How Much Does a Custom, High-End Home Theater Cost?
It’s a question we hear a lot – about how much do home movie theaters cost?
Turns out, the answer is both simpler and more complex than you might expect. Read on to learn our estimate for what it costs to build a true home theater, what that investment will get you, and how to elevate your home viewing experience at any budget.
Home Theaters Vs. High-End AV Setups
First, let’s start with a quick clarification. The term ‘home theater’ is thrown around a lot these days. Being specific about what we mean is critical to understanding how we estimate the cost.
For a smart home integrator and theater designer, there’s a big difference between a high-end AV setup and a true home theater. High-end AV installs tend to feature:
A large TV
A sound bar
One or more wireless speakers
These kinds of setups do create quality viewing experiences. However, they don’t mimic the qualities of a movie theater. For that, the only solution is to build a true home theater, which requires more specialized technology and design expertise.
So, What Does a True Home Movie Theater Really Cost?
According to Jeff Cole, Founder and CEO of Architechne, a true home movie theater experience starts in the tens of thousands. “We can design, deploy, and curate a really nice theater space starting at around $20,000,” he explains, adding that the largest and most luxurious experiences can run in the hundreds of thousands. But what does that investment get you?
5 Steps to Crafting a True Home Theater Experience
Crafting a home theater is a multi-step process. It begins with an in-depth discussion about aesthetic and performance goals, and ends with meticulous calibration to ensure optimal performance.
Step 1: Learning Client Expectations
In this first step, the theater designer asks the client about their specific wants and needs. Home theaters can be built in any number of ways, following a wide variety of design philosophies. As such, a client’s aesthetic and performance priorities are crucial for determining how their unique project should proceed.
Step 2: Design Iterations
During this phase, the client's preferences are further refined. Multiple renditions of the proposed space are developed and shared, and the client’s feedback is used to lock in a finalized design.
Step 3: Product Curation
The product curation phase is when the equipment required for a bona fide cinematic experience is chosen. This phase requires a strategic approach to ensure optimal use of the budget and seamless integration between all components. First, there’s the basic equipment to consider. These are the elements every home theater requires, such as:
A projector
A screen
Speakers
A subwoofer
Seating
Amplification and processing
Next, a top-tier home theater designer like Architechne will take product curation a step further. Guided by a client’s preferences, they will source a variety of behind-the-scenes elements and industry-insider upgrades, including:
Cabling (ICE cable systems or Audio Quest)
Lenses (Panamorph)
Acoustic treatments
Advanced video processing (Mad VR)
Media sourcing (Kaleidescape)
While these less-prominent elements may at first seem like a secondary concern, their impact on your viewing and listening experience is immeasurable. Take Architechne’s recommended Kaleidescape home movie platform, for example. Both streaming services and discs compress film files, which hurts sound and video quality. But Kaleidescape video files are truly ‘lossless’. In other words, they preserve 100% of the audio and video data from the theatrical release, giving you the richest, most cinematic at-home viewing experience possible.
4. System Installation
Next is the installation phase. This may involve remodeling your chosen space, and it often requires an electrician to run new wiring. Sufficient power is essential for a home theater space, as it’s what drives all your hardwired speakers to provide cinema-quality audio. One 20-amp circuit is the minimal recommendation, while up to three such circuits may be required for larger designs.
5. Audio and Video Calibration
Finally, once all your equipment has been chosen and installed, the technical fine-tuning can begin. These calibrations involve setting speaker levels and speaker distances, adjusting equalizer settings, and adjusting video settings. Sound level and decibel meters may be used to ensure everything is optimized correctly. With this step complete, all that’s left is for the client to take their seat and let the opening credits roll.
Finding the Right Solution for Your Budget
Of course, not everyone can spend $20k-$100k+ in the name of premium entertainment. That’s where those high-end AV setups come back into play. “We want to make sure people have experiences in their home that they can live with, at any price point,” says Cole. In other words, whatever your budget is, from a $5,000 premium AV setup to a $500,000 luxury home theater, Architechne’s artisans will build you a long-lasting, immersive, satisfying viewing experience you can afford. “With Architechne, you’re going to get treated the same way, no matter what your budget is.”
Expect a Better Home Theater from Architechne
At Architechne, our philosophy is simple. When you pay any amount of money for professionals to deliver something for you, you deserve a team that’s 100% committed to their craft. That means only ever installing high-quality technology and never compromising when the consequence is a subpar experience. Are you ready to learn what Architechne can build for you? All it takes is contacting our team today to get started.
