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Am getting ready to finish the rec room of our home and want it to be a combination game room / movie room / rumpus room / etc.
Have a couple questions about the home theater system:
1) What are most people doing with home theater receivers these days? It used to be you had a big cabinet filled with electronic equipment. Today, all we have is a home theater receiver connected to a computer. I know what to do with the computer, but what do people do with the receiver? I'm thinking I should stash it in a closet somewhere so it is out of sight.
2) How much ventilation do you need if you stash them in a closet? What are the options?
I'm planning on routing speaker cables and data cables in the wall to minimize clutter in the room.
I guess I'm still old fashioned and I keep mine on a stand in a corner of the room while my TV hangs on the wall.
Also, if you're running the wires behind the wall, have you though about the recessed speakers? I put them in my wall and in my ceiling and they have worked very well so far. I like the look better than mounting normal speakers on a wall shelf or hanging them from a bracket. Just an idea...
Is this a guy's idea of a home theater - or a woman's (or a designer's) ?
Also - I recently had to disconnect/reconnect our whole system when we were doing an interior renovation job. Reconnecting all the speaker wires was a big PITA. Have you considered wireless speakers (I don't know anything about them except I wouldn't have to work with all those teeny tiny knobs and wires)? Robyn
Receivers are still usually kinda front and center because of the IR remote. But there are "eyes" and extension cables that can make "remote connections" (Eye front and center- receiver hidden in cabinet, clst, etc.
Then there's Bluetooth (a form of RF) and other RF type remotes that may interface or convert for "wireless operation".
As far as ventilation- if you were to use a clst the gap around the door would probably suffice for air. But a cabinet may need some supplemental air via cabinet fans- much like the ones used on desktop computers.
I have a 7 speaker surround sound home theater setup. All the operating, receiver, dvd, vhs, cassette equipment is in an enclosed custom cabinet with air vents at the rear of the cabinets for cooling.
I tried the wireless speakers and after 2 days took them back. They are not as efficient or as good of sound quality as the wired ones and those wireless speakers have to be in direct line with the main speaker with no obstructions.
All of my home theater equipment (audio, projector, etc.) is in the room behind the actual theater. I use an IR remote extender that receives in the front of the theater and flashes across the equipment rack in the back room.
The audio amplifier equipment I have in a rack that is only open on the front and since it does generate a good amount of heat I have a thermostatically controlled fan but it rarely operates. Leaving some clearance around each unit, especially above, usually allows adequate circulation.
The cabinets contain a receiver - a DVD changer - a DVR. And now a new smaller CD disc changer (the old one was too big to fit in the cabinets - and it's in the left in the photos). The cabinets have a channel that runs across the back of the cabinets. So it's easy to run cables/wires from here to there. The only component that generates a lot of heat is the receiver - but the cabinet is open when it's on - so that isn't an issue.
It's a 5.1 system (the rear speakers are in the ceiling - wired through the wall/ceiling - the center speaker is wired through the wall) - and the sub woofer is to the left of the unit (again wired through the wall). With 2 speakers on the back porch (wired through the ceiling). When you run wires/cables in the wall/ceiling - be sure to leave lots of extra slack!!!
And - if you want connectivity between rooms in terms of anything (from music to video) - best to look into everything new that's available today to achieve those connections before completing your designs. Robyn
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