Building My Dream Home Theater

Thought about building your own home theater with grand visions of an actual theater-level sound and visual experience? Then you’re like I’ve been since I was a kid – always craving the best experience for movies, music, and video games. It took me a long time to get to a place where I’m actually 100% satisfied with everything about my setup, but now that I’m here it’s so satisfying.
Today I’m going to share my journey on the way to the (very nearly) finished product, specifically hitting on lessons learned along the way!

Humble Home Theater Beginnings: Apartment Living (2011)

Let’s just say that my first setup was one of the most satisfying. I was fresh out of the USAF, just got my own place, and had my (grossly oversized) speakers for my 40” Sharp Aquos TV. I was in heaven. This thing was great then, and still is now as a bedroom TV – the colors are incredible and it’s held up perfectly.

Gear List:

• Old 5.1 Yamaha receiver (hand-me-down)
• 2x large KLH side channel speakers (hand-me-down)
• Medium-sized Advent center channel speaker (hand-me-down)
• Sharp Aquos 40” TV (bought for around $800 new when I was in the USAF)

The TV Upgrade: 55” Vizio E-Series (2012)

The next iteration of the setup came in the form of a TV upgrade! I went with the cheap option that had decent reviews, so I got a 55” Vizio. This TV was a real trooper and is still running today, except now it’s a garage TV. And before you comment, yes – my center channel was WAY too high and angled incorrectly. I was very much a novice on speaker placement back then!

Upgrade List:

• Vizio 55” E550 TV (around $500 in Black Friday sale)
• Entertainment Center (hand-me-down)

Adding In Surrounds: Pioneer Bookshelf Speakers and New Receiver (2012-2013)

Now that I was happy with the video setup, it was time to elevate the auditory experience. I went Amazon and found a refurbished receiver to go along with a speaker wire and a decent pair of bookshelf speakers to use as surround channels. These guys went on my back wall, and yes – I’m aware that this was also wrong! Speaker placement novice, remember? But man, was it an improvement over the 3-channel setup I had! The new receiver also had HDMI in and out (I’d been using optical in only) and was able to push out much clearer sound. Wins all around!
Upgrade List:

• 2x Pioneer SP-BS21-LR Bookshelf Speakers ($140 for the pair)
• Floating Speaker Wall Mounts ($67.99)
• Yamaha RX-V375 5.1 Channel Receiver (Refurbished, $170)

The Next TV Upgrade: 75” Vizio M-Series (2016)

In 2016 I locked in my post-graduation job and wanted to reward myself. With a gigantic 75” TV. This thing was a HUGE change from the 55” I was used to – legitimately monstrous. The set was the first I’d bought with local array dimming, and man was it a treat to have darker blacks at the time! Certainly not an OLED, but hey – I was working with a pretty strict budget!

Upgrade List:

• Vizio M7 75” TV ($1,500)

Buying a House – The Basement Home Theater (2017)

All right, here’s where the real fun started. I bought my house in 2017 and finally had a finished basement to work with! I dedicated an area for my home theater and got to planning.

A great space dedicated to a home theater, but definitely lacking in the seating department. I wanted to upgrade from the $500 couch I’d had since 2011, so my fiancé and I got a killer sectional that was perfect.

A Serious Home Theater Upgrade: Klipsch Reference Premier Speakers

All right, new house – new speakers. The side and center channel speakers I had were ancient hand-me-downs I got from my parents. With my new house it was time to get new speakers to elevate my movie experience, and I went with none other than the Klipsch Reference Premier series. This is one of the few items I’ve paid full price for, and while they were very expensive I have no regrets about them. These guys are jaw-droppingly clear.

• 2x Klipsch RP-280F Cherry Side Channel Speakers ($650 each at the time)
• 1x Klipsch RP-404C Cherry Center Channel Speaker ($549 at the time)

The Struggle Is Real – Budget TV Brand Problems

There’s always something new to get, isn’t there? Just over a year after purchase (about a month outside of warranty), my 75” Vizio’s LEDs failed on 2/3 of the screen. I researched DIY repair solutions but wasn’t able to complete the work myself and repair was expensive. This resulted in a very frustrating viewing experience and, after about 1.5 years of dealing with the issue, I upgraded from a budget brand to a more premier brand. Enter the Sony X90CH (X900H).
Before that, though, the basement decided to flood thanks to my sump pumps not being able to keep up with the heavy rainfall that summer. Thank goodness for insurance – doing the negotiating myself, I got a full basement remodel!

Multiple Upgrades: Sony 85” X90CH, Klipsch Surrounds, Ikea Media Center, Yamaha 4k-Compatible Receiver, Rear Curtains

Oh yeah, it’s finally time to get the game-ender. The 85” Sony X90CH (X900h) was purchased from Costco for $2,400. It was a very pricey TV, but I’m thrilled with everything about it and that price was $1,000 less than the original price of $3,500! I’d highly recommend Costco for a TV purchase if possible for their warranty alone.
With the new TV it was clear that I also needed to upgrade the entertainment center from the 1960s coffee table I was using. Ikea has a great set that was around $300 that matches the room. The last purchase was a 4k-compatible receiver. I went with a refurbished Yamaha again, these are fantastic!
The next upgrade was the surround channels. Moving up from the bookshelf speakers to the incredible bipole Klipsch RP-502S set was game-changing. The clarity and immersion of these things is next level. The key is that the bipole nature of these speakers sends the sound at an angle in front of and behind you simultaneously, resulting in the sound enveloping you instead of clearly coming from a specific location. These are wall-mounted, with the cable run through the wall for a clean look.
I got these guys at a pretty steep discount, paying $500 for the pair when they retail for $400 each.

Upgrade List:

• 85” Sony X90CH/X900h ($2,400)
• Ikea Besta Modular Media Center ($300)
• Yamaha RX-V375 4K Receiver ($275)
• Klipsch RP-502S Surround Speakers ($500 for the pair)

Painting To Make It a Real Home Theater

Now that the electronics were in place, I had to make the “feel” of the room more authentic. I chose to go with a charcoal matte black paint on the ceiling and accent wall behind the TV to minimize light reflection while darkening the room. Mission accomplished! The effect is incredible when the lights are dimmed.

Seating Upgrade: Electric Theater Chairs

The last of my upgrades was in the seating: I had to have theater chairs for the true authentic feel. I found 3 electric reclining seats on Facebook Marketplace for $750. On its face this seemed like a good deal, but the faux leather unfortunately started to peel on the headrest of two of the seats within a few months. Hugely disappointing, and a lesson learned: I won’t buy anything that isn’t genuine leather again.

Upgrade List:

• 3 Electric Reclining Theater Chairs ($750 via Facebook Marketplace)

Seating Upgrade: Manual Leather Theater Chairs

Frustrated with the purchase of those seats, my wife and I were casually looking on Facebook Marketplace for another (better) deal. Another 6 months went by when she sent me a link – I was in the movie theater with my step son, and immediately told her to tell them that I’d be by to look at them that night. They wanted $1,000 for 6 leather theater recliners – a steal! When I went to see them they were in a town about 30 minutes away, and we settled on an ending price of $900 for all 6 chairs. What’s even better? They grabbed their trailer and, between the trailer and our van, we got the chairs home that night. They delivered them for me at no extra cost – just good people helping out. Faith in humanity slightly restored!
As you can see in the photos, I made use of the first theater seats and built our theater into two rows of four seats. I couldn’t be happier.

Upgrade List:

• 6 Reclining Leather Theater Chairs ($900 via Facebook Marketplace)

Remaining Home Theater Upgrades

So what’s next? Well, there are some items that need to happen and some that are fun to think about but not remotely necessary. I definitely need to build a riser platform for the rear seats, which will be a really exciting project. The plan is to build it with sound-dampening insulation, carpet, stairs, power outlets, and LED lights. Pumped!
Next would be sound dampening panels. I love the aesthetic of movie posters, though, so I was torn for a while. But then I found an amazing video on Youtube that showed how people make their own movie-themed sound dampening panels and I was all in!
The last project I’d want to do at this point is in-ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos, but it’s hugely unnecessary and very expensive to put together. That one is definitely going to be an “I JUST RETIRED!” gift for myself in 9 years.

Conclusion!

All great things come with time. I love how my definition of “dream home theater” has evolved as I’ve grown older, and the before and after really show that keeping your eyes on a vision can make it a reality! So for those that don’t want to scroll back up to see a comparison (or just came right to the end for the before and after), here you go!