‘R’ Project – Highlands Ranch Home Theater
The ‘R’ Project – 3D Home Theater/Basement Finish in Highlands Ranch, CO
The ‘R’ Project was a full basement finish in Highlands Ranch, CO. The project was designed by the homeowner and the theater room (which actually turned into theater area), electrical wiring and lighting were designed by EDI/Rush! This project was a residential construction project, but used metal studs for the framing. This required us to install a bit of reinforcement for the HDTV mount (sometimes, we’re framers too!). The cabinet area was not 100% designed during the rough in phase of the project, so flexible conduit was installed to guarantee we could have multiple wires pulled into the HDTV location. The surround sound system utilized performance in-wall enclosures from Polk Audio. When installing in-wall/in-ceiling speakers, we often install these enclosures to bring a dynamic level of audio quality from the speakers.
The lighting in the basement was controlled by URC Dimmers by Lutron so the entire lighting in the theater area was able to be set to custom scenes and control from the URC universal remote. The lighting included low voltage mini-can halogens as well as LED step lighting accent lighting.
The main wall of the theater room, including in-wall Polk Performance Enclosures and a Peerless in-wall HDTV mounting box with conduit
After drywall which we needed to cutout the center speaker which ended buried (sometimes, we’re drywallers too!)
Taken during the programming of the Universal Remote MX-880 and waiting for the special order slide out rack system from Middle Atlantic
A few looks at the pool table HDTV which was wired to the theater rack
LED Steplights and Mini-Can Lights
The cabinets and custom woodworking was completed by one of our builders local to the area. If you are interested in having a basement finished, please let us know.
Project Includes:
Samsung 63″ 3D HDTV Plasma
Samsung 3D Blu-Ray Player
Samsung 3D Starter Kit and 2 Additional Glasses
Polk In-Wall Performance Enclosures
Polk In-Wall Speakers
Velodyne Subwoofer
Peerless In-Wall Mounting Box with Articulating Mount
Middle Atlantic Slide Out Rack
Onkyo Receiver
Power Conditioning by Panamax
Universal Remote Control MX-880 and MRF-260
Universal Remote Control Dimmers by Lutron
HDMI Cables from Tributaries
Terminations from Planet Waves
Wall Plates and Connectors from Mid-Lite and On-Q
Conduit System from Carlon
‘C’ Project – Castle Rock Media Room
The ‘C’ Project – Media Room/Surround Sound in Castle Rock, CO
Here at EDI/Rush!, we get calls from clients every week from clients saying – “I already have equipment for a surround sound but need it hooked up, can you do that?”
Those go along with the “I connected my surround sound but nothing works, can you fix it?”
The answer is always absolutely, often times though, their is more detail involved with getting a good surround sound up and running. The ‘C’ Project is a great example of having almost everything they needed, they were just missing the expert.
There are many clients who don’t require pre-wire or full design and installation services. This installation in Castle Rock, CO is a prime example of a client who moved from out of state and brought their existing equipment but didn’t have setup the way they always wanted. Their new home was prewired for surround sound but it had never been utilized. This particular project already had most of the equipment they wanted for a surround sound system but they didn’t know how to get it to work. Rush! came in for an initial consultation on the project and took time to look at the equipment and wiring they already had and then filled in the blanks with the proper equipment to bring it to life.
The ‘C’ project already had a newer HDTV, a setup with Comcast and a Bose surround sound system that was moved from their old home but never connected. The new home had a surround sound system prewired in the ceiling and just needed a little help to get it going in time for Christmas (and all the company). The owner expressed that they felt the existing setup didn’t really fit in the home and they wanted to get rid of their old TV stand. Rush! came in and took their existing TV and wall mounted it in the nook, installed new wiring for HDTV and a new center speaker location as well as having new outlets installed for the HDTV and rack by Electric Doctor. The new equipment was to be rack mounted in the nook while the Bose system had the front and rear speakers ceiling mounted on new brackets as the existing Bose brackets were for wall mounting. Rush! added in the rack, a new surround sound receiver, power conditioning which included power conditioning for the HDTV and a universal remote control system with RF capability.
Take a look at some before, during and after shots of this project.
A before shot of the living room media setup, owner equipment installed.
The nook before starting the new installation
Behind the TV before removing the existing setup
A shot of the new power and low voltage in the nook
Checking how the rack sits in the nook while fishing the Bose cable and HDMI cable and installing the new outlet for the mounted HDTV
Plates are on, cables are fished and power is ready – time to mount the TV
The finished setup
Project Includes:
Onkyo Receiver
Omnimount Rack
Power Conditioning by Panamax
Universal Remote Control MX-450 and MRF-260
Mount by Omnimount
HDMI Cables from Tributaries
Terminations from Planet Waves
Wall Plates and Connectors from Mid-Lite and On-Q
‘G’ Project – Denver Whole Home Entertainment
The ‘G’ Project – Media Room/Surround Sound, HDTV Installations and 2 Channel Audio in Denver, CO near Denver University
Buying new technology can certainly be a trying experience for homeowners, especially when it involves more than one room in the house. Technology is changing constantly and these days, when you buy new electronics one year, something later and greater is out within the next year (sometimes sooner). New ‘buy back’ programs for electronics are popping up to offer an incentive to buy through a particular retailer but be sure to check the value of the program. Most times, even reclaiming 50% of your purchase is a stretch. Instead of buying back, think about other areas of the home that might benefit from your existing equipment as you upgrade. Here at Rush! we find ourselves moving technology from one home to another and relocating electronics as clients want to upgrade. It is a far more cost effective solution from your initial investment, to find uses for ‘dated’ electronics in lieu of taking them back for (often) less than 50% of your initial purchase price. No room in the home is off limits where technology is concerned, places you may not have traditionally thought to have an HDTV or speakers are now some of the most popular places to include them. Digital distributed audio systems are now easier than ever to install and bringing your digital music collection from your computer or iTunes to your home’s audio system can now be done in a click! You may even be holding your new home entertainment’s controller in your hand right now and not even know it. Chances are, your smartphone has an app for a system that custom installers install everyday!
The ‘G’ Project in Denver, CO is a great example of expanding your technology throughout your home as you upgrade in another. Rush! installed a home theater for the ‘G’ family in a home less than 2 years ago which included a brand new Sharp LCD HDTV and surround sound by Polk Audio. As it turned out, they found a new home and decided to buy that new home. A consultation was set at the new home and it was decided to remove the theater equipment (and leave all the wiring) and install it over at the new home. The new home was larger and offered more areas for viewing tv and listening to audio. The new theater area was to be located in the basement where a great area was designed for a theater with a nice viewing area from a built-in full bar. The Polk Audio speakers were setup using the home’s prewiring for surround sound speakers and the main speakers and electronics were located at the front in a piece of furniture that the owner already had found. Within the 2 years of installing the old theater with the Sharp LCD, LED HDTV’s had taken over as the new technology. The new theater was a great area to get a larger, newer HDTV so it was decided that the Sharp LCD would be used up in the living room, open to the kitchen, and a new Samsung 55″ LED would be used for the basement theater area. Rush! went to the old home, removed the home theater and carefully relocated all the existing equipment to the new home. The main areas were the basement theater area and the new living room/kitchen area which included sound systems and larger HDTV’s. Numerous other areas had installations of smaller HDTV’s with Comcast digital converter boxes or HDTV’s only with no sound systems. Omnimount TV mounts were supplied by Rush! for all wall mounted TV’s on the project. The new home was prewired, but not done quite to standard wiring that we design in all of our new homes. There was a single cat5e to some locations, single RG6 (coax) to some locations and a combo cat5e/RG6 to TV locations. There was also a structured panel system (see below) however it was slightly undersized and did not include any power for items such as a modem and router. The ‘feature’ TV areas also included a 3/4″ flexible conduit installed from the cat5e/RG6 locations to the TV location, however this size was not capable of installing new HDMI cables, so Cat6 Balun boxes were used to transmit HD where needed. This was a great example of good idea, bad execution but it was helpful in the end. The Polk 5.1 Surround system was installed in the basement theater area while a new 2.1 Channel system including KEF speakers and Parasound Electronics was installed in the living room/kitchen area.
As a great reminder to the evolution of technology, the Sharp LCD was a 42″ size while the Samsung LED was a 55″ size. The Sharp LCD was nearly twice as heavy and more than double the thickness. Pretty impressive how far LED is taking HDTV technology.
Project photos – taken with my on-site Evo cameraphone.
The living room/kitchen area with the new KEF IQ Series Speakers (sound amazing)
A larger view of the same setup
An overall view of the room, including the Parasound equipment and iPod dock
A view of the basement theater area, using owner supplied furniture
The master bedroom TV with a Comcast box
Master bathroom smaller LCD with a hidden Comcast digital converter box
Exercise room using an LCD tv that was never wall mounted in the previous home. Also has a hidden digital converter box
The structured wiring panel (before and after), after rewiring before power and modem was installed.
This project was done as the owners were moving from their old home. Most of the installation was completed and ready in coordination with Comcast so they had TV’s installed and ready before they were 100% moved. Rush! also setup a wired/wireless home network throughout the home. Electric Doctor also installed new outlets for the structured panel and new HDTV locations.
Project Includes:
55″ Samsung 6800 Series LED HDTV
KEF IQ20 Speakers
Velodyne Subwoofer
Parasound Electronics
Polk Audio Speakers
HD Baluns by Key Digital
Mounts by Omnimount
HDMI Cables from Tributaries
Terminations from Planet Waves
Wall Plates, Connectors and Structured Panel from Mid-Lite and On-Q
‘I’ Project – Parker Home Theater
The ‘I’ Project – Home Theater/Basement Finish in Parker, CO
Electric Doctor and Rush! Audio/Video contracts work all over the Denver Metro Area for builders and homeowners handling a variety of projects. The ‘I’ Project, is a recently completed project that involved a complete basement finish project in Parker, CO near the Southlands. This is a new development for the area and an up and coming area with many new homes, offices and retail stores that we both build out and service.
Basement finishing is one of the most popular projects in recent years and many of those basements often go without proper design, wiring or technology integration. Rush! designs media rooms, home networks and dedicated theater rooms for many builders. While builders know of these services, often times homeowners aren’t always aware of what it takes to include low voltage wiring and the associated electronics. The term ‘surround sound’ is most used to describe the wants of these projects, however, surround sound systems can be very minimal or very complex. Technology has given us options for a wide range of systems and deciding the right system for your project usually requires an expert opinion.
The ‘I’ Project was a great example of a project that initially didn’t include everything that the owner wanted. It started as an electrical and lighting wiring project with a few standard cat5e and coax drops for standard phone and tv. During an initial meeting with the homeowner, they expressed that they wanted to build a nice home theater area for their family and friends. Rush! went to work designing a system that matched the described budget for the project and began working with the homeowner on layouts. Given the layout of the basement, the location of the HDTV could not be 100% certain so conduit was installed to allow us to wire to multiple locations in case they wanted to move things around. Multiple speaker locations were wired for a ‘flipped’ surround in case of the moving scenario. They also had a very nice patio area, located in a forest enclosed lot, that had a hot tub and they wanted some outdoor speakers connected to the new system. There was also a nice exercise room which included a medium sized LCD HDTV and small speakers connected as a separate zone with iPod capability. A woodworking shop was also pre-wired but no speakers were installed. The basement also included electrical wiring to code, including low voltage recessed can lighting for highlighting artwork as an accent including RF dimmers which were controllable via the universal remote control system.
The main wall, custom framed for a horizontal center speaker per design from EDI
The slide out rack wall, including conduit for multiple locations (split box not pictured)
The back wall, including conduit for future proof or room flipping scenarios
The main wall, after drywall and finishing – rack was replaced with shelving per owner. Speaker wires were left behind the wall until needed.
The main wall, including a Samsung 8000 Series LED 3DTV and KEF Ci9000ACE Series Speakers
KEF’s with covers on (black) and covers off (open)
KEF Mini-Speakers, requested by owner to avoid noticeable ceiling clutter (can you spot them?)
The exercise front wall, including small HDTV and Sonance In-Wall Speakers on Zone 2
The back patio wall, including outdoor Sonance Speakers on Zone 3
A few pages from programming the Universal Remote MX-5000. Main theater page and a quick favorite channel icons.
This was a very fun project which included alot of detail, time and patience. The end quality of the project was superb. This project was completed by a general contractor with whom EDI has done work for many years in the Southlands Area. If you have a basement finish and are looking for a good general contractor, please give us a call for a recommendation!
Project Includes:
(1) Samsung 8000 Series LED 3DTV
(1) 7.1 Surround Sound including (3) KEF Ci9000ACE, (4) KEF Mini-Speakers and (1) Velodyne Mini-Vee Subwoofer
(1) Onkyo TX-NR1008
(1) Onkyo iPod Dock
(1) Samsung 3D Blu-Ray Player
(1) Parasound Amp
(1) Nintendo Wii
(1) Xbox360
(2) Dish Network Boxes
(1) Panamax Power Conditioner
(2) Sonance Mariner Series Speakers
(2) Sonance Original Series Speakers
(2) Mounts by Omnimount
(1) Universal Remote Control MX-5000
(1) Universal Remote Control MSC-400
Universal Remote Control Antennas and IR Emitters
HDMI Cables from Tributaries
Pre-Wire Cables and Speaker Wiring from ICE Cable Systems
Terminations from Planet Waves
Wall Plates, Connectors and Structured Panel from Mid-Lite and On-Q
