THE BRIEF
A purpose-built Dolby Atmos cinema designed and completed in Camps Bay, Cape Town.
Designed by Mirror Edge Networks in association with Sphere Custom Design. Mirror Edge participated throughout the design process, and our team carried out the installation and system integration.
This private home cinema combines acoustic construction, immersive audio, 4K laser projection and simple system control in one carefully integrated room.
The project began with demonstration and design meetings in July to establish the client’s expectations, technical specification and budget. From the start of construction to final handover, the complete programme was delivered in six weeks.
The client wanted a comfortable, high-performance cinema with all equipment and electronics housed within the room. The space needed to deliver a convincing Dolby Atmos experience while controlling sound transmission to the rest of the home and maintaining a refined, uncluttered finish.
Sphere Custom Design drew up and vetted the cinema plans in association with Mirror Edge Networks. The Mirror Edge team then carried out the room construction, acoustic treatment, AV installation, projection, control integration and final commissioning.
Cinema Design & Build
The physical cinema build was completed over three weeks, followed by a week of equipment installation and two days of system setup and calibration.
The room was planned around a 9.1.4 immersive-audio layout, with speaker positions, viewing geometry and projection requirements considered as part of the room design rather than added after construction.
Room-Within-a-Room Acoustic Construction
The cinema uses a room-within-a-room construction method based on battens, mineral fibre and drywall. This reduces sound leakage into adjoining areas while helping shape the room’s acoustic performance.
The construction also provided the foundation for the in-wall Wisdom Audio loudspeakers. Acoustic fabric walls conceal the speakers and acoustic treatment, allowing the technical elements to perform without dominating the appearance of the room.
Flexform sofas complete the seating arrangement, giving the finished cinema a comfortable residential character.
Wisdom Audio 9.1.4 Loudspeaker System
The cinema features a 9.1.4 Wisdom Audio loudspeaker configuration designed for precise, enveloping Dolby Atmos playback.
The loudspeaker system includes:
- Wisdom Audio L8i front left, centre and right speakers
- Wisdom Audio P2i surround speakers
- Wisdom Audio IC7s in-ceiling Dolby Atmos speakers
- Wisdom Audio S90i subwoofers
Locating the main speakers behind the acoustic fabric and acoustically transparent screen keeps the sound correctly anchored to the image while preserving the clean interior design.
Trinnov Processing & Amplification
A Trinnov Altitude 32-16 surround processor manages the immersive-audio system and room optimisation.
Two Trinnov Amplitude 8 power amplifiers drive the surround channels, while a Wisdom Audio SA2 amplifier powers the subwoofer system. This combination provides the processing flexibility, channel capacity and control required for the 9.1.4 layout.
Barco 4K Laser Projection
Picture is provided by a Barco Balder 4K HDR laser projector and a DT Screens Frontier acoustically transparent projection screen.
The transparent screen allows the front loudspeakers to remain correctly positioned behind the image, creating a more convincing relationship between dialogue, effects and the projected picture.
Sources include an Oppo UDP-203 Blu-ray player and Apple TV 4K.
Crestron Control & System Protection
A Crestron MC3 control system with an HR150 handheld remote provides straightforward control of the cinema’s sources, sound and projection system.
Two Furman Elite-16i power conditioners protect the installed electronics from power disturbances and provide an appropriate foundation for the equipment system.
Calibration & Commissioning
Following installation, the system underwent two days of setup and calibration. This stage brought the loudspeakers, subwoofers, Trinnov processing and projection system together as a coherent whole and allowed the completed performance to be assessed in the finished room.
The Result
The completed cinema combines dedicated acoustic construction with a high-performance 9.1.4 audio system, 4K laser projection and simple everyday control.
Visible technology is kept to a minimum, while the concealed Wisdom Audio system, acoustically transparent projection screen and carefully treated room deliver the immersive performance expected from a purpose-built private cinema.
