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Home Theater Gear

A. Faroudja 1080p HD projector ($28,000) B. Stewart 100-inch Studiotech screen ($2,750) Faroudja DVP1510 HDTV processor with DVD drive ($12,000) Dish Network HD ViP211 satellite receiver ($500) Rotel RSP-1068 surround-sound processor ($1,700) Denon AVR-1506 surround-sound receiver ($349) Jeff Rowland MC-6 6-channel power amp ($15,000) ATI AT1506 6-channel power amp ($2,000) Marchand XM9 active crossover ($850) C. Three Huff One speakers ($5,000 each) D. Four B&W DS6 S3 on-wall surround speakers ($400 each) E. Two Huff Sub One passive subwoofers ($4,000 each) F. Two Huff SP active subwoofers ($3,000 each) Furman PF-Pro E line conditioner ($400) Universal Remote MX-850 Aeros remote control ($399) Universal Remote MRF-300 RFX RF receiver ($200) G. Middle Atlantic equipment rack with fans ($2,500) H. Four Cinematic "Casablanca" theater chairs ($17,000) I. Six Media Specialty Resources acoustic panels ($2,400)

That the homeowners had speakers custom-made for the three front channels might seem unusual, but speaker-builder John Huff lives in town, and Gordon uses Huff's wares in his own home theater room. "My friends are always blown away by how John's speakers sound," Gordon says. The speakers - which are visually striking with their highly figured bird's-eye maple cabinets - use ceramic woofers and ribbon tweeters.

Huff One speakers handle the left, right, and center channels, with the left and right speakers on 26-inch stands and the center speaker above the screen, angled toward the seats. A pair of cylindrical Huff Sub One passive subwoofers sit to the outside of the left and right speakers, while two Huff SP active subs are located in the rear of the room. Four B&W DS6 S3 on-wall speakers are used for surrounds. The decision to go with a different brand for the surrounds was strictly budgetary - the homeowners didn't want to spring for custom surrounds.

Although the wife and designer weren't as involved in the layout of the theater, they weren't completely absent from the decision-making process. For example, they dictated that the powered subs go in the back of the room. "They didn't want two more 12-inch drivers in the front," Gordon says. Surprisingly, neither the wife nor designer have complained about the lack of grille cloths on the front speakers. (Yet.)

Also unusual is the theater's amplification. Four of the six channels of a Jeff Rowland MC-6 amplifier, two per speaker, are bridged for the left and right front speakers, while the remaining two channels power the passive subwoofers, with Marchand XM9 active crossovers sending frequencies below 80 Hz to the subs. An ATI 1506 six-channel amp handles the four surrounds and the center speaker. (Gordon bridged two channels for the center speaker to ensure that dialogue is always intelligible.) The Middle Atlantic rack, hidden behind a door next to the screen, holds all the gear. (See the list, at right.)

Four Casablanca theater chairs from Cinematic make up the front row of seating, while four more generic - but still comfortable - theater-style chairs sit behind them on a riser. The homeowners use a Universal Remote MX-850 Aeros control and MRF-300 RFX RF receiver to operate the theater but recently decided to upgrade to a Crestron control system.