Accoustic transparent Projection Screen?

[drago3451]

I am trying to get into the front projection game and have a question relating to the screen. My three front channels will be placed behind the screen and I was wondering what level of sound/quality loss I will get from going with a regular screen as opposed to an accoustically transparent screen. I know going with this type of material will affect my gain.

[Beta Man]

what speakers (just for my own curiousity) do you have?


As far as the effect, you'll be muffling the sound. Turn the sound on with a movie, and set up a "test" screen in front of your speakers.... either a curtain to go across the entire three, or a t-shirt hanging from a hanger in front of each speaker etc..... put them a foot or two away from the front of the speaker, and judge if you feel the sound being dampened is a big deal for you..... You can adjust the levels of the front speakers to compensate, but your soundstage certainly will be "pinched"


I'd say test it, and see what you think

[drago3451]

I am running Definitive Promonitor 1000's in the front. I have them powered by a Denon 3808CI. The difference between the two materials is about $320.00 so I was wondering if it would be worth the added expense. This is the screen I was looking into. http://www.projectorpeople.com/scree...ctric%20Screen

[Beta Man]

Those are certainly nice screens..... If I were going acoustically transparent, I'd probably be using it as a fixed front-wall, and not a drop-down electric screen though..... I'd want to see ONLY the screen.... that's the beauty of acoustically transparent screens (in my opinion)

You wouldn't physically have the space to move out the speakers if you had to????? How far from the ground will the bottom of the screen be?

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by drago3451

I am trying to get into the front projection game and have a question relating to the screen. My three front channels will be placed behind the screen and I was wondering what level of sound/quality loss I will get from going with a regular screen as opposed to an accoustically transparent screen. I know going with this type of material will affect my gain.

As with anything, there are acoustically transparent screen materials of different quality and construction. SMX CineWeave HD and Stewart Microperf are considered amongst the finest acoustically transparent materials. I am not familiar with Elite's offerings though.

In general, every acoustically transparent screen will have some effect on image quality and sound (unfortunately, like pretty much everything else in life, you can't get something for nothing). You generally lose a bit of screen gain (CineWeave HD is around 1.2, and Stewart Microperf's are about 1.1), but image quality degradation with the best screens is pretty negligible. One issue with any woven/perf'd screen is the possibility of moiré with digital projectors-- this can typically be remedied by rotating the screen material a bit. In terms of sound quality, it's not that you will lose volume or have a "muffled" sound quality. It's that most screens will have a variable effect on different frequencies, such that re-equalizing the sound may be necessary to boost those frequencies which are filtered more than others. SMX CineWeave HD's claim to fame is that it is completely neutral, and does not require re-EQ. This makes it very popular with people wanting to put speakers behind the screen.

I use CineWeave HD in my system, and it is excellent for image quality. I haven't placed any speakers behind the screen... yet... but I'm thinking about it.

Here's a pic of typical perf'ed screen, SMX CineWeave, and Stewart Microperf side-by-side-by-side:



Almost everyone who has ever chosen to do an acoustically transparent screen with speakers behind it has just raved about it. From their descriptions, it is great improvement over traditional speakers around the screen. It's why I'm strongly considering doing it, although I'm not thrilled about doing a rebuild not too long after I thought I was done for a while...

[drago3451]

How far from the ground will the bottom of the screen be?[/QUOTE]

The screen will be about 8 inches off of the ground based on the stats from Elite.

[drago3451]

[QUOTE=Brain Sturgeon;1414909]As with anything, there are acoustically transparent screen materials of different quality and construction. SMX CineWeave HD and Stewart Microperf are considered amongst the finest acoustically transparent materials. I am not familiar with Elite's offerings though.


The acoustic screen from Elite has a 1.0 gain. Based on the reviews of their other screens it appears that the quality to price ratio is very good. I am pushing my luck (wife wise) with this $1200.00 screen and would not be able to get away with a screen two to three times the price. I would also wonder what the satisfaction level between the different screens would be? will a much more expensive screen yield that much of a diff to warrant the expense.

The screen is going into a basement where I can completely control the light so I hope a lower gain will be fine.

[drago3451]

[QUOTE=Beta Man;1414219]Those are certainly nice screens..... If I were going acoustically transparent, I'd probably be using it as a fixed front-wall, and not a drop-down electric screen though..... I'd want to see ONLY the screen.... that's the beauty of acoustically transparent screens (in my opinion)

I am dropping this in front of my current setup. I currently have a Sony KDL-60A3000 that is recessed into the wall. The screen will be dropping flat against the wall. I am planning on using the TV for regular TV viewing so I do not have to turn the lights off/down all of the time. The projector will be for movies only. (until the newness wears off of course .)

[Beta Man]

in that case, it makes perfect sense for a drop-down!


Do you have a picture of your current setup? I would think sacraficing the center channel placement, and moving the fronts out a little further would be all it would take...... 8 inches at the bottom though doesn't seem like much.... how big is the screen and how low are your ceilings???\


(A picture is worth a 1,000 words though )

[drago3451]

It is a 120" screen . I will be sitting about 13 feet away. I really want my center channel to be as close to center as possible and I am worried about placing it too high or too low. When I first started with my 60" I placed my Center on a shelf below the screen about 6-8" and it bothered me. It was probably just in my head but the voices seemed off. I am thinking if Sturgeon is looking at going behind the screen it may sway me to go that avenue as he seems to have his stuff in order. If only I had his budget!?!?

No pictures right now. I will also be doing some construction to get that area ready for the setup. I need to widen the recessed area so I can move my left and right channels out. That will mean getting rid of a storage closet, centering my current setup, some electrical work, etc…….

oh and my ceilings are only 80 inches tall.

[Beta Man]

yeah, a 120" screen is going to be 59" tall.... so that means about a foot of "dead space" where the screen hangs down, if you only have 8" from screen to floor....

80" ceilings will certainly make center channel placement tough!

Sounds like you did your homework, and acoustically transparent may be the way to go afterall.

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by drago3451

How far from the ground will the bottom of the screen be?

The screen will be about 8 inches off of the ground based on the stats from Elite.

So, the bottom of the projection material will be 8" off the ground? If you are sitting in a typical seating position (eyes about 34" above the ground), that screen position will be uncomfortably low for you. if you have a ceiling height of 80", the max you could get the viewing surface about the ground would be 21" or so, which would still be somewhat low dependent on your seating position. If this is your situation, I would try to mount the screen up as high as you can get it to maximize your comfort viewing.