a 7.2.6). If you want to keep your Yamaha, I think your best bet is to run the LCR off the Crowns since they have more amplification and those are really the most important speakers, with the C being the most important, imho. was a bit sad to hear you don't get much company in your theater. It's the centerpiece of our home. my wife and dog are in there as much as I am, we constantly have friends asking for movie nights and requesting to see.certain films there. we've had up to a whopping 31 people in there, it's crazy.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I’m currently running my Mains off one of the Crown amps. I should buy an additional Crown for the Center. That’s awesome you get so many people over to enjoy your theater!

[@MrKurtBergeron]

Excellent video! I've watched a bunch of videos on how people would have done things differently, and it reassures me that I'm doing the right thing to take my time planning out my theatre. So much value in learning from other people's experiences. I really appreciate it. I am currently having the dilemma of seating, myself. Knowing that it will probably be just me or maybe me and my girlfriend, I only planned on having my 2 D-BOX seats. However, the more I tell people about my theatre, the more they want to come see a movie in it. I think what I will do is keep a reclining loveseat out of the way in the back of the room 99% off the time. Then, on the rare occasions where somebody comes over to watch a movie, drag it in front of the D-BOX seats. Should be able to see over the reclined loveseat, especially for a 2.35:1 movie. Not sure if I will go through the effort of 2 different calibrations for these rare occasions but I am aware that moving the plush loveseat will change the acoustics.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

That sounds like a good plan. Having a 3rd seat you can bring in when you have someone else over. What AVR do you have? Most AVR’s can have multiple calibrations that you can toggle back and forth. Definitely worth it because once you do the calibrations it’s super easy to switch back and forth. Good luck with your project and thanks for watching!

[@MrKurtBergeron]

​@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome I've got the Emotiva RMC-1 Pre/Pro. I can store at least 2 calibration files. Maybe 3. However, it currently only has one subwoofer output because my theatre setup utilizes all 9 bed-layer speakers and all 6 height speakers. If I didn't, I believe I could have up to 4 subwoofer outputs (by reassigning height channel outputs to subwoofer outputs) and I could store all of my calibrations in the RMC-1. If Emotiva doesn't come out with their expansion modules soon (for more subwoofer outputs), I'll need to purchase a MiniDSP Flex to phase align/time align/calibrate all of my subwoofers to work together. I'll have to match up calibrations between the RMC-1 and the MiniDSP Flex for both scenarios, since the loveseat would be situated between subwoofers firing directly towards it, in one of the scenarios and nothing between them in the other scenario. My theatre has not been assembled yet. Carpeting comes tomorrow and I still have to wait for my Proscenium screen to show up. Lead time was 2 weeks, 3 months ago and there is still no updated shipping date. Oh the pains of building a theatre, but it's definitely a labor of love!

[@trauma50disaster1]

I'm with you. In my setup I want to completly get rid of the couch and just have 3 slidable recliners to move from the corners into the middle when we watch a movie. Mostly it's just me and I can just slide one over when I watch tv. The boys love to lay on the couches but other than movies they are just hunking beasts in the way, and the extra space would leave more wrestling room.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

@@MrKurtBergeron have you considered an acoustically transparent Dragonfly screen like this? It’s what I have in my theater. They are available to ship now. www.snapav.com/shop/en/snapav/df-sl-133-uaw

[@MrKurtBergeron]

@GeorgeTheaterAtHome I paid for my acoustically transparent Center Stage XD from Seymour AV and their motorized Proscenium horizontal masking frame already. I've already tested a sample and know that's what I want for my theatre.

[@rigomortisfxstudios7959]

Home Theater and dvds and blues and 4ks is what i love but for me no media streams and the lag i dont like streaming movies keeping a MOVIE Theater online but only to update the movie projector only , staying with home media for discs is far better then the trusting of streaming LOL

[@michael-4k4000]

No matter what you planned for originally, you will always find ways to improve. 9.2.6 is a bit much for that size room. Am sure it sounds amazing now. The best part of a dedicated home theater is light control and sound control. Watching a movie on a Saturday afternoon in your living room you will hear your neighbors mowing their lawn and have to deal with the suns brightness.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I do love having a 100% light controlled room. And you’re right about the speakers. That size room really doesn’t need that many. But in the back of my mind I know my processor can do 2 more height channels so it nags at me they are going unused 😁. Thanks for watching!

[@DrawTheLine35]

I think if you got rid of the sectional, moved the theater seats forward and ditched the riser, the bar behind the theater seats would work a lot better. They'd be farther from the back wall and be less cramped

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Maybe someday when I’m itching for a project. My wife may not be too happy if I announce I’m going to tear it all apart 😄

[@DrawTheLine35]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome I hear ya! I get told all the time I have too many different projects in flight! Gotta pick and choose what's really important!

[@mfkhometheater7742]

Yeah when you custom build the house it's always good to run a couple extra pairs of speaker wire beyond what you think you need. Or, better yet, run some empty conduit in the walls so you can add extra wires as needed later.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Excellent advice. If I build a new house I’m gonna fill the walls with conduit!

[@PETROL_Ted78]

Great video. Thanks. But I must say I didn't make all the "mistakes" you did. 😉 I allready made those in the other home theater I build a couple of years ago. Now we've got a 5m x 4m theater. The front and backwall are about 2.20 high. In the middle it's 3.70m high. We knew that 99% of the time we would watch a movie with just the two of us. So just a 2,5 seat relaxing chair👍🏻 at about 2/3 of the room. 120 inch acoustic transparent screen was big enough. Gives us about 48° viewing angle. I've got a 7.4.6 setup. The 7 earheight speakers are Kef T301's and the 6 heights are T101's. So every channel has the same sound signature. Huge improvement over my last home theater. And the KEFs are wallmounted speakers. Only 3cm thick. Saves up a lot of room. The KEFs are awesome for movies and multichannel concerts. For stereo music not so much. For the subs we have 2 REL HT1205 in the front corners. And 2 REL HT1005 in the back corners. Ans with all this packed in this room we still have plenty of room left. It gives a relaxing/ spacious feeling.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Your theater sounds awesome! Well done! Your screen viewing angle is fantastic. It must be a very immersive experience. Thanks for watching!

[@joes3800]

With amplifiers, look at specs. In particular, the ideal amplifiers double their wattage at half of the resistance. For example, if an amp is 150W per channel at 8 Ohms, the best amps go to 300W at 4 Ohms (in this example.) Any speaker has impedence changes throughout the frequency range, which is the prinary reason you want to look for the aforementioned specs in an amp (monoblock, stereo, or multichannel. Although you are right about multichannel amps: it is difficult to find 5+ channel amps that double the wattage at half of the impedance for all channels.) I have had the same experience when a different amp made a speaker "come alive," and it was when I used amps that had the aforementioned specs. And you don't have to get too expensive to achieve this spec, especially if you want Class D: look at Buckeye or maybe PS Audio M- or S- series amps. For Class AB, I like Outlaw Audio even though they don't double the watts at half of the impedance (but the monoblocks get kinda close.) Used and old Krell amps can also be VERY good Class AB amps as well, and Krells tend to almost always double the wattage at half the impedence. (Just buy from a reliable source so you dont get a bad 10-20 year old amp! You want a good 10-20 year old amp if you want an affordable unit from a high-end brand like Krell.) I think Monoprice Monolith amps might be good too. In the end, you just also want to make sure you have enough power with all of those channels. You want at least a 20 Amp circuit if you're plugging all of your gear into the same outlet. Or if you happen to have multiple outlets in the same room on different circuits, maybe try to plug some amps into one outllet on one circuit, and the other amps into a different circuit. In other words, divide all of that power draw evenly between different circuits if you can. All food for thought - maybe at least some of the info above can help.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks! Excellent info! I’ve looked into Buckeye amps and they are a strong contender if/when I’m able to upgrade my amp setup. Thanks for watching!!

[@bassage13]

Man, that is a seriously low ceiling. Mine is 9' and I wish I had 10' because my Atmos speakers are JBL SCS 8s and they are pretty large and hang low from the ceiling. I also had no need for a riser or multiple rows. I have one row of four seats. It's just me, my wife and two kids. Every once in a while some family members make a visit, but 99% of the time it's just us, and sometimes only me or one other family member. I kept it simple based on my needs.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I wish I had done a single row, no riser. Live and learn I guess. Thanks for watching!

[@LScardino]

So I'm also using a Crown 1002 for my front towers. I'm curious how you dealt with triggering it on/off. The Crowns don't have the typical 3.5mm mono trigger like most home theater amps use. I ended up using a janky solution of my Crown plugged into a smart switch, and a routine in Home Assistant checking for my Denon to turn on or off that then turns on/off the smart switch. This often works fine, but many times the Denon falls off the network (or home assistant), and the Crown doesn't turn on/off. I'd rather a more straightforward solution, so I'm curious what your using.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I use a power strip from Digital Loggers that can be triggered on/off via the 12 volt trigger output on my processor. I took a 12 volt trigger cable, cut off one end, connected the two leads to a Phoenix connector and plugged the connector into the green port on the power strip. It was a little bit of work setting it up initially but has worked flawlessly ever since. Here’s a link to the power strip. amzn.to/3K62Xvf

[@garyharper2943]

I put in two rows with seven seats…then I remembered I don’t have any friends and my wife doesn’t like loud stuff.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

😆😆

[@charlesgreene9434]

For a moment I thought that was my post😙. My wife doesn’t like loud stuff and I don’t have friends so it’s just me 99.9 % of the time. I do have a row of four seats because it makes things look balanced.

[@TerminatorJuice]

I know that it's going to be a big pain in the ass, but you'd be so much happier with your room if you got that couch out of there, remove the riser, and just had the one row of the three leather seats in the room. Also, the professional audio guys that discuss home theater all seem to agree that six Atmos speakers is a mistake, and if you watch Shane Lee he shows that most sound mixes don't even work properly with six height channel speakers... So just something you might want to look into.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I love this idea. I would start tomorrow except someone else who lives here is adamantly opposed 😬

[@ScottSullivanTV]

3:25-3:50 that depresses me and idk why because it's not me lol

[@chriswelde2453]

Add a curtain to that hallway!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I like this idea!

[@drummerkev1627]

At 1:12 when you keep calling your riser a platform, it’s called a riser.

[@MarkJones-rq1fv]

Awesome video, thanks for the transparency! I'm in the process of finishing my basement home theater and we have the exact same ceiling height! I'm also preparing to build risers for my second row this week...wow! Now you have me questioning that decision. Do you believe that maybe a riser that's a few inches lower would have been more practical for you? I'm figuring out the basement layout by myself. So I chose to go with 12 inches height, what is your height? I don't want to have regret but I'm doing this blindly. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! My riser is 9 1/2 inches tall. That’s the total height after pad and carpet were installed. If you are doing two rows of seating then a riser is a must have. If you can get away with only one row, not having a riser is a bonus. For me personally, I prefer the room feeling more open and empty. But some people prefer to fill the room with decorations, toys etc. So it just comes down to personal preference. Good luck with your project!

[@trauma50disaster1]

Would one option to have recliners that are made to different heights? Maybe have the premium seats big and tall and then bring in some low height recliners to put in front when you have guests? You could store them in the corners of the room.

[@MarkJones-rq1fv]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome thanks for replying! I never considered the height added by the padding so I may have to drop it down to 10 or 11 inches. There is a four foot row behind my first set of chairs, that makes it a little harder to see in my second row. My layout is 13 width x27 length so I a little room longways.

[@MarkJones-rq1fv]

@@trauma50disaster1 that’s certainly a possible suggestion but I’ve never seen low reclining seats. Do you have a link? Thanks for your help!

[@byron19800]

Honestly, I think there are too many speakers for such a room. Front wides may be cool, but they're pretty useless, almost no one mixes anything with those in mind. I wouldn't let any upmixer in the avr or processor to fill so many speakers without any information to begin with. The end result can easily become a mess. Also, six atmos speakers...again, kind of useless, two of them would be silent most of the time. Personally, I would choose a 7.2.4 system in that room, I think it's more than enough. There must be enough separation between the channels to create a really good surround field. But first, eliminate the couch and the riser :) Then, you can make the best decision about the speaker placement.

[@giovannistt]

Hi but yours is a nice room! I avoided some mistake (just one row no platform, well placed speakers..) but I definitely miss having all the rack in a separate place than under the screen.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thank you! I may make a video about the things I really like about my theater. The rack in a separate room is at the top of the list. Thanks for watching!

[@Coneman3]

I raised my sofa up first but changed it later.

[@totalplonker824]

Most people don't pick up on background noise, and that's ok, and there are some people who do pick up on the background noise, and yet it doesn't bother them, and that's ok too, but there are some people (me included) who can't tolerate it. Hence, I had to change all of my cables (analogues & digitals) not once, not twice, but three times to finally bring the noise floor down to satisfactory levels. Conclusion; Go with shielded cables and be done with it! Otherwise, unlike some of us , I hope your hearing is not as sensitive.

[@theoracleprodigy]

I seriously doubt the Yamaha is pulling 150 watts rms with all channels driven. They are usually rated at 2 channels driven in the past. That stated thank you for the share. Good things to keep in mind.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I think you’re probably right. The difference between the Yamaha and the Crowns is too much to account for only 50 watts difference. Thanks for watching!

[@theoracleprodigy]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome yep looked it up after stating this. They are rated at 150 watts two channels driven. I wish they would rate them all channels driven. Either way it was a good amount of things to think of.

[@MattyDaddy14]

Sorry. One more thing, a solution to the “door issue”, install a super thick sound blocking type of curtain! Also, ya didn’t mention power outlets, did you install dedicated 20 amp outlets in your amp rack/room? 🎉

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I have two dedicated 20 amp outlets. One in the closet and one for the room 👍

[@chrishamilton5960]

You always learn stuff after the fact. The biggest one is that you are the only one that is most likely to use the space lol! Focus on the money seat.

[@RoystonWright-ke6dv]

❤

[@TheoM-bx3lx]

Hi time for a revamp

[@mauriciob8260]

If I was you I take this big circular couch away from this room and replace it with the 2 dedicate seats , this big couch is taking away a lot , a lot of image space and make the room look more smaller, anyway is only you that must of the time watch movie in this room so....😎

[@arlencarlson]

Crown is generally far better than Anthem. Professional vs Prosumer.

[@tahirhameed-mth1530]

Always design first.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

So so true. Thanks for watching!

[@davidt8438]

Most platforms are too high. You only need 3”-4” higher than the seats in front. It’s not necessary to have your head completely higher than the head in front of you, just your eyes. If you were handy with light home improvement you would see that moving or simply adding a door in line with the back wall is one of the easiest things you could do to your room and using a solid core door would offer one of the biggest bangs for your buck in terms of even sound from the subs and the other speakers in the room. It’s not hard and would really benefit the theater.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Im pretty handy, but I think my wife may give me the boot if I decide to redo that room 😆. We’ll see, maybe at some point in the future. Thanks for watching!

[@sirgriffinman]

I will never buy a house with a basement if it doesn't have a 10 ft deep basement. If you're going 9 ft might as well go 10 since it didn't really cost more at that point.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

At 10 ft it may be too high, from an acoustical perspective. But a tall ceiling would be nice for sure. Thanks for watching!

[@Dan-t5p8t]

I am sitting here blowing like a braindead to get the hair away until i see that its a wire from your mic 🤦🏻‍♂️😂😂😂😂

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

😆😆😆 someday I’ll get a wireless

[@Dan-t5p8t]

If I were just dreaming, I would insanely want a home theater with a huge screen and projector and an intense 7.4.6 sound system, but that would only be for my sake because I would be the only one in the family who would use it, unfortunately. I have the space to set it up in my garage, but realistically, it’s completely crazy to go that route just to satisfy my geeky side 😂. So, I had a serious talk with my wife about what I wanted and what my dreams were, and after a lot of searching online, we found something she could live with in the living room and that I could enjoy watching and listening to. What I’m getting at is to agree with your partner on how intense a system you can set up in the living room and then enjoy it every single day with the family instead of building a "real" theater 🙂. I have a 5.2.2 SVS Prime Satellite setup and have downgraded to SB2000 Pro subs; everything had to be white to get approval, so that's how it turned out. I had to go up to an 85" TV. So, I got my "theater," and she has her sleek living room she can still show off to friends, and we use the system every single day, 365 days a year, both me, the kids, and my wife 👌🏻.

[@lovishthecoverking]

u r just telling us ur mistakes....i was nt here to get knowledge abt ur mistake and theatre...i was here for just basic information.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Hopefully you can avoid my mistakes.

[@TheoM-bx3lx]

Hi look for a Carpet Dyeing company

[@Music.Movies.67]

Less is more with speakers 5.1 is more than enough for me. I value my hearing too

[@trauma50disaster1]

same with vehicle horsepower too? But I don't want 400hp I'm fine taking my time with 220hp. I value my safety...

[@jorgejovel5313]

I got an idea for ur carpet but u aint gonna like it, spray painted black and wait a couple hours till it drys out. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

😆😆😆

[@RobZelinka]

Funny, I discovered the same thing you did. Nearly 100% of the time, I am the only one watching a movie in my room. I did consider a second row of 3. I’m glad I stayed with a single row of 3. Thank you for the video

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks for watching!

[@dfoster7001]

I'm still upgrading the theater in my house and my wife's biggest complaint is that NO ONE ever watches movies in there except her. Including me. However, I'm a stickler for perfection, so I like my OLED and sound setup in my livingroom. And yes, the upgrade has 2 rows AND a bar. Wish I had seen this video 3 months ago. Pretty much at the point of no return now.

[@RoystonWright-ke6dv]

❤

[@InterCity134]

Kudos. This. This is where KZbin actual value resides. In telling of the mistakes so we ALL learn from them and can avoid them. Well done. Some of the issues , easy to fix post with some heavy curtains, area rugs , and a bit of demo and painting . I had the same issues , hence now only two nice seats in the viewing room ; if I need more on the odd ball occasion I’ll carry them in from other rooms.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks! It can be difficult to broadcast the things that are less-than-perfect. But if someone else can benefit from it, then it’s worth it. Thanks for watching!

[@chriscottler3881]

I bet if you got rid of the couch and moved the recliners forward. Moved the bar more toward the middle of the room, you would use the bar more. That’s what we have and we use it all the time.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I wish we could do that. But the bar is built on top of the platform. I guess we could remove the platform entirely and build a new bar. But I don’t see that happening any time soon.

[@nonametofame]

Great content. I think this will be valuable to both beginners and veterans. I think you do a great job of highlighting "ideal" setup vs "pragmatic" and the latter usually always wins.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks, glad you’re enjoying my videos! It is a constant struggle balancing what I WANT vs working within the endless constraints. But it’s a fun struggle. Thanks for watching!

[@SGIABC]

I think a majority of the issues you are experiencing minus the amplifier situation, are very common for someone who is building a theater room on a budget in an existing room. If the room is planned on a fresh home construction or renovation, that is the ideal scenario where we can get our perfect room size with ample ceiling height. I have experienced an 11.4.8 room built completely of JBL synthesis/JTR w/ 20 foot Ceilings and let me tell you, I feel like the higher the ceiling the better for Atmos.

[@J92Soxfan]

Always enjoy your content, you make home theater videos….not advertise for whoever will give you a buck…cough youthman.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks, so glad you’re enjoying the videos!

[@gregorioavalos1256]

The crown amplifiers run my mains. The truth is they are not distorted. Yes they have incredible distortion at peak levels but I run my crown 1502 at low levels and it’s too much for my AVR reference level. So, no distortion or heat.

[@JesterHammer]

Lol i am the same. 99% of the time watching movies in my best class home theater.

[@kevinthompson6116]

I added a 7.2 home theater in the basement of our last home. Flat black (Valspar Cracked Pepper) screen wall and about ten feet of the side walls. Vessel gray on the rest of the walls, and a black carpet. The colors worked great for the theater, but the cave-like room wasn’t really usable for anything else. We did two rows, with the second row on a riser. It was ok, but I should have added lighting to ensure nobody fell off the riser like my sister-in-law. D’OH! Like you, I was the sole user of the room 90% of the time. The second row was nice for those times when friends would join us for movies or sports. I had planned to add a bar table as third row, but we ended up selling the home before I got around to it. Our current home has no basement. I’m working on converting a spare bedroom to a “media room.” It’s smaller than the old HT, and at least in its initial iteration we’re orienting the “theater” unconventionally, with an 83” OLED display centered on one of the long walls. We’re going with one row of four recliners. We thought about a more traditional orientation with the display on one of the short walls and two rows of seats, but the room is small enough that we’d be limited to only two chairs per row unless we buy narrower chairs. Anyway, none of the cabling or speakers will be in-wall, at least initially, and the TV will be sitting on a media cabinet instead of a wall mount, so we’ll have time to decide whether we like it this way. Display technology has improved to the point that I doubt I’ll ever do projection again, so equipment and seating placement can be flexible until we decide whether or not we like it this way.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks for sharing! I love hearing about other home theaters. We all overestimate how many people are actually going to be watching movies 😆 That’s interesting you’re building a theater room in a spare bedroom. I’m working on a video series about building HT’s in small spaces when a large room isn’t an option. That’s a teaser for future videos.

[@jamesmorse6486]

Thank you for producing this video. I have found that sometimes the room dictates what can and cannot be done. It is me who has to figure out what works best for me with as few compromises as possible. I fully agree that Bookshelf speakers make great height channels. However, the only reason I went with bookshelf speakers is because I just happened to have extra bookshelf speakers hanging around after making some upgrades. It cost me $40 to get hangers and about two hours of my time to measure and mount. In my case, I mounted them in their natural horizontal configuration at the front and back of the room. The majority of the effort was time aligning them with the other speakers in the room for my one listening position. Also, like you, I put a "bar" at the back of my primary listening position. In my case, my primary listening position is a plush futon. My bar is a cheap table and chair that are at bar stool height and aligns perfectly with the back of the futon. It's cheap, looks like ass, but does the job I need it to do. It also keeps me far enough off the walls that listening to music and watching movies, in a non-critical way, is good enough. Again, thanks for the video.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks for sharing! I always love hearing about how others have set up their theaters. Glad you’re enjoying the videos. Thanks for watching!

[@overwilhelmed]

So many of your problems seem to be centered around that platform. You could easily remove the platform and then the second row of seating. Then your bar would be placed behind your recliners and I guarantee they would get much better utilization, sound etc. That is how my setup is and I wouldn't change a thing.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

That dang platform. I did a lot of things right with this theater, but the things I did wrong…🤦‍♂️

[@RobZelinka]

The Yamaha 5200 amp is a great 11 channel amp. That said, I don’t think it puts out 150 WPC to all channels driven. I would submit it’s substantially less. That aside, the output is more than ample

[@proprich5586]

Just looked at the specs, it’s 150 watts into 2 channels.

[@HomeCinemaCentral]

Great video! Almost impossible to have a "pefect" theater. As everyone knows this hobby is about upgrades!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. The upgrades are the fun part 😁

[@proprich5586]

Enjoyed the video. Luckily I only had room for one row. Should have went with three seats vs four though. Actually wish I had gone with a sofa vs theater seats. Overrated and over priced.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it. I think a low back sofa would be ideal because then it’s not blocking the sound from the Sides and Rears.

[@RoystonWright-ke6dv]

❤

[@we8463]

Interesting, it looks like I didn’t make any of these mistakes but made others! 😂 1. I don’t have a platform, 2. My ceiling is 10 feet tall and this works great for ATMOS! 3. We have one row of seats since to be honest no one in the family wants to watch the same movie! So two seats position at the money spot works great! 4. My speakers are positioned for the best audio possible. 5. I don’t have a bar 6. My system is 9.4.6 system 7. Can’t stand carpet I prefer rugs 8. We installed two 20 amp lines and a 15 amp line I wished my room was dedicated to be able to paint all the walls in dark blue! In addition I wish I could have a much larger screen

[@whitecrowuk575]

When you realize no one else is into home theater RIP 😅 That’s why I think HT room rarely works. Adopt your living room sensibly and it will get used by you and others. When you lose sofa and move the seats you will realize wides are not needed anymore. They are rarely used anyway - even some Atmos mixes are channel based rather than object, makes little sense if you’re far away from the screen but once you’re close it simply doesn’t. Let’s not forget - the most important component of good immersive experience is the screen. Don’t underinvest there whilst over investing in audio.

[@lanla6838z]

I get your argument for multiple amplifiers versus one big multichannel amplifier doing everything. But that's a Yamaha MX5200. You can't compare that to a small amp from a small company

[@mexdrago3009]

I wanted these comfy Xl lounge chairs with cup holders . My girlfriend got another 3 person couch for free without telling me, and I ended up using it because it was comfortable. I grew up in the 90s when everyone watched on a small crt. I rarely get the family to watch together, and they end up being uncomfortable laying on the floor. Im getting rid of the couch now and will eventually get 4 of those lounge chairs and a couple of bean bags. It's nice so I can also put them away when not in use.

[@DCfocal]

Onto my fourth home now. The last one I learned to make the perfect living room set up. No more basement man caves. This latest home I spent all my focus on a perfect living room that the family can use together. I had no hesitation to open up walls and ceilings to wire as much as possible. This hobby is a journey. Every home just gets better

[@byucatch22]

I strongly believe that wattage as a measurement of amp quality is a great misdirection. It's been a very easy marketing tool for brands because they can increase the watts with very little engineering and research and tout theirs as 'better' than the next one. IMO the amp is one of the most important links in the theater chain and there are a lot of amps out there that simply don't sound great. Definitely worth shopping around when choosing an amp.

[@jeremyj.]

Your situation is similar to mine in regard to seating height. I only built a 2x4 framed riser. The view JUST clears the front seats. I have 9ft ceiling

[@mrmelton4776]

After 2 years, here is my wish I’d done this list: 1. Club chairs or similar instead of couches; more accessible audio gear. My “I’m so glad i did this” list is: 1. OLED panel vs projector 2. Stereo instead of surround 3. Soundproof curtains instead of panels 4. Made a “only movies and major sporting events” rule. I use my screening room probably 8-10 hours per week. 1+ family members join me for maybe two of those. My teen/adult children use the room alone or with friends probably 2-6 hours per week. I don’t get the current “it never gets used” argument that is trending on this platform. My room gets used all the time. Specs: ~300 sq ft. 2 leather rows with riser. Floor to ceiling alternating red/black curtains all around. Zero windows. 83” LG C1. Parasound and PSB audio. Black carpet. Black walls. Alexa assisted lighting.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

That’s awesome your room gets used so much. And not just by you. I’m obviously a bit biased but I can’t imagine there being any room in a house cooler than a home theater. Your room sounds great! Thanks for watching!

[@mrmelton4776]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHomeI watched a lot of videos prior to building mine and there are definitely a lot of regret videos out there. I made a few decisions that kept mine cheap just in case they were right haha. But this summer I’m going to make a few upgrades because I’m at the point where I don’t know if I would live in a house without one now. Have a wonderful day

[@NickMatzkeMusic]

Great video! Any plans on changing any of these things? I’d definitely do the single row and ditch the couch if you don’t use it since you can get a little closer to the screen too. It would also fix your seats on being too close to the ceiling.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Unfortunately the couch has to stay. But it’s ok, it still sounds great

[@sawyerramos3113]

I see ppl putting speakers high up on the wall, on the right and left front channels, does go plugged into the same channels of front right and left? an addition to the floor standing right and left?

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

No, those are Height channels for Atmos. They connect to a different output on the AVR

[@sawyerramos3113]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome which output? I am connecting 4 atmos ceilings, right above my listening position, this means i dont need the high up on the front wall?

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

@@sawyerramos3113 correct. If you have 4 atmos speakers above the listening position then you do not need any speakers up high on the front wall.

[@StephenAtt797]

New subscriber, though your videos have been showing up in my feed recently and I like your "plain guy" presentation. Seems to be a couple of those "done differently" you can still do w/o any real upgrades. Kill the couch, kill the riser, move the theater seats up and leave bar for food and the rare overflow guests. I'm inna half sucken Den so my ceiling is only 7" my mounted Prime Elevations get a workout but I know have a couple more feet would have been real nice... but we all have compromises. Keep up the videos - I like you get/pull the family in there too. I would never try/want to build a dedicated HT, as kit is, I'm usually in the Den myself watching/listening.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying the videos. I wish I could kill the couch, but other people say otherwise…😬. As you say, compromises. Thanks for watching!

[@marcoantoniosilva491]

Thanks for the tips, really appreciated! I have a 7.1.4 system and soon will change to 7.2.6 in-ceiling in a new house, is it really better to keep my bookshelves for the atmos than in-ceiling? I have two spare ones and wouldn't even need to buy new ones for in-ceiling! I've always thought about adding wides, does it really make diference? Thanks.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

If you can use bookshelf speakers for your Atmos/Height channels, I say do it. Being able to aim the speakers directly at the MLP is much better than in-ceiling speakers (even the ones with angled tweeters or drivers). The Wides add a little bit. If it’s a significant cost to add them, probably not worth it. Thanks for watching!

[@tkcdac]

My carpet is the same exact way. Recently I purchased 2 X ( 5X7 ) black rugs from Walmart and had them delivered. Placed them in front of the screen. You can always return them if they are not what you need. Try it out! Why rugs? They have a rubber bottom that keeps them from sliding like putting spare carpet down. Of course you can always get a guy to install just 5 feet of carpet in front of the screen, but the rug idea lets you test it out before hand and is CHEAP. The glare from the carpet also takes away contrast from the screen. The picture light shines on the carpet which in turn reflects back to the screen.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I need to get a rug. Simple easy cheap and effective. Thanks for watching!

[@jc4626]

Awesome video, I know where you are coming from, I have a very short ceiling as well, about 7 ft tall. And my ceiling Atmos are not even hooked up, as I went with monolith satellite speakers in the height room corners. It would be interesting if I switched to a really wide dispersion ceiling like in the Kef models. But the whole Atmos thing is so confusing, like the Atmos mixers don't use in-ceiling speaker to do their mixing, so wouldn't it make sense to use a monitor style speaker as the Atmos? Anyways your screen is awesome - and 95% percent of the general public would love your theater. Keep up the good work!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks! We all do the best we can with the rooms we have. Would be interesting to hear your results if you decide to switch up your speaker setup. Thanks for watching!

[@haukionkannel]

I use active spekers so every speker has its own amplifier… the one downside is that you also needs separate electrisity to each channel/speaker... but the sound quality is excelent and you can direct each speaker to listening position so that helps too. How did you manage your center speaker? Behind the screen? I did use shorter speaker stand with active speker that is tilted tiny bit upwards so that the sound comes directly towards the listeners, but even that means thar screen has to be much higher than you have in your home theater.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I’ve never tried active speakers. Sounds interesting. Yes, the Center, Left and Right are all behind the screen. Thanks for watching!!

[@flyers10az]

Block the wifi and the kids will go into the theater more ... LOL. Lose the sofa. Add the bean bags but shift the 3 theater seats up and either move the bar up as well or lose it if feel wouldn't need.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I really would like to get rid of the couch. Especially the section against the side wall.

[@TheReverendSlim]

Glad to see that speaker placement was in your list. I like your room a lot, but the wides are in the wrong place, the surrounds too high, the heights not shifted inward to account for the surround placement, etc. You've done a lot with that space though, man!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Yeah, I knew when I put that on my list the ones who know what they’re looking at would see all the deficiencies 😉. But it’s ok. It’s not perfect but it still sounds good. For the Sides, I had to raise them up a bit otherwise the chair backs would block them. And I couldn’t move them forward or they would be even closer to the Wides 🤦‍♂️. If I ever win the lottery I’m going to build a new house with a dedicated room with a Unistrut rack system that allows for every speaker to be infinitely adjustable in both the X and Y axis so I can dial them in perfectly. It’ll never happen but I can dream. Thanks for watching!

[@yo_g72]

Those are very insightful thoughts on your AV room. I thought of a quick fix for your number 3 issue: You could install a sound-absorbing curtain to mitigate the sound bleeding out in that area or even use a thick curtain-something like those old movie theater curtains that were used back in the day. Cheers

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I like that idea! I had not considered that. Thanks!

[@FURognar]

My room is 8 feet tall on the right side and 7 feet tall on the left side. 😂

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Was that intentional…? Sure hope it wasn’t a construction mistake 😆

[@FURognar]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome room was already built. Just converting it to a theater.