Harkness Hall Material.

Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of putting together my dedicated room that will consist of a 115" diagonal scope screen custom made by myself however I've hit a wall when it comes to the material selection.

I've got a price from Harkness for some of there Matt White micro perf material, has anyone used this material and if so how is it?

I was going to use Seymour AV centrestage XD material but although the price isn't too bad once Chris had worked out carriage charges and then I have import duty and vat the price was over £300 (more than I'm looking to spend ).

Any other companies I could try? I have a couple of samples on the way from Otto at Beamax but have yet to see a price so I'm unsure of the total cost.

Stuart.

 

Thanks Allan,

I may pop down for a look when I get my Devore from whaleys in Bradford.

I've also sent you a pm.

Stuart.

 

Hi,

I have the Seymour CenterStage XD AT screen material. I used it on a DIY frame in my Whaleys Devore bat cave loft conversion.

With my Sony HW10 I am fairly pleased with the screen, although I have recently been thinking of looking at alternatives as I do very occasionally notice the grain/weave of the fabric on large areas of single colour. That said, I do sit fairly close (1.2 - 1.5 x screen width) from a 8 foot wide screen so maybe I'm asking too much?

Like I say, 99% of the time I see nothing but a great picture. If you're in the West Mids and fancy a look then drop me a PM.

Cheers

Rob

 

Stuart

Take Allan up on his offer if you get the chance. Not all AT screens are the same, and this can become critical when planning to sit speakers behind it. Not sure of the spec of the Harkness Hall material, but the Seymour AV material is woven, which has excellent acoustic properties.

Seen this (the Seymour AV material) in a friend's dedicated cinema (with Genelec HT210s hidden behind) and I was really impressed. The screen material investment isn't one to be scrimped on imho (even if it means delaying your project by a few weeks if you can't quite afford the more expensive option).

Let us know how you get on

 

Hi all,

Thanks for all the advice, I managed to pick up a bargain off the classifieds here. Enough Seymour AV Centrestage XD to build my screen . I don't think I will be able to get much angle on the material but I will get as much as possible.

I will let you all know how I get on.

Stuart.

 

Hi Allan,

I built the screen myself as it is part of the structure I have in place. I was able to put a decent tilt on the material, maybe 15 to 20 degrees? I'm not sure where I saved my calculations but I did some before ordering as per the instructions on their website.

One day I'll post some pictures in the gallery.

Cheers

Rob

 

Weill I received my material today, like a child in a sweet shop I couldn't wait I had to see how it looked. I ghetto fitted it to my wall using bulldog clips and fired up the JVC. The projected image was stunning! I watched about 10 minutes of various footage then promptly took the material down so it didn't get damaged.

Very glad I found this material in the classifieds. The material is now safely rolled up again as the mission to finish my room continues .

Stuart.

 

Hi Stuart,

Did you manage to find out how close you had to be to the screen before you noticed the weave? I may be sitting around 8 feet from the screen and some people mention they can see the texture in bright scenes. I've a feeling only something like the Enlightor 4K may be my only choice if I stick with my plans for an AT screen.

Cheers

Gary

 

Hi Gary,

To be honest I can just about see the weave from my seating position (about 9 feet) however this is only on very bright scenes.. This does not bother me in the slightest, the frame has got to be very bright to see it (films like ice age are a good test). It certainly isn't going to be a problem for me, also it doesn't look any different at 8 feet.

I would however suggest getting some samples sorted as it may bother you more than it does me, the picture quality/sharpness is absolute amazing and it's a million times better than the blackout material I used to use with my 720p projector.

Another thing to point out is speaker positioning, since I positioned my LCRs behind the screen it's made a huge impact on sound performance. The sound is so much better I wouldn't trade in the AT screen for the loss in sound performance.

Stuart

 

Hi Stuart,

Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated.

I definitely want to go AT for my next build, so I'm looking into things like baffle walls etc. I've never had a problem with my speakers being just under a screen in the past, but it's definitely something I want to do (and I'm more into video so never paid much attention to speaker placement with AT set-ups I've seen in the past so the chance to experiment with different placement will be good). One of the main reasons is that I don't want to have anything other than the screen visible in my line of view - no distractions from reflections off of speakers etc. Previously I covered all the speakers with black felt AT cloth to give that effect, and found it worked well, so a wall and screen with speakers behind is the way I'd like to go next time.

I think Chris did send me a sample of his weave material about 4/5 years ago, but things have moved on since then with finer improved weaves. I'll drop him a line and pay for the larger samples nearer the time. I'll have to ask a friend if I can bring them over to experiment with since I don't have a pj at my disposal right now (only an old CRT and that's no good to check moire with).

I'l have to see if I can find your other build threads and see how you're getting on.

Cheers

Gary

 

Thanks for letting me know Allan.

I am using the JVC so it's good to know as my material isn't large enough to get any angle .

 

No current build thread Gary, I will put one up when the room is finished (which at this rate is going to be a very long time!). I did however buy my 35u rack today .

I also used to be a videophile, now I'd say I'm more audio over video.. Or at least equal. Decent sound in a proper dedicated home theatre environment can't be beaten, I'm yet to build my subs but the Jamo D7s surely pack a punch and gun shots, explosions etc hit the chest great feeling.

If I have any material left over I can stick some in the post if you like? Not sure how much I will have but I'm thinking around 1.2 metres x 10cm.. Ish. It may help your decision.

Stuart

 

That's probably what I'll do if I manage to take any pics of my progress. A 'real time' thread would be like watching paint dry, but less interesting...

I know what you mean - I've been at the homes of people with great audio systems, and I could really appreciate the difference. One chap had some Dunlavy's and when the first gunshot from the gunfight sequence in Open Range rung out, my trouser leg flapped! My system sounded rather girly in comparison when I compared it at home

That would be brilliant! I'd really appreciate it. Let me know when, and I'll PM you with my address.

Thanks

Gary

 

Hi all,

Well I finally managed to make my screen last week! It's impressive material I have to say, bugger to stretch though not much give.

Some pictures I took with my iPhone (gives a rough indication).

 

Gary.

I have a small section left I can stick in the post if you like?

Stuart

 

Thanks Allan,

It's great material and I would definitely recommend it if a little tricky to work with .