petetherock

From Landex.com.sg sale... 50% off: A present from a friend:

Thanks, I got it in red, green and orange. There is a ticking sound if you place your ear next to it, but it's fine, even for my home theatre. They really do a good job of protecting it and the material feels pretty solid.

My Christmas shopping came in from Amazon and online shopping: From shopless: Amazon:

Try asking your contractor, most carpentry shops and reno people will know, cheers.

If there is a gap, and you don't have solid structures, I doubt if you can achieve this... You can consider minimising it with those felt things you can stick into the gaps of the doors. Plus some sound absorbing curtains, may also help.

At your distance, you can easily accommodate a 60 or 65" TV. But unless you have a lot of guest, one sweet spot and two adjacent ones are not too bad. Or upsize the TV and get a larger one, or get a projector for an even bigger view.

3m ceiling, 25cm rod. You will need to decide if it can be longer, but you will also see if you are adding things like a ceiling projector, then you can't have too long a stem... Talk to your fan installer on this. HDB flats tend to be lower, and you need to sort out things like shadows casts etc.

Had some friends over the weekend, and one of them is currently undergoing reno too, so I thought it may be pertinent to share my thoughts about his job here. If you want to do acoustic treatment, start early, and get your ID, contractor, ceiling man involved. Also make sure the ceiling guy talks to the electric guy. Otherwise it will get messy, with unnecessary cutting of holes to find cables etc. It is better to get the basic frame work right the first time than to add pads and foam later. It looks better that way too. Not everyone will have this privilege, so if you are planning extensive reno, make the treatment integral to your plans.

Just a little caveat on replica pieces. Firstly, not all pieces are the same. Although you will find many sources for these mid-century furniture and currently they are all the rage right now, but the quality varies and even if you pay more, there is no assurance that it will be better. Lush makes decent pieces, but you still need to check on them, and for the famous ones, such as the Eames Lounge Chair, you can check the specs and you do need to try before you buy as the fit and how it feels when you sit in it still varies. Winter is fine for chairs, and Gnee Hong is ok too for chairs, but if you are going to get the more complex pieces, make sure you get someone more reliable. I found that Picket and Rail makes poor pieces, has poor customer service and the prices are not that cheap either. So caveat emptor...

Adding small touches: My own work of course...

Perhaps if it is inside your unit? Best to ask, so you avoid having to tear it down.

My Eames Chair arrived today... My kitchen backlight poster ... Tomoko Bench Chair in the hallway... Furniture from Lush...you can ask them for the prices...

Outdoor furniture is from Winter. Total should be less than $420. Seems ok in the rain, but the balcony is now drier with my blinds. The blinds were sourced by my ID. Good attention to detail during installation. There is a plastic sheet on the outside. If you are in a condo, you need to check with your management about the color and if they allow these blinds. Happy with mine.

Another article on room treatment and curtains: http://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2010/11/curtains-room-treatment.html Here is one room treatment with a high Wife Acceptance Factor. You will need curtains, so why not make use of it too? Note, it only absorbs higher frequencies, but helps to block light too and control the light in the space.

If anyone wants to know more about how to go about buying and doing a demo on their new Home Theatre setup, I have some advice here: http://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2010/03/buying-your-first-home-theatre-how-to.html Some basic principles of TV buying: - get the biggest and best you can afford - it will be there for at least 5 years and you don't want to get buyer's remorse a week later. - lay your cables first - if you even remotely want a surround system, you should lay the cables first. - plan ahead for a projector, subwoofer etc. OR your spouse will come after you for all those cables lying around! - buy first if you are single! Then it's part of you, and she can't come in and 'change' you. - if you have young kids, avoid floorstander speakers - there is a real danger of the kids pulling the speakers down and killing themselves, and the same thing for TVs - wall mount them - if you have a small space - wall mount the TV - but do it at eye level when you are SEATED. Women will want that TV mounted at eye level when they are standing Up, as they are thinking it's a painting / poster and more aesthetic that way. You need to explain it to them. - work with your spouse / partner. For domestic bliss, you must include her in your decisions. And explain to her why spending 100k on a sound system is a good idea. Basically give her a choice: You don't gamble, whore, drink or stay out late. Instead this 100k is spent on a something that allows her to see where you are, share in it, use it too, and at least is worth something compare to a few games at MBS!

All my doors are solid wood, and I have checked with my neighbors on the same level, as well as those above and below, all my efforts at acoustic management have paid off. No sound transmission. Within my own home, it gets loud, but I don't have an issue with that.

It's a shop on the third level in Marina Sq - "Kitan" or something.

Study: Balcony and blinds:

Bedroom: Got some Van Gogh posters to make it look sleepier My kitchen is an important area, so things need to be ready at hand: Ceiling:

Some thoughts on speaker placement in my own HT journey: http://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2011/12/speaker-placement-really-matters.html And more pics: Cute kitchen clock: Coat hangers: A place for my wallet and keys: The PH5 light again :

Thanks I got most of my pieces already. It's a really small place so I have to be careful not to pack it in too much.

I have placed my thoughts on designing the ideal HT console here: http://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2011/12/ideal-home-theatre-console-design.html

Check out my earlier posts on the specs of my console, I designed and custom made it to fit. 600 mm depth.

I assembled most of the hi fi myself, and I did the wall design, layout etc myself too. What my contractor helped me with was the proportions of the place, the ceiling and the position of the lights plus the installation. I sourced for the furniture, fixtures and of course all the hi fi related matters. Using dedicated power lines is one way of helping with the purity of the signal and for audiophiles, that's one way of eking the best of your sound system. If you are on a budget, I would not advise this, but instead buy the best TV, sound system you can first. But it's much harder to add frills like this later on, or even use inferior cables for the surround cables only to realise that you want to upgrade them later on. Make that decision part of your overall budget and just do it!

Demo session confirmed on the 10 Dec in the mid morning period... And I will get my carpet out this Saturday and get the initial sound calibration done... More later on when my Eames chair comes.