Recently Filed in Acoustic Treatments

We often hear questions about soundproofing your home theater system and how to keep noise levels from reaching your baby’s room and not blasting the whole house while you watch that “Pirates of the Caribbean” Blu-ray you just picked up. Well, it can start by closing the door—at least one from Cascade Audio Engineering, which has debuted its new SB-Model 3D soundproof oak door. The new product was designed to keep the sound inside your home theater and not have it flood the rest of… View this story
Furniture and Mounts • Acoustic Treatments • Location • Media Room • Home Theater • Product News

If you’re adding a flat-panel TV to your elegant living space and don’t want it to muck up the decor, you might have already looked into art concealment solutions. Chances are, you want to hide the speakers in your surround sound or semi surround setup as well. VisionArt now takes care of both solutions, with a hand from well-respected speaker manufacturer Triad. The new VisionArt Audio Solutions by Triad Speakers incorporates the front left, center and right channels right into the area of your canvas… View this story
Displays • Flat Panel • Furniture and Mounts • Acoustic Treatments • TV Mounts • Speakers • Speaker Systems • Audio • Enhancements • Product News

Most home theater owners have friends surrounding them, wanting to experience a night of home entertainment. Tom Hetzel, on the other hand, has his friends surrounding him—literally. This do-it-yourselfer built his home theater in the basement of his townhouse, with neighbors on each side.  “I did a lot of research on soundproofing on the Internet and used several techniques,” Tom says of the process. “I used what is called a ‘room within a room’ setup, where none of the theater walls or ceiling are touching… View this story
Acoustic Treatments • Basement • DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Q. Our house has stone floors, high ceilings and tons of echo. Are there any ways to inexpensively kill the echo? - Paul, San Diego A. You have quite the acoustic nightmare. You really need full acoustic analysis and without measurements and a surface diagram - I can only give general recommendations. Most people don’t understand the basics of sound reflection. Ironically, many would say the acoustics are great. The old concept of good acoustics was that it is easy to hear without amplification. Of… View this story
Acoustic Treatments • Audio • Ask a Pro

Michael Tarasenco was 13 years old in 1977, the year his father cosigned a loan for him in the amount of $3,500. With the money, which was at the time a significant sum, Tarasenco purchased his very first stereo system, and was instantly the envy of all the kids at his junior high. “I’ve always had a passion for music and electronics,” says Tarasenco. “I have been gradually moving up in the quality of gear I buy over the years.” Previous systems stayed in his… View this story
Floor Standing Speakers • On-Wall Speakers • Acoustic Treatments • Basement • DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Audio • Cool Homes • Slideshows

“What are the most important things that the average consumer can do to improve the acoustics of a budget-conscious home theater or media room?” That’s the question I ask Anthony Grimani, president of both Performance Media Industries, Ltd., and MSR Acoustics. I ask because Grimani’s storied history with Dolby Laboratories and THX, as well as his own consulting and manufacturing companies, have made him one of the world’s most respected names in the field of acoustics and theater design. Or, I should say, that’s why… View this story
Speakers • Acoustic Treatments • Audio • Info and Answers

What happens when the company you hired to design an entertainment system for your home closes shop midway through the project? The owners of this California residence gave their dreams a second chance by hiring a new home systems contractor. Terence Mulholland and his crew at Beyond Home Theater in Santa Monica, CA, came into the half-finished project without a clue as to where to drill holes to get to the wiring that had already been installed. They also had to persuade the homeowners to… View this story
Video Projectors • Video Screen • Acoustic Treatments • Touchpanels and Keypads • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

If the editors of Electronic House had this family room, we might never get off of the couch. The relaxing earth tones and casually elegant style echo the flowing, Prairie-style architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. And it’s all framed by sumptuous mahogany columns, red oak floors and maple walls. Then there’s the partial wall, sitting like an island several feet in front of a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. The wall is open between the mahogany columns at the top and bottom, making it appear to… View this story
Acoustic Treatments • Shades and Blinds • Family Room • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Steve Cale isn’t screwing around with his home theater. After 10 months of gutting his basement and countless dollars, he doesn’t just let anyone into his home theater. You need the password—or at least a carbon copy of his fingerprint for the door lock.  “It just sounded and looked cool and was a very quick and easy way to get into the theater, while securing it so that no one could get in that I didn’t want in,” Cale says of the Shepherd DL 210… View this story
Acoustic Treatments • Seating • Locks and Hardware • DIY Home Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Another Consumer Electronics Show has passed and as expected, there was a round of innovative and intriguing products introduced. Many of these new products will eventually find their way into your family room. The problem is, those using their family room as a home theater are not seeing or listening to their electronics at optimum levels. Are you close? Maybe...but probably not. And the reason may not have anything to do with the equipment, but rather the room itself. Your home theater walls need your… View this story
Acoustic Treatments • Home Theater • Info and Answers

For manufacturers it’s tough to get better PR coverage than being spotlighted on a television show. Auralex Acoustics recently had such an opportunity for its involvement in a rebuilding project on an episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in November. The acoustics company was one of many used for the renovation of a New Jersey family’s home. New York installer Dale Pro Audio recommended Auralex’s products for the bedroom of the family’s oldest son, who wants to be a DJ/musician and financially help his… View this story
Furniture and Mounts • Acoustic Treatments • Home Theater Accessories • Location • Bedroom • Home Theater • Audio • Product News

Two homeowners so badly wanted home theaters, they were willing to sacrifice rooms already in use within their homes. Whether it’s a playroom or basement turned bed-and-bath, the desire for a home theater won over in both cases. In Alberta, Canada, the child’s playroom was transformed into space the entire family could enjoy. But this home theater is as much about design as it is about the ultimate multimedia experience. The cutting-edge array of audio/video and home automation gear is tempered by striking architectural elements… View this story
Acoustic Treatments • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows