Level 1
“The minimum level of performance necessary to convey basic artistic intent”
The film works. Dialogue is clear, bass is present.
Home cinema, designed before it is sold.
Independent engineering for rooms that have to look right, perform measurably and be buildable by the team you choose. Seats, screen, speaker axes, acoustics and construction are resolved before a proposal becomes concrete.
Design documentation from A$2,199.
Four decisions help define the room.
You are qualified to make all four. We turn the answers into geometry, a performance brief and the right starting documentation scope.
Your starting scope
0 of 4 decisions made
Complete the four decisions and we will recommend a documentation package with the reason, not just a product name.
Choose the target. Then choose the drawing set.
The performance level is what the room is aiming at. The documentation depth is how much drawing it takes to get there.
A modest two-row room chasing Level 3 needs more documentation than a large room content at Level 1. Price follows the drawing, not the ambition.
Axis 1 · Immersive audio
Immersive audio quality, defined by RP22.
CEDIA/CTA-RP22 is the public recommended practice for immersive-audio design. Its four levels describe audio performance quality, not the depth of the drawing package.
Level 2
“A higher level of performance that more accurately conveys artistic intent”
You stop noticing the system and start noticing the film.
Level 3
“Meets or exceeds reference commercial cinema exhibition standards”
Targets the reference commercial-cinema benchmark defined by RP22.
Level 4
“The maximum level of achievable performance across every parameter”
Targets the most demanding value across every RP22 parameter.
These four levels are not ours. They are a free, publicly downloadable recommended practice, which means you can check our work against them. That is the point of using them.
RP22 defines 21 criteria across those four levels. Some can inform design-stage prediction; others require specified or measured evidence. Completed-room assessment needs documented measurements and an explicit verification method.
Axis 2 · Kolosseum drawing product
Price follows the drawing
Katio
Up to two rows.
The set an installer executes rather than improvises.
A$2,199
KelsusMost requested
Up to three rows, and you see it before it is built.
The render resolves sightlines and finishes before the joinery is set.
A$3,299
Kassius
Unconstrained geometry, evaluated against relevant RP22 design criteria.
To 17.8.10 and beyond.
A$4,499
Two rooms, two constraints
The design succeeds when neither brief has to lose.
Look closer at the work.
The render is not the evidence by itself. The geometry, pressure model, drawings and room all have to describe the same design.
Appointed by you, we provide independent counsel before money is committed.
Appointed by your project team, we issue the same engineering under their title block. See white-label delivery.
Cinema & Media Room Design
Design Scopes
Match the drawing set to the room, not to a vague rank. The performance target is chosen separately.
Up to two rows.
Issued as Katio
The set an installer executes rather than improvises.
Every drawing in this set
- Room acoustics assessment
- Basic speaker positioning
- Equipment rack layout
- Cable pathway planning
- Preliminary budget estimate
Up to three rows, and you see it before it is built.
Issued as Kelsus
Most Popular
The render resolves sightlines and finishes before the joinery is set.
Every drawing in this set
- Everything in Katio
- Detailed acoustic treatment plan
- Full speaker & subwoofer layout
- Amplification & processing specs
- Calibration guidelines
- 3D visualisation render
Unconstrained geometry, evaluated against relevant RP22 design criteria.
Issued as Kassius
To 17.8.10 and beyond.
Every drawing in this set
- Everything in Kelsus
- Custom speaker baffle-wall design
- Full construction CAD sets
- Acoustic measurements & tuning
- Commissioning protocol
- RP22-informed design-stage analysis
Flagship Exclusive
RP XXII
Design, Oversight & Verification
A complete turnkey cinema solution for clients who require something beyond a standard engagement. By invitation only.
RP22 is the floor, not the ceiling.
Typical Total Project Range
A$150,000 - A$1,000,000+
Indicative Design Fee
A$9,999
inc. 10% GST · AUD
How a $500K+ Cinema is Engineered Around RP22 Audio Targets
Cinema & media room
Choose the documentation depth that matches the project risk
| Deliverable | Katio A$2,199 | Kelsus A$3,299 | Kassius A$4,499 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room acoustics assessment | |||
| Basic speaker positioning | |||
| Equipment rack layout | |||
| Cable pathway planning | |||
| Preliminary budget estimate | |||
| Detailed acoustic treatment plan | |||
| Full speaker & subwoofer layout | |||
| Amplification & processing specs | |||
| Calibration guidelines | |||
| 3D visualisation render | |||
| Custom speaker baffle-wall design | |||
| Full construction CAD sets | |||
| Acoustic measurements & tuning | |||
| Commissioning protocol | |||
| RP22-informed design-stage analysis | |||
| Details | Details | Details |
Choose the documentation depth that matches the project risk.
Request a sample setFrom first thought to measured room.
Six outcomes, not ten administrative steps. Select a stage to see what exists when it is complete.
Stage 00 · Before we meet
Share your board.
Share your own Pinterest board with us: seating, timber, stone, lighting, colour, and the rooms you keep returning to. Send it before the first conversation.
It tells us in five minutes what an hour of questions would not, and gives every later design decision a reason.
01 · The conversation
You describe the room. We tell you what is actually possible in it.
What exists at the end
An honest constraint list
What we need from you
- A room plan or sketch; any stage is enough
- Length, width and ceiling height, or permission to measure them
- Whether any existing windows need to be retained
- Favourite brands, rooms or references from your initial research
CEDIA/CTA-RP22 gives the project team a public language for immersive audio performance. We use it as a target at design stage and distinguish that clearly from verification after commissioning.
Understand RP22Questions that belong before the decision.
Cinema design, answered properlyDoesn't the integrator already provide design?
Many integrators design well. The question is not whether a drawing exists. The question is whether one accountable design basis coordinates the room, the performance target, the architecture, the services, the trades and the final verification. Kolosseum can be appointed directly or engaged confidentially as the integrator's design partner.
Why should design be a separate professional fee?
An equipment proposal defines what will be supplied. A professional design appointment defines what the complete room must achieve, how it will be built and how the result will be judged. Keeping that scope visible makes the accountability visible.
Who does Kolosseum work for on a project?
Most often, an integrator appoints us as a confidential design partner. We are also happy to be appointed by a client, architect, builder or another project party that understands the value of independent engineering. One party appoints us, and we coordinate the room, technology, services and documentation for the wider project team.
Do you sell any hardware or equipment?
No. We are a design-only consultancy. This independence is our core value proposition; it ensures every recommendation is made purely on technical merit and project goals, not on dealer margins or stock levels. We are paid to protect the outcome, not to sell the parts.
Can you suggest hardware, interior elements and materials?
Yes. We first ask about the room, performance target, visual direction and budget. We can then suggest suitable equipment, seating, acoustic finishes, fabrics, timber, lighting and other interior elements. We explain what we know and why each option may work, then you and your project team review the choices and decide.
How much does a properly designed home cinema cost?
A purpose-built dedicated cinema in Australia commonly begins around A$50,000 installed and scales with room size, isolation, acoustic treatment, speaker architecture, projection and finish. Kolosseum's documentation fees begin at A$2,199 and are separate from equipment and installation. Comparing quotes only becomes useful once each one answers the same performance brief.
When should cinema design begin?
Before the slab is poured is ideal. Room dimensions, wall build-up, door positions, HVAC routes, conduits and structure are inexpensive to resolve on a drawing and expensive to recover after construction. Retrofits remain possible, but the earlier the design begins, the fewer compromises the room inherits.