Hi,

Is it OK to setup a HT system in an unfinished basement since I have a 2 yr old and everything seems to be on his destructive path


I am planning to get the Epic Master 175 driven by a Yamaha RX-V657 watching 80% movies on cable and DVD and 20% music - R&B, Soul, Classic Rock and Classical.

If it is not recommended, then I am planning to set it up in my carpeted living room (12 (W) X 20 (L) X 12 (H)).

Thanks in advance.

You could certainly try. Keep in mind you'll have a lot of reflections that can make subwoofer placement tricky and the room feeling too "bright" with echoes.

If it wasn't a problem, setting it up in your living room probably would be the best choice.

Cheers on the system :-)

I guess there are two factors -- sound and dust. I imagine you could do a pretty good job of dust control in an evening by :

- stapling some cheap plastic sheeting across the joists
- plastic or cheap cloth on the walls
- give the floor (presumably concrete slab) a good vacuuming and put a cheap rug in the middle

For the living room, you could probably shelf or wall mount everything except the subwoofer and still get good results. That would keep most of the damageable stuff a foot or two above the swath of destruction. Just keeping the grills on is a big help as long as your 2yo can't knock the mains off the stands.

Thanks much for the replies folks. I should have mentioned that my basement floor has been painted to minimize dust + the walls have full length insulation. I also have rugs on the floor as I have setup my study area.

One thing I was worried about was the relatively temperature fluctuations as the AC/heating unit is not enclosed. If this is not a problem, I will be very happy to set it up down there.

Do you have measurements of temperature range, humidity and so on? If so, you might want to simply send that info to Axiom's experts and they'll be happy to answer you.

A couple of things to consider. It’s great you have insulation in the walls; do you have a vapor barrier up? If yes, you will still suffer from reflection echoes (plastic is a great reflector). You could hang some sheets or wall carpets to help control echo’s. If not, then you might suffer from the opposite problem as the room is too dead (although I would hope you do have a vapor barrier up to control moisture).

The temperature itself shouldn’t be an issue (except for your own comfort). However, humidity could be. Make sure you have a dehumidifier running in the summer (I know these can be a pain cuz they are noisy and always seem to kick in just during a quiet passage). The winters usually get dry air; a humidifier on the furnace will help here too. This will help to stop static electricity. You can buy a humidity meter at Wal-mart for a few bucks help identify if your current situation.

Electronics, moisture, and static electricity are a bad combination.

Paul

You can setup a HT out in your back yard if you want. Sure, you can use an unfinished basement, I did for 6 months before carpeting. Just be prepared that you will have reflections echoing from all your speakers.

Just do the clap test. If you clap your hands hard and hear the echo, imagine what the music/movies will sound like.

Thanks again for the additional input, I think the biggest constraints would be the echo and other noises such as humidifier. I have decided to 'gingerly' wall mount these in the living room. I will have to spend a lot of time running speaker cable through the walls. Any ideas or tools to make it easier - I am pretty good with DIY stuff to the level, I can finish my basement once the dry walls are installed.

Once the basement is completed and my rec room is ready, my toys should feel safe again.

Been there, done that.

You might want to go with a bigger sub in that size room. Go with at least the EP350.

I agree, the 175 most likely won't move enough air.