Skip to main content

Progress on Dedicated Private Cinema in Emerald Cove

By
I'm here in Dana Point, California, doing phase one audio calibration of a dedicated private cinema in the Emerald Cove neighborhood of this upscale community. This phase is all about initial configuration, testing, and debugging of all the audio components in this 7.1 channel system with eight ceiling-mounted subwoofers. 
I'm also finishing up with a basic room tuning equalization and will finesse that after the internal finishing of stretch fabric and drape is completed. This room needed a rather large sliding door along the right wall in order to keep a sense of openness to the space and to reduce anxiety over claustrophobia. A motorized drape with combination of absorptive and diffusing strips will be added in a few weeks.
So far so good. Caught a few small mistakes, like L-R channel reversal, polarity of back set of side surround speakers (there are two pairs for soundfield evenness), and the obligatory HDMI configuration and reliability challenges.
The integrator on this new construction project is Audio Images of Tustin, CA, and the system is Triad Gold LCR, six Triad Silver Surrounds, and eight Triad CinemaPlus 12" Subwoofers. The amps are two Parasound A52 five-channel units for the main channels, and one big QSC 4050 for the subs. An Ashly 24.24m 8x8 audio processor takes care of all the room correction, time alignment, level setting, and peak limiting. A Marantz AV7005 AV preamp drives the bus, for a simple and clean setup racked-up in a tek room at the back corner of the room.
The room was engineered by us at PMI, with full sound isolation, noise control, optimized electro-acoustic layout, and acoustical tuning modules along the walls and ceiling. All this techie machinery is elegantly concealed behind a stretched fabric dress in earth tones.    ~A. Grimani  

For more info on MSR Acoustics products and solutions, please visit our website. Or call us at (415) 883-1476.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE GRIMANI FILES: Bringing Life to a Comatose Home Theater

By
This client was referred to us by the integrator, who completed this installation about 10 years ago. The room was a dedicated three-row home theater in an upscale neighborhood of Detroit. All the gear was state-of-the-art for its time - from the studio-grade speakers, to the professional HD video projection system. But the surround decoder finally gave up the ghost after several years of faithful service. The client heard that Dolby Atmos® was the latest thing, so he sourced a new processor. He expected it to be an automatic upgrade, but wasn’t aware that he also needed to add speakers for the Top and Wide locations. At any rate, it was time to install, configure, and tune the system for the new processor. I took the job and carved out two days - right before Christmas - for a quick jaunt from my temperate San Francisco Bay Area home to frigid Detroit. (Who doesn't like a little cold for the holidays?) While planning the trip, I found out that the system didn’t include any ...
2 comments
Read more

Home Theater Has Come Out of the Cave

By
Welcome to the Fun Room Light, bright, and inviting. Walls & Ceiling look like drywall Comfortable seating for friends and family. Glass wall visually connects the Fun Room and Courtyard  High Points Think beyond the theater box Great entertainment can be in nearly any space New technology provides more flexibility New design solutions open the door for Interior Designers Overview Good news! With the latest technologies, we can move past the dark and secluded home theaters of the late 20th century! No more man caves isolated from the rest of the house. No more rows of theater seats formally lined up, as if ready for battle with action heroes. Imagine even having a glass wall or window so we can stay connected to the rest of the world? Instead of just a "Home Theater", we want a "Fun Room". But, and this is a big but, can we still have all of this and a great cinematic experience? The answer is Yes , and...
7 comments
Read more

The Importance of Diffusion

By
by Anthony Grimani “Um, what’s diffusion, and why do I need it?” is the question from my client. Slowly, I take a breath, count to ten, and consider my options. First, I could scream, stomp around the room, and pull out my hair. Second, I could suddenly remember that I’m terribly late for another meeting (which is probably true) and beg to be excused. Third, I could remain calmly in my seat, smile, and politely explain the answer. Considering the nature of this client and his job, it looks like it’s option number three. Here’s the sad thing. You might think that this client is a novice end user – the type whose digital clocks all blink 12:00. But he or she could just as easily be a custom integrator! I see it all the time: People who design home theaters for a living don’t know what diffusion is or why they need it. What’s particularly frustrating is that I have spent many hours over that past two decades doing my best to educate them. So let’s make this real. Do you know why diffus...
3 comments
Read more

Performance Media Industries, Ltd.

61 Galli Drive, Suite B. Novato, CA 94949, USA
[T] (415) 883-1476
[F] (415) 883-8147