Ah yes, build a riser, and 14 feet from the screen.
How big a screen? How good of resolution? HD? HD anamorphic viewing? All this will make a huge difference in pic quality and viewing experience. So I'm just curious.
Also, and as important (to me, anyway)is "WHERE" you are planning on putting the riser? What dimmensions are the seating going to be at? Balance is key here.
Also, is the room closed off, and a dedicated space? Or is it open to other rooms, with odd dimmensions, as opposed to rectangular/symetrical? If the later, It all GREATLY DEPENDS on, yes the whole screen setup/persective, etc, as well as where you plan on putting the speakers!
For instance, if you plan on inwall/onwall speakers, you'll need an EQ in the system (or dsp room correction), and seating possitions should be at one particular dimmension in the room. If you go with speaker that are out in the room more, depending, you would consider other seating options, in my experience. So it all depends. What are you planning in the equipment/speaker setup? Have you thought it through?
For instance, I went to an AVS forum "home theater meet" at a members home a couple of years back (his theater was featured in a home/theater lifestyles magazine recently, of some sort, but forgot which one) and this theater was for a bit larger dedicated space, where the seating was 3wide x 3 deep, and "mis-setup" if you ask me. Yes, in the front row, he had a center "the so called sweat spot" chair, which was placed in one of the worst acoustics spots in the room! Although in theory, it was anchored between the speakers up front, but acoustically flawed from the start. There were other issues with his setup, like poorly placed speakers all around, and mis-calibration, even lack of acoustical treatment. But that's another story.
The problem with a set up with a center seat, placed equa-distant between the walls and main speakers, is that the huge peaks and dips in the response, make a high fidelity, even accurate sonic experience IMPOSSIBLE!!! Basically, you'll always be sitting in nulls, or "holes" in the response curve, that you can never fix! (the peaks you can nock down, with trade-offs for off axis seating, often).
So, I gotta know more about your room layout.
If it's not symetrical, there's options, and you can do more of a "sweet spot" setup, with one center seat. Otherwise, in a symetrical room, for mostly ht dubties, and multi-seat music listening, I'd personally forgo a center, and do seats at "odd multiple ratios" with the side walls, meaning two and/or 4 seats, side-by-side, with options. Basically, "no center seat". That way you'll be able to achieve more accurate response from the system, and better overall sound.
It's a trade-off. So you gotta know your trade-offs.
So, what's the shape and layout of your room?
I'd also recommend, likely against having your back row (if you end up with one) up against the back wall, as it will be
boomy back there, with other acoustical issues to deal with, and you'll need more EQ'ing of the system, with likely compromises in the back seating.
So, what's your layout like? And the speaker options?
