Top-flight cinema

Step inside the attic movie room of HCC reader Pete, where Klipsch speakers and 2.39:1 projection deliver cinematic immersion – and the chairs are ready to rumble...

- Pete

How long have you been into a home cinema, and what was the first setup you had?

I have been into home cinema since I heard a demo of a VHS player playing a stereo soundtrack of a movie through a stereo amp – I was hooked. I upgraded to LaserDisc (only stereo), then to DVD and heard my first 5.1 track, and haven’t looked back since.

What kit's in your system now?

My setup consists of Klipsch RP-402S on-wall surrounds (for the back channels), with four R-620F floorstanders for front L/R and surround an R-34C center channel and a pair of R-120SW subwoofers.

This 7.2 array is powered by a Denon AVR-X2300W receiver. My main player is a Zappiti Pro 4K HDR; I also have an Apple TV 4K, an Nvidia Shield, and an Xbox One S. There's also a Pioneer LaserDisc player for fun, and a Toshiba HD DVD deck.

My projector is a BenQ W1700 4K HDR model with a Prismasonic anamorphic lens to convert the 16:9 picture to 2:39:1 to show on my fixed-frame HiVilux 115in CinemaScope screen. Even though the BenQ has a 2:39:1 switch I find it way too narrow to enjoy the movie.