Home Theater Geeks 517: Sacramento Sanctuary

Podcast: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)
Host: Scott Wilkinson
Guest: Joe Klusnik
Release Date: February 5, 2026
Episode Theme: Inauguration of the new "Home Theater of the Month" format, featuring an in-depth tour and discussion of Joe Klusnik’s DIY home theater in Sacramento, California.

Episode Overview

Scott Wilkinson premieres a new format for the "Home Theater of the Month" segment by having the theater’s owner join the podcast. This episode dives into the design, construction, evolution, and daily enjoyment of Joe Klusnik’s impressive home theater built above his garage in Sacramento. Joe, a seasoned industry professional and home theater enthusiast, shares his journey, technical decisions, challenges, and the passion that fuels his perpetual upgrades.

Guest Introduction & Home Theater Origin Story

[00:24–03:36]

• Joe’s love for home theater began in childhood:
  • Helping his dad set up their first VCR.
  • Early interest in car audio, working at Circuit City/Good Guys, and later at high-end audio companies.
  • Industry background includes working for SoundStream Technologies (car audio, CEDIA founding member) and a low-voltage integrator.
  • Lifelong passion for movies, especially iconic '80s films.
  • His home theater journey started with a 27” TV and grew into multiple dedicated rooms through successive homes.

KEY QUOTE
“All along the way had a huge passion for the movies as well as the technology that brought them to life and the rooms that we got to enjoy them in at home.”
— Joe Klusnik [01:07]

The Current Home & The Room Before Construction

[03:03–04:39]

• Bought current house ~10 years ago; selected for a large, empty "bonus room" above the garage (19x21 ft, 9 ft ceilings).
• Room originally had many windows, limited pre-wiring, and no dedicated HVAC.
• Family immediately knew this room would be the theater.

KEY QUOTE
“Everybody in the family knew what we were going to do with that.”
— Joe Klusnik [03:21]

Design Goals & Planning

[05:07–07:56]

• Goals: Immersive experience, “lights off, how immersive can we make this?”
  • Constraints: Couldn’t heavily address sound isolation (existing structure).
  • Improvements Added: Dedicated HVAC, solid door for room isolation, seating for 11 (family parties/guests), blackout window treatments.
• Planning was iterative: Took ~6 months, constant evolution rather than fixed endpoint.

KEY QUOTE
“My wife got used to [11 seats]… for friends or the kids’ friends or birthday parties or sleepovers, that was kind of one of the goals that we wanted to achieve.”
— Joe Klusnik [05:50]

Technical Details & Floorplan Evolution

[07:56–09:36]

• Home theater supports a 9.2.6 audio setup (Atmos and immersive sound).
• As tech evolved, so did the design:
  • Started with in-ceiling rear speakers, which became Atmos speakers as Dolby Atmos arrived.
  • Wides adopted later; speaker placement influenced by physical constraints (doors, windows).

KEY QUOTE
“Originally the rear speakers were in ceiling. Those got switched to Atmos speakers, which fortunately kind of came out right around that 2015, 20, 16 time…”
— Joe Klusnik [08:29]

Overcoming Room Challenges

[04:39–05:07, 24:23–25:35]

• Blackout solutions for abundant windows (vinyl + blackout drapes).
• Sound isolation was limited by structure, but a solid door improved pressurization and acoustics.
• Difficulties due to upstairs location—lots of heavy lifting for gear and seating.

KEY QUOTE
“I burned out more of my kids and friends and favors than… ‘You guys want to come over and help me move chairs this weekend?’ ‘No, not really…’”
— Joe Klusnik [17:00]

DIY Construction & Upgrades

[15:06–23:01]

• Automated riser with air gap for bass trapping.
• Multiple seating experiments (commercial theater seats, secondhand cinema chairs).
• Black-painted ceiling for contrast enhancement (“Tricorn Black”).
• DIY acoustic panels with Owens Corning 703/705 fiberglass, French cleat mounting, air gaps for low frequency absorption.
• Front wall covered in Linacoustic for bass absorption.

MEMORABLE MOMENT
Painting the ceiling black for visual performance, wife’s pragmatic support:
“What color would you want it to be? 'Well, I guess black to match the rest.' I'm like perfect. That’s the answer I was looking for."
— Joe Klusnik [19:34]

Speakers & Equipment Evolution

[21:24–26:54]

• Started with matched Sonance in-walls, eventually upgraded to better models with back boxes for improved bass/imaging.
• Consistency across front and wide speakers for seamless pans.
• Majority of purchases are secondhand, found on AVS Forum, Craigslist, etc.
• Extensive gear flipping to fund upgrades; estimates $150,000 retail value, but spent ~20% via savvy buying/selling.

KEY QUOTE
“There's probably three different numbers. Right? There's what I tell myself, what I tell my wife. And what about cost and retail?”
— Joe Klusnik [25:44]

Core Motivations & Enjoyment

[27:34–28:51]

• Family time is central: theater hosts movies, TV, sporting events, birthdays, and more.
• The theater is always evolving; part of the fun is planning the next upgrade.

KEY QUOTE
“I think that this hobby, it's about enjoying the movies, it's about enjoying and upgrading the gear. It's about liking what you have now, but planning for the future.”
— Joe Klusnik [27:23]

Guided Video Tour of the Theater

[28:51–39:37]

• Staircase is lined with awards, certifications (“CEDIA on my awards”), and favorite movie posters (vintage and digital).
• Room Highlights:
  • 150" Seymour motorized masking screen.
  • 11 cinema-quality seats (front and riser rows).
  • Black ceiling, custom acoustic and diffusion panels (hard to spot—by design).
  • Two SVS subwoofers, 9.2.6 sound, JVC projector.
  • Separate kitchenette for snacks/drinks, especially useful during COVID.
• Seating: Rows are closely packed due to space, but functionality and capacity were prioritized over “perfect” distancing.

MEMORABLE MOMENT
“You also notice that along the way, the seats change colors a couple of different times… We went through probably four or five different sets of seats in this theater. Now there’s 11 seats in that theater."
— Joe Klusnik [16:38]

Screen & Aspect Ratio Solutions

[36:41–39:37]

• Started with fixed 2.35:1; now features motorized top and bottom masking for variable aspect ratios (16:9 to 2.35:1).
• Chose constant image width to accommodate more content types—sports, Netflix, movies, including those with variable aspect ratios.
• Screens and masking sourced used; upgraded from 120" to 150" diagonal.

KEY QUOTE
“With all of the movies that are coming out with either variable aspect ratio… I really didn’t want to have black bars left and right. I didn’t want to have black bars above and below. So I picked up this screen…”
— Joe Klusnik [37:27]

Equipment Rack & Source Devices

[40:26–42:25]

• Rack (in office, not theater):
  • Marantz 16-channel amp and AV10 pre/pro
  • Oppo UDP-203 (rarely used now)
  • Kaleidescape Terra server (88TB storage!), Strato player
  • TiVo, Xbox, legacy Monster Power conditioning
  • Apple TV and Kaleidescape are the two most-used sources, with more recent movie purchases exclusively digital.

KEY QUOTE
“Kaleidescape… I like keeping all of my movies here… So finally upgraded to an 88 terabyte for storage. So now have the 10 plus the 8. It’s almost 100 terabytes of storage. Wow.”
— Joe Klusnik [42:16]

Challenges, Compromises & Preferences

[24:23–26:54, 43:28–43:42]

• Constraints: Window light, non-optimal sound isolation, physical labor (upstairs), seating spacing, financial negotiation with spouse.
• Differences with Commercial Theaters: Wife prefers back row, Joe prefers front; seating spacing limited by space and desired headcount.
• Theater continues to evolve, guided by both family needs and personal AV ambitions.

Bonus Room / Office: Geeky Extras

[44:07–45:40]

• Custom-built 4-player arcade (birthday present) with 100s of classic games ("spinning quarters in the arcade... big part of that").
• Poster collection includes autographed memorabilia (Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spider-Man).
• Equipment rack relocated to office for sound and heat isolation.
• Plans for future modifications (projector hushbox or relocation).

MEMORABLE MOMENT
“Spinning quarters in the arcade was always a big part of that. So this is a four player arcade system… and it’s got hundreds and hundreds of games…”
— Joe Klusnik [44:18]

Advice and Invitation to Listeners

[47:01–end]

• Scott invites listeners to submit photos and a description of their own theaters for potential future features.
• Emphasizes: “...if you have a home theater that you’re proud of, just as Joe is justifiably proud of his, send me some pics and a little description...maybe we’ll get you on the show.”

Notable Quotes & Segment Timestamps

• Scott Wilkinson: “Having an understanding spouse and kids is really important in this process.” [19:42]
• Joe Klusnik: “How much of your own blood, sweat, and tears do you want to put into this, which is part of the fun of the hobby?” [27:17]
• Scott Wilkinson: “Another critical part of the hobby. Unlike audiophiles, who typically... sit there by themselves. Yeah, it’s meant to be shared.” [28:29]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------|-------------| | Introduction & Joe’s AV Background | 00:24–03:36 | | Current Home & Room "Before" | 03:03–04:39 | | Design Goals & Planning | 05:07–07:56 | | Floorplan & Technical Evolution | 07:56–09:36 | | Window/Sound Isolation Solutions | 04:39–05:07, 24:23–25:35 | | DIY Construction & Upgrades | 15:06–23:01 | | Speaker Decisions & Equipment Flow | 21:24–26:54 | | Family Use & Hobby Motivation | 27:34–28:51 | | Guided Theater Video Tour | 28:51–39:37 | | Motorized Screen & Aspect Ratios | 36:41–39:37 | | Equipment Rack & Sources | 40:26–42:25 | | Challenges & Compromises | 24:23–26:54, 43:28–43:42 | | Bonus Room Geek Extras | 44:07–45:40 | | Invitation to Listeners | 47:01–end |

Final Thoughts

This episode is a treasure trove for home theater enthusiasts, full of practical advice, real-life solutions, and inspiration for DIYers and dreamers alike. Joe Klusnik’s story showcases both the technical and emotional rewards of building a theater, while Scott’s questions keep the discussion accessible to beginners and satisfying for seasoned geeks. The new segment format is a home run, blending personal storytelling with detailed AV discussion.

Perfect for:

• Home theater hobbyists considering or upgrading a dedicated space
• Fans interested in balancing high-end AV with family and real-world constraints
• Listeners who enjoy practical, hands-on discussions of gear, acoustics, and design choices

Links:

• Joe’s AVS Forum build thread (see show notes)
• Contact: HTG@twit.tv (submit your theater for a future episode)

Next up:
If you have a home theater you’re proud of, send Scott your photos and story for a chance to be featured!