Providing an Atmos Experience for Family Movie Nights - Case Study

When a husband and wife duo started to modernise the detached family home that they share with their three children and a large German Shepherd in leafy Surrey, they called upon Custom Electronic Design to replace their existing TV, surround sound system and hi-fi stand in the living room.

After discussing options with the client, Custom Electronic Design planned to design and install a custom media cabinet that would conceal all the AV equipment, provide storage space for board games and toys and would blend into the décor of the room. The client was keen for the cabinet to feature bold and modern lines, and on the AV side, they requested a Dolby Atmos capable audio system and a LG OLED TV to replace their old Pioneer Kuro. There was also a specific requirement for a ‘night-time’ audio mode, which would allow the parents to switch the in-ceiling surround and height speakers off and reduce any sound travelling to the bedroom above.

Discussing the project with AWE, Custom Electronic Design wanted to specify products that would deliver best-in-class performance from every component. With this in mind, the integrator chose the requested LG OLED TV, alongside KEF speakers and subwoofer, Kinetik Acoustic Firehoods and a Marantz AV receiver.

The LG 77″ Gallery 4K OLED TV provides an amazing image, is super slim and comes with a bracket that enables it to sit completely flat against the wall. In contrast to LED TV technology that uses backlights, OLED screens pack self-lighting pixels which means they work independently to emit their own light. This allows for perfect black levels, outstanding colours, infinite contrasts and the sharpest details which ultimately uncover all the details in darker scenes without any blooming associated with backlit screens.

The room “after” – complete with discreet Dolby Atmos installation

KEF CI4100QL THX Certified in-wall speakers for the LCR channels and KEF CI160QR 160mm in-ceiling speakers for surrounds and heights were perfect performers for the client and are installed in a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos configuration. These speakers are an in-wall design with ultra-thin bezel and were painted to match the décor of the cabinet, enabling them to virtually disappear.

Featuring KEF’s sophisticated ’sit anywhere’ Uni-Q driver array, which places the tweeter in the acoustic centre of the bass/midrange cone, this allows both the tweeter and woofer to act as a single point source that disperses the sound widely and evenly throughout the room meaning the Ci Q Series provides tremendous freedom to experience immersive audio from a wide range of seating positions.

The matching KEF in-ceiling speakers were fitted with Kinetik KISP-AFH1 Acoustic Fire Hoods. These high-quality flexible hoods are easy to fit and provide both acoustic insulation and certified fire protection to upper floors, helping integrators meet ever stricter building regulations and reducing sound travel to the room above.

A black KEF Kube 8 High Performance subwoofer was discreet enough to sit to one side of the media cabinet. The Kube unleashes explosive power intelligently thanks to iBX technology that extends bass depth dynamically and delivers impact that drive users deeper into the heart of the performance.

“The KEF THX CI speakers specified are a great value product that delivers amazingly dynamic and detailed audio, while the subwoofer adds a real punch that takes this system to the next level,” comments Nick Moore from Custom Electronic Design.

Completing the AV set up is a Marantz SR5015 7.2ch 8K AV Receiver. The Custom Electronic Design team say, “this receiver is an excellent performer with the benefit of in-built HEOS audio streaming and, crucially, is configurable to provide the required night-time audio mode, which is selectable from a dedicated button on the programmable remote control.”

With the client wanting all the cables to be invisible, Custom Design Electronic concealed the cables in the upper part of the media cabinet, running them up into the ceiling above and working from the top down, so no damage was done to the ceiling from below. Ventilation was built into the cabinet.

Completing the install with the addition of LED downlights and architectural dimmable LED linear lighting, the team has delivered a system that transforms the living space into an atmospheric and serious home cinema system at the touch of a button.

“Being able to custom design and fit a bespoke media wall ensured that the equipment was optimally positioned for best performance in terms of speaker and TV heights,” adds Nick. “The media wall, AV equipment and lighting installation was completed in just six days from start to finish. This is a tribute to good design, high-quality products from a reputable distributor, project management, professional engineering and a client who was looking to achieve a fun and practical outcome.”

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