Room acoustics is an often-forgotten key element to designing a great home theater. In this episode of the D-Tools "What's the Buzz" podcast, Richard Charschan, president and CEO of AcousticSmart Home Theater Interiors, discusses the difference proper room acoustics can make to a home theater a totally immersive experience. Also, Charschan offers some details about his new book "Home Theaterology", which features 15 incredible home theater projects as well as some recommended demo clips for integrators to use to showcase home theaters to potential clients.
The book is designed to help educate home theater designers, architects, builders and clients about the importance of room acoustics when planning a home theater project. The contributors to the book include industry luminaries such as John Bishop, Theo Kalomirakis, and Anthony Grimani. D-Tools is one of the many sponsors of the book.
"We want to educate architects and interior designers why we put acoustics in these theaters and some of the issues that we encounter along the way in designing these theaters, so they can learn how we had to think out of the box because every room is a journey," explains Charschan. "My feeling is when we can do a theater and somebody gets lost in the experience, is totally immersed and they don't know where they are for two hours... that's job well done. We want the clients to know that sitting in a living room with a big TV and a couch is not a home theater. It's not to give you that experience."
AcousticSmart will be debuting the book at the upcoming CEDIA Expo 2024 in Denver from September 5-7. There will be book signings in the company's booth #4220. D-Tools will also have a book signing in its booth #2724. The book is also available at www.hometheaterology.net.
Charschan also shared with co-hosts Jason Knott and Tim Bigoness of D-Tools some of the acoustic challenges associated with seating heights and the problems created by installing large videowalls in a home theater environment versus a projector-and-screen combination. Namely, he notes that videowalls are extremely bright and the hard surface creates challenges for the ability the emulate the sound emanating from the screen itself, which is something a woven screen permits because the speakers can be placed behind the screen material.
"When you have a woven screen and you have that center channel in back of that screen in the left and right, if the screen is big enough, then everybody gets the same sound. It's a win-win for everybody and it's a much better experience," he says.