Dedicated Home Cinema Room, Derby

An Underground Cinema Room near Derby

This dedicated underground home cinema room near Derby was designed around a single clear objective: the best possible picture and sound quality for the available space and budget, with no compromise on aesthetics or ease of use. A Sony VPL-VW1000ES 4K projector, a Screen Excellence Enlightor 4K acoustically transparent screen, a full Artcoustic SL speaker system and Crestron whole-home control deliver exactly that. The room was designed from the ground up around the acoustic performance of the speaker system, and this installation was selected by Artcoustic as their Install of the Month.

Sony 4K Projection and Screen Excellence

The Sony VPL-VW1000ES was, at the time of installation, one of the finest residential 4K projectors available — delivering a native 4096 × 2160 resolution image with exceptional contrast, brightness and colour accuracy. It uses three 0.74-inch SXRD panels rated at 2,000 lumens, with a powered 2.1x zoom lens and lens shift that allow the image to be set precisely to the screen. Sony’s own 4K upscaler enhances lower-resolution material, so HD sources such as Sky HD are presented at the projector’s full native resolution.

It projects onto a 3.8m (150-inch) Screen Excellence Enlightor 4K acoustically transparent screen, which allows the full front speaker array to sit directly behind the picture. The room is underground, which removes ambient light entirely and allows the projector to operate at its full contrast capability.

The room brings together our core cinema services — design, installation, acoustics and calibration — with the whole-home Crestron system that runs the rest of the property.

Artcoustic SL Speaker System

The speaker package is built around Artcoustic’s SL range — designed for flush installation and finished in black to blend with the dark room interior. The front stage comprises three Artcoustic 180-43SL speakers and two 180-43 subwoofers in a custom-built false wall behind the screen. Four Artcoustic 40-30SL on-wall speakers — just 67mm deep — handle rear and surround channels, mounted at the correct height and angle for optimum surround imaging. The complete 7.2 system is driven by a Pioneer Elite home cinema receiver, with room correction applied after installation.

Artcoustic’s high sensitivity makes reference-level dynamics achievable with comparatively modest amplifier power, which is why a single well-set-up receiver can drive a system of this scale convincingly.

Acoustic Design

The false wall, built by our carpentry team and finished in acoustically transparent fabric, conceals the front speaker array and allows the room to be tuned without visible acoustic treatments. The underground location provides natural isolation from external noise — a significant advantage in dedicated cinema design. The combination of a well-designed speaker system and a carefully considered acoustic space consistently outperforms rooms with more expensive equipment in less considered environments.

Behind an acoustically transparent finish, we specify an open-weave acoustic cloth chosen so that sound passes through without audible impact on tonal balance, because a poorly chosen weave can dull high frequencies before they reach the room. The dark wall, ceiling and carpet finishes also absorb stray light from the screen, which keeps the projected image clean and contrast high.

Crestron Whole-Home Control

The cinema is integrated into the home’s wider Crestron control system via an iPad running a bespoke interface. One button press starts the projector, selects the source — Sky HD, Sony 4K Blu-ray, Apple TV — and adjusts the room environment. The Crestron Digital Media system handles 4K video distribution throughout the home, allowing the same sources to be enjoyed in every room with identical simplicity.

Crestron lighting control is part of the same system, so the lighting is set from the same iPad interface as the projector and sources rather than from separate switches. For the owners, the result is a cinema that is as simple to use as a television, with every layer of the technology hidden behind a single interface.

Underground Cinema — Maximum Performance

Underground rooms offer the home cinema designer two significant advantages: inherent acoustic isolation from the rest of the property, and freedom from natural light intrusion. This Derby installation exploits both. The 3.8m acoustically transparent screen fills the visual field from the viewing position with a Sony 4K image whose quality the room’s acoustic isolation allows to be experienced at proper reference levels. This Derby installation is regularly referenced by Custom Controls’ Midlands clients as evidence that dedicated underground cinema rooms deliver results that above-ground installations in occupied living spaces cannot replicate.

Frequently Asked Questions — Underground Cinema, Derby

What are the advantages of an underground cinema room?
An underground location provides natural acoustic isolation from the rest of the property and complete freedom from natural light intrusion — two of the most significant advantages a cinema designer can ask for, both present in this Derby installation.

Why did this installation win Artcoustic’s Install of the Month?
The award recognised the quality of the Artcoustic SL speaker system integration — a slimline, flush-mounted front and surround array finished to blend with the dark room interior, combined with the acoustic performance the underground location and false-wall construction made possible.

Which projector and screen are used?
A Sony VPL-VW1000ES native 4K projector with three SXRD panels, projecting onto a 3.8m (150-inch) Screen Excellence Enlightor 4K acoustically transparent screen.

How are the speakers hidden?
The three Artcoustic 180-43SL front speakers and two subwoofers sit in a custom-built false wall behind the acoustically transparent screen, and the four 40-30SL surround speakers are just 67mm deep and finished in black to disappear into the dark interior.

Can a dedicated cinema be integrated with whole-home Crestron control?
Yes. This cinema room is fully integrated into the property’s wider Crestron system via an iPad interface — one button press starts the projector, selects the source and adjusts the room environment, with the same video distribution available throughout the rest of the home.

Home Cinema Installation → · Artcoustic Speakers → · Home Cinema Design → · Home Cinema Calibration → · Crestron →

Project Gallery

The finished underground cinema, photographed with a film on screen. The images show the 3.8m Screen Excellence screen set into its false wall, the dark wall and ceiling finishes with ceiling spotlights, and the leather reclining seating arranged in front of the screen. The final image shows the Artcoustic on-wall speakers with their covers removed, showing the slim on-wall cabinets behind the grilles.