Ankur Bhatt, founder and director of the Indian firm Sound Sense, knows exactly why he was handed an unlimited budget for this CEDIA-award-winning home cinema dubbed “Arcadian Odyssey.”
Trust.
“A client of this magnitude is always cautious of whom to hire,” says Bhatt, noting that the customer is one of the top ten most successful businessmen in his country. “Although we’re a smaller firm than most of the other interviewed contenders, we were not only allowed by the client to make structural changes to his new home, but were also provided with an unlimited budget solely based on the comfort factor that the client developed with us.”
Sound Sense’s reputation for top-notch, award-wining work preceded them. “The client had their project management firm reach out to the top AV integrators across the country and pre-screen them,” says Bhatt. After making the client’s shortlist, a series of interviews landed Sound Sense the job.
“His trust in us was absolute. Such trust is a privilege,” Bhatt further notes.
Sixteen Seats
“A large family and large circle of friends necessitated maximized seating,” says Bhatt – which meant reclining Cineak seating for no less than 16 people. A massive 234-inch diagonal fixed frame 2.35:1 VuTech X-Vision screen is powered by a Christie CP-4220 projector, and the Dolby Atmos 11.4.6 sound array is driven by Wisdom Audio Line Source speakers, a Wisdom Audio power amplifier, and a Trinnov Altitude 32 processor.
“The room was audio calibrated per HAA standards and video calibrated per ISF and THX standards,” adds Bhatt. The content that’s most often displayed: Films from both Holly- and Bollywood. “The client views movies from across the globe, with an emphasis on private first-day, first-show screenings,” says Bhatt.
The challenge here? Unfortunately for his team, Bhatt and Sound Sense were brought in later than would’ve be optimum. “The home was a new construction,” Bhatt recalls. “However, by the time our firm was shortlisted by the client, the architectural drawings and building structure were in place. Hence changes that we proposed to handle the requirement for a separate projection room and rack room had to be made structurally, which required several back-and-forth discussions with the architect to get everyone onboard.”
That they did: “We ensured that we were industry compliant in every regard and hence, due to proper planning, we did not have to make any compromises in the design.”
Award-Winning Design
“As integrators, our topmost priority is to ensure that we push the boundaries of our creativity in terms of room set-ups for varying room sizes, budgets, timelines, and customer requirements while adhering to industry standards,” says Bhatt.
It’s why the Sound Sense team finds winning CEDIA Awards so incredibly gratifying.
“Our projects each year are submitted with the intention to be judged by industry experts and standard setters to achieve this goal,” he explains. “Any accolades along the way are an acknowledgment of our dedication to the field as well as a way to get our name on the map. We are always humbled by any nominations and/or awards that we receive and are thankful to the critical and time-consuming efforts of the panel of judges and the efforts of the entire CEDIA team.”
And the perfect combination of client trust, his desire for a room that matched his business stature, and a blank check made those awards possible. “We had to make certain that we catered to all the client’s personal requirements, while ensuring that the design remained industry compliant, easy to use, futuristic, and offered a true escape from reality to be worth every rupee the client was willing to spend,” says Bhatt.
And the homeowner’s take on the finished product?
“The client is a man of few words, and for us, his speechless reaction said it all,” says Bhatt.
CEDIA Awards
Best Home Cinema, Level III, EMEA, 2019
Best Home Cinema, Global, 2019
Best Dressed Rack, EMEA, 2019
Best Documentation, EMEA, 2019
CEDIA Member Since 2015
For more on this project -- including a complete equipment list -- check out the CEDIA Awards site.