DIY Dad Builds Theater While Watching Son
Lee Weber pulled double duty; he turned his basement into a home theater while watching his new son.
For most folks, building a theater starts with an empty room. But for devoted movie fan Lee Weber, it all started with a projector. Lee purchased his first projector online, and while he didn’t have a place to install it, within a year he had been through five different models, trying to find the perfect match for him. With the arrival of his son Ethan, however, came other glad tidings: Lee’s wife—a successful chef—gave him permission to convert the basement into a theater. A drummer by profession, Lee had time during the day to work on the room while he watched Ethan. In fact, he portioned off part of the basement as a practice space and included a spot for an office as well, so the theater is anything but dedicated. “I don’t think I actually would have wanted a dedicated room,” says Lee. “I get so much use out of it this way, whether I’m practicing, working, or watching the baby. I like watching a movie on my couch, not in theater seating where you can’t stretch out.”
Lee did, however, incorporate some elements typical of a dedicated room into his multi-purpose space, such as the “humongous” 110-inch Stewart Filmscreen StudioTek screen and the JVC DLA-RS1 projector—purchases that had something of a snowball effect as he got more entrenched in the research process. “I finally ended up with the best projector possible, and then I needed the best speakers available. Now I am forever chasing the upgrade.”
Being a musician, audio is that much more important because Lee knows bad from good. He discovered French speaker manufacturer Triangle and purchased their Zerius model speakers for the front and center channels and used Cambridge Soundworks speakers for the rears. “When I heard the Triangle speakers, I could close my eyes and see the music,” Lee says. “In the background of one Radiohead song, I heard a bell I had never heard before in the top right of the soundstage, and I was hooked.”
Filling the huge, 30- x 14- x 9-foot room with sound was one of the few challenges Lee faced. “I realized quickly that the receiver I had didn’t have enough power, so I switched to an Onkyo and added a big Elemental Designs subwoofer to give the room more get-up-and-go,” says Lee.
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[Link: electronichouse.com]View slideshow
[Link: electronichouse.com]
