Home theaters are the stuff of dreams – spaces where you can retreat from everyday reality into a world where movies, games, and music are the only things that matter. For many, a simple setup can be created in a living room using the best 4K projectors and best TVs paired with one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars. But the sky is the limit regarding home theater design, and there are talented professionals worldwide dedicated to realizing their clients’ most far-flung audio-video dreams.
To cap off TechRadar’s Home Theater Week series, we’ve collected a range of home theater (home cinema, if you’re in the UK) installations that push the limits of what’s possible when it comes to video and audio quality, acoustic treatment, furniture and lighting design, and just general vibe.
We think you’ll agree these are special spaces to experience the best in immersive entertainment, and hope they’ll inspire your own dream home theater, be it a DIY one or a theater designed and installed by CEDIA-affiliated professionals.
Joy Division Cinema – M.E.G.A AV / AWE Europe
This home theater was designed with music and AV in mind, as the owner is a self-confessed movie and music fanatic. Situated in a two-floor penthouse suite near Tower Bridge London, the media room is a space where, according to M.E.G.A AV, “he and his wife could indulge in these passions via an immersive, top-of-the-range sound system.” The finishing touch to the media space is the captivating wooden sculptured ceiling depicting the artwork of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures album.
The setup is a 7.2-channel surround system made up of Bowers & Wilkins in-wall speakers and subwoofers that uses a Sony VPL-XW7000 4K projector and a 130-inch screen. Dotted throughout the apartment are B&W ceiling speakers for music as well. As a final touch, the front, left, and right speakers, three subwoofers, the motorized 130” projector screen, and four blackout blinds are housed by a bulkhead weighing a whopping 992lbs (450kg), which was de-coupled from the building's structure to prevent vibrations.
Equipment used:
- Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.3S2 x 3
- Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.4S2 x 6
- Bowers & Wilkins CDA-2HD Amp x 3
- Bowers & Wilkins ISW-8 subwoofer
- Bowers & Wilkins CTSW15 subwoofer
- Bowers & Wilkins CTSW12 subwoofer x 2
- Bowers & Wilkins BBLCR7 back boxes x 8
- Bowers & Wilkins CCM683 speakers x 4 pairs
- Bowers & Wilkins CCM362 x 2 pairs
- Bowers & Wilkins CCM381 x 1 pair
- Marantz AV10 preamp-processor
- Marantz AMP10 amplifier
- Sony VPL-XW7000 4K Projector
- Sony XR55A95LU 55-inch TV
- Sony XR50X94SU 50-inch TV
Lifelong Dream Theater – Definitive / CinemaTech
The client for this installation, which was carried out by Seattle’s Definitive (engineering, installation, and calibration) working with CinemaTech (room design, acoustic wall treatments, and LED starlight ceiling), is a lifelong gamer and movie fan who was seeking a space that would serve his family’s needs without compromising his high AV performance standards.
The 9.4.4-channel Dolby Atmos system features a 2.40 Aspect ratio 144-inch wide Stewart Harmony G2 screen paired with a Sony VPL-XW7000ES projector and madVR Envy Extreme mkII video processor. The 9.4.4-channel Dolby Atmos audio system uses a Trinnov Altitude 16 Surround Processor, Wisdom Audio On-Wall, In-wall and In-Ceiling Speakers, and JL Audio In-wall Subwoofers.
Equipment used:
- Front row: Cinematech Estrella chase with motorized headrests and storage arms
- Rear row: Cinematech Valentino theater seating with storage arms
- Trinnov Altitude 16 Surround Processor
- Trinnov Amplitude 16 Amplifier
- Screen Channels: 3 each Wisdom Audio On-Wall Line 2
- Side & Rear Channels: 6 each Wisdom Audio In-Wall L8i
- Height Channels: 4 each Wisdom Audio In-Ceiling ics7a
- 4 x JL Audio Fathom IWSv2-SYST-113 in-wall subwoofers, each with its own discrete Trinnov LFE output channel.
- Sony VPL-XW7000ES projector
- madVR Envy Extreme mkII video processor:
- Stewart Harmony G2 144-inch wide 2.40 aspect ratio screen
- AV ProEdge HDMI Extender
- Kaleidescape Movie System
- Apple TV
- Sony PlayStation 5 gaming console
- Control4 Core3 System Controller
- Control4 Halo Remote
The Tawny Hotel Cinema – Bespoke Home Cinemas / AWE Europe
For this project, The Tawny Hotel called on integrator Bespoke Home Cinemas to convert the stunning Grade II listed Falcon Farmhouse situated in the beautiful Staffordshire countryside into a versatile AV cinema room. The task was to create “an immersive and superior cinema experience” but it also had to be a sophisticated and cozy environment.
The result is a 7.2.4 cinema surround sound system coupled with a Sony VPL-XW5000 4K projector projected onto a 10.5-foot-wide transparent screen from Cinema Build Systems. The surround system consists of Bowers & Wilkins in-wall and in-ceiling speakers and subwoofers, powered by the flagship Denon AVCA1H AV receiver. Distributor AWE Europe provided all the equipment. For a visual addition to the room, a star ceiling with scene lighting was used, along with the original wooden beams to keep the authentic charm of the original space.
Equipment used:
- Sony VPL-XW5000 Projector
- 2 x B&W ISW-8 CI in-wall subwoofers
- 2 x B&W BBISW8 CI in-wall SW backboxes
- 2 x B&W CDA-2HD CI DSP amplifier
- 3 x B&W CWM7.4S2 CI in-wall loudspeakers
- 4 x B&W CWM664 CI in-wall loudspeakers
- 4 x B&W CCM664 CI in-ceiling loudspeakers
- Denon AVCA1H AV Amplifier
- Cinema Build Systems 10.5-foot Acoustic Screen
Dolby Cinema Theater – Hometronics
Doug Darrow and Priscilla Morgan are former Dolby execs who wanted to make their new home theater match the performance of the Dolby Cinemas they had helped introduce to film fans the world over. To that end, they worked with Greg Margolis of Dallas, Texas-based Hometronics to install a system based around a Christie CP 2315, a laser projector used in commercial theaters, and use actual Dolby processors (along with a Kaleidescape system) for an audio/video source.
The system’s sound is provided by California Audio Technologies (CAT) and consists of 32 total speakers. This is not any stock Dolby Atmos speaker rig, but one custom-designed for the space that includes six height speakers and twelve subwoofers. While much consideration clearly went into making the installation technically perfect, comfortable seating (in videophile-approved dark gray) and tunable LED lighting capable of displaying a proper Dolby blue hue were also used to make the space aesthetically pleasing.
Equipment used:
- Dolby CP-950A Processor
- Christie CP2315 DCI, RGB Laser Projector
- Display Technologies Acoustical Transparent Filmscreen
- 2 Symetrix Radius 12x12 DSP Processors
- Crestron CP4R Processor
- Crestron HR-310 Remote Control
- 3 CAT MBX-1000 Front Speakers
- 4 CAT Elite S4 18” LFE Subwoofers
- 2 CAT MBX S8 12” Full Range Drivers (left/right speakers)
- 8 CAT 400 Side and Rear Surround Speakers
- 6 CAT Elite Sausalito Atmos Speakers
- 4 CAT MBX-S8 12” Bass Balancing Subwoofers
- 4 CAT 300.8 Amplifiers
West Sussex Cinema - PBI AV Solutions / AWE Europe
Integrator PBI AV Solutions was tasked with creating an 11-seater home cinema room within the annex of a home in West Sussex, with the room set to be used by a multi-generational family for movie nights.
With some challenges involving the space itself, which was a long and narrow room, PBI AV was able to create a 7.4.4 surround sound system consisting of Bowers & Wilkins 600 and 700 series speakers alongside four ISW-4 in-wall subwoofers. The four 600 series speakers were installed in-ceiling and the 700 series in-wall speakers were installed behind the screen and in the side walls to accommodate the client’s wish of discrete, yet powerful sound.
For the visual side, a Sony VPL-XW5000 4K projector was used in conjunction with a 9-foot acoustically transparent screen (to allow the sound of the in-wall speakers built behind the screen to come through), with a Sony 4K Blu-ray player and Apple TV used as sources.
Another challenge faced by the narrow room was seating. PBI AV solved this issue by using a stepped seating plan across the 11 seats from FrontRow Seating’s Serenity range. The ceiling was a low height as well, meaning a specialized housing for the Sony projector was also built.
Equipment used:
- Sony VPL-XW5000 Projector
- Sony 4K UHD Blu-Ray Player
- Marantz CINEMA40
- Marantz AMP10
- B&W 700 Series: x3 CWM7.3S2 & x4 CWM7.5S2
- B&W 600 Series: x2 CCM684(P)
- B&W Subs: x4 ISW-4 and back boxes
- FrontRow Seating
- Sanus racking
QAV Showroom Theater – QAV
Denver, Colorado-based custom installation firm QAV describes its new showroom theater as “a sanctuary of bespoke design and unparalleled craftsmanship,” and a look at the space, with its plush seating, striking LED lighting, and near wall-to-wall Cinemascope aspect ratio screen easily confirms that claim.
On the tech front, this 11.1.6-channel state-of-the-art theater uses a Barco Bragi Cinemascope Projector and MADVR Envy MKII video processor to project images onto a DT screen with two-way Masking. Audio is provided by a 32-speaker L-Acoustics system and Storm Audio processor, with movies sourced from a Kaleidescape player/server combo.
On the comfort side, Cineak Largo chairs wrapped in leather and Alcantara beckon viewers to sink in, while LightWalls customizable LED lighting sets the right mood. This is one showroom we’re sure visitors will find it difficult to leave.
Equipment used:
- Barco Bragi Cinemascope Projector
- MADVR Envy MKII Video Processor
- L-Acoustics Speakers & Amplifiers
- LightWalls
- Storm Audio processor
- Cineak Largo seating
- Crestron Home
- Trufig
- Basalte Occupancy/Vacancy
- Adorno Custom Fabrics
- CinemaTech ARS
- DT Screen w/ 2-Way Masking
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