Established 1968
Established 1968
In the world of home entertainment, there's a vast difference between simply having a big TV with some speakers and experiencing a properly engineered home cinema. At Martins Hi-Fi, we recently completed an A-grade Dolby Atmos cinema that showcases the principles that separate casual viewing from a truly immersive cinematic experience.
"Home cinema design is a science, not a matter of personal preference," explains our Marcus. "Whilst there's certainly an artistic element in how we integrate technology into a space, the fundamental performance criteria are defined by established standards."
The project followed guidelines from CEA/CEDIA. It relied on technical specifications from Dolby Atmos, providing a solid foundation for creating a room where both sound and visuals would perform at their absolute best.
Before any equipment was selected, the room itself required careful consideration. Working with the client's existing space, our team developed a comprehensive plan that included:
"The room itself is your most important component," notes our acoustic specialist. "You can install £75,000 worth of equipment, but if the space fights against you, the results will always be compromised."
At the heart of this cinema is a full Dolby Atmos 7.2.4 configuration. Unlike traditional surround sound that creates a horizontal ring of audio, Atmos adds a vertical dimension with ceiling-mounted speakers that allow sounds to move seamlessly in three-dimensional space.
The speaker layout includes:
Each speaker's position was calculated to be within millimeters, ensuring perfect coverage throughout the listening area. "When doing Atmos properly, there's very little guesswork," our installer explains. "The maths tells us exactly where each speaker needs to be for optimal performance."
Perhaps the most technically challenging aspect of small room acoustics is managing bass response. Low frequencies are particularly susceptible to room dimensions, creating standing waves that can make bass sound boomy in some seats and weak in others.
Our approach involved careful subwoofer placement and acoustic treatment to ensure consistent performance across all seating positions. Calculations predicted the room's modal resonances - specific frequencies where standing waves would occur - allowing us to address them during calibration.
"We're aiming for bass that's powerful but controlled," our calibration specialist explains. "Anyone can make a room shake, but creating bass that's musical and accurate throughout the space requires precision."
The visual system centres around a JVC DLA-NZ7 4K laser projector paired with a 110" Screen Research ClearPix acoustically transparent screen. This combination delivers 32.59 ft/L of brightness - exceeding the reference standard of 30 ft/L required for true cinema performance.
"We calculate luminance requirements before recommending any projector," our video specialist notes. "Considering the screen size, viewing distance, and ambient light control in the room ensures we deliver not just a big picture, but one with proper brightness, contrast, and colour accuracy."
Creating the right acoustic signature for a cinema room means finding the perfect balance between absorption, reflection, and diffusion of sound. Too reflective, and dialogue becomes unintelligible; too absorptive, and the sound becomes lifeless.
Our acoustic design incorporated:
These elements work together to achieve a measured RT60 (reverberation time) of 0.157 seconds at 500Hz - significantly lower than the 0.32 seconds typically targeted for immersive audio layouts, ensuring exceptional dialogue clarity whilst maintaining immersive surround effects.
Whilst the technical foundation is crucial, the final step in creating an exceptional cinema is the calibration process - where science meets art. Using advanced measurement tools, our technicians fine-tune every aspect of the system:
"The measurements give us our starting point," explains our calibration specialist, "but the final tuning is where experience really matters - making subtle adjustments that transform good performance into something truly special."
The finished cinema delivers reference-quality audio and video performance in a space that's both technically sophisticated and comfortable. From the carefully calculated viewing angles to the precisely positioned speakers, every element works together to create an immersive cinematic experience.
"What makes a great cinema isn't just the technical performance," concludes our project manager. "It's how all these scientific elements come together to create an emotional connection to what you're watching. When the technology disappears and you're simply immersed in the story - that's when we know we've succeeded."
For the client, it means years of cinematic experiences that rival or exceed commercial theatres - all from the comfort of their own home.
Think of building a home cinema like baking a cake - you need the right ingredients in the right amounts for the specific recipe you're following. Even the finest speakers and projectors won't create magic if they're fighting against your room's natural properties.
What we've learned from Project 6787 boils down to this:
Your room shapes your sound: The size, shape and surfaces of your room will either amplify or destroy certain sounds. We can't change physics, but we can work with it by choosing equipment that complements your space.
Balance is everything: A properly designed cinema isn't about having the loudest bass or the biggest screen - it's about creating a balanced experience where dialogue is crystal clear, effects are convincing, and the picture looks natural.
The whole is greater than the parts: A £10,000 projector in the wrong room setup might deliver worse results than a £5,000 one properly integrated into a well-designed space.
Proper setup transforms good to great: Even midrange equipment that's precisely calibrated for your specific room will outperform premium gear that's poorly implemented.
The real-world impact? Our clients report feeling genuinely transported by their viewing experiences. Films they've seen dozens of times reveal new details. They notice subtle background sounds they'd never heard before. And perhaps most importantly, they completely forget about the technology - becoming fully absorbed in what they're watching rather than being aware of speakers, screens or equipment.
This isn't just about luxury - it's about getting genuine value from your investment. A properly engineered cinema using equipment matched to your space will deliver more enjoyment per pound spent than randomly assembled premium components fighting against your room's natural acoustic properties.
