4 STEPS TO THE ULTIMATE HOME THEATER DESIGN

Have you ever considered installing a custom home theater system? We’re not talking about the packaged speakers and flat screen TV you can get at your local electronics store. We're talking about a media room specially designed –from speaker placement to room acoustics—to recreate the feel of a commercial theater. You can even decorate it to reflect your favorite sports team or movie era. By following the steps outlined below, Avidia designs the ultimate escape in your Kenilworth, Illinois home.

Prepare Your Home Theater for Sports Season with Avidia

As sports enthusiasts gear up for the upcoming season, there's no better time to transform your home theater or media room into the ultimate entertainment hub. A well-designed space that incorporates an immersive surround sound system and a projector/screen combination can make all the difference, bringing the excitement of Soldier Field or United Center right into your Wilmette or Greater Chicago-area living room. 

Below, we’ll share a few images of a recent Glencoe project inspired by a recent custom home theater project we completed in collaboration with Newgard Custom Homes, so keep reading to learn how to prepare your own space for an immersive sports experience. 

The reason watching movies in a theater is such a memorable experience is not only the larger-than-life motion pictures but also the sound that engages you from all sides. As you prepare the perfecthome theater design for your property, you must consider which surround sound setup you want to install. Having the right audio in place could make all the difference.

SEE MORE:4 Steps to Designing the Ultimate Home Theater System

Upgrade to the Dolby Atmos Home Theater Experience

Dolby Atmos has taken the surround sound experience to the next level in both commercial theaters and at home. The new technology aims at creating a three-dimensional sound so you can follow the action. Hear a plane flying over you from the front of the room all the way past you. Every little detail is heard crisply and precisely where it should be.

Traditionally, surround sound systems would break sound up between two or more channels (each corresponding to a different speaker). This meant sounds in a specific channel could only be heard from that angle. In a Dolby Atmos system, sounds are treated as individual ‘objects' that can be moved throughout the room without being confined to one channel. This allows sounds to move around freely for truly realistic audio in your home theater.

Finding the Right Surround Sound System Layout

As long as you have speakers with Dolby Atmos-enabled technology, you have some leeway on the layout you want to use for your system. For the best sound, we recommend going with a 5.1.2 or 7.1.2 configuration though you can check out theDolby Atmos website for more options. 

PREPARING YOUR SPACE TO BECOME THE ULTIMATE ENTERTAINMENT HOT SPOT!

Adding a surround sound system can greatly enhance your home entertainment experience, whether you’re watching movies, binging shows, or enjoying the big game, but there are several factors that you should take into consideration before embarking on this exciting project for your Wilmette, IL, home theater or media room. 

Our team will walk you through the process from start to finish, but understanding what goes into this type of project is essential. Keep reading below to learn more!

Music is powerful. It can transform gloomy days into happy ones, inspire creativity, energize you in the morning and soothe you to sleep at night. To take advantage of music throughout your day, you need a system that enables easy listening wherever you are, especially when you’re at home in Park Ridge, IL. That’s what you get with a whole house audio system by Sonos, the leading provider of smart wireless speakers. To learn about Sonos and how it can add value to your home, read on.

SEE MORE: How to Upgrade Your Outdoor Music System

What is Sonos?

Sonos provides high-performance wireless speaker systems ranging from dedicated home theater systems to whole house audio systems. Their selection of speakers, audio components, and home theater equipment ensures they have something for every room of your home. In addition to having all the components you need to boost your listening experience, Sonos provides components that can upgrade your existing audio equipment to work with Sonos for wireless music streaming.

Why Choose Sonos for Whole House Audio

Your home theater is only going to be as good as the equipment in it. Which is why a big focus of your installation will be on finding the right speakers, screens, and projectors. But a lot more than that goes into crafting a comprehensive home theater design. Check out some features you should consider when upgrading the entertainment in your Winnetka, Illinois home.

SEE MORE 4 Steps to Designing the Ultimate Home Theater

Enhance Your Style With Hidden Technology

When you’re purchasing equipment, focus not just on its performance but also how it will fit into your overall design. Most AV manufacturers offer ‘hidden technology’ options that provide a discreet approach to your home theater. This way you can show off your style without losing any of the quality.

When it comes to your speakers, you can go with KEF in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. Get all the benefits of a Dolby Atmos surround sound setup while keeping your equipment hidden. Your screen is also easy to conceal. If you don't want it to be seen when your theater is not in use, invest in a retractable screen that disappears into the ceiling at the press of a button.

SEE ALSO: Stream Music in Every Room of Your Home with Sonos

A Whole-Home Sonos System

Sonos makes excellent wireless speakers, but perhaps that's not your preference. You may have one or more existing audio systems with speakers you like, or you prefer your speakers to be heard and not seen. In those cases, Avidia can create a system that you will love, controllable with the Sonos app in the palm of your hand.

If you want built-in speakers, you’ll want the experience of a professional. Even if your home is already wired for in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, there are nuances to installation. First, even with existing wiring, it may not be up to par for an upgraded set of speakers. And if it is, our installers are experts in cutting carefully into existing walls to avoid damage. If you're remodeling or building, we are skilled in optimizing each built-in speaker's location for the best performance in each room or space. If you're adding outdoor audio, there are special considerations there too, as you may need more power and more speakers to get the desired level of volume and sound quality in an outdoor area.

The Sonos Amp is an amplifier and digital streaming device all rolled into one, and makes an excellent solution for smaller multiroom audio systems by using several Amps. You can also pipe additional audio sources like your turntable into it and hear vinyl all over your home, or even TV audio. It does even more, but we also want to tell you about other options.

SEE ALSO: 4 Clever Design Ideas to Improve Your Media Room Experience

Good: Dolby Atmos-Enabled Soundbar

The simplest way to bring Dolby Atmos audio to your media room is with a Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbar. If you want a quick and budget-friendly solution that doesn’t require placing speakers all around your media room but still offers immersive sound, then you may consider this option.

Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbars have upward-firing drivers that help create a multidimensional soundstage. Of course, the performance will also depend on the quality of the soundbar.

The Sonos Arc is a great contender, packing 11 high-performance drivers for impressive clarity and detail. It also features Sonos’ Trueplay technology, which automatically optimizes the sound for the acoustics of your media room. For more booming bass, pair it with the Sonos wireless Sub.

Better: Dolby Atmos-Enabled Surround Speakers

For a more accurate and immersive surround sound experience, choose a conventional 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound setup featuring Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers. A nice alternative to installing speakers in your ceiling, Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers have traditional, forward-firing drivers but also direct audio upward so that it reflects off the ceiling and produces a realistic overhead sound.