Covering RPG Skyline with fabric

I painted the damn things with latex paint. Came out just fine.

Thank you guys. Just a comment about covering them with fabric. If I were to do it, I would simply make a flat fabric screen in front of the panel, kind of like speaker grill.

Maril555,

I have RPG skylines that I had RPG paint for me. I do not know if they used any type of undercoating when they paint them but they did use the exact paint that I specified for them that I used on my ceiling - same brand, type and color. By looking at them, I would guess that they use a paint spray gun to do this as the paint is very thinly applied. YOu could probably just call them and find out the specifics of what they do. I would also agree that it would be very difficult to cover them with an acoustic fabric. Covering something with acoustic fabric usually works best if you are covering a smooth, flat surface which as you know is not what an RPG Skyling is. I suspect you would need to do lots of cutting of the fabric to make this work effectively. Painting is the way to go.

What kind of paint would you use? Latex? I know, that spray paint is not suitable, it can damage the panel.

The fabric may sag or wrinkle over time, it certainly did with my tuning panels. Furutech did not help me at all..

An email exchange with Furutech…

Me: I bought a pair of RWL-1 tuning panels five years ago and have the original boxes/packing. Over time the silk material has wrinkled and sagged (I suppose gravity is doing it’s thing). Can you repair this cosmetic flaw somehow or replace the panels for me? They're unusable as is, I'd be happy to email you pictures.

Furutech:

I am sorry to hear of the problem you are experiencing with the room tuning panels. If possible, please email us and image of the sagging silk cover, so we can have a better understanding of the problem.

Me: Thanks for the quick reply, attached please find a picture..

Furutech:

I am afraid not much can be done about these wrinkles. It is a special silk, so applying water would only make it worse. However the effectiveness of the panel with not be diminished by the wrinkles in the silk.

Me: I agree with you, I wouldn’t try to use water or steam on them. The panels obviously add value in my sound, however looking the way they do now I cannot use them. Given the price of these panels, and Furutech’s reputation for first class products I thought you would repair them, or if that’s not possible, replace them. Please advise, and thank you.

Furutech:

The wall panels are a discontinued item and Furutech no longer carries stock, but it may be possible to repair the two panels. Unfortunately, as the product is no longer covered by Furutech’s one year manufacturer’s warranty, they would need to be returned to Tokyo at your expense and repair costs charged. Shipping costs for 1 set (2pcs) would be JPY59,450≒USD735 from Oregon USA to Tokyo and repair cost would be advised after the repair is complete. Please let me know if you would like to proceed

Me: That is certainly not what I expected from a premium manufacturer such as Furutech. The only practical solution at this point is to fix them myself; can you provide some instructions/guidance on how to go about repairing the panels?

No response from Furutech…

Or you could sell the Skylines and purchase the diffuser panels from Acoustical Solutions that are already fabric covered with many color options.

I need to do it for purely aesthetic reason.They are pure white, and my front wall is painted in fairly dark burgundy color.
To paint Skylines?- too much work and messy, that's why covering them with fabric seems like an option

Whatever you attempt to cover the thing with, it will look even funkier. You know, what with the random length protruding blocks and all. Besides, better effort spent damping the thing.

Cheers

Guilford of Maine is well known for acoustic fabrics. You can find a dealer or try direct - a web search will get you there. There fabric is used for a wide variety of acoustic treatments as well as speaker covers.

Of course it will work perfectly. Just use something similar to speaker grills - as near enough acoustically transparent as you can find.

Most likely not by much but could compromise there diffusion quality with fabric. I would contact RPG they have a large line of possible fabric choices and should guide much better then taking pot luck.