CUSTOM INSTALLATION
17
T
HE MODERN HOME is
becoming increasingly
tech savvy, and not just for
entertainment purposes.
Convenience is a huge
drawcard, too. Whetheryou’ve got a spare room by way of the
basement or have a full house and hectic
schedule, decking out your house with the
latest tech solutions can create flow and
make life more enjoyable.
This existing 6.9m x 3.9m basementroom in our client’s residence in Sydney’s
Bexley North was once an unloved junk
room for a family of six. But it was always
our client’s dream to have a home cinema
installed there for him and his family to
enjoy, equivalent in sound and picture to
the quality of a commercial theatre.
For this project we combined forceswith builder/theatre designer Andrew
Fenton of Trade A Management to turn
this dream into a reality. The result is a
space that is big and comfortable enough
for the whole family to enjoy.
A new space
To get the most out of the space,
Andrew and our senior custom
consultant Alberto Vangi
decided on the removal of
the existing kitchenette, and
then rotation of the room
orientation to change
the entrance position
and allow for staged,
comfortable seating.
Even better, the
new entry maximises
the usable space while
accommodating a
large screen carefully
specified to take into
account viewing distances.Projecting
Entertainment
Four false walls were also created to
acoustically soundproof the room –
an important consideration to ensure
that someone can be using the cinema
room without disturbing other members
of the household.
This also allowed for careful and correct
accommodation of the speakers, so they
could be flush-mounted to the wall and
provide a professional look. The original
doorway was converted into a cabinet for
the equipment to be neatly stored.Full immersion
To deliver a true cinema experience, a
Sony 4K video projector was selected,
future-proofing the cinema for future
Ultra High Definition content as well as
delivering a stunning image from current
formats. And since size does matter in
Home Cinema, the projector throws to
a Stewart custom 151” Cinemascope-
format screen with THX perforations.
There is good reason for this, as the front-
facing speakers are actually positioned
carefully behind the screen, just as they
would be in a full-size commercial cinema.
The sound system was designed as a
9.4-channel surround configuration, with
amplification and processing handled
by Yamaha’s CX-A500 Processor and
formidable Aventage MX-A5000. Capable
of pushing out 150 watts per channel,
the MX-A5000 is a powerful driving
force that provides superb quality and
performance for all channels. Four 12-inch
Sunfire subwoofers provide significant
bottom end when needed, and are tuned
to work in perfect concert with Bowers
& Wilkins dual 3-way HT’s and the In-Wall
Reference speakers managing mid and
upper frequencies.
An Oppo Darbee-edition Blu-ray player,
Panasonic Blu-ray recorder and Apple