How To Create A Home Theater Man Cave
Want a home theater man cave? You can do it even on a tight budget. Even if you are on a budget you can have a great home theater. Well, you will have to wait for some items to have a price drop. Also it will help your wallet if you do some of the work yourself.
The technology of home electronics changes so fast nowadays I don’t think it’s wise to invest in the newest gadget as soon as it is released.
The price of new technology is always high when an item is first produced. You can save lots of money by waiting a while to get your electronics. You will be surprised how much the price drops for a little older technology. Just wait a while to get some of those items that you will need to build your home theater.
The Perfect Man Cave
The home theater man cave is perfect for the man that loves to spend time with his family. Contrary to popular belief a man cave isn’t necessarily for getting away from your family. And not all men are sports fans. Believe it or not all men don’t spend their weekends watching sports. Yet some of these non sports fans still want to have their man caves. You can create an awesome home theater man cave even if you are on a budget.
Instead of having a room full of sports memorabilia just for yourself. You could have pictures of family and possibly some movie posters. Having your favorite movie posters adds to the theater theme. I call this type of man cave the family man man cave. It is perfect for family movie night. The man of the family can be responsible for hosting a good family movie. Dad can give mom the day off and have kids favorites for dinner while watching a good movie in the man cave.
Though technically it is dad’s space, the home theater man cave is the perfect place to spend time with the family. When dad is spending time alone there he is reminded of all the good times with the people he loves, if he chooses to have the family photos hanging in the room. He will see the pictures of his kids sporting events, birthday parties and other special moments all over the walls.
These days it is so easy to record those special moments. You can even upload the videos to YouTube so that you can share them with out of town family members and you can relive those moments by watching them anytime you want.
The Big Screen Tv
The home theater man cave theme is primarily for watching movies and sports, (or gaming) on a large screen. Most people want to get the newest, biggest and best tv that they can for movie watching.
If you are building your awesome home theater on a budget wait for a price drop on that tv.
Having the biggest tv isn’t always the best. A 55″ or 65″ is perfect for most average sized rooms. You don’t want to go much larger than that because being too close to a large screen makes it hard to watch, you will be moving your eyes and head constantly to follow the action.
My 50″ Samsung 4k smart tv with Alexa built in is perfect for my cozy 12′ x 16′ space. I am far enough from the screen to see the entire picture and still get the feeling of watching a “big screen” and I get 4k picture quality.
The Amazon Fire Tv Stick
The fire tv stick 4k with Alexa voice remote is a very powerful media streaming device. Just plug it into an available HDMI jack on your audio/video receiver, tv or home cinema projector and connect to your wi-fi and you are ready to stream your favorite media.
It gives you access to over 500,000 movies and tv shows. You can watch your favorites from Netflix, Disney, YouTube, and a lot more. Prime membership opens up an entirely new world of entertainment. You can also access your favorite websites with it. The Alexa voice remote not only controls your tv but also your other compatible smart home devices.
Home Projectors
Home projectors are also popular if you want to watch movies on a screen 100 inches or more. If you have the space to put a projector 10′ to 12′ away from the screen you have the distance for a screen that size. Epson makes some affordable 1080p full HD projectors.
If you will be using the projector in a room that has windows and you can’t control the lighting get one with more than 3000 lumens, The more lumens your projector has the less the picture will be washed out by the light in the room.
Resolution and picture quality are equally, if not more important than lumens when choosing a projector.
If you are able to control the lighting in your space a projector with around 2000 lumens should be fine. The Epson Home Cinema 2150 is perfect in my home theater. It has 2,500 lumens. I get a bright widescreen full HD 1080p 100 inch image with the projector 10 feet from the screen.
It’s not the cheapest projector I looked at but it’s reviews compared to other home cinema projectors was what sold me on this model.
Projector Screens
You can get a 100″ electric motorized projector screen with remote control that is HD ready for a very affordable price. A motorized screen is good if you will have a tv in your theater also. The screen can be lowered in front of the tv when you want to use it and raised when not in use, all by remote control.
Home Theater Surround Sound Systems
Adding a great surround sound system gives you that at the movies sound experience. A basic 5.1 home theater system is a good option if you are on a budget. Yamaha has a great 5.1 home theater receiver and speaker package.
The Yamaha Yht-495OU 4K Ultra HD 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with Bluetooth is an entry level complete boxed system. It comes with everything you need for one (very low) price.
It includes the receiver a full range center channel speaker, 4 full range surround speakers, and a subwoofer.
This low budget package is not the best sounding home theater system on the market, nor is it meant to be. It will give you a lot better sound than you get from the tiny speakers inside your tv or projector and it is a big upgrade in sound quality that you get from a sound bar.
To Get The Best Sound From This System
To get the best sound from this system use it the way that it was meant to be used. As a home theater surround sound system. After you calibrate the speakers to the listening area you should increase the volume of the rear surround speakers a little. You will get very little sound from those speakers if you don’t.
The subwoofer will sound its best if the volume nob on the back of it is not turned much past half power if you will be listening to the entire system at a high volume. At a low to normal listening volume it will do just fine when the subwoofer nob is turned up.
Although I wouldn’t turn it all the way up and I am one that loves low and loud bass. You are not trying to win a trophy in a car audio sound competition here.
If your budget allows you can go with a 7.1 system which gives you 2 more surround speakers but cost a lot more.
For the audiophiles out there who love premium sound, you can spend a little more with a 7.2.2 dolby atmos home theater system. That would be adding another subwoofer and 2 dolby atmos speakers. Or a 7.2.4 dolby atmos system, which is adding 2 more atmos speakers.
Also consider adding some acoustic panels or some kind of sound dampening material on the walls and carpet on the floor for the best sound quality possible.
Home Theater Seating
Putting the seating in rows adds to the overall look and feel of a real theater. There are some really comfortable home theater chairs on the market right now.
My dream is to have the Valencia Tuscany in my theater room. This chair has been called the Rolls Royce of home theater seating. It doesn’t fit the low budget theme but I only want maybe three of them.
The Tuscany is designed and engineered with top grain leather and stitching. It’s done over very nice double foam cushioning for ultimate comfort. The powered adjustable headrest and lumbar support puts you in the most comfortable position possible when you recline. Also the motorized recline is very smooth and quiet.
Also the recline has a wall hugging design which means you can place the chair very close to the wall and still recline fully, the seat actually slides forward as you recline.
The padded arm rest have hidden storage compartments for your remote controls and things. The armrest also have cup holders and a accessory mounting point for a tray table or wine glass holder. The only reason I don’t have this seating in my theater right now is because of the price but I will have the Tuscany one day.
The Concession Stand
Don’t forget about adding a concession stand or snack table in your theater. It’s a must to have popcorn and snacks while enjoying the movie. You can get a popcorn machine and a hot dog warmer just like the ones at the movies. Although microwave works just as well. Its not impossible to get everything you need to create an awesome home theater man cave on a budget.
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