Journey to the Senses
PRIVATE CINEMAS FROM JACKSON HOLE AV & PARADISE THEATER
by Cassidy Mantor
Private cinema is not just an AV room with a large screen and speakers; home theaters have the potential to become multi-use wellness spaces. These rooms are opportunities to curate sensory experiences that set the stage for new personal journeys. From reducing sound distortion – the phenomena of not being able to hear a conversation across the table in a loud restaurant – to performance furniture and bespoke interior design accents, private cinema lends itself to better connection and comfort.
Home theaters are highly engineered spaces typically used for screenings and video game parties. They’re also ideal venues for intimate conversations and serene environments conducive to heavenly naps. In a world of overstimulation, home theaters deliver unexpected value and expand the meaning of an immersive cinematic experience.
Growing up in Jackson, Wyoming, Jackson Hole AV founder Rich Ashburn installed his first stereo in a 1954 Chevy that he and his grandfather restored. That project sparked his passion for integrating new technology with fine design. Today, Jackson Hole AV seamlessly integrates high-end products and prioritizes form and functional design that complements a home’s aesthetic.
“The projects that are special to me are the ones where we have formed a deep connection with our clients that began when we brainstormed the vision for the room. It’s very meaningful to hear their feedback and gratitude for how it has changed the way they spend time with their families.”
–Ryan Brown, President, Paradise Theater
Enter their partner in private cinema design and installation, Paradise Theater. These collaborative acousticians are full-service specialty contractors with clients from Hollywood to Jackson, Miami to Dubai. Paradise’s president Ryan Brown is dedicated to the creation of excellence and beauty in the realm of private cinema. Equal parts engineering, architectural and interior design, and project management firm, Paradise aims to deliver an 11/10 private cinema experience like no other. The connection the two companies have formed ensures that Teton Valley homes have access to the most cutting-edge technology and design in the world.
An automated panel opens to expose hidden speakers. The wall retracts when in use and when closed it seamlessly integrates into the theater room decor.
Their “why” is profound. Ryan says, “The projects that are special to me are the ones where we have formed a deep connection with our clients that began when we brainstormed the vision for the room. It’s very meaningful to hear their feedback and gratitude for how it has changed the way they spend time with their families. We’ve had clients who recognize time is fleeting as their children grow up, and they treasure the moments they have in these rooms.”
Rich agrees, “When you see a client smile and get enjoyment from what you did or when they have tears in their eyes expressing how they’ve never heard something that way before, that’s what drives us.”
“When you see a client smile and get enjoyment from what you did or when they have tears in their eyes expressing how they’ve never heard something that way before, that’s what drives us.”
–Rich Ashburn, Founder, Jackson Hole AV
AN ENTIRELY CUSTOM PROCESS
From intimate two-seaters to a 2,000-square-foot cinema, the best results are achieved when Rich and Ryan are brought in early. “It’s much easier to plan to dig a foundation four feet deeper to have a proper platform with better acoustics than to have to redesign and potentially lose seating,” Rich says. Typically, after Jackson Hole AV receives plans from an architect and builder, they set up a meeting with Paradise. The firm has its own designers, engineers, and project managers. It also has an in-house construction team that specializes in theaters.
“All theaters are not created equal,” Ryan says. “When Rich introduces us, we start with the discovery process. We explore the vision and expectations and help guide the process as needed. Hosting a kids’ game night? Our clients’ children do that and have the time of their lives.” Ryan enthusiastically suggests, “Watching concerts on Blu-ray? These rooms are engineered for listening to music and deliver an experience that rivals a live concert.”
Paradise encourages clients to explore how much more valuable the home theater can be than just a place to watch movies. In one home that Jackson Hole AV and Paradise collaborated on, the clients were both musicians. “Their recording studio is right above the primary bedroom,” Ryan shares. “The studio has a full set of Dolby Atmos speakers for mixing, and so we had to create sound separation between the studio and master bedroom.”
In addition to a cinema that they designed in that house, Ryan explains that their work frequently bleeds out into other areas of the home. “A lot of modern homes have plentiful hard surfaces and wide-open spaces, and they can become echo-y. During a dinner party, that can start feeling uncomfortable,” he observes. Paradise and Jackson Hole AV’s acoustic signature is a natural and high-quality sound that can help people hear better. For some, that means their entire home becomes more comfortable.
“We’re finding a lot of people are prioritizing creating a quiet place in their homes. In today’s world, there are very few places you can have a legitimately calming experience. Our clients are busy executives Zooming from meeting to meeting or on planes. Their free time is rare and valuable. They’re finding it worthwhile to spend it in a place that is rejuvenating and recharges their batteries.”
–Ryan Brown, President, Paradise Theater
“Our hearing is such an important sense that we have,” Ryan explains. Rich points out that hearing was developed as a defense mechanism to trigger a fight-or-flight response. “We’re finding a lot of people are prioritizing creating a quiet place in their homes. In today’s world, there are very few places you can have a legitimately calming experience. Our clients are busy executives Zooming from meeting to meeting or on planes. Their free time is rare and valuable. They’re finding it worthwhile to spend it in a place that is rejuvenating and recharges their batteries.”
ENGINEERING HIGH-QUALITY SOUND
“Dolby Atmos systems involve a lot of speakers and larger screens, and with more technology, we need more acoustical treatments so the experience is uncompromised. We define success not as just sounding good and looking good, but feeling good,” Ryan says. They liken a poorly designed theater to an airplane with stale air and uninspired colors. To make a home theater feel good, Paradise and Jackson Hole AV also focus on air quality and lighting.
The team reiterates the importance of being involved early so they can modify elements in a room’s construction. Details they consider include achieving proper tiers (to make sure the audience is not looking at the back of someone else’s head), sound isolation, HVAC design, structural design, and whether there is enough clearance for beams and posts in the home’s construction. A home cinema is a project within a project.
“Don’t leave it up to the AV guy. You need an acoustician to help the room provide the extraordinary experience its capable of.”
–Rich Ashburn, Founder, Jackson Hole AV
If they’re brought in later, they have fewer variables they can work with to make a difference. “Sometimes we’re brought in on a room where we can’t create a significant change even with modifications,” Ryan says. Those situations usually lead to conversations with clients for their next theater. “We translate what you didn’t like in your old theater and sometimes reverse-engineer details from one you liked into a new one.” Rich looks at it as part of the lifetime journey over a client’s career as a homeowner. “Usually, it’s their third house where they are intrigued by acoustics.”
Once conceptual design starts, a functional concept emerges that involves seating layouts and space planning as well as technical specs. Moving deeper into schematic design, the process enters the performance engineering phase. Audio and visual engineering and modeling happen here, as well as the development of special acoustical treatments.
AMPLIFYING COMFORT
“When we get to the engineering phase, we’re looking at where the speakers are projecting sound and putting the right products in the right place so it sounds natural,” Ryan says. He mentions how it’s unfortunately all too common that people put absorption panels all over a room thinking that is how to make it sound better. He adds, “It’s a mistake that drains all the fun and excitement out of the room. It’s disappointing to not get the auditory or aesthetic experience they wanted, or worse, that it is an uncomfortable place to be.”
“When we get to the engineering phase, we’re looking at where the speakers are projecting sound and putting the right products in the right place so it sounds natural.”
–Ryan Brown, President, Paradise Theater
Many of Rich and Ryan’s clients have hearing loss and wear hearing aids. Paradise removes background noises and distortions and helps the space perform the way it should. Rich says, “Imagine a conversation in a noisy restaurant. If you can’t hear, it becomes uncomfortable because you can’t participate, and you’re removed from that human exchange.” A common theme in their testimonials is the ability to finally hear the dialogue with clarity. Ryan shares that he just finished a theater for a client in Montana who said watching movies now is so much more enjoyable. He has hearing loss in one ear and could not recall the last time he’d had such an immersive experience. Indeed, the National Institute of Health has studied the correlation between fatigue and hearing loss. The brain relaxes when it doesn’t have to strain or constantly decipher echoes and sounds not relevant to the big picture.
Even when clients say they’re not audiophiles, Rich points out that they can tell the difference that a well-engineered system makes. He estimates that in the Teton Valley, 90% of theaters had zero acoustician involvement. “Don’t leave it up to the AV guy,” he says. “You need an acoustician to help the room provide the extraordinary experience its capable of.”
Installing an appropriate system is key. Ryan points out that many homeowners fall prey to AV people telling them to buy the “best” speakers or other equipment, but without paying attention to the room design, the experience can be uninspiring. “You can put a modest speaker in a well-designed room and it’ll sound and feel much better,” he says.
Jackson Hole AV and Paradise partner with a home’s interior designer as well as its architect and builder. Their involvement is as granular as the interior designer desires. They model every piece of wood trim, sconce, and lighting fixture.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Beyond form and function, the elegance of the home theater hinges on attention to detail. That experience is created through a combination of client preferences and technology seamlessly integrated by experts. “Paradise has an acoustics team that handles the functional concept and planning. In addition to engineering the sound, we do design development and construction documentation. Our crew then manages the construction process, from building it out to handing it off,” Ryan explains.
With a full team that knows how to build a specialty room, they make the process easy. “We want to be good collaborators and make the journey enjoyable – we believe it’s as important as the destination,” Ryan says. Jackson Hole AV and Paradise partner with a home’s interior designer as well as its architect and builder. Their involvement is as granular as the interior designer desires. They model every piece of wood trim, sconce, and lighting fixture. Working with the flow of the project, collaboration guides the entire experience.
“Often when working with clients on a vacation home, they debate with themselves on where to apply their budget,” Ryan shares. “Sometimes they say, ‘This is only a vacation home, we’re not going to be here as much as our primary home.’ But I always make sure to point out that when on vacation, this is when you actually have time to enjoy these types of amenities the most!” A typical private cinema carries a budget similar to the home’s per square foot cost. “We won’t waste money,” Rich adds.
“The best projects are when a client is intrigued by another private cinema, whether a friend has one or they’ve read an article about it. Many clients think they want a smaller theater, and we’ve done a handful of one-row theaters with four to six seats, but many also realize they want to fit friends and colleagues in too and it becomes more of a sales tool when they can have CEOs in the room with them.”
–Ryan Brown, President, Paradise Theater
“The best projects are when a client is intrigued by another private cinema, whether a friend has one or they’ve read an article about it,” Ryan says. They frequently put in 600- to 1,000-square-foot theaters, often with 10-15 seats. “Many clients think they want a smaller theater, and we’ve done a handful of one-row theaters with four to six seats, but many also realize they want to fit friends and colleagues in too and it becomes more of a sales tool when they can have CEOs in the room with them.”
One final story wraps up their work best. A day before the reveal of a new basement cinema, Ryan asked his client’s husband what song they danced to at their wedding. When it was time to show them their new cinema, he played the song. As tears of joy welled up in her eyes she marveled, “How did you know?”; she was overcome by how personal the experience was that they’d created for her.
