Dedicated Home Theater Design and Installation Princeton, NJ.
Project Overview
Location: Princeton, New Jersey
Project Type: Basement Home Theater & Whole-Home Integration
Integrator: Audio Video Synergy | Clinton, New Jersey | 20+ Years in Business
Project Scope: Laser Projection, Acoustically Transparent Screen, Concealed Surround Sound, Star Ceiling, Acoustic Treatments, Crestron Control, Distributed Audio & Lighting
Property Type: Primary Residence | 5,000–10,000 sq. ft.
Featured Brands: Epson, Stewart Filmscreen, Bowers & Wilkins, Origin Acoustics, Sony, Crestron, Acoustic Innovations
One Theater, Then the Whole House
These Princeton homeowners didn’t set out to transform their home, they just wanted a space to escape together. We knew a 158-inch picture, real surround sound, comfortable recliners, and a star ceiling would make their basement feel like somewhere worth going. Then something else happened: the family started using it every night. Sports, streaming, music, gaming, the theater became the room everyone migrated to without being asked.
That experience led to a conversation about the rest of the house, and if one room could feel this easy and this alive, why couldn’t the others? Over time, David Schulz and the Audio Video Synergy team extended Crestron control to the lighting, televisions, and distributed audio throughout the residence. What started as a single-room project became a whole-home integration, and it almost always works that way when the first room is done right.
Home Theater Installation in Princeton, NJ
The basement offered the right bones, a dedicated space that could be finished around a purpose. The challenge wasn’t available square footage, it was available depth. The front wall needed to hold a 158-inch, 2.35:1 acoustically transparent screen, three in-wall speakers, and two in-wall subwoofers, all behind a single finished surface. The ceiling needed surround speakers with a mounting depth under two inches, and the room still needed to feel like a destination rather than a technical exercise.
Audio Video Synergy planned the front wall with paper templates and laser alignment before a single piece of equipment was ordered. Positioning those five components precisely behind an acoustically transparent surface required decisions that couldn’t be corrected after the finish was complete, and that kind of planning is what separates a theater that performs from one that merely exists.
Fitting 158 Inches and Five Speakers Into One Wall
An Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 laser projector pairs with a Stewart Filmscreen WallScreen 2.5 G2 using Harmony G3 acoustically transparent material, 158 inches diagonal in a 2.35:1 widescreen format. Three Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.3 S2 in-wall loudspeakers handle front-channel sound from behind that surface, joined by two Crestron in-wall subwoofers sharing the same concealed cavity.
The acoustically transparent material allows all five components to disappear behind the image, so the front wall becomes the screen and nothing more. There are no speaker cabinets flanking the picture, no visible hardware interrupting the architecture of the room, just the sound coming from where the image lives, which is exactly the point.
Surround Sound in a Shallow Ceiling
Ceiling depth ruled out most of the surround speaker options on the market, so David identified the Origin Acoustics TF37EX, a model with a mounting depth of 1-21/32 inches, as the only solution that fit within the available ceiling construction. Four of them were installed overhead, while two Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.5 S2 in-wall models completed the surround array.
A Sony STR-AZ3000ES receiver and Bowers & Wilkins SA250 MkII subwoofer amplifier bring the system together, and every equipment decision in this theater was shaped by a physical constraint first, which is exactly what makes a concealed installation actually work and what makes it worth doing.
A Star Ceiling That Changes the Room
The star ceiling wasn’t an afterthought, the homeowners asked for it at the beginning and it shaped how the room was framed before drywall closed. Acoustic Innovations supplied the illuminated star field along with the wall sound panels that line the room, and installation photographs show the exposed framework and suspended cables before any of it was finished, which is the kind of evidence that tells you how much preparation a lit ceiling actually requires.
When the room was complete, small points of light spread across an oval overhead feature framed by recessed fixtures, and reclining seats, dark finishes, rectangular wall panels and wall sconces finished the environment. This is not a converted basement, it is a room built around the experience of watching something together.
Control Simple Enough for Everyone
A Crestron MC4-R/HR150 processor and HR150 remote kit manage the room through a single interface, supported by four Crestron dimmers for precise lighting control. Playback sources include a Sonos Port, Apple TV 4K, Sony UBP-X800M2 Blu-ray player, and a connected gaming console, so every source, streaming, physical media, sports broadcasts, music, gaming, is accessible from one remote without mode-switching, input confusion, or a stack of devices to manage.
The goal from the beginning was that anyone in the family could pick up the remote and use the room, which is a higher bar than most people realize when they start planning a home theater, and also the bar that determines whether the room gets used every night or sits dark most of the week.
From the Basement to the Rest of the House
After spending time in the theater, the homeowners wanted that same simplicity in the rooms they lived in every day, and David reports that the family subsequently extended Crestron control to lighting, televisions, speakers, and distributed audio throughout the residence. The basement gave them a reference point, something they could point to and say: that’s what we want everywhere.
That’s one of the quieter arguments for doing a dedicated theater well, because homeowners who experience integrated, effortless control in one space tend to understand exactly what they want from the next, and the conversation about whole-home integration becomes straightforward rather than abstract.
System Design Summary
Purpose | Documented Equipment |
Projection | Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 |
Viewing surface | Stewart WallScreen 2.5 G2; Harmony G3; 158-inch diagonal; 2.35:1 |
Front and surround loudspeakers | Three Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.3 S2; two CWM7.5 S2 |
Ceiling audio | Four Origin Acoustics TF37EX |
Bass | Two Crestron in-wall subwoofers; Bowers & Wilkins SA250 MkII |
Receiver | Sony STR-AZ3000ES |
Operation and lighting | Crestron MC4-R/HR150 kit; four dimmers |
Playback | Sonos Port; Apple TV 4K; Sony UBP-X800M2 |
Architectural finishes | Acoustic Innovations star ceiling and sound panels |
Rack and network | Strong 12U wall-mount rack with swing kit; Araknis 310-series eight-port managed switch |
Investment & System Scope
A dedicated home theater involves more than selecting a projector and speakers. Screen size, concealed audio, acoustic treatments, lighting, and installation all contribute to the finished experience. For this Princeton basement theater, the investment broke down as follows:
Category | Approximate Investment |
Laser Projection & Acoustically Transparent Screen | $8,000–$9,000 |
Surround Speakers, Subwoofers & Amplification | $18,000–$20,000 |
Star Ceiling & Acoustic Wall Panels | $11,000–$12,500 |
Crestron Control, Lighting & Playback Sources | $2,500–$3,500 |
Equipment Rack & Network Infrastructure | $1,500–$2,500 |
Installation, Calibration & Programming | $8,000–$8,500 |
Complete Theater Phase, Including Tax | $50,000–$60,000 |
The subsequent whole-home integration is a separate investment, shaped by the number of rooms, existing wiring conditions, and the scope of control desired.
Asked Questions
How much does a basement home theater cost in Princeton, NJ?
A dedicated basement theater with laser projection, concealed surround sound, acoustic treatments, and integrated control typically ranges from $50,000 to $75,000 or more depending on screen size, speaker selection, finish level, and infrastructure requirements. This Princeton project came in at $50,000–$60,000 including tax for the theater phase alone.
Can you hide speakers behind a projection screen?
Yes — when the screen material is acoustically transparent, speakers can be installed directly behind it without affecting sound quality. This approach eliminates speaker cabinets from the front wall and keeps the visual focus on the image. It requires precise planning of speaker positions before the screen is hung.
What is an acoustically transparent screen?
An acoustically transparent screen is a projection surface woven or perforated to allow sound to pass through it cleanly. Speakers mounted behind the screen remain completely hidden while delivering full-frequency sound aligned with the image on screen. Stewart Filmscreen’s Harmony G3 material, used in this Princeton installation, is one of the most respected options available.
What happens when a theater gets extended to the rest of the house?
Whole-home integration typically involves adding control, lighting, and distributed audio to living spaces beyond the theater. In this Princeton residence, Crestron control was extended to lighting, televisions, and audio throughout the home after the family experienced the basement theater. Each space is addressed individually based on how it’s used and what infrastructure already exists.
Planning a Home Theater in Princeton or Mercer County, NJ?
Audio Video Synergy serves clients throughout Princeton, Mercer County, Somerset County, and the surrounding areas of New Jersey. Whether you’re planning a dedicated basement theater, evaluating projection systems, or exploring whole-home integration, the conversation starts with how you want to use the space — not with a product list. We deliver home.
Audio Video Synergy
33 Main Street
Clinton, NJ 08809
📞 (908) 894-5222
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