OTHER TECH

TAKE IT UPSTAIRS

THE HOME THEATER

Barco CineVersum 120 high-def DLP front projector Da-Lite Cinema Contour 110-inch screen Escient FireBall DVDM-100 DVD and digital music manager Escient FireBall E2-300 digital music manager 4 Sony DVP-CX777ES 400-disc DVD changers Sony RDR-GX7 DVD recorder Mitsubishi HSU-747 VCR 2 DirecTV HR10-250 satellite receivers with TiVo Lexicon MC-8 preamp/processor Crestron ST-Tune AM/FM tuner 7 Genelec AIW26 powered in-wall speakers 2 Sunfire Solitaire 10 subwoofers Crestron TPMC-10 Wi-Fi touchpanel controller ProVideo CVC-870EX digital camcorder VocoPro Karaoke system

Midway through the installation, Matt and Erin decided they also wanted to renovate the upstairs family room. This space had electronics for a surround sound system on a rack out in the room, Definitive Technology tower speakers, and a large Sony rear-projection TV.

"Initially, we thought we'd be coming in there for a retrofit," Baumeister remembers. "But to our - and the builder's - surprise, the owners wound up gutting a lot of things, and it turned into a major project. Fortunately, we had already run conduit and done a lot of pre-wiring, so the job wasn't as involved as it could have been."

Since Matt and Erin had installed new wood floors and period lighting in the family room, they wanted a clean look, so the freestanding surround system had to go. A cabinetmaker built a wall of cherry-wood bookshelves to house a 55-inch Fujitsu plasma HDTV and a Sunfire Solitaire sub, with room for three Sonance Silhouette in-wall speakers. Because it would take months for the cabinetmaker to finish the job, carpenters created a plywood mockup so Baumeister could accurately place and wire the TV and speakers. The source components, which are also used to feed the home theater, and a Denon AVR-4802 receiver were relocated to the master control closet, and a pair of Sonance Virtuoso 834 ceiling speakers were installed for the surrounds.

While the family room and the basement are the main entertainment areas in the house, most of the rooms are wired for audio, and there are flat-panel TVs throughout the house. The master bedroom has its own home theater system, including a 42-inch Fujitsu plasma HDTV that rises on an Inca lift out of a cabinet at the foot of the bed, three PSB M6X6.1 speakers resting on a beam above the bed, and PSB in-wall speakers behind the headboard.

There can be little argument about a project's success when the owners, installers, and architects all rave about the results - and compliment each other's contributions. "My wife and I were fairly actively involved because we didn't want to wind up with an Art Deco theater-in-a-box," Matt explains. "We're very happy with the way everything turned out - and after living with the home theater for nine months, I'm finding that we use it even more than I'd imagined."

If their high expectations for the project were met, it might be because Matt and Erin are "the perfect clients," Baumeister says. "They're proactive as well as educated and technologically savvy. But they're willing to listen and discuss another solution instead of thinking they always have the right answer. Just as important, though, they really wanted to get it right, even if it meant taking more time. While a lot of homeowners just want the job to be done, these people would rather wait a year if it means getting what they want."