Renovated Playroom Designed for Listening to Vinyl and Watching Dolby Atmos Movies

Having a special place in the house for the kids to play is a dream of any parent. But when the kids grow up and move out, what once was a room of constant activity goes silent and unused. Rather than let that happen, the owners of this award-winning entertainment space contacted the home systems integrators at EDG (Electronics Design Group), of Piscataway, N.J., to transform the roughly 21-by-15-foot outdated playroom into a modern media getaway where they could partake in two of their passions: watching movies and listening vinyl. The project recently earned the Electronic House Home of the Year, 2017 Gold Award for Best Casual Entertainment Space. See other Home of the Year winners here.

Media Room Pulls Double Duty: Movies and Music

Typically, homeowners will either create a room dedicated to one or the other activity; rarely both. But in this case, the owner wanted the area to do double duty, performing as a top-notch two-channel listening room for his extensive collection of vinyl and as a high-caliber home theater that could play Dolby Atmos surround sound. “Function would prevail over form in this room,” says EDG’s Christina Larkin. “We selected and configured the Definitive Technology loudspeakers in a way that could be used for both Dolby Atmos when the homeowners watch movies and also for two-channel listening when they want to spin vinyl.”

Control4 Transitions the Space from One Activity to the Other

The furniture layout was purposely configured to make both activities as comfortable as possible. A pair of leather chairs swivel toward the Clearaudio Concept turntable and neatly displayed vinyl, then back toward the 70-inch Sony 4K TV for movies. An L-shape couch provides seating for both areas, as well. Controlling the audio and video equipment that serves each area is just as easy and seamless, thanks to a Control4 handheld remote. EDG customized the labeling of buttons to simplify the set-up of the A/V equipment and the room environment. A button labeled movie, for example, activates the surround-sound receiver and TV and dims the room lights. Music, on the other hand, cues the tube amplifier and turntable and keeps the lights at a brighter setting.

Bubble Lamps Provide Light and Enhance the Audio

No matter what the homeowners choose to do or where they sit, EDG made sure that the audio would sound as the filmmaker or musician intended by adding various acoustical treatments to the room. One of the most interesting and innovative applications of acoustical products are Nelson Bubble Lamps. Hung from the ceiling these lamps provide light and their soft material helps reduce audio reverberation and improve intelligibility of movie dialogue and music lyrics. Not to mention, they complement the room’s mid-century modern vibe.

The less noticeable parts of the acoustical design include isolation platforms for each subwoofer, free-standing speaker, turntable, tube amp, and CD player; bass traps in the corners, and wooden wall-mounted diffusers to help spread the audio evenly across the room. EDG also tucked away of the equipment except for the turntable, tube amp, and LP collection. “These components are just as much a part of the room design as the light fixtures and furniture,” Larkin says. “The homeowner wanted to be able to see and touch this technology so we made sure to create an attractive way to showcase it.”

As for the gear that feeds content to the Sony TV, EDG tucked the DirecTV box, Blu-ray player, and Apple TV into an equipment rack in a nearby laundry room. The end result is a room that exudes high-tech cool and satisfies the owners’ need for an environment that could be provide double the entertainment enjoyment.

Be sure to check out electronichouse.com often for more 2017 Home of the Year award winners.

 

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