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Golden Ear home theater complete with whisky on the side

Show Us Yours: Craig's Colorado entertainment space has a clean, modern look and a discerning collection of adult beverages.

David Carnoy
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
David Carnoy
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1 of 25 Craig/CNET

Craig from Boulder, Colorado welcomes you to his sleek basement home theater. 

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2 of 25 Craig/CNET

Going for a clean, modern look, he first designed the entire thing using Sketchup 3D. This mockup provides a pretty close approximation of how everything ended up looking when it was finished.

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3 of 25 Craig/CNET

Here's the construction phase, with Craig's projector in place on the ceiling and his screen sitting on the floor, waiting to be mounted.

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4 of 25 Craig/CNET

This is the finished product. Craig says it's his favorite place to be on a Friday night, watching the latest 4K movie release, sipping on a Japanese whisky, engulfed in Dolby Atmos surround sound.

The home theater features Dolby Atmos 5.1.4, a 120-inch screen and a very bright 4K HDR capable Epson 5040 UB projector.

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5 of 25 Craig/CNET

The equipment list is an impressive blend of audio and video gear.

  • Epson Home Cinema 5040UB projector
  • 120-inch Silver Ticket 1:1 ratio STR-169120 fixed screen
  • Golden Ear Triton 5 tower speakers Left/Right mains
  • Golden Ear SuperCenter XL center channel speaker
  • Golden Ear SuperSat 3 left and right surrounds
  • Golden Ear Invisa 650 in-ceiling Atmos speakers (4)
  • HSU VTF-3 MK5 HP Subwoofer that rocks the house!
  • Marantz SR7011 Dolby Atmos 9-channel powered amplifier and 4K video switcher
  • Sony PlayStation 4 Pro
  • Samsung UBD-K8500 4K UHD HDR Blu-ray player
  • Google Chrome Cast Ultra 4K UHD HDR streaming device
  • Logitech Harmony Elite Smart Remote
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6 of 25 Craig/CNET

Golden Ear SuperSat 3 left/right surrounds hug the back corners.

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One of the four Golden Ear Invisa 650 in-ceiling Atmos speakers before being installed in the ceiling...

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...and after installation.

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9 of 25 Craig/CNET

The four Dolby Atmos speakers in the ceiling get white covers to blend in.

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Craig created a floating shelf system using a reclaimed wood plank from a panel truck.

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11 of 25 Craig/CNET

With help from some welding friends, he was able to use large threaded rods and nuts with washers to suspend the shelves at any height for a rich industrial look.

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Side view of the shelf.

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The Marantz SR7011 nine-channel receiver.

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Golden Ear Triton 5 tower speaker.

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15 of 25 Craig/CNET

"We found two Italian wall sconces that direct light up and down to highlight the screen wall and give the theater an old cinema look," Craig says. "The wall is painted with the original dark Ferrari red, for richness and to pay homage to the motorsports history."

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16 of 25 Craig/CNET

Lights off, sconces on.

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The bookshelf from afar.

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The view from in front of the screen.

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The rear and side walls have acoustic wall covering to lessen first order reflections, while the art highlight area is a custom design that is used to also hide in-wall plumbing.

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From from back right.

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The projector and screen in action.

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Animation really pops in dark-room mode.

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Here's Craig's Bolex 16mm camera that he used in college to make films.

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24 of 25 Craig/CNET

Craig says: "It's a cozy, open space with modern, clean touches and plenty of space for yoga and the pup."

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25 of 25 Craig/CNET

That's it, folks. Thanks to Craig for submitting this showcase. 

If you want to see more Show Us Yours showcases, we have plenty more on tap. And we encourage you to submit your own photos.

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