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room acoustics: bonded logic, homasote, or...

hi folks,
just spent a fair amount of time on speaker placement. so far i've been pleasantly surprised.

i find it is now time to address room acoustics. i live in the standard small nyc studio apt (listening/living room is about 11'x13' w/11' ceilings). speakers are backed up by a wall with 2 very large windows. i've put up some curtains that i believe are properly addressing the glass issues. opposite is a wall with a couch sitting against it and an open arched entry to the kitchen i'm now looking for wall/ceiling/corner fixes.

i would rather not have my pockets gouged out by purchasing fancy woods in weird shapes, or magical antireflecto-insofiberdamped panels with ugly fabrics covering them. i'm up for a diy thing using planet friendly stuff. considering making something using bonded logic ultratouch. seems to have nice specs, it's easy to work with and it'll never kill me. homasote was suggested to me by the materials person at this green place i'm dealing with.

anybody have any opinions (germane to the topic please ;-), or ideas/experiences they would like to pass along.

as always, i highly appreciate all your input and lunacy.

soundtrack during this writing:
r strauss, tod un verklarung, opus 24 (i'm not strictly classical though).

kind regards.
neutron
5 responses Add your response
neutron OP
28 posts
 
i will be in touch with sss, and yes, i have made a deliberate choice in using sustainable/recycled materials. i'm actually hooked on the idea. i'll build some type of wall mount (hoping not to create something to hideous and/or embarassing) for the batting. it won't be going behind the wall.

something about speaker placement. apologies, as my words about the back wall could be misleading. i used the cardas golden rule thing to determine speaker placement, and so the speakers are about 45 1/2 inches from the back wall with the same distance lying between speakers (from middle of woofers). speaker to respective adjacent walls is about 29 inches. my listening position is about 8 feet from the speakers.

thanks again for the contacts. it will help for me to do some more analysis, as opposed to just the arithmetic.
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,677 posts
 
The problem with "batts" is that they are not self-supporting and need to be framed. This makes them even more cumbersome and obtrusive than prefabricated rigid/semi-rigid fiberglass panels. Remember, these treatments need to be in the room (acoustically) to be effective. Putting them in walls will only affect sound transmission to other rooms.

Again, I prefer semirigid compressed fiberglass for its effectiveness and convenience. If you have a philosophical objection to the material and prefer cotton, you encumber some inconveniences. Ask Bryan Pape of SSS.

Kal
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
The speaker/room needs to be analyzed before embarking on a 'fix' & enhacement. There is plenty of free software out there, 'Room EQ Wizard' for one. It is available at hometheatershack.com. You mentioned that you have finalized the speaker placement. Well, please keep an open mind until after you do some measurements. Speakers backed up to a wall is never optimal, but only you can figure what the trade offs may be. Also, go to the 'Real Traps' site, a lot of good information there. Study the 38% rule. Once you know the room issues are, DIY becomes easy and very inexpensive.
neutron OP
28 posts
 
hi kal,

thanks for the lead. i will definitely look into the sensible sounds products.

here's some info. on the acoustical properties of ultratouch:
http://www.coler.com/pdf/UltraTouch%20Acoustic%20Comparison.pdf

http://www.coler.com/pdf/UT%20NRC%20R13%20Testing.pdf

i am not an engineer by any stretch, so if you have comments on these numbers, please chime in.

thanks,
gary
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,677 posts
 
I did a quick check of the "bonded logic" site and did not see any acoustical specs. But if you are dead set against the compressed fiberglas panels (which are the best performers for the money), I suggest you consult Sensible Sound Solutions about their acoustical cotton products. The guy who runs it, Bryan Pape, is knowledgeable and helpful.
http://sensiblesoundsolutions.com/index.php?cPath=22

Kal
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