In 2007, World Wide Stereo was given the task of creating a custom home theater on the Main Line for a very knowledgeable client that wanted a top shelf cinematic experience fit for their luxe interior finishes and furnishings. Ten years later, that same client asked if we could enlarge the screen size and help prepare his home for the 4K video revolution without altering the rest of the room or tearing everything apart. With a new ultra powerful 4K Sony Laser projector and a new 165” diagonal Stewart Perforated Screen, lead system designer, Dave Barrickman, was able to elevate the client's movie-watching experience without uprooting the entire theater or the disrupting the client's lives.
Why did the client want an upgrade? Aside from just wanting to go bigger, technology has evolved over the past decade to make available more 4K content than ever before. And, in order to harness the full clarity and resolution of that content and match the pixels as closely as possible, we installed a new Sony VPL-5000ES 4K home theater projector. In doing so, he also needed components that are HDMI compatible, so we upgraded to the Marantz AV8802A preamp, adding to the existing McIntosh components.
After upgrading the screen size to something much wider, the customer no longer had any room to put the speakers on either side of the screen, so we placed the speakers and rack behind the screen on a custom-built shelf to maximize both space and performance. With the speakers now behind the screen, a perforated screen was used for audio to easily pass through. After doing a demo run of the new setup, the customer was no longer impressed with his current subwoofers, so he upgraded to 2 JL Audio E112 E-Sub Powered Subwoofers. Because the walls were acoustically treated and covered with fine material, extra care was necessary to re-run new wires. A truly invisible, yet powerful listening experience.Before
The above construction photos show the controlled care taken to the client's theater under Dave's watchful eye. Our install team actually built and re-framed the front wall of the existing theater to accommodate the client's front speakers and new micro perforated screen, creating a film watching environment that simply can't be replicated with a standard system. The before pictures show the front sound stage speakers exposed, and the after pictures reveal the improved visual effect of the increased screen size - a massive 165 inches.
The End Result: After upgrading a great home theater foundation, World Wide Stereo was able to help our client prep for both the present and future in an ever changing industry.
After
Featured Products in this Project:
Marantz AV8802A
Network A/V Preamplifier
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JL Audio E112 E-Sub
12-inch 1500W Powered Subwoofer
In Store Only
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Sony VPL-VW5000ES
4K Home Theater Laser Projector
In Store Only
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Meet the System Designer
David A. Barrickman
Started at World Wide Stereo: 1996
Favorite Bands: Imagine Dragons, Jimmy Buffet, Bastille
Favorite Movies: Silence of the Lambs, Apollo 13, Jeremiah Johnson
Obsessed With: Great pasta. Good chocolate. Golf.
Pets: Golden Retrievers
Personal: Married over 40 years. Six grand kids. Love to travel.
Favorite Customer Story: I have an older, long term client that we did a theater for over 10 years ago. We just completed a full upgrade to it, and they are so happy with the updated technology and new equipment.
Home Equipment: Home Theater with Runco projector and Stewart screen, distributed audio with Sonos as main source, and a World Wide Stereo home network.
Parting Words: No matter where you go, there you are.
