How to start first small home theater project

[Compnewbie01]

I have been interested in making a home theater for my apartment but am having trouble figuring out the basics. The area is quite small at 10X16 and I cannot put excessive holes in the walls due to it being a rental. This complicates wire management as I don't want several wires going across the room.

I will likely have a small sofa or recliners at one end of the room (spanning the 10ft wall) with a coffee table. I'd like to try out a projector and my initial searching shows that $500 can buy a pretty decent one. My idea is to put the projector on the bottom of the coffee table and maybe run a rug to the screen wall to conceal a power/HDMI cord. This would give the projector approximately 10ft from the screen wall which I imagine is alright for an 8-9 foot screen size. Ideally, I would just project onto the wall, but would consider a basic screen as long as it doesn't require more than 2 nails to hang so that I can easily patch it upon moving.

So the sound system portion is where I am struggling the most. It seems a lot of enthusiasts swear against sound bars but this would be the easiest thing. Are there good sound systems that don't require full surround? I could place a small cabinet under the screen/wall to house the receiver/amp and any media devices and just have a 2-3 speaker setup (2 side speakers + center). Would this work? Is a sub-woofer necessary? This way I would only need to run 1 or 2 easily concealable wires for the projector. Any more speakers (such as behind/next to sofa) will make this difficult and a sub-woofer might be problematic for an apartment.

An overall budget for this project will be $800-1000. If I drop about $500 on the projector, is $300-400 enough for fairly decent speakers/sound? I am not an enthusiast but want something a little better than a standard TV speaker.

 

[mdram]

a 3.1 setup can be all you. i have yet to add any side/rear speakers
a sub enhances things sooooo much. my wife was skeptical, but once i installed it she was very surprised.

BUT, in an apartment a decent sub may tick off the neighbors.

soundbars typicall have small speakers, in the 3" range.
a decent front stage will have 6" or large speakers
there is a noticeable difference.

add in a good avr will allow switching hdmi sources, integrating radio, media, bluray/dvd, external streaming boxes. its just a better way to go imho

the cost will be higher than a soundbar.
but if/when you want to change parts you dont have to replace the entire thing
you can also space the L/R out further than the soundbar allow.

 

[Compnewbie01]

Does 3.1 mean 3 speakers + 1 sub-woofer? Maybe just buying a smaller sub-woofer could work and not cause too many vibrations. If it means anything I'm on the top floor of a 2-story and the floors are carpeted which should dampen things somewhat. Is my $800-1000 price point appropriate if I plan ~$500 for the projector and $500 for the AVR + speakers + wires?

 

[Dranoche]

I think you should look around for some used gear, and if you can add a couple hundred to your AVR/speaker budget it will really open up your options. With a bit of searching and waiting you can probably find a lightly used, fairly recent mid-range AVR for about $200-350, and a good set of used bookshelf speakers with 5 or 6 inch drivers for $150-400/pair.

A good pair of 5-6" bookshelf speakers will be far more enjoyable than a surround set of 3" satellites and a cheap subwoofer. You can add a subwoofer and other speakers later. Bookshelf speakers can also be easily shifted to surround duty if you upgrade to or add floorstanders later.

 

[mdram]

Does 3.1 mean 3 speakers + 1 sub-woofer? Maybe just buying a smaller sub-woofer could work and not cause too many vibrations. If it means anything I'm on the top floor of a 2-story and the floors are carpeted which should dampen things somewhat. Is my $800-1000 price point appropriate if I plan ~$500 for the projector and $500 for the AVR + speakers + wires?

avr - 200-300
front l/r 200+
front center 150+
sub - 200 is a good starter sub, but you can get them cheaper, just less output

your downstairs neighbor will hate a decent sub

 

[Compnewbie01]

Here is a quick layout of how I imagine the room being:

https://ibb.co/jsg1f8

And here are a few components I picked out:

Projector: https://www.amazon.com/Optoma-HD143...UTF8&qid=1528785610&sr=8-3&keywords=optoma+hd

Speakers: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290202
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1J70R68382

AVR: https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V3...id=1528785781&sr=1-3&keywords=yamaha+receiver

I chose these based on reviews and some very basic research. The total comes to about $1000 but I could chip away from the projector because I am not sure if I need one as expensive. Any ideas?

 

[snoopy7548]

I would move the couch closer to the screen - 96" at 16' will seem really small. I'd aim for closer to a 10-12' seating distance , which would allow you to put in rear speakers and have a 5.1 system. Have you used this throw distance calculator for your projector?

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-HD143X-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Are you sure you want the projector on the coffee table? The fans in those can be loud, and light bleed from the top/vents may be annoying in a dark room. If ceiling-mounting isn't an option, and you move the couch forward, you'd have space to mount it on a shelf behind you. Or maybe you could mount the projector under the coffee table...

 

[Kaido]

I have been interested in making a home theater for my apartment but am having trouble figuring out the basics. The area is quite small at 10X16 and I cannot put excessive holes in the walls due to it being a rental. This complicates wire management as I don't want several wires going across the room.

I will likely have a small sofa or recliners at one end of the room (spanning the 10ft wall) with a coffee table. I'd like to try out a projector and my initial searching shows that $500 can buy a pretty decent one. My idea is to put the projector on the bottom of the coffee table and maybe run a rug to the screen wall to conceal a power/HDMI cord. This would give the projector approximately 10ft from the screen wall which I imagine is alright for an 8-9 foot screen size. Ideally, I would just project onto the wall, but would consider a basic screen as long as it doesn't require more than 2 nails to hang so that I can easily patch it upon moving.

So the sound system portion is where I am struggling the most. It seems a lot of enthusiasts swear against sound bars but this would be the easiest thing. Are there good sound systems that don't require full surround? I could place a small cabinet under the screen/wall to house the receiver/amp and any media devices and just have a 2-3 speaker setup (2 side speakers + center). Would this work? Is a sub-woofer necessary? This way I would only need to run 1 or 2 easily concealable wires for the projector. Any more speakers (such as behind/next to sofa) will make this difficult and a sub-woofer might be problematic for an apartment.

An overall budget for this project will be $800-1000. If I drop about $500 on the projector, is $300-400 enough for fairly decent speakers/sound? I am not an enthusiast but want something a little better than a standard TV speaker.

OK, so to clarify:

1. You want a small starter home theather
2. You live in an apartment
3. You want a projector & a separate sound system
4. Your budget is $800 to $1000

You have multiple options. Thoughts & questions:

1. Subwoofer: Do you have any neighbors who would be annoyed by a subwoofer? Bass sound travels (as do the vibrations). I ended up putting transducers (bass shakers - they vibrate, but don't make noise, so you get the "feel" of a sub without actually having one) into my couch instead.

2. Projector: Are you open to other projector options? My portable unit is the Aaxa P300 Neo. Currently $295 shipped. 720p & 420 lumens. Doesn't sound like much, but it's awesome to use (no bulb, turns on quick, super tiny, great picture). I'll be back in town this weekend & will have to remember to snap some pictures for you.

https://www.amazon.com/AAXA-P300-Neo-Video-Projector/dp/B074QK249C

3. Sound: Zillions of options for audio. For starters, soundbars have gotten better. They also have flat soundbars that have built-in slim subwoofers for more boost without actually having a big separate box. ZVOX has some interesting models, and their AccuVoice technology is pretty decent for clearing up vocal dialog from movies & TV shows:

https://zvox.com/collections/all-products

If you can have a dedicated subwoofer, Vizio makes a really nice soundbar + wireless subwoofer system for $180 that sounds surprisingly great for the price & size. Has DTS Virtual:X, which kind of emulates a theater system. Can be wall-mounted, and the sub can be placed anywhere in the room (it's wireless):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BTRMBYS/

They also have a really nifty 5.1 system, where all of the front speakers are in the soundbar (left, center, right) & also has a wireless sub, except that the two rear speakers hook into the sub, so you don't have to run any wires across the room! $200 for the 36" version:

https://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-SmartCast-Wireless-Soundbar-System/dp/B0727XPHKF/

$400 for the 44" version: (bigger sub, longer soundbar, deeper bass)

https://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-SB4451-C0-SmartCast-Sound-System/dp/B01GES2QOY

If you're not in any rush, Vizio has a Dolby Atmos soundbar system coming out later this summer. Pricing not announced, but I am VERY interested in the 46" 5.1.4 system for my basement: (assuming the pricing isn't insane)

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/4/10/17217342/vizio-sound-bar-dolby-atmos-chromecast

If you just need something cheap & basic for now, check out Micca. They have a pretty decent bookshelf pair for $90:

https://www.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2/

There are a bunch of amplifier options available as well. I have my friend setup on a $25 Lepai digital amp & it works great with the Micca bookshelves:

https://www.amazon.com/LP-2020A-Tripath-Class-T-Amplifier-Supply/dp/B00C2P61FO/

That's 20 watts of clean power, which is equivalent to most 100-watt stereo amps, haha. Micca also has their own spiffy amp for $100 (50 watts @ 4-ohms), which has both analog & digital optical inputs: (plus USB, if you're using a computer as your video source)

https://www.amazon.com/Micca-OriGain-Compact-Integrated-Amplifier/dp/B01LXV4O6B/

ELAC also has some great speakers that punch higher than their pay-grade for $280 a pair, if you want to try something other than the usual Pioneer etc. brands:

https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Debut-Bookshelf-Speakers-Black/dp/B07B4Q5587/

 

[Kaido]

One other option, check out the XGIMI H1. Currently on sale for $800 shipped with Amazon coupon:

https://www.amazon.com/XGIMI-Projector-Bluetooth-Screenless-Immersive/dp/B01MQYBQV5/

This is a 1080p LED projector with a built-in Harmon Kardon speaker (equivalent to a sound bar, in terms of quality & loudness). Super super super easy setup & might be a perfect fit for your situation. I've installed a ton of them since I got my first one in back in December of 2016:

https://forums.anandtech.com/forums/audio-video-home-theater.38/

That projector would fit the initial need for a projector & sound, and then down the road you could add a nice 5.1 setup (or throw in that crazy Vizio Dolby Atmos system coming out in the next couple of months!). I'll see if I can grab one this weekend & get some pics along with the Aaxa P300 Neo.

 

[Kaido]

This would give the projector approximately 10ft from the screen wall which I imagine is alright for an 8-9 foot screen size. Ideally, I would just project onto the wall, but would consider a basic screen as long as it doesn't require more than 2 nails to hang so that I can easily patch it upon moving.

You might consider going with an 8-foot pull-up (not pull-down) screen: ($200)

https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Screens-F100NWH-ezCinema-Projection/dp/B0009OAP2U/

Basically a long tube you put on the floor. Swing out the legs, pop the lid back & pull it straight up. Accordion jack in the back (like a scissor lift). Super easy. I have a similar one for doing presentations & the occasional indoor movie party at random locations. Works great, no installation required, and also works great on deck & patios if you want to watch something outside!

 

[Compnewbie01]

Thank you for the suggestions Kaido. For the projector, I don't know if the 420 lumens is enough because I can close shades to dim the room, but there is still a fair amount of light that enters.

The soundbar idea sounds good because it would definitely be easier, but it seemed like a general consensus was that they are inferior to actual speakers. However, I'm not an audiophile and I've been using my 50" TVs built-in sound for the last eight years and it was perfectly fine. The sub-woofer is probably not worth adding right now but having the option down the road would be nice. I definitely want something I can build from in the future if I get a bigger place where vibrations are not a concern.

I'll keep that screen you posted in mind. I want to try the wall first and see if it works alright and then order a screen if I'm not completely happy with it.