Feature Article

Acoustical Room Treatment: A Survey of Methods and Materials

Part III
 

December, 2004

Adrian Wittenberg


Survey of Manufacturers and Products

Here are some products that were sent to us for inclusion in this article. Note that some acoustical room treatment materials (sound absorption, diffusion, etc.) are flammable, and may have been treated to be flame retardant by the manufacturers, but you need to confirm this yourself when installing them, and decide whether they are suitable for use in your situation. Remember also to be careful with the adhesives. They can be flammable as well, and can be irritating to the respiratory system.

Auralex Acoustics

8851 Hague Road, Indianapolis, Indiana 46256-1284
Phone: 317-842-2600; Fax: 317-842-2760
Website: www.auralex.com and www.auralexelite.com.
 

The SonoFlat 2’ x 2’ x 2” panels are made of Auralex’s Studiofoam. This panel has a smooth face and beveled edges. It is dense foam which has some resistance when you squeeze it. There are not any pores that are greater than 2-3 millimeters on the surface. The panel has clean lines and good quality construction and is said to be flame retardant. The panel is burgundy in color but is available in a few other choices. Retail price for the SonoFlat panel is $299.99 for a box of sixteen.

The Elite B22 ProPanel is 2’x2’x1” has a smooth surface and beveled edges. It is softer in the center than on the edges where it is very rigid. The semi-course fabric which covers the absorption material is pulled tightly across the surface and has no defects or loose spots. The sample color is called garnet which is a deep burgundy red. It is also available in a few other colors. This panel retails for $64.99 per panel, or $99.99 per panel for the larger 2’x4’x1” model (Elite B24 Propanel).

The SonoColumn is a 12”x6”x48” bass trap and is manufactured with thick dense foam. This foam compresses very little when you squeeze it. The edges are beveled to allow for corner placement and the front is ridged. The traps are designed to be stacked on top of each other for 8’ ceilings. Collars are available for these to create a column look. They are available only in charcoal and retail for $219.00 for a box of four.

The CornerFill Cube is 12”x12”x12” and is used to fill trihedral corners where bass traps come together. This cube is made of dense foam like the foam in the bass trap. The sample cube is purple in color but is available in many colors. These cubes retail for $39.00 for a package of two.

The SubDude is a subwoofer isolator board. It is manufactured of a board wrapped in charcoal fabric that sits atop two sections of very stiff foam. In between these sections is a section of softer foam wedges. A 50 pound subwoofer resting on top of this panel didn’t push the foam all the way to the floor. The SubDude retails for $59.95

The MoPad isolators are used for isolating energies from small monitor speakers. They are made of stiff dense foam and are separated into two sections of angled wedges. This allows for the ability to angle the monitor eight degrees upwards or downwards. The Mopads retail for $29.95 for a package of four pads that support two speakers.

 

Michael Green Audio

400 W. Houghton Ave, W. Branch, Michigan 48661
Phone: 888-766-6886; Fax: 989-345-7040
Website: www.michaelgreenaudio.com.

 

The room tune pack includes four Corner Tunes, two Echo Tunes, and four Tune Strips. The sample kit included one of each of these items. Each of these looks and feels like thin pillows made of light burlap. One side is stiff, so there is probably a sheet of thin vinyl or such sewn into the pillow. The other side is much softer to the touch and suggests that they are filled with dense fiberglass material. These would be used in the wall-to-wall corners of the room to absorb bass frequencies. Retail price is $364.99 for the pack of ten items.



RealTraps, LLC

34 Cedar Vale Drive, New Milford, Connecticut 06776
Phone: 866-732-5872
Website: www.realtraps.com.

 

The LE MiniTrap is 19-1/2 inches by 4'-9" by 2-1/4 inches thick and weighs ten pounds. These bass traps use a fiberglass material on the exterior and are encased in a metal frame. Knocking on them provides a dull thud, and I suspect there are multiple layers of various materials inside. These are larger than standard foam traps, and their build quality is exceptionally good. They can be mounted on the walls or used with the stands shown in the picture. Retail price for the LE MiniTrap is $219.99 each. The stand retails for $60.00
The MondoTrap is RealTrap’s newest bass trap model. In appearance, it looks like the LE MiniTrap except that it is two inches thicker (pictured on the right). It is also 24 pounds heavier. Both the MondoTrap and the MiniTrap are designed to have air space between them and the wall corner which is intended to provide bass absorption for both sides of the panel. Knocking on this model presents the same dull thud, but a hollow sound makes it more apparent that there is some space between any internal layers of material. The build quality of this bass trap is excellent as well. The MondoTrap retails for $279.99 each and can also be used with the LE Style stand.

Click Here to Go to Part IV.

 

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