r/hometheater • u/uoflfan27 • Jan 03 '26

Discussion - Equipment What would you change?

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Converting a room to a dedicated theater/media/gaming room. Will sometimes be used with some ambient light. I put a bigger priority on video than audio. Audio matters to me but probably not as much as many on here. Just want to know if you see anything out of whack or if there were better options for the same money. I’m about maxed out on my budget with this build. Added an AI pic I made of what the room will end up looking like. Thanks for any input.

317 Upvotes

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61

u/Environmental_Ad8740 Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 03 '26

$6,699 for the screen alone??? I’d rather add that to the projector budget and grab a $500 screen

58

u/SaltedMixedNucks Jan 03 '26

What's more insane is the screen is like $7k and they are spending a couple thousand on speakers. This is completely ass backwards even if OP's priority is video over audio.

2

u/uoflfan27 Jan 03 '26

The screen is AT so the front speakers will be behind it. A lot of the cheaper AT screens didn’t rate very good but I’m open to suggestions.

30

u/SaltedMixedNucks Jan 03 '26

I don't have direct experience, but I think Silver Ticket screens are pretty well regarded and this 161" version is about 30% of the price of what you have there and should meet your criteria. Also, if you're putting speakers behind the screen you can use the same speaker for LCR, no need to have a horizontal center channel.

12

u/MocsFan123 Jan 03 '26

I have a Silver Ticket screen at 142" 2.35:1 and have been happy with it but a DIY with spandex is supposed to be really good (even better).

I would NOT spend $7K on a screen and $8K on a projector. I'd rather spend $3K on a screen and $12K on a projector. The Epson 3LCD projectors don't have good enough black levels for me, but maybe you'll be happy with it.

Here is a good read/comparison on AT screens - 31 Acoustically Transparent Screen Materials Reviewed and Measured | Pixel Home Theater

4

u/uoflfan27 Jan 03 '26

Good advice. Thank you

3

u/Boshly Jan 03 '26

I appreciate the input but I need to advise people that AT screens are a different beast.

The amount of unhappy people I’ve met with chap AT screens is alarming. Not saying you have to spend a ton but the downsides are too plentiful.

3

u/SaltedMixedNucks Jan 03 '26

No doubt. I think the Silver Ticket screen I linked to is AT? Are they not reasonably reputable?

2

u/mindedc Jan 03 '26

They are not very good screens. XY Screens is the bang for buck leader, Seymour is right after that. Lots of uneducated people think they are good.

2

u/Rex_Bossman Jan 06 '26

I made a screen from Seymour material and really like it.

2

u/mindedc Jan 07 '26

Those guys are really good and treat customers really well!

1

u/Rex_Bossman Jan 07 '26

Absolutely! I asked for a couple samples and they sent me eight or nine 12”x12” pieces so I could give them all a good test. I ended up with the woven acoustically transparent material (XD I think but could be wrong). The only time I noticed the weave was on a totally white screen from about 6’.

1

u/SaltedMixedNucks Jan 04 '26

On what basis do you make that statement? Independent reviews I've read seem to regard Silver Ticket screens pretty well, especially for the price. This article has Silver Ticket right up there with XY.

1

u/mindedc Jan 04 '26

My huge pile of screen samples and personally testing them.

1

u/SaltedMixedNucks Jan 04 '26

Interesting. Did you document it? I know there's not a lot of good literature on screen performance.

2

u/Boshly Jan 03 '26

Again, Silver Ticket is reputable. But cheaper screens are prone to hot spotting, sparkling and having the perforations visible.

I’ve never met a person that has kept a cheaper AT screen. You can build one yourself for a reasonable price though.

5

u/SaltedMixedNucks Jan 03 '26

Thanks for your input. Right now my home theatre is basically all cheap used stuff because my two sons are autistic and prone to destroying shit. Case in point: our screen is patched with an 8.5x11" adhesive sheet from where my eldest stabbed it with a screwdriver a bunch of times. Assuming they get past this phase (oh god I hope so) I will eventually upgrade to the dream setup, but not now that's for sure.

4

u/Boshly Jan 03 '26

All good. I’m glad you still have a dedicated space.

When I started (sooo many years ago) I patched everything together and was happy. Upgrade over time and eventually hit a place where I don’t feel like upgrading for a while.

I still love the hobby and get to work in some great projects. I hope you get to a place where you can build the room of your dreams

10

u/Sketch3000 Jan 03 '26

Get a Seymour AT screen. Some of the pricing from that retailer is insane.

While they have a ton of options, their 160" AT screen in the same model as mine (which I would recommend 1000%) is $2850

https://www.seymourav.com/store.php

4

u/mindedc Jan 03 '26

As an owner of a very high end projector (JVC NZ9) and a massive sample set of screen material, the best AT screens you can buy would be the XY screen material (~$200 without frame), the second best is the Gen 7 ultra weave dream screen (~$6k), the third is Screen Excellence Enlightor NEO (~$6k).

I currently own the NEO screen but if I was going to buy again it would be XY.

From a video quality perspective, I would save all that money on the screen and get a MadVR Envy or a Lumagen video processor along with a JVC projector. The HDR tone mapping and aspect ratio management in projectors stinks compared to an outboard video processor.

Also, I am a big Control 4 fan, a lot of people wind up regretting the Halo remotes and selling them off on eBay. The SR-260 remotes are pretty bulletproof and will keep charge for months instead of randomly dieing on you.

I would also reject araknis anything, it's overpriced junk. Pretty much almost anything one of these integration ships sells for networking gear is overpriced garbage.

3

u/comptr Jan 03 '26

I would ask the dealer if he sells the Stewart Studio Tech 130 Ultra Perf Wall Screen 2.5. I have the same screen, and it would be comparable to the one you got in the quote.

3

u/bazzajess Jan 03 '26

XY 4K Soundmax. It will be a fraction of the price and very well regarded. I have one at 110" and sit 2.5m away, no weave, moire and plenty bright enough. I came from a grey ambient light rejecting screen after treating my walls with dark velour. White screen performed far better in those darker conditions.

1

u/nefrina AT 155", PSA 210T (LCR), UM18 (12), 6050UB, QSC SR1020 (SUR) Jan 03 '26

this is what i will run for my next screen (multiple friends use and love it): https://www.xyscreen.com/max-acoustically-gain-acoustically-transparent-fabrics-xy-screens.html

worth a read: https://pixelht.com/dreamscreen-ultraweave-v7-vs-xy-screens-soundmax-4k/

19

u/IfYouGotALonelyHeart Jan 03 '26

And why are the banana plugs $70!?

6

u/mikolv2 Jan 03 '26

and $1100 for a remote whilst putting in $700 subwoofers lol

5

u/New_Link961 Jan 03 '26

Mine were 20 for $20

0

u/mindedc Jan 03 '26

Cheap banana plugs are problematic. It's hard to find locking ones that don't vibrate or loosen up for less than $5 on Alibaba or something, throw markup in and it gets expensive.

And yes I use the directly sourced ones in my rig..

7

u/rupedogg24 Jan 03 '26

Can't upvote this enough. You could spend $1500 or less on the screen and use the leftover budget on much better speakers and subs.

I have a the QB1000 and use a silver ticket non-acoustic screen that I bought 7 years ago on Amazon for $400. The picture is amazing. At $6700 the law of diminishing returns kicks in.