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Versatile Cinema with Full Sound Isolation

With this Newport Beach, California project, the client wanted a dedicated home theater that could open up into the rest of the house for a variety of entertaining options. They wanted a rustic look to match the rest of the entertainment area of their waterfront property, evoking a comfortable feeling with a soft, light décor. In the lifestyle uses of the room, sometimes it would be open for entertaining and sometimes it would be closed down for private screenings.

A large opening with sliding door was a huge challenge for the sound isolation and the acoustical reflections in this room. A door system was designed with acoustic absorbers built into the panels and seals all around the frames. The room had limited height so the sight lines had to be very carefully studied. A layer of resiliently suspended sheet rock was added to the concrete structure in order to reduce standing wave resonances. Structural posts in the right concrete wall were enclosed in resilient wall structures and concealed behind the stretched fabric dress.

 


We installed a 110” wide 16:9 acoustically-transparent screen, along with a high definition projector. High-quality Triad front speakers were baffle-mounted and the center speaker was behind the AT screen. A system of four custom Triad subwoofers are distributed through the room in a way that eliminates standing waves. Four side surround speakers and two back surround speakers were deployed at strategic locations to guarantee optimal audience immersion. This full 7.1 channel system was tuned with a digital equalization processor.




Acoustical tuning package includes deep absorber and diffuser modules, bass traps, and ceiling treatment units. The top of the wood riser was custom perforated so as to form the Helmholtz bass absorber. All were carefully engineered and placed following latest findings from research into psychoacoustics. Equipment racks were concealed in a dedicated room down the hallway.


Ultimately, this project met all of the client's needs and desires, delivering a versatile, high-quality presentation, in a comfy environment.



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Performance Media Industries, Ltd.

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