Replies

1. 
   jroad | Jan 31, 1999 05:11am | #1

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   I'm building a home theatre in my house. The floor is carpeted, but the walls and ceilings are dry wall. Is their a material besides accoustical tile, ( I don't like the look) that I can use to improve the accoustic quality of this room?

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   JohnE | Jan 31, 1999 05:40am | #2

   *Someone makes a fabric covered accoutic wall material specifically designed for home theatre. I thought it is Celotex, but cannot find anything in their website.Cheers; JohnE

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   Guest_ | Jan 31, 1999 05:50am | #3

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   jroad - You need to be a little more specific regarding the desired results. Saying you want to improve the "acoustic quality" of a room is sort of like saying you want to improve the temperature. I would recommed hard and non-parallel surfaces. Surfaces that must be parallel should be fuzzed or made absortive. If you're really just asking for better looking fuzz - which is what the carpetor tile provide - there are plenty of fabric rapped panels or youcould make your own from fibreglass and cloth and wood framing. I recommend a 3 pcf rigid fibreglass board. You may find duct liner to be cheaper and more available thoudh not as ideal. Attach to the wall - preferably not firmly but so it is loosely held there - and stretch fabric over it. There are lots of methods for a frame or edge to make it neat and conceal the edge of the fabric but the simplest just wraps the rigid fibreglass.

   We also use heavy stage curtains - like 24 ounce cotton velour with 100% fullness. Even some decorative quilts will make an audible difference.

   Or are you really asking about acoustical isolation?

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   jroad | Jan 31, 1999 08:53pm | #4

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   I don't know what acoustical isolation is. I may be asking about it. What I would like to achieve is the "quietness" found in sound rooms. I guess I'm looking for a way to fuzz or make the walls and ceiling more absortive. You mentioned fabric rapped panels, where can I find an example of them? do you know of a web site that shows this. Also what is 3 pcf rigid fibreglass board?

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   Guest_ | Jan 31, 1999 09:23pm | #5

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   It sounds like you want a totally absorptive room - anechoic. I'm not sure I would like that for a home theatre but the absorptive surfaces are the way to achieve it. 3 pcf is 3 pounds per cubic foot density rigid fibreglass. Soundsoak is one brand name for these panels premade - aluminum angle frame and cloth wrapped. (Probably in $7-10 per sq ft range.) The more air space behind this (or the curtains) the lower the frequency it will be effective for. (I doubt you have the room for 1-2 feet that I might use in a concert hall but 2-3 inches will help.) Sometimes just studing and batts are used, usually covered with hardware cloth stapled on(for abuse protection) and then a grill cloth (must be open weave - blow through it and there should be no restriction.)

   By acoustic isolation I meant separation from other spaces - "soundproofing" sometimes being the term used.

   For sources - well - I generally am making recommendations to architects or owners and not dealing directly with the trades on this stuff. Check yellow pages under acoustic - I think you'll find vendors and contractors who have access to this stuff. You might try Corning direct for the raw materials - like the fibreglass board. And if your going the batt route, the USG sound bats are more effective - denser rockwool - but harder to source.

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   gstringe_ | Feb 01, 1999 12:16am | #6

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   A great wall sound reflection deadener is carpet-tight woven, dense rubber backed and glued to the wall. Takes abuse, is cleanable and absorbs sound well. Fully covered walls may be too much absorbtion though. And plan on it being there a long time as it ain't cheap to redecorate.
   I don't do home theaters but have been in electronics/sound/video for 30 years and my advice, if you want the true skinny, is to talk with a professional acoustic engineer that does real theaters. If you talk with a home theater salesman remember to wear your hip waders!

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   gstringe_ | Feb 01, 1999 12:16am | #7

   *A great wall sound reflection deadener is carpet-tight woven, dense rubber backed and glued to the wall. Takes abuse, is cleanable and absorbs sound well. Fully covered walls may be too much absorbtion though. And plan on it being there a long time as it ain't cheap to redecorate. I don't do home theaters but have been in electronics/sound/video for 30 years and my advice, if you want the true skinny, is to talk with a professional acoustic engineer that does real theaters. If you talk with a home theater salesman remember to wear your hip waders!

6. 
   jroad | Feb 01, 1999 05:06am | #8

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   Success secrets used to create a home theatre. How to achieve the best accoustics, How to wire, Materials to use, etc.

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   Guest_ | Feb 01, 1999 05:06am | #9

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   A really thick carpet and padding would work ok at higher frequencies, but it will definitely become less absorptive the more firmly its attached. You'd get a lot more absorption for the money if it were "stretched" over furring.

   What a great suggestion about hiring a professional theatre consultant. Feel free to email me and I'll be happy to prepare a proposal for services.