Traditional

When Music is Just As Important as Movies
Filed Under: $$$   Traditional   Reader Interiors   
Bookmark and Share Posted Wed Jul 21, 2010, 5:49 PM ET — By Williams

When we started to build our own high performance music room and home cinema, the idea was to have the best possible sound because we listen to a lot of concerts on SACDs and Blu-rays in full 7.1 audio. Design was also critical, as the equipment needed to be pleasing to the eye, so after many auditions, I settled for B&W 802Ds driven by Classé amps just like in Abbey Road Studios.

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Mobile Home Wonder
Filed Under: Reader Interiors   Traditional   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Mon Jul 12, 2010, 7:02 PM ET — By Rob Farnes

Nearly 5 years ago, I read an article in the Lifestyles section of the Orange County Register that caught my attention. A family in an average Orange County neighborhood put in a front projector and large screen to enjoy big screen movies at their house with friends and family. They told of how wonderful it was to see movies at home this way and I wanted to explore that experience.

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Refined High-End AV
Filed Under: Traditional   Pro Interiors   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Tue Apr 6, 2010, 5:16 PM ET — By Steve Derrico

I am an avid reader of Home Theater Magazine and have been for over 10 Years. I have been in the industry for 10 Years and within the last year started my own custom installation company in the Chicagoland area, Monarch AV Design & Automation. In 2009, we had the great opportunity to change an ordinary "blah" basement into a rustic and old-world getaway for the homeowner to enjoy a Pearl Jam concert, a game of pool, or just to enjoy a movie with the kids. Working with interior designer and general contractor, Phillip Sassano, we helped design a space that would be both visually stunning and meet the high expectations of the homeowner for musical and theater performance.

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The Art of Theater Design
Filed Under: Theme   Traditional   Pro Interiors   
Bookmark and Share Posted Mon Mar 8, 2010, 1:30 PM ET — By Kim Wilson

When we get excited about a dedicated home theater, it's rarely the equipment that has us salivating. It's almost always about the unique interior design. We are enthralled by the designer's decorative statement, whether it is a themed theater that transports us to one of our favorite movies or a more traditional approach that model's contemporary multiplexes.

3D Squared Inc has combined the importance of interior design with acoustic paneling because it's no longer good enough to have a great looking theater, it must sound good, as well.

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My Majestic Theater
Filed Under: Reader Interiors   Theme   Traditional   $$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Fri Mar 5, 2010, 3:53 PM ET — By Carmine Gallo

Long before I met my wife I dreamed of having my own home theater, many ideas have come and gone since then, but I always knew that I wanted a dedicated theater in a classic style. I finally came one step closer to my dream in 1999 when my wife and I bought a new home in the suburbs, although it would be years before I would actually start my project. I began researching and collecting items from the past, and in 2006 I finally got the nod from my financial advisor (that would be my wife) though there was one caveat ... I was put on a very strict budget.

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A High-End Makeover
Filed Under: Installer Profiles   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Sat Dec 5, 2009, 7:28 PM ET — By Kim Wilson Photography: Myro Rosky

Who says you can't get quality work completed in less than a week? Talk to David Frangioni, CEO of Audio One Sound & Video in North Miami Beach and he'll tell you anything is possible. He knows because he's installed a world-class home theater with high performance AV in only three days.

"This was a retrofit installation and we were required to install all the specified AV gear with little or no additional construction," says Frangioni. "The client was technically savvy and a connoisseur of high-end components, which included Mark Levinson amps, a Lexicon 7-channel surround preamp, a Kaleidescape media player, a Runco projector and processor, Genelec powered speakers, Velodyne subs, and topped off by the best way to view films, a Stewart 2.35 CineCurve screen."

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My Movie Magic on Beale Street
Filed Under: Pro Interiors   $$$   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Thu Oct 1, 2009, 12:57 PM ET — By Jay Nicols Photography: Kim Jay

I’ve been an A/V nerd all my life. As a kid, I would take apart my parents’ stereo equipment and make a huge mess. It’s always been my dream to have the biggest and baddest A/V system on the block. Well, it took me 20 years, but I think my newest home theater takes the cake, at least on my block.

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Moving On Up
Filed Under: Pro Interiors   $$$   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Sun Jan 4, 2009, 2:48 PM ET — By Jamie Sorcher Photography:Bill Psolka

In the past, creating a movie experience at home meant setting up a big screen in the basement and putting in a few recliners. These days, many homeowners are transforming living rooms on the main floor of their homes into home theaters. Some homeowners may even convert a room that’s right beside their kitchen.

This New Jersey homeowner wanted a multiuse, high-performance home theater in a central area of the home where it would get plenty of use. The entire house got an extensive renovation and installation, including an eight-zone multiroom audio system and individual lighting controls for each room. The homeowner did consider the home’s lower level as a location for the theater. However, since it’s a “walk-out” with great views, he felt the room worked better as a playroom or game room.

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Two for the Show
Filed Under: Pro Interiors   $$$   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Tue Dec 9, 2008, 6:11 PM ET — By Jamie Sorcher

For married couples or any two people who live together, life always seems to be a series of compromises. When this Omaha, Nebraska, homeowner built his dream theater, he not only put on an addition to the house for his theater, but he added a room right above it for his wife.

Jim Wichita, of Omaha-based The Sound Environment, handled the install. “Mr. homeowner wanted the ultimate home theater, and Mrs. homeowner wanted a gathering room,” says Wichita, with a laugh.

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Cineplex Comes Home
Filed Under: Installer Profiles   $$$   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Fri Nov 14, 2008, 7:49 PM ET — By Krissy Rushing

Shannon McGinnis is one of the few people who has found that his hobby/avocation is also his vocation. In 1997, he started his Custom Electronics Design and Installation company as a one-person operation; it has grown to include three additional installers at present. Home Technology Systems, Inc., currently provides Wichita, Kansas, and the surrounding areas with a single-source solution for all custom home and small business electronics needs and desires, including home theater, systems integration, lighting control, structured cabling, multiroom audio, and security.

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Hidden Gem
Filed Under: Traditional   $$   Pro Interiors   
Bookmark and Share Posted Mon Aug 25, 2008, 8:42 PM ET — By Jamie Sorcher, Photos Neil Wilson

A home with historic heritage goes high tech.

Old-world charm and modern-day technology are balanced in just the right proportion in this Montclair, New Jersey home.

For this 3,500-square-foot Cotswold-style home the task, recalls architect John Reimnitz, “was to create a much larger, modern space for them that still had the same sort of quality and details of the existing house.”

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Integrating The Old With The New
Filed Under: Pro Interiors   $$$   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Wed Feb 20, 2008, 4:25 PM ET — By Blake Jochum

An installer tackles his own home, including the attic.

I get control over all the electronics, and she gets control of everything else. That's the deal we made with each other at the beginning of the project. After all, being the manager of the residential systems division and lead residential systems designer at All Pro Sound, would you expect me to not do something special in my own home? After 17 plus years of doing it for everyone else, I was getting to do it for me . . . and Laura, my wife.

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DIY Reader Home Theater: Once Was Not Enough
Filed Under: Reader Interiors   Traditional   $$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Mon Nov 5, 2007, 4:15 PM ET — By Bill Yung

A reader finds home theater inspiration in his first theater, giving him the craving to upgrade.

As is the case for many others, the motivation for our theater was our previous theater, which was barely 12 feet by 14 feet with a ceiling less than 8 feet high. While constricted by the physical dimensions of the space, this theater was enough to get me hooked on the idea of owning a home theater and brought to light the many possible shortcomings and pitfalls of building one.

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DIY Reader Home Theater: The SmX Theater
Filed Under: $$   Reader Interiors   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Mon Oct 22, 2007, 2:37 PM ET — By Ruben Ortiz

This homeowner takes DIY to another level.

I fell in love with movie theaters after my first outing—to see Star Wars as a kid in the '70s. Since then, the moviegoing experience has fascinated me every time.

Ten years ago, my wife and I purchased our first house. Not knowing much about home theaters, we built a modest movie theater. Because of the odd shape of that particular home, a professional installation was not going to work. Consequently, we settled for a projector and a wall with some theater decorations.

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Garage Home Theater: Part III
Filed Under: $$   Pro Interiors   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Wed Oct 17, 2007, 2:45 AM ET — By Richard Charschan

The finished theater, and my dream recording studio.

What an amazing adventure. Starting with a design, cement, and sheetrock, we have come a long way and now have a beautiful theater. It's almost time to roll out the red carpet for the premier of the AcousticSmart showroom theater—after we take care of a few final touches.

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Garage Home Theater: Part II
Filed Under: $$   Pro Interiors   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Mon Oct 15, 2007, 2:09 PM ET — By Richard Charschan

It looks like our Sheetrock Theater is now complete.

We overcame many challenges, and the theater is finally roughed out. Most of the heavy lifting is behind us, and we can look forward to putting on the finishing touches that will turn this space into the room of our dreams. With the platforms, lighting, walls, and wiring in place, you can start to really visualize this space as a theater.

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Garage Home Theater: Part I
Filed Under: Pro Interiors   $$   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Mon Oct 8, 2007, 12:45 PM ET — By Krissy Rushing and Richard Charschan

A step-by-step journey of transforming a garage into a world-class home theater.

You've heard of do-it-yourselfers. In fact, you've probably seen them featured on the pages of Audio Video Interiors. But Richard Charschan has something on them—he's a pro. The president of AcousticSmart—a family-owned company that specializes in the design and fabrication of acoustically treated custom home theater interiors and home theater seating—Charschan has gone without a dedicated space of his own for quite some time now. "It's like the shoemaker who has holes in his own shoes," he says. "I wanted something that would serve as a corporate showroom, as well as be a great addition for me and my family." This multi-part column will take you, the reader, from beginning to end pictorially, helping you understand visually how a pro installs his own home theater.

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DIY Reader Home Theater: The Golden Era Theatre Memoirs
Filed Under: $$   Reader Interiors   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Wed Oct 3, 2007, 1:11 PM ET — By Grant and Cathy Ovsak

How we transformed our room from Brady Bunch shag to old-Hollywood glamour.

Eight years ago, we were in the market for a home that was a little outdated but in a good school district. The home we wound up buying included a "party room" that had been featured in a well-known home-decorating magazine. "Wow, this one might have potential," we thought.

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Through the Roof!
Filed Under: $$$   Pro Interiors   Traditional   
Bookmark and Share Posted Wed Sep 26, 2007, 11:40 AM ET — By Krissy Rushing

An attic home theater, completely isolated from the master bedroom below, defies the laws of acoustics.

Looking at the images on these pages, most people would think that this extravagant theater in an 8,000-square-foot home in Houston, Texas, was built from scratch with brand-spanking-new, top-of-the-line equipment and under the most ideal conditions. Not so. In fact, this gorgeous residential theater was not only built using primarily the homeowner's preexisting equipment, but it was built in the only room available for the theater in the home: the attic.

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Complete Control
Filed Under: Traditional   $$$   Pro Interiors   
Bookmark and Share Posted Tue Sep 11, 2007, 9:28 AM ET — By Krissy Rushing

With a wholehouse Crestron automation system that controls everything from security to the dedicated theater, this home takes control to another level.

Jay Basen and Lance David—programming manager and director of custom sales and installation, respectively, of Gramophone in Timonium, Maryland—see several new trends developing in the home theater market. The first is that more and more homeowners are not only putting dedicated home theaters into their homes, but they're putting in more advanced home theaters. "Many more options are available or are coming out. We now have access to new high-definition content, and price points are coming down. These factors, combined with the sophistication of customers, are driving high performance," says Basen. According to David, homeowners are now recognizing the value of systems integration with a centralized control system, and they're paying more attention to acoustics, as well as the less sexy but still very important aspects of proper ventilation and energy management. This gorgeous theater and wholehouse system in a 16,000-square-foot home in Highland, Maryland, embodies all of these growing trends.

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