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A home theater as blue as the ocean in Bermuda

2023, décembre 20

To end the year on a high note, we head to the magnificent island of Bermuda, where we take you on a tour of a project that’s at least as incredible as the ocean view from the owners’ home!

The home theater, entirely crafted on-site, was designed by Theo Kalomirakis and the RAYVA team. Elevated Integration, a New York-based dealer, had just finished a RAYVA theater project in New York. This success prompted RAYVA to reach out to Nick DeClemente and his team, inviting them to explore the Bermuda project. Following a visit to the island and discussions with the owners, Elevated Integration proposed their assistance not only for the theater but also for other areas of the home. Thus, the team was established!

The challenge of carrying out such a large-scale project on an island

The property includes four cottages and a six-bedroom, quite large main house. Expanding throughout the entire property, the project is the largest Elevated Integration has ever done, with the cost well into seven figures. As it was such a large project, it had to be treated almost like a hotel.

Nick says that travel projects are generally tough and international projects are even tougher, but anything on an island is extra difficult. Things move at a different pace and there are different expectations. The job initially began in 2018, but like a lot of the islands during COVID there was a hard shutdown for quite awhile. No visitors were allowed in or out unless they were residents. As such, there was a 12- to 18-month delay for the entire operation. Now in 2023, the job is near complete with only a very short punch list of things still to be done.

System-oriented design and reliable equipment

RAYVA orchestrated the design of the theater, collaborating with two carpenters and an architect for the creation and placement of sound panels. However, Elevated Integration took charge of installing all the equipment, including the screen, projector, processor, and speakers. The setup involves six comprehensive equipment racks and fiber connections for video installations, adding to the project’s complexity. Managing logistics posed the greatest challenge!

While RAYVA had specific electronic configurations in mind, Nick proposed alterations, particularly for the surround sound processor and projector. Elevated Integration insisted on incorporating a StormAudio MK2 ISP.32 Analog and a Barco Njord projector.

The installation also features a massive Director’s Choice 210-inch screen by Stewart Filmscreen, complemented by an 11.4.4 Wisdom Audio System featuring 102-inch-tall Line4 arrays positioned across the front—a truly formidable undertaking. According to Nick, “From an audio perspective, it’s really hard to do better than what’s there; the level of Wisdom speakers and the StormAudio processor, it just is the top level.”

The actual theater seats a very generous 12, from Cineak Seating, and this is a purpose-built room with double height tiers. In some sense the T-shaped home was built around the theater. The control system for this exceptional home theather is provided by Savant Home. Nick said that it’s an amazing project! The equipment and design approach are right, it’s the correct design for the system. It has proven to be extremely reliable with virtually no problems.

On-site calibration by the StormAudio team using Dirac ART

Nick reached out to the U.S. division of StormAudio about utilizing our new on-site calibration service for the caliber of this theater and we agreed that the project warranted it to be done right the first time. Our team flew in and spent most of the first day solely preconditioning the Line 4 inwall speakers that are designated for the screen wall, and 2 STS and 2 S90i subwoofers. This is done by taking measurements and adjusting the speakers’ EQ profile while also listening to them with a mix of calibration signals and music, as there is no greater final verification than the human ear.

Subwoofers are looked at individually and then integrated one at a time. The Wisdom Audio STS subwoofers are capable of sub-20Hz reproduction, and we wanted to ensure we were getting the most out of the four subwoofers in the room. This was all done manually prior to deploying the latest of Dirac Live’s calibration technology, Active Room Treatment. We carefully went back and forth between iterations of Dirac Live ART’s support design until we found the right mix to allow the Line 4’s and Point 3 speakers to run as wide open as possible without going into breakup or distortion.

The result was an incredible blend of smooth dynamic timbre and emotion-inspiring range with thunderous amounts of LFE, both sonic and infrasonic, that were as tight and controlled as it gets with excess decay and reverb being managed by Dirac Live’s ART.

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