Eric's Home Theater
and DIY Audio Projects
My home theater project began a long time ago with nothing but an interest in high-end audio. After years of reading, learning, and building (a little bit at a time), my 7.1 channel home theater is enormously satisfying and a great deal of fun for the entire family! What you see above is the painted projection screen, the front array of speakers, and some of the acoustic room treatments. With the curtains "closed" as you see above, the 16:9 aspect ratio (the standard for high-definition television) screen provides a 10-foot image area. Opening the curtains reveals a 12-foot 2.40:1 aspect ratio (the Panavision standard used in many theatrical movie releases) viewing area. The projector is a Panasonic AE4000u that provides an excellent high definition image. Without a doubt, the coolest feature of the Panasonic projector is that it senses the movies' aspect ratio and automatically adjusts the zoom so the image always fills the entire screen (constant height image). The grille-cloth frames that flank each side of the center speaker (you almost can't see them in the image above) hide the infinite baffle subwoofer. The sub is the real star of the show when it's movie time and features incredible output all of the way down to 7Hz! A Marantz AV8003 pre-amplifier handles all of the surround sound decoding and provides delicate finesse to both music and movie soundtracks as well as tons of operational flexibility. Finally, what theater is complete without enough amplifiers to trip the average circuit breaker? In total, the amps provide nearly 2,000 watts of awe-inspiring, bone-jarring, foundation-rattling audio power that induces nothing short of sheer excitement. The preamp, amplifiers, and power distribution systems are all tucked away behind the front wall of the theater. The culmination of these projects is simply amazing! Well-recorded music is reproduced with astounding holographic 3D imaging that makes you think the vocalist is standing before you for a private performance and a layered, enveloping sound stage that is wider and deeper than the room itself. BluRay movies provide visual, auditory, and visceral experiences that completely obliterate the performance of EVERY commercial movie theater! Friends tell me that watching movies in my theater has destroyed their subsequent movie-going experiences. Sorry guys...
The links below describe each of the theater's main components.
My Do-It-Yourself Theater Components:
Aleph-X Clone 125w Class-A Amplifiers
Avro Part Dipole Front Speaker Array
Infinite Baffle Subwoofer: 7Hz-100Hz at 125+dB
AC Power Distribution, Sequencer, & Filter
Acoustic Treatments & Bass Traps
Other DIY Audio Projects:
Tony Gee's HATT Bookshelf Speakers
uMark-KenSET Desktop Single Driver Speakers
FHXL Frugal Horn XL Single Driver Speakers
Tony Gee's Calpamos 2-Way Speakers
ZenMod's SissySIT vFet Amplifier
Paul Joppa/Joe Roberts WE91 300B Parafeed Mono Amps
(for some of the forum links above, you might need to create an account to view the images)
Repairing Your Audio Components
Antique Tube Radio Restoration:
READ THIS FIRST ---> Antique Tube Radio Safety Protocol <--- READ THIS FIRST!
RCA Radiola 17 and 100A Speaker Restoration
Grebe Synchrophase MU-1 Restoration
Sonochorde Senior Reproducer Restoration
Twin Bulb Handy Charger Restoration
Measuring Capacitor Leakage Current
Friends don't let friends buy Bose!
The actual performance of Bose speaker systems does not live up to their ultra-premium price tag. As we all know, high price does not guarantee a product is of high quality (though it does generate attention). An appropriate analogy is paying for filet mignon and a glass of cabernet and receiving a hamburger and a beer. Both will satisfy your hunger (not to mention how many people -including myself- enjoy a burger and a beer)but there is clearly a difference in the experience. Follow the links below to find out why your money is better spent on a better brand:
An Objective Review of Bose Speakers , The Bose FAQ
If you are genuinely interested in putting together a truly first class audio system, have a look through the links on this page and consider building something yourself!
