CE Pro September 2023 - 31

biggest mistakes generally
are a failure to properly
set expectations. Many of
those home theaters fall
into disuse way too early
in their life cycle. Common
complaints are things
like, " too loud, " " hot and
stuffy, " " can't understand
the dialog, " and " my flat
panel has a better picture. "
Integrators sell and list of
equipment, they need to
understand they need to sell
an experience and that's a
different design all together.
What is the key to great
dedicated theater design:
The key does not reside
so much in the design. It
lies in understanding client
expectations and then
educating the client on
how those expectations
can be materialized.
Thoughts on microLED
trend vs. projection: I think
microLEDs can produce
fabulous video quality and
very large (often too large)
pictures. The downsides
are they are still very
expensive and there is a
fundamental audio problem
- where's the center
channel? That's an extremely
important, often overlooked
component for not only
dialogue intelligibility
but creating an accurate
front sound stage - just
try and pan from across
the width of the picture
without having very audible
timbre differences. Solving
that problem is a work in
progress by at least two
manufacturers and we'll have
to see where that all leads.
How has immersive
audio impacted modern
home theaters: Wow, has
it ever. Back to basics, this
is not a list of equipment;
it is an experience.
Immersive audio has had a
very significant impact on
the resultant experience.
The downside is the math
(speaker/seating positioning,
consistent sound pressure
across seating areas, etc.) to
get it right. As an important
note, immersive audio
was first developed for
commercial cinemas. When
you have 20-foot ceilings (or
higher) getting consistent
sound across multiple seats
is easy. When it's 8-, 10-, or
12-foot ceilings, however,
that's a different story.
" I think microLED
can produce
fabulous video
quality. They
are still very
expensive...
and where's the
center channel? "
-Dennis Erskine
ANTHONY GRIMANI
PMI ENGINEERING,
GRIMANI SYSTEMS,
MSR ACOUSTICS
Location: Novato, Calif.
Website: pmiltd.com,
grimanisystems.com,
msr-inc.com, sonitususa.com
Years designing theaters: 33
Number of theaters
designed in career: 1,000+
Services provided:
Engineering, design,
construction documentation,
onsite consulting, installation
supervision, AV calibration,
acoustical analysis, soundisolation
testing.
What makes your service
and designs unique: Our
services cover all aspects
of theater engineering -
from recommended room
cepro.com
proportions to properly
control standing waves
- to sound isolation and
noise control (so you don't
hear the theater outside
the room, and not letting
the outside impact the
noise floor in the theater).
We also help with product
recommendations, offering
the optimal selection of
speakers, components,
projectors, and screen
materials, as well as lighting
and interior design needs
as well.
Do you have a signature
design: Every room is unique,
but there is a common thread
in our work: The rooms are
usually dressed in stretched
fabric, the acoustical
treatments are interleaved
absorber/diffuser sets, which
are often slightly asymmetrical
to make use of acoustically
transparent screens that
conceal the three front
speakers. We normally place
projectors in hush boxes or in
separate rooms. All the work
includes colorful and clear
plan sets that serve as clear
guidelines for all the trades
involved in the project.
What are the biggest
mistakes you see
integrators make when
doing their own theater
designs: Inadequate
understanding of sound
isolation and noise control.
While we've all learned
these " general rules. " Most
end up with too much or
too little absorption and
" Room size,
wall materials,
incorrectly
specified
speakers for
the room are
problems I get
called into to
correct. "
-Anthony
Grimani
September 2023 CE Pro | 31
http://www.msr-inc.com http://www.pmiltd.com http://www.grimanisystems.com http://www.msr-inc.com http://www.sonitususa.com http://www.cepro.com
CE Pro September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro September 2023
