For basic absorption panels, I've also had good luck with Silent Source, particularly their Guilford of Maine wrapped "Acoustic Wall Panels". These do not have any wood framework - they are made from PCF glass fiberboard with resin-hardened edges. I've had some panels in my living room that I installed 15 years ago that still look fabulous. They are right near a large window and get lots of sunlight, but haven't faded or discolored at all.
These panels are lighter than the wood framed panels which makes them really easy to hang, and are available with a nice beveled edge (as well as other edge treatments). Here's a photo of the panels in my living room.
I recently ordered a bunch more of their panels for my main listening room which you can see on my virtual system page - these panels are on the side walls next to the speakers..
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Lots to absorb here (ha ha) but one thing is standing out: So far, I haven't seen any negative comments about ATS.
That's impressive, because *ANY* company will have mistakes along the way which upset a customer here and there, so you always expect at least a few negative posts.
Somehow these guys (and gals?) are on a very good streak of success. I think I will check out their corner traps.
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This is kind of related 'on the side'. Maybe someone can help out with this. I read not too long ago, in an issue of Stereophile, that there was an abandoned nuclear site in Washington state. Stay with me, this is a little weird but related. The site was later used for the acoustical testing of loudspeakers and acoustic absorbers. Before getting into this area, I am sure that you would benefit from reading this article. Much of what I understood before was off the mark, as well as the science behind such thinking to begin with. The intent is credible, to be sure, but the application is much different than I would have imagined.
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I'll chime in as well since I had a positive experience with GIK. I ordered 244 absorption panels, Alpha diffuser/absorbers, soffit and tri-trap bass traps all in an optional fabric and color.
While the time from order to delivery was slightly longer than originally quoted, they were very communicative and expedited shipping so that stuff would be sent as they were ready. In terms of quality, I have no complaints and everything was made to a good standard with no damage when received.
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Stillpoints Apature panel much better not cheap though worth every penny.
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Quick update on GIK acoustics here, just to share my most recent experience:
Last time I had placed an order was early 2019. So I placed an order on August 30 this time around, pretty substantial order. I was promised a shipment date of September 22. Which sounded very reasonable.
Not only that promise was kept, but, everything was actually delivered to my house on September 21st. I was pleasantly surprised, given the chatter and negativity on this thread. Everything was in good order, no blemishes, no damage, just great.
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Just a follow up on my post...Glenn reached out to me via email, and all is good. In my view, my issues didn't warrant replacing the bass traps, as Glenn had offered. I'll order from GIK again.
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Hey Gordon. Let me know if we need to replace anything. We are actually making the soffits completely different with the end caps sunk into the frame. With Fedex throwing things around way more we modified it for just the reason you pointed out. Please let me know if I can further help with these.
Glenn Kuras
GIK Acoustics
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This week, I received the 2 Soffit bass traps I ordered back in January. They were shipped 4.5 weeks later than originally scheduled, but I was told this 4.5 weeks ago, so I have no issue with the delay.
I'm underwhelmed by the build quality. Perhaps my expectations were too high. 3 of the 4 wooden caps were dislodged, with most of the stables bent/mangled, some at a 90 angle. I was able to straighten them enough to secure the caps back on to the traps, but they're not very secure. I don't think stapling a piece of wood into foam is ever gonna work very well.
The fabric is also stapled at the seam. The staples are not aligned, some are sticking out, and some bent. Again, I'm not sure staples are the best way to hold the fabric in place. On the bottom edge of one trap, the fabric is frayed and has a bit missing.
Having said that, most of these flaws aren't noticeable once the traps are situated in place, but I would definitely pay more to have traps that were more robustly constructed.
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@glennkuras Good luck! I'm so excited about some Qrds and any other diffusion products. (I just can't find the time to build my own Skyline.)
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I’m smiling at your responsiveness and recovery. All due success.
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Hey Guys wanted to let you all know that as of today we quoting any new orders to ship out in about 3 weeks. It really has been a hell of a last 2.5 months but feel we are almost out of the weeds. I am sure we may hit a few walls but feel we are on the best footing we have seen in a long time. I want to thank you all for the emails, messages and just comments. Please keep them coming. I starting GIK back in 2004 just for the love of music just like you guys and happy to still be part of it. BTW we are also going to be doing the QRDs that someone else talked about but we will be having them build in our European plant and stocked here. We should be able to ship those out as soon as they are ordered once we have them in stock. I will keep you all in the loop on that.
Thanks again!
Glenn
GIK Acoustics
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I received a pair of wood ATS scatter plates that were custom stained. They are handsomely made. From order to delivery was < 2 weeks. Price was fair. Thank you for the recommendations everyone. It is hoped that GIKs founder/owner and original CEO has experienced an important business lesson.
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Chuckling at the Harley reference. Talk about a company that builds junk.
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For those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty:
GR Research has just introduced DIY acoustic panel kits sold as flat packs. Just screw the Baltic Birch pieces together, stuff the assembled frame(s) with your material of choice, and cover with fabric. Sizes and priced on the GRR website, a video about the kits on YouTube (just do a search for the company name, the video will appear). The kits are far cheaper than factory-assembled ones, as is shipping.
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I have used GIK on a number of occasions including recently for an art panel. I ordered it on Jan 1 and it just arrived today. Frankly I was pretty disappointed in the slow service.
A few weeks ago, I decided to try some QRD diffusor panels from ATS Acoustics since I felt that the absorber/diffusor panels (Impression Pro Series Bass Trap Diffusor/Absorber) I had purchased from GIK were sapping too much energy out of the music.
My ceilings are a couple inches lower than 8ft, and I wanted to do floor to ceiling diffusors. GIK doesn't seem to offer custom sizes like this, so I searched around for alternatives and found ATS. For a small upcharge, they were willing to do a custom height.
I ordered eight custom sized diffusors from ATS and they arrived at my door literally eight days later, and that includes shipping half way across the country.
Unfortunately, one of them was damaged in shipping. I contacted ATS and a replacement arrived a week later at no charge. Kudos for the exceptional customer service!
They are well made and sound fabulous. You can see them on my virtual system page. jaytor's system
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Have used GIK for years, no problem. Happy to see Glenn communicate through this forum.
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No worries, Glenn--but this is not a bass trap--just a 4" absorption panel. And sorry about calling you "GKI". Best wishes on getting all sorted out...
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If you don't mind me defending "cheaper". You are comparing a 4" panels to the 244 bass trap? They are not the same and do not perform the same. We are thinking of selling 4" panels like that and for sure will charge less. It cost a lot less to make a panel like that. Needless to say we can't get a 244 out in 24 hours but we can get them done in a couple weeks if needed (and have the supplies).
Thanks,
Glenn
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Your post reminded me that i needed another absorption panel behind my listening position having damaged the previous. Although i've done business with GKI, instead i ordered this one from ATS, yesterday. It shipped today !! I haven't done business with them yet so we'll see about quality etc when i get it. Cheaper than GKI for a 4" thick 2'x4' panel.
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Hey guys. Someone sent me a message on this site and for some reason I am not getting them or I don't know how to work this website completely. Please just email me if you have any questions you may have.
Thanks,
Glenn Kuras
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Hey guys. Thanks for all the feedback. For a update we have dropped the back orders buy a couple weeks so I feel as we are making progress. If ANY of you have a order outstanding, need it rushed or whatever please send me a message and I will do whatever I can. I will say that if you order something like a standard 242, 244 or Monster those should be getting out in a few weeks.
Thanks again for chiming in and I do feel as I am starting to see the end of the tunnel. A long tunnel but starting to see the light. 😂
Glenn Kuras
Owner GIK Acoustics
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I bought some panels from a company called UA Acoustics awhile back and they were very reasonably priced, good looking and well made.
Dug up their website and got this message.
Attention! Due to the unstable situation in the our country, our company TEMPORARY suspends the processing of orders and their shipment.
I forgot they are based in Kyiv City, Ukraine.
Horrible situation. Hope they are doing okay, all things considered.
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Years ago I bought a number of different panels from GIK to round out the acoustics in my music room. They worked wonderfully and the quality was great and shipping was quick.
I recently purchased a winter property and needed some panels for a mixed use space in which I would listen to music, watch TV and just socialize. The acoustics in the room was horrible. I thought why not some acoustic panel to tame the echo. I went to GIK’s site and saw they did "Art Panels", nothing looked right for my space. Then I noticed you could supply your own art work and that is what I decided to go with, the custom "Art Panels". I sent them three custom designs. So far no issue. I received a delivery date, it was way into the future, much further than I was expecting. I was very disappointed, but accepted I was ordering three custom panels so I decided to be patient. A few weeks prior to the order ship date I contacted them and received the bad news, they were going to be delayed and not a short delay but a very long delay. The delay was going to be so long I would not be in this location and would be back home when the panels were now due to arrive. I did not want to reroute them to another location so I tried to contact them to cancel my order. It took me too many emails and phone calls to finally get through. I was really upset by the fact they were not easy to contact. I explained my issue and why I was cancelling. The person said she would get back to me and would try to move the assembly up, if possible. A few days later I received a phone call saying that they could move me up in line, sorry to anyone who I may have pushed back, and that the panels would be shipped out at the end of the following week. They came through as promised. The panels look gorgeous and the quality is first rate. The panels exceeded my expectations and the art transfer looks exactly as I had hoped it was going to look, maybe even better. I guess Glen was back.
I would not give up on GIK, but I would want some sort of a committed delivery time that they truly and realistically could maintain prior to ordering with a full money back guaranty if they fail to ship on schedule.
I highly recommend the custom "Art Panel", they have the potential to be gorgeous! Very worthy of hanging on a wall, as a piece of art and not some hokey graphic. I am actually going to have them framed even though they are 3 1/2" thick.
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I am finding more and more businesses are less responsive via the phone. Many businesses are under-staffed which would explain this challenge they face. Before giving up on GIK, I would email them requesting a consult. I worked with them over the past year or so and had a great experience. 2 months is not unreasonable nor is increased shipping costs. Sometimes we need to just pause and put on another record ; )
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I recently complained and asked for a 10 percent discount and got it.
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I have nothing but positive experiences with GIK (before the pandemic). If I ever need to order more panels, I would be going back to GIK regardless of the wait cause I know the current production delays are temporary. Beyond the high quality and reasonable prices; I really appreciated the patient, no pressure one on one consultation.
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I ordered two GIK diffusers in November. A couple of months later I called and was told they would be shipped within a couple of days. Nothing. I called again a month later and was told something similar. Nada. I called again and was told I would have them early March. Always pleasant phone conversations. They arrived two weeks ago with one of the panel corners bashed-in from shipping. I’m going to live with the bashed-in corner rather than go through process outlined above again. Too bad. What I received works well and looks good.
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Hi Glenn, I just received an update from your customer "service" people this morning on my order which was due first week of April. Before posting the details here I opted to send you PM here. Pls respond to me today.
thanks
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Acoustic foam tile is dirt cheap and available here https://www.thefoamfactory.com/acousticfoam/acousticfoam.html
The tiles can be mounted directly to the wall or installed in a simple frame and covered with decorative cloth. Alternatively you can get multiple colors of paint and have a splatter contest with your kids. Modern Art.
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I have bought more than 15 panels from Acoustimac over a 10 year period. Their products have great finish/build quality and represent good value. The only issue is that I have had a couple of panels arrive damaged. Some of these cases seem more due to delivery company and not the packaging. They have however always replaced items for free and in fairly quick fashion. I plan to keep using them as needs arise. I have never been tempted by GIK given how sloppy their material folding at the corners appears in pictures.
https://www.acoustimac.com
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Glenn at GIK- could you pls look at my order # 258446, Feb 8th. and let me know an accurate status on ship date which is right around the corner. I sent an email to customer service today to check in on it too.
thank you
I’ll let you know in two weeks. I spent a few weeks going back and forth with their sales exec who only wanted to communicate via email and never on the phone. Their product mix is complicated and gets expensive and I agree, shipping got to be a big number. The lead time was two months. I ordered about $2500 worth. Shipping was another $400. They immediately charged my pay pal in full which I believe is not allowed when ordering an item with such a long lead time- they should only charge once the order is complete and shipping. It’s due to ship the first few days of April. I since some product is made in Poland I’ve asked about delays and they’ve just responded saying "it’s set to ship on time". Could be fine. I assume ten days before the ship date there should be accurate shipping information.
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wfowenmd -No we are not a Harley but I love it when customers come visit us at Trade shows proud of them being a customers. :) Thanks for your comments
Hilde45-Education with helping the customer with design has for sure been one of our top selling points. The Gothems will be back. We have them in Europe but we just got the CNC that cuts them back on line. After a few weeks we should be able to cut the again. Fingers crossed on that. Once again one of those pandemic problems of ordering a part and it taking several months for it to come in.
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I direct my comments to Glenn as a longtime customer, retired C-suite executive of a Fortune 200, and b-school prof. Your explanation is greatly appreciated. Your candid ownership of the problem is of course the first step of crisis management. That you’ve done admirably.
We’ve all recruited the wrong leadership talent, especially when there are pressing market exigencies. Fortunately as evident from this Forum, you enjoy a loyal and patient customer base. GIK is not Harley, where your customers tattoo their loyalty. But your customer demographics span the AARP to the TikTok generations. My sincere wish for recovery and business success.
As GIK enters a phase of unanticipated accelerated growth, remember to smile — it’s a good problem to have!
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@glennkuras I have learned so much from you on various forums and really like my GIK items.
Hearing from you about what is honestly going on at GIK has helped me a lot. I have decided to stick with GIK and will just give the situation a bit of time. What I really need now is diffusers (without absorption), and I'm hoping to see some options in stock without too long a shipping time. I don't see the Gotham any more and I'm hoping for something like it that is not so heavy or expensive, like the PI Audio Group AQD diffusers.
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Daledee1. The largest problem now is supplies like getting laminated wood or some of the GOM is backlogged. Not sure what you ordered but that time frame seems about right. Some of the panels though we are able to get out sooner then 5 weeks depending on the supplies used.
Thanks for chiming in though and thanks for the order. :)
Glenn
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Hi, I have 9 GIK panels. And they do their job well.I have been looking at bass traps. I emailed Mike yesterday. Got a quote in 2 hours. Upfront about it is a 5 to 8 wk wait. So many companies had the same issues. Just look at the grocery shelves, same problems.
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Thanks Glenn. Perfect update.
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Hey everyone,
As much as I hate to read something about my own company I am also grateful some of you posted. I started this company back in 2004 with 2 employees and have grown it to 3 plants (USA, UK and Poland). For sure we have had our ups and downs but honestly the missteps since the pandemic has been a huge mountain for us to get over. To begin with when the pandemic first started we dropped in sales but 40% then within 2 months grew by almost double. Great but we also had a lot of employees that did not want to work which put us behind pretty quickly. As 2020 rolled on the material shortages started which delayed things even more. At this time I was told the best thing to do was to hire a CEO and try to take more of a overseeing role over the company as a whole. This is where I personally made a major mistake in not only hiring the wrong person but also not putting in KPIs that where correct. By the time I figured out the mess he had made there was much more of a back log and as some of you indicated there was some quality issues. Needless to say he has left and I personally have stepped back into the roll. At this point we are not 100% caught up but I have been able to decrease the back orders by over 50% and also take our complaint log to only a hand full. I have implemented quality checks within the shop and also fixed some of the bottle necks. I want each of you to know that my email is always open to let me know if you have any concerns or questions. I built GIK Acoustics to be the leader in the industry and plane on keep it that way. We have a lot of new things coming this year so please don’t give up the faith.
Glenn Kuras
Owner/CEO GIK Acoustics
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I ordered a pair of bass traps from GIK 2 months ago. The original shipping date was 3/17. It's been pushed back 4-5 weeks. We'll see...
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Thank you for the great list of alternatives. Hopefully GIKs new CEO is listening to the unofficial market review offered here.
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Well, from GIK I ordered 4 bass panels and 2 corner traps two months ago. Packed perfectly well, delivered on time. The one issue was that about 3 weeks after ordering I tried to add diffusion plates which didn’t actually get shipped.
Their e-mail communication throughout the process was great and they shipped within about 4 days of the original estimate. About 6 months before this I ordered 4 mondo/narrow traps, 2 of which had scatter plates and again, had no issues at all.
I am sad to see so many negative experiences.
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I had the very same experience as the above post.
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I'm going to pile on GIK a bit here, too. I simply cannot recommend them. I can understand the manufacturing delay due to availability of materials. All I ask is that you be up front and transparent. They were not. I corresponded back and forth with one of their designers for weeks getting product recommendations. At no point did he even allude to the ridiculous lead times. It wasn't until several weeks after I placed my order and paid them that they revised their delivery time from 1 month to 3 months. Every time I reached out to them for an update I got a different excuse.
That wouldn't have upset me as much had the product been of decent quality when I finally got it. It was not. The items were not packed properly and the diffuser plate on every one of the 4 bass traps had damage, from deep gouges to corners broken off, all from sliding around in the box during shipping. That's what happens when you leave 3" of empty space at the top of the box instead of filling it with packing material... GIK was apologetic and sent replacement panels, which of course took another 2+ months to arrive. Almost 5 months all said and done to get a finished product.
Bottom line, I'd avoid them unless nobody else makes what you're looking for. It's unfortunate because I was going to buy additional panels from GIK, but not now based on my first experience. Seems like I should check out ATS and see what they offer.
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I used ATS just over a year ago with great results.
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Good experience with Audimute.
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If you need treatment above 100 hz, try Acoustimac in Tampa. The lower 2 or so octaves are more difficult to manage and the quality of Acoustic Sciences in Oregon is excellent. Ask for Jordan.
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Terrible build quality. PM me for specifics. It was sad after such high expectations. I can provide numerous photos from a recent delivery of several panels and traps. The good news is that they have excellent customer support. I accepted a discount in place of having to wait several more weeks or months for replacements. I consider the pieces like oil paintings. Nice to look at from a distance, but not from up close. In the end they get the job done and my room finally sounds terrific!
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I have GIK panels and I picked them up from their office in Atlanta. I would have recommended them until I heard the news above. I also use ASC and Michael Greene treatments
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