THE_FORCE

Welcome to the next installment of Featured Front Room Cinema.

Here we find the much loved FRC of THE_FORCE aka Jon from AVForums, just check out his gallery thread to see how popular his room is. What Jon has in his front room most AV-a-holics would give their right leg or even more for. And that is not an understatement!!

He has made an amazing bespoke design that would not look out of place on “Footballers Wives” or MTV Cribs, and yet it is based down in the South of England near Brighton. (editor – where my invite for demo Mr F?)

Enough of the talk. Lets get to some sexy pictures….

[cincopa AcDA8da0lyz-]

It has truly stunning design to go alongside the amazing kit list. It also shows that not all Front Room Cinemas need a projector.

I have also been lucky enough to talk to the man behind this awesome room. I give you THE_FORCE…

FRC – Ok, For the record please state your name, age and location?

TF – Jon Rea, 37, East Sussex

FRC – Would you say you are an AV-a-holic?

TF – Not sure ? I would say that an AV-a-holic is someone that suffers constantly from upgradeitis regardless of what kit they currently own, whereas I’m actually very happy with my setup at the moment, and have been for a while.

It’s tempting to get the latest model/version of flat screen,AVR etc when they’re released, but it seems that manufacturers are pushing out new models a bit too frequently these days for my liking.

There’s always something new just around that corner and my days of being an early adopter are generally over as, through experience, you tend to pay mega bucks for the next ‘must have’, and a few months down the line it’s worth only half of what you originally paid for it, and it’s been superceded already !

FRC – Please state your kit list?

TF -

Pioneer PDP-LX608D
Denon AVR-4308 as processor
Rotel RMB-1575 and RB-1562 power amps (7.1 config.)
Kef Reference 205/2′s, 204/2 C, 201/2′s and XQ10′s – All Piano Black
2 X JL Audio Fathom F112′s – Piano Black
Denon DVD-3800BD
Denon DCD700S
SKY HD (Multiroom)
Sony PS3 (Launch 60GB Fatboy) upgraded to 640GB
Nintendo Wii
Logitech Harmony 900 remote with RF extender
Chord Odyssey 4
Qed HDMI leads, opticals & Interconnects
Z-Wave & X-10 remote lighting

Other kit in the bedroom & PC room.

FRC – Favourite piece of kit?

TF – I think it would have to be my Kef Ref’s (& fathoms) for two reasons….

First of all, I think that apart from acoustically treating your room, the speakers will be the most important factor in defining the sound that reaches your ears.

Secondly, in relation to what I mentioned earlier, speakers are probably the only major component in the AV world that manufacturers don’t replace with newer models every year, so you never feel that cheated when your bank account dwindles after a purchase ! They tend to stand the test of time well, so for me it’s money well spent.

Oh…and personally, I find the Kef Ref’s extremely sexy to look at !

FRC – One thing you would change about your Front room Cinema?

TF – I wouldn’t replace my kit yet that’s for sure. I suppose the obvious answer would be to acoustically treat the room but, alas, it is still a front room ! I’ve had to compromise for aesthetic reasons and I still refer to it as a ‘multichannel setup’ as opposed to a true home cinema by defintion.

Now if I had a dedicated room……

FRC – Roughly how much have you spent putting it together?

TF – Unfortunately, I made the mistake of being an early adopter for alot of the kit, so I payed top sovs.

I’ve spent in the region of £30k for the front room kit and cables alone *shudders*

I’ve also spent a fair whack on other kit in another couple of rooms….maybe I am an AV-a-holic lol ?!

FRC – Did you do-it-yourself or did you get someone to install it for you?

TF – All myself. My partner and I did all the decorating etc. of the actual room, but I was left to my own devices as regards to installing the kit. It’s been a great learning curve mind !

FRC – If it was DIY what was the best worst bit?

TF – The worst bit was probably using a router to channel out the floating floor for laying cables before the tiles were laid. That was tough. Coming home from work to a tip every day while we were sorting it all can get pretty depressing too !

The best bit was eventually seeing it all come together, and after installation, testing it all and finding out that it all worked as it should…. first time. What a touch that was !

FRC – Which film do you use to showcase your set up?

TF – Obviously any CGI material is going to look great on BD, so for outright pq ‘Wall.E’ is still up there, as is the obligatory ‘Avatar’. Audio wise, one of my favourites still is the DTS-HD MA mix on Danny Boyle’s ‘Sunshine’. Fantastic use of the surround channels with subliminal effects popping around your head, and one of the least muddy mixes I’ve heard on a BD to date.

FRC – What is your Front Room Cinema guilty pleasure, or lazy Sunday film?

TF – Mamma Mia on BD. Not butch enough for some, but it’s got everything you could ever wish for in a movie. It looks and sounds fantastic, and if Meryl and Pierce’s performance of ‘Winner Takes It All’ doesn’t move you then there’s something seriously wrong !

FRC – Han solo or Luke Skywalker?

TF – Luke….Han’s too sure of himself !

FRC – Sweet or Salted?

TF – Sweet. (We are talking popcorn here right ?!)

FRC – What is next for your FRC?

TF – Nothing here I guess. We’re still looking for a property with some scope for a dedicated room….then it’ll be all change !

FRC – Does the whole family enjoy the room as much as you?

TF – Well it’s only my partner and I (who loves it too), but when ever we have family parties at ours they love being able to play Singstar on a big system !

FRC – Are you going to buy into 3-D?

TF – Not here. If I had a dedicated room with a pj and huge screen, then I think it would be a sureshot.

FRC – Thank you very much for sharing with us.

TF – Cheers for reading !

I think you will agree with me when I say this, Thank you Mr F for sharing with us a fantastic insight into one of the most inspiring rooms we have seen over here at FRC.

If all those lovely pictures weren’t enough I have also included a video for your viewing pleasure…