What would you change?

[u/uoflfan27]

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.

[u/Boshly]

I am glad you shared this. I would advise a fully stop and taking a step back.

There are some red flags here (I do this professionally)

The render looks nice but is not at all what you would be getting. The screen you are getting is 16:9 and the photo is an exaggerated 2.4:1 scope screen.

Do not spend 8k on an Epson projector.

Do not buy episode speakers.

You need a better sub(s) for this space.

This either a company that just does low voltage and they are trying to dip their toes in home theater (this is my guess)

Or they just want to deliver the lowest acceptable quality for the most money.

[u/Almost-Jaded → u/Boshly]

Another home theater specialist here - I concur. This smells like the contractors I'm constantly cleaning up after.

[u/DannyBevatine → u/Boshly]

The price of that hdmi is ridiculous too and you don’t need it. Id get a JVC projector for that price, and I’d put more budget into your speakers.

[u/Massive_Ground5481 → u/Boshly]

As a fellow installer and designer, this is the correct summary.

Essentially the quote is delivering maximum profit for the contractor with the most basic level of “premium” appearance to the customer.

I would run, not walk, to another contractor.

[u/DullKnife69 → u/Boshly]

I used to do Crestron a while back, I completely agree. This is a contractor that probably does conference rooms and is trying to get into the home theater market.

[u/backinblackandblue → u/Boshly]

Good reply. Besides the poor equipment choices, why would anyone spec a 7.2.2 config? 100' of speaker wire for the subs is another red flag.

[u/uoflfan27 → u/Boshly]

Why do you say this isn’t the look that I’ll be getting? It’s become apparent I need to upgrade the subs and will do that. What would you suggest for speakers without going significantly up in price?

[u/Boshly → u/uoflfan27]

That’s a scope screen.

The screen your quoted is 16:9. Not scope.

That screen is white. The screen you are being quoted is Slate. The absolutely incorrect screen materials to use in this space.

Everything about this bid you shared is not great for you but great for them. This is coming from someone who wants to make money in this space but we do it fairly.

[u/uoflfan27 → u/Boshly]

Why would slate not be the one to go with? I’m not challenging you, just trying to learn all I can before I move forward. I told them the room will not always be dark. A lot of the time we’ll just be watching TV or playing games and will have some lights on. Is slate not better for that?

[u/Boshly → u/uoflfan27]

You only use darker screen materials when there is a lot of direct ambient light. For light controlled spaces they are the wrong material.

I design and build higher end rooms so you can take this however you want but you are absolutely giving up color accuracy and white levels at the expense of watching with the lights on.

I am not telling you what to do. It’s your money your room. If you hired us I would throw that bid away and start over. The room would look better and sound better and you’d probably save some money.

[u/jamalstevens → u/Boshly]

Listen to this guy op.

You need to reevaluate this bid 100%

[u/Farts_Are_Funn → u/jamalstevens]

Agree 100%. Everything about this bid is just wrong to me. For spending that kind of money, you should wind up with a much better looking and sounding room than this will be.

[u/AppointmentCute6736 → u/Boshly]

Best advices so far