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• Room Acoustic Treatments

If you’re designing a home theater room or a dedicated music listening room then you know the importance of room acoustics. The dimensions and shape of the room and the specific materials of the walls, floor and even the furniture within the room can have a profound effect on the way sound is perceived within the space. Furthermore, care must be taken to prevent the sound from bleeding through walls and ceilings into the rest of the house where the dull thud of muffled bass may not be entirely welcome. Room acoustic treatments can make a big difference by correcting for any issues inherent in the room layout and construction.

Room acoustic treatments can be done using raw panels of materials like the Owens Corning 703 or 705 rigid fiberglass panels covered with an upholstery material to make them match the room’s décor, or it can be done with finished products with stylish coverings and stands that require little additional work beyond placing them in the proper location within the room. Either method can be equally effective as long as the correct materials or acoustic treatment products are chosen and are placed correctly.

Additionally, a complete room package can be purchased. A complete room acoustic treatment package may start with two corner bass traps and a pair of high frequency noise absorption panels. The bass traps would typically be placed in the two front corners of the room (where the main audio source is located). The absorption panels would be placed on the side walls positioned so that they intercept the sound waves at the point where they would reflect from the sound source directly toward the room’s main listening positions (picture the angle the same way you would line up a bank shot in billiards).

More advanced room acoustics treatment packages might also contain bass traps for the room’s rear corners, and additional high frequency absorption panels to knock down more of the side wall reflections as well as acoustic reflections from the rear wall.

Even the use of heavy drapes or upholstered wall coverings can add some benefit by damping out some of the sound waves that would otherwise reflect off the hard surfaces of walls or window glass. These won’t work as well as more sophisticated and thicker materials, but for those on a very tight budget who are looking to make some modest improvement to their existing room, it can certainly help.

Whether you’re purchasing piecemeal components or a complete room acoustics treatment package, proper placement of each piece is absolutely critical for them to be effective. An online acoustic treatment specialist can offer suggestions based on the specifics of your room.