How to Design Your Dream Home Entertainment Space
By: Numair Qureshi
Tags: Surround Sound, Audiovisual, Speakers, Luxury, Home Theater

How to Design Your Dream Home Entertainment Space — Even if you know NOTHING About Technology

Shown: Bowers & Wilkins Speakers and McIntosh Amplification

AUDIO

When designing your home entertainment space, you need to build around your audio because audio is what creates emotion. It does not matter how impressive your display is — if you have poor audio, you will not be able to immerse yourself into what you’re watching.

The Number of Speakers

The number of speakers you choose depends on your room’s layout. In a 7.1.4 setup, you will have:

Three Speakers up front

Two Speakers in the back

Two Speakers to the side

Four In-Ceiling Speakers

And One Subwoofer

Not every room can accommodate this many speakers, but sometimes having less is actually more. There are many different speaker configurations you can have. In the following photograph, you see two (2) Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series Floor Standing Speakers and one (1) 700 Series Center Channel.

The above photo shows you a 3.0 channel setup, which creates an incredible audio experience that lets you separate the stereo sounds from the dialogue. And if your space allows it, then I highly recommend adding in a subwoofer so that your audio can have more body and depth:

I typically recommend two subwoofers so that you can stabilize the pressure in the room and evenly feel intense moments all throughout. If you don’t have a subwoofer, your audio will feel as though it is missing something because none of the low frequency vibes are being properly expressed.

TYPES OF SPEAKERS

When designing your space, you have to determine whether you would like to go with architectural speakers, floor standing speakers, bookshelf, or a mixture of all these.

Architectural

Architectural speakers are designed to go in the ceilings and/or walls of your space. If you have pets or kids, then you will appreciate that architectural speakers clean up your floorspace. You won’t have to worry about guests putting food and drinks on top of them or knocking them over.

Architectural speakers are also fantastic when it comes to uniting the various rooms of your house together to create a distributed audio experience.

This way, you can listen to music in every area of your home. Because you have speakers in all the areas you spend the most time in, this means that you will not have to play the music at a very loud volume in order to hear it. You can have guests over and let the music play at an enjoyable volume as you converse.

Some architectural speakers can even blend into your space so seamlessly that they are considered invisible; therefore, you can hear the sound without seeing any of it!

Floor Standing Speakers

Floor standing speakers are beautiful powerhouses of audio performance. They are often designed with special cabinetry made of wood and other hard materials in order to reduce resonances.

Source:

These speakers are also often seen as furniture pieces that add greater style to your home. When you have people over, they will absolutely comment on your speaker set up. If you have the space to accommodate floor standing speakers, then they are a fantastic way to bring your audio experience to the next level.

Bookshelf Speakers

And when space is limited, or if you want something that has a smaller profile, then you may go with bookshelf speakers. Bookshelf speakers, just like their floor standing counterparts, often come in different colors and finishes, so you can find something that complements your space.

PROCESSORS & AMPLIFICATION

When designing your entertainment space, please make sure that you have the proper processors and amplification for your speakers.

Processors

The processor, also known as the preamp, deals with all the decoding and processing of audio and video being fed into your system through different inputs and sources such as CD’s, DVD’s, and Blu-ray Disc Players. Choosing the right processor will have a dramatic effect on technologies such as 4K Ultra High Definition, 3D Audio, and High Dynamic Range (HDR).

Amplifiers

Processors connect to amplifiers so that your entertainment technologies can be integrated with your speakers as the the best sound possible. By choosing the right amplifier, you will increase the lifespan of your speakers, protect them from damage, and hear them as they were intended to be heard.

As new technologies come into existence, you may need to upgrade your processor; however, your amplifiers are here to stay forever. The number of speakers an amplifier can power is dependent on the amplifier you choose. For stereo listening, where you only have two speakers connected, you can go with a two channel Stereo Amplifier.

MC152 Amplifier shown with C47 Preamplifier (replaced by C49), MCT450 SACD/CD Transport (replaced by MCT500), and XR50 Speakers in Red Walnut. Source:https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/amplifiers/MC152

However, for home theater applications, you may need to choose an amplifier that can provide up to seven channels of audio or more.

Audio Video (A/V) Receivers

Even though separate processors and amplifiers are the best way to go, they tend to also drive up the cost on your home entertainment system. To save money, you can go with Audio/Video Receivers which integrate both the processor and amplifier into one body.

A/V Receivers are designed with different classifications and power spectrums. A good rule of thumb is that at your receiver should cost at least 1/3rd the price of your speakers. That way, you are not underpowering them. For example, if your speakers cost $5,000, then your a/v receiver should cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1700. This way, you can ensure that you are getting the best sound possible while also ensuring the longevity of the speakers.

SPEAKER WIRE & CABLES

High-quality speaker wire makes a considerable difference in your audio. You can have the greatest processor, amplifier, and speakers in the world, but the quality of the audio that comes out of your setup can be impacted by poor quality speaker wire. Choose speaker wire with solid metals, smooth surfaces, noise dissipation technologies, and optimal geometry so that your audio is heard in its purest form.

Today, you are going to want to go with cables that are 8K ready, transfer up to 48Gbps bandwidth, and have eARC, which sends sound from your television to your soundbar or a/v receiver.

ACOUSTICS

You also need to consider how well your room was designed for acoustics. A room can introduce lots of sound reflections and noise artifacts when you listen to music or watch movies. Acoustic treatments help you to reduce these reflections and artifacts so that you can have the best sound experience possible.

In the photo above, you see a series of acoustic panels adorn the walls. They were selected carefully to match the color and style of the room while still offering the proper acoustic treatments so that you can enjoy your content the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES

Now that you have chosen the number and type of speakers for your home entertainment space, along with the proper processors, amplifiers, and cables, you are ready to choose your Display Technology.

Televisions

Televisions will provide you the best picture, and they are fantastic for spaces that will share other kinds of activity. If you go with a big screen television, then that can certainly be the focal point of your home theater space. Most televisions will go up to 85".

Projectors

If you want the largest viewing surface possible, one that exceeds 90", then you may want to go with a projector. If you go with a 4K projector that has the proper brightness (lumens) for your space, then you can optimize your viewing experience.

Screens

It is incredibly important that you choose a screen that reflects light and captures the best image possible. Different screens have different textures and applications.

Some screens allow you to hide speakers right behind them while still allowing the sound to permeate their fabric.

It all depends on what you are looking to accomplish. I highly recommend you partner up with someone who specializes in entertainment space design to help you select the appropriate screen for your space.

LIGHTING & AMBIANCE

To really get that cinematic feel, you can even sync your lights up to the action you see on the big screen.

CONTROL

So, now you have a processor, an amplifier, a television/projector, perhaps a motorized screen, lighting, a Blu-ray player, an Apple TV, and you have sound throughout your home. How do you control it all?

When designing your system, you need to make sure that you keep control in mind. You do not want to use individual remote controls to operate all your equipment, so it is a good idea to use one singular remote control that is programmed to operate everything. This makes it easier for you, your family, and your guests to enjoy your entertainment space!

CONCLUSION

If you want to create an incredible home entertainment space, you need to make sure you follow these design fundamentals. Of course, there is a lot more to learn than what I could express in this article; however, now you have a starting point.

Your next steps are to go into each of these individual categories and learn more about the universe of audio and video design. You’re going to learn about power, impedance, total harmonic distortion, and so much more.