I N T E R I O R

Family TRADITION
This New York homeowner and his family pass along a love of audio/video with a dedicated theater and sports fans dream room with help from Sony, Stewart and Elan
AU D I O V I D E O I N T E R I O R S F E B R U A R Y F E B R U A R Y AU D I O V I D E O I N T E R I O R S
Fa m i l y Tr a d i t i o n

STORY BY

KATY KOPPENHAVER TIM LEE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

ponds, then moved on to become a fanatic sports memorabilia collector. His passion is now focused on audio/video as evidenced by the installation of an elegant dedicated theater, sports-themed media room, and whole-house audio in his Long Island home. Ive always been an A/V junkie, the homeowner confesses. In fact, hes been a loyal reader of Audio Video Interiors long before his own in-laws theater was published back in 1998. Now that hes reached his dream of building his own theater, he wanted to carry on the family tradition in AVI. Now Im on the playing eld. It was time to reach out and be a part of the magazine. With the help of Harvey Electronics Mark Mester, this homeowner transformed an existing 15- by 17-foot theater space in his newly purchased home into a state-of-the-art system. There was a backbone of a theater with no equipment left from the previous owners, Mester recalls. The room was begging to be used again. Aside from the Irwin seating and some remnants of an IR repeating system, older projector and screen, the space was a clean slate.
A 125-inch Stewart screen takes center stage in the homes theater, displaying crisp images from a Sony LCD projector. Paradigm L/R speakers, an NHT center channel and Velodyne subwoofer deliver the audio. At movies end, a Philips Pronto remote lifts the lights and closes the draperies.
he owner of this New York home admits that his hobbies often become obsessions. In his previous home, he carefully tended to two exotic Koi
With his trusty copies of Audio Video Interiors in hand, Mesters client educated himself on what equipment he wanted. I had to bring this theater into the 21st century, says the homeowner. The projects rst phase was to implement a Philips Pronto control, and change the interconnects to Monster Cable with Monsters Reference Power Center and HT200 power line for the new projector. A Sony LCD projector is paired with a Stewart 125-inch 16x9 xed screen. Mester initially balked at the size of the screen, but his client insisted, the
bigger the better. In fact, Mester found that because of where the projector had to be placed, they needed a bigger screen. The wall is all screen, he notes. Audio for the space had to measure up to the enormous screen. The homeowner selected Paradigm and NHT for the front L/C/R speakers, with SpeakerCraft surrounds in the back. To give the room plenty of kick, Mester recommended a Velodyne subwoofer. You really do get sucked in by the sound in this room, claims Mester. Its very
enveloping and he has all the bass he was missing before. The sound is further enhanced by the rooms furnishings. Irwin seating, plush carpeting and wall fabric combine with thick, velour draperies that the clients wife purchased from The Fabric Mill. When they needed some adjustments made to the existing seating, the homeowner found that the Irwin staff was very helpful. They sent new springs at no charge, he recalls. Two other companies praised for their customer service are Velodyne and Sony. When I needed a part for the subwoofer, Velodyne
sent it overnight, and when some dust got inside the projectors lens, Sony cleaned it and paid for the FedEx to return it. The impressive array of components for the theater is unobtrusively stored in a closet within an adjacent ofce. A Sony receiver, and Elan preamp controller and six-channel power amplier are just a few of the powerhouses that reside within a Salamander rack. When the movie begins, the lights dim and the curtain opens at the touch of the Pronto remote and Lutron GrakEye. This room is strictly for
Got sports? This media room scores big with three Sony televisions and three DirecTV receivers. TV sound is delivered via a six-piece Bose speaker system, while SpeakerCraft and Elan provide music-listening audio.
movie watching, says the homeowner. The elegant columns and moldings that line the theater walls and the addition of high-hat and rope lighting create an authentic cinematic atmosphere. When he wants to enjoy television or music, the homeowner retreats to his sports-themed media room. Filled with game-worn NFL jerseys, the rooms oor is actually covered in Astroturf from Giants Stadium. He never has to miss a game thanks to three Sony televisions (one 53-inch, and two 27-inch displays). An abundance of sports memorabilia and dcor ll the room, as do the components

including DirecTV receivers from Sony and RCAwith TV sound delivered through the six-piece Bose 12 Series system. For music listening, the Elan Z100 keypad handles four SpeakerCraft in-ceiling speakerstwo in the sports room; two in the adjacent bar. Sunday is football day, the owner states. We have a fantasy football league and put on a big party once or twice a year. The clients children, ages three and ve, have more options in terms of entertainment. When not enjoying a video on the family rooms Pioneer Elite 46-inch television, they have their own retreat in their upstairs playroom. Mom

Theater

Sony VPL-VW10HT Projector Stewart Filmscreen 125 16:9 Luxus Deluxe Screen Sony STR-V555ES A/V Receiver Pioneer Elite DV-47A DVD Player Sony CDPCX400 CD Jukebox Mitsubishi HSU776 S-VHS VCR Monster Cable HTS5000 Reference Power Center Monster HT200 Power Line (For Projector) Elan Z630 Preamp Controller Elan Z660 6-Channel Power Amp Marantz ST6000 Tuner Philips Pronto TSU2000 Universal Remote Paradigm Monitor 90 Speakers NHT Supercenter Center Channel Speaker SpeakerCraft 8.8 Mt Series Rear Surround Speakers Velodyne HGS-12 Subwoofer Makita Automated Drape System Salamander 70 Equipment Rack Monster Cables Xantech IR Repeating System & Relay Module Lutron Grak Eye Lighting Controller Irwin Seating (9)

Sports Media Room

Sony KP-53VTelevision Sony KV-27VTelevision Sony KV-27STelevision Sony SAT-A50 DirecTV Receivers (2) RCA DirecTV Receiver Bose Lifestyle 12 Series Ii System Elan Z100 Keypad SpeakerCraft 8.5 CRS Series In-Ceiling Speakers

Family Room

Pioneer Elite PRO-Television Toshiba SD-2008 DVD Player Panasonic PV-4521 VCR Luxman R-106 Receiver & K-105 Cassette Deck Sony CDP-CX255 CD Jukebox SpeakerCraft 8.5 CRS Series In-Ceiling Speakers (4) SpeakerCraft VC Series Volume Control

Castle Playroom

has designed an actual castle in their room that was constructed by contractor Gary Muglia. Muglia has also helped with other construction needs in the theater and sports room. When the castle was completed, the kids had the perfect spot to invite friends over to watch movies such as Toy Story or Shrek on a Mitsubishi 65-inch HD upgradeable television. The homeowner may decide to move this set down to the sports room when more NFL broadcasts are delivered in high-denition. As soon as the NFL is more widely available in HD, I may never leave the house, he laughs. As for the rest of the house, Elan distributes audio throughout via SpeakerCraft in-ceiling speakers, but its the theater that keeps this family coming back for more. Mark Mester explains, The theater is the most important room in the house. The homeowner agrees, Im always talking to Mark about whats next. Future plans include the addition of amplication from Lexicon, Bryston or Krell and the upgrade to 7.1 sound. According to Mester,

Mitsubishi WS-65857 Platinum Plus HD Upgradeable Television Mitsubishi HD-400 HD/DirecTV Receiver JVC XV-SA75GD DVD Player Luxman L-400 Integrated Amplier Luxman T-240 Stereo Tuner Sony CDP-C800 Five CD Changer Denon D-660 Dual Cassette Deck Minolta Mv-160S S-VHS VCR Paradigm 5SE Speakers

Master Bedroom

Sony KV-27XBRTelevision Pioneer Elite DV-37A DVD Player Sony SAT60 TiVo/DirecTV Receiver Sony SLV-679HF Stereo VCR Marantz RC-3200 Universal Remote Control

Dining Room/Living Room

SpeakerCraft 8.5 CRS Series In-Ceiling Speakers (2) SpeakerCraft VC Series Volume Control

Exercise Room

The playroom is the childrens castle with a Mitsubishi 65-inch HD upgradeable television and components from Luxman, Sony and Denon. Paradigm speakers lead the kids and their friends in sing-alongs.
the future for DLP-technology in this space is wide open, and his client is pondering a plasma in the master bedroom. But this homeowner says hell break with tradition and keep his obsession from getting out of hand. Ill sit tight for the time being. I think Ill let my wife decide. For this family, a new tradition is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
Panasonic CT-2064A 20 Television RCA VR531 VCR Niles Audio CM800HD In-Ceiling Speakers Elan Z100 Keypad