StormAudio

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A gateway to another world: the immersive home cinema transformation

A cinema enthusiast living in Rishon Lezion, a small city in Israel, had a dream of creating the perfect home cinema in his house. This dream sparked a complete renovation of his home.

Small room, big sound

With an unlimited budget and no compromises, he chose Audio Sense to turn his dream into reality. The team at Audio Sense has extensive experience in installing home theatres and working in the music and recording studio industry.

Ram Czudnowski, who comes from the recording studio industry, approached the design with his expertise in acoustics. The challenge in this small room was handling the abundance of sonic energy from the multiple speakers. To address this, they used plenty of bass absorption techniques to control the low frequencies. Bass traps were strategically placed in the front, back, and even overhead. The result is a room with a short reverb time, yet it maintains a lively atmosphere.

Ram explains, ‘From the beginning, we knew that utilizing devices like the StormAudio processor and the multi-channel amplifier would give us precise control.’ Initially, the team had concerns about the power needed for so many channels in a compact unit, as they were accustomed to using separate amplifiers. However, once they installed everything and experienced the sound, they were impressed by the unit’s capability to deliver powerful audio.

Disconnecting from the outside world

Dan Nagar, from Cinemart, the distributor of StormAudio, performed the calibration and adds, ‘Since there were no budget restrictions, we carefully selected high-quality speakers and paid close attention to room acoustics during the design and execution process. Therefore, we had minimal concerns about the room. All we had to do was activate and set up the StormAudio processor, which was a breeze. It seamlessly integrated with the speakers, resulting in a smooth and precise sound, enhancing the immersive experience.

The StormAudio Expert Bass Management proved to be exceptional, especially considering the challenge of creating an emotional experience in a small room. Despite the limited space and the proximity of the sofa to the subwoofers, the Bass Management allowed me to redirect the bass frequencies towards the front, while still allowing you to feel the bass at the back of the room.’

Due to the impact of Covid, the project took a long time to complete. However, when it was finally finished, everyone agreed that the result was marvellous.

Ram enthusiastically shares, ‘The room is fantastic, truly amazing. It has a deep, dark aesthetic which is common for such theatres. But what sets it apart is the exceptional projection quality and the perfect combination of elements that truly immerse you in the audio and video experience. Once you step into this room and they start a movie, you become completely absorbed in it, disconnecting from the outside world. Everything else simply fades away.’.

Completely Spechless

Yuval, co-CEO and project manager at Audio Sense, recalls the client’s reaction when he played the PlayStation 5 on the system for the first time. He was left speechless and couldn’t find the words to express his amazement. Then, when he watched the movie Godzilla, he was thoroughly impressed.

Interestingly, the client no longer contacts Audio Sense, and surprisingly, that’s actually great news. Yuval explains, ‘I was initially concerned that they might constantly reach out for support since they are not highly tech-savvy. But the silence means there are no issues. He is genuinely happy with the setup.’

Set up 7.3.4 using:

  • Processor- ISP Elite 16 Analog MK2
  • AmplificationPA 16 MK3
  • Projector- Sim 2 Crystal 4
  • Screen – 136″ Stewart thx
  • Streamer – Zappiti Reference
  • Apple TV Player
  • Sony PS5
  • Speakers LCR- JBL 4367
  • Surround Speakers – JBL Synthesis S4ai X4
  • Atmos Speakers- JBL Scl-5 X4
  • Subwoofers – Power Sound Audio- S1812 IPAL X2
  • Power Sound Audio- S3012 (NFS) X1
  • Cables – AudioQuest, Transparent Cable
  • Ventilation – AC Infinity

 

Acoustic planning and execution consulting: Audio Sense (Yuval Abel, Ram Czudnowski)
Distribution and room calibrationCinemart (Dan Nagar)

Architecture – Martin Kesel
Supervision and management – Paz Zadik
Decoration – Shir Asis
Photographer – Ronen Kook