Someone posted their basement room and it's the most honest build I've seen in a while. Windowless interior room, so full light control from day one. Projector is an Epson EF-12 he already had. The screen was an Amazon pull-down stapled to the wall for years until he finally built a proper screen wall. Rears and sides are Klipsch R-41. The front three came from Goodwill: a Yamaha centre and Infinity SL40 for left and right. Subs are Klipsch, tucked under shelves he built himself.
The reason it works is the room, and I don't think that gets said often enough here. An EF-12 in a fully dark, windowless box with no white walls bouncing light around will beat a much brighter projector fighting a living room with an off-white ceiling. Ambient light rejection screens exist because most people can't do what he did. He could, so he didn't need to spend the money.
Where I'd disagree with the general applause: the mismatched front three is the weak link, not the projector. Left, centre and right handle almost all dialogue and every pan across the screen, and a Yamaha centre between two Infinity towers will have a different tonal balance and a different dispersion pattern. Voices will shift character as they move across the image. That's more distracting once you notice it than anything the EF-12 is doing.
If it were my room and I had a few hundred to spend, I'd fix the front three before touching the projector. Anyone want to argue the other way?
The reason it works is the room, and I don't think that gets said often enough here. An EF-12 in a fully dark, windowless box with no white walls bouncing light around will beat a much brighter projector fighting a living room with an off-white ceiling. Ambient light rejection screens exist because most people can't do what he did. He could, so he didn't need to spend the money.
Where I'd disagree with the general applause: the mismatched front three is the weak link, not the projector. Left, centre and right handle almost all dialogue and every pan across the screen, and a Yamaha centre between two Infinity towers will have a different tonal balance and a different dispersion pattern. Voices will shift character as they move across the image. That's more distracting once you notice it than anything the EF-12 is doing.
If it were my room and I had a few hundred to spend, I'd fix the front three before touching the projector. Anyone want to argue the other way?
