Build Your Home Theater on a Budget, 90% of the Experience for 10% of the Cost

How to save a lot of money creating your own personal home theater. This how-to will help you realize you don't need to spend a lot to get a lot when creating your own DIY home theater.

Everyone loves my home theater, we always have a great place to go without leaving the house. My best estimate is that I spent about $1300 total and that is for everything.

[ke]

I agree with you in principle. We are living in a golden age of abundance. Where entry level equipment is of such a solid standard that you can have a great experience for an affordable expense. I’ve been using a £500 Optoma projector for the past 10 years and £1K speaker setup from Monitor Audio and Marantz that have brought me no end of joy. Stuff I literally deemed of owning as a kid.

[johnc]

Absolutely agree and appreciate the point you are making in this video. Your theater is what you make it regardless of how much or how little you spend. I actually had thought about making a similar video in the future. I started with a 720p projector, an elite budget screen and some old Fisher (yes that old) speakers and an old Fisher amp. The family and visitors enjoyed the experience. Since then I’ve upgraded one piece at a time just as someone commented and still using a mixture of some older and newer speakers but I’m still not on the highest end. However I’m in my latter years (lol) and my current home theater experience is absolutely awesome. Even though I keep up with all the technology advances and go to other demo theaters, I don’t even flinch about the high end stuff. It’s what you enjoy be it on the lower or higher end. I hope someone who wants to have a home theater but doesn’t have an abundance of funds will watch your video and jump into it. This is a great hobby that is enjoyable for the whole family. Thanks for taking the time to make this video. In the near future I plan on making a video of my home theater and will post as well.

[andrewdocherty]

I built my little theater room for about 1500 bucks.. people think I spent a lot more than that.
Yamaha 5.1 av, Polk speakers and sub, all second hand, $320 total, and a kodak projector believe it or not.
Found everything else online, including my seats, which was lucky.
Any movie nerd can make a home theater!
You won't regret it

[cpt.hindsight]

I agree. I have a 7.4.2 and I'm very happy. Yamaha aventage receiver, and svs subs. I bought rockfon 2" and made frames to get 2" airgap behind them, first and second reflections. Baybe spent 250usd. Basstraps 4 pieces, used the rockfon cardboxes, insulation inside and rockfon front, black fabric over cardboard. Used matte milliskin as a screen, very happy with the result. Definitively go with two subwooffers, night and day, trust me!

[leonar]

I couldn't agree with you more,
Great job at creating a budget friendly theater 👍
My 1080 Epson projector cost 300 dollars used, works great, screen is d.y.i 4x8 foot M.D.F. painted with Sherwin Williams extra white duration matte, receiver is a 4 channel Dolby pro logic 1990s vintage costing 125 dollars, sub is Athena 100 watt costing 150 dollars, left center and right speakers are Paridiam costing 450 dollars and 2 surrounds are Sony costing 60 dollars.
Picture is excellent (including DVD) sound is immersive,
Can't justify spending thousands more

[DanzoSrife]

The great thing right now is that I'm finding a lot of used HT speakers that I wanted back in the early 2000s. People are dumping these speakers because they think that soundbars are the way of the future or have no idea how to configure a surround sound system, OR they are buying the latest model so they got the convenience feature to hook up an atmos link to the back. I picked up a decent sub for $35 on FB marketplace and just barely missed a $80 set of floorstanding Klipsch in my neighborhood. I'll just keep an eye out and I can finish my HT on a shoestring budget :)

[robognu]

I mostly agree with what you’re saying. You don’t really need to spend a lot of money to have a really good experience. I think the pixel shifting 4K projectors are the sweet spot for performance and reasonable cost. The BenQ ht3550 is around $1200 these days and it’s great! I had a native 1080p projector first and it looked good, but 4K (even non native) is far better and certainly worth the money over 1080p in my opinion. I subscribed 👍🏼👍🏼

[kshusker]

Thank you for this video. I am tired of other YouTube videos saying something is “budget” when it actually isn’t. I don’t consider a $1000 sub budget. I built my theater for less than $2000, with 1080p projector and not one person has ever said my picture was inadequate. If everyone tried to build a $20, 000 or more home theater, then most people would never have one.

[annekedebruyn]

Make sure if you are on a budget, to get a reflective screen. Not just a cheap white one.
They aren't that much more expensive but they will give your more cheaper projector more contrast and brighter whites.

[whoguy]

My dedicated home theatre room is $750 for the ATMOS 5.1.2 with 5.1 speakers and two in ceiling speakers, and $1600 for the projector with a 200" image. I'm totally satisfied with it and it beats systems costing $10, 000 dollars or more where they don't have a proper dedicated room or it isnt set up properly. I'd say placing speakers properly, fine tuning the equalizations and time delays and optimising the image with a totally darkened room is paramount which costs nothing.

[DHSFEMA]

I’m looking into my first ever Home Projector experience so I’m learning as much as I can and your video helped a lot, thank u I appreciate it

[RollinRagu]

I've been at this for over 40 years now. The 90/10 rule was always a strategy of mine...I didn't have the option to spend more. Anyway, as the years moved along, I have splurged in a few areas and now have a total investment higher than I ever expected. I'm enjoying the improvements, even if they are incremental. For me, I think the 10% is worth chasing, but never at the expense of other parts of your life. To young people of the hobby: Be content and your time will come. Enjoy every phase.

[Paranimal]

Mostly agree with your points, however my 4K laser projector is insane, I wouldn’t say it’s a 10% improvement over 1080p it’s more like a 30 to 40% visually, I notice a big difference between 1080p content and native 4K… when they come down in price I would highly recommend the upgrade. Or get an LED 4K from Epson… also I’d mention a subwoofer should be a priority over almost everything meaning if you have the option between 7.1 AVR and an average sub or a 5.1 and a higher end sub I would go with the larger and better sub. HSU is a fantastic brand to look at while they aren’t cheap the value they are is incredible and easily one of the biggest upgrades I’ve done to my home theater. The bass is the anchor that really gives your home theater that theater sound.

[abefroman.]

lol, I used to think this way. I appreciate where you are coming from and the audience you are trying to reach.
But I have to say having had a 10yr+ journey in home theater, you can start with what you are saying, and get 60% of the experience. Which is already great, .

The 60%-90% is what most upgrades to 4K and 4+ ATMOS channels, better DACS, room correction, and multiple subs, better screens, and some room treatment and looks/style points will get you, which is what the journey and goals should be about.
That last 90%-100% is a expensive finish line. That will mostly get you more control over picture and sound, less compromises to deal with, and a upgrade path with gear.

Everyone has to start somewhere, that is seriously the fun part. And yes you don't have to spend a fortune to get to 60%, and for alot of people they can even stop there and be happy with their experience. But I'd guess if you stick with this for another 10yrs on top of what you already have you will have a different opinion as you upgrade.



60% HT 1.0, I started with a Acer 1080p 3D projector shooting to my wall and a 7.1 cheap Polk setup with a Pioneer Elite AVR.
75% HT 2.0 - Epson 5040ub, Silver Ticket Screen 150", SVS Ultra 9.2.4 with a Marantz 8012+Monolith 7ch Amp.
92% HT 3.0 - AWOL 3500 UST (Best for 3D fans!), Stewart Screen, Ascendo 10.4.9 with a Trinnov Altitude 16+prev. Amps and new Amps, and Tactile Transducers in the seats.

Next I need to finish room treatments and so on. This hobby can keep going and going, and that is the fun. Enjoy what you have until the project/planning side comes back in. But always find ways to build upon what you had the last round.

Have fun!

[vibeinstalls]

I’m with you bud, I share the same philosophy 😊

[FURognar]

I feel the sound is at least 50% of the experience. The sound system also takes up so much more of the room than the video system does. In fact, one of the best ways to save money but improve your sound dramatically is by building DIY acoustic treatments and doing the research to set them up right. Will cost you a couple hundred bucks worth of material and some time and effort but the improvement you gain is likely better than upgrading to very expensive speakers.

[proprich]

Not sure about the 90% for 10% but you’re not far off. I put my theater together about 12 years ago. I had about 4k invested in the video and audio. Was very happy with it. Decided to upgrade recently. I would say the upgrade in projectors was the lowest percentage upgrade. Went from a JVC DLA HD 250 to a JVC DLA RS1100. The picture is better but 5k better? Not so sure. I’ve got about 10k in audio, feel like it was a huge upgrade.

[FURognar]

My current system costs about $3500, $2000 of which is a new TCL QM8 miniLED I just bought.

After my planned upgrades, it will be about $10k, give or take. I am hoping it will look and sound like it costs much more than that.

[Coleecool]

Bro just changed my whole perspective on that reciever

[alford]

Totally agree! I’ve had a theater for 20 years or more and have only slowly increased its capabilities over time.

I will say that there are some MUST HAVES though.

1. Acoustically Transparent Screen

2. More than 1 sub. Preferably enough that will play 10db hotter than reference without taxing the amps or drivers. DIY is great here. $2, 000 can go a long way with drivers, amps, and DSP for this part of the experience.

I personally think LFE and bass make up more than half of the HT experience.

Surround sound makes up the next largest amount.

Then picture size and quality. This part can be had the cheapest. A DIY AT screen and 1080p or even 4K projector will place the LCR speakers in their correct locations which brings a connection to the viewer.

My system now is far from DIY but that’s how it started. I still build my own subs though as 20+ units is way out of my price range even as an Altitude32 owner.