kraemer Posted June 15, 2003 Share Posted June 15, 2003 I'm not sure where to post this question.... I have a bunch of 3/4" R4 Styrofoam insulation. Can this material be used as sound damening material for my home theater? For example, can I place it on the walls to reduce the reflection of sound off the walls? Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efzauner Posted June 15, 2003 Share Posted June 15, 2003 Nope, styrofoam panels will not do it. There is fiberboard available (sonopan is a brand) that you put between the 2x4s and gypsum panels (sheet rock) to insulate the rest of the house. If you want to do sound deading inside you can use fiberglass or rock wool soundproofing on the walls and cover it with a fabric streached over a panel, or some sort of similar design. If you were ever in a house that was being built and the fibreglass was installed (but not the vapour barrier) then you will know what it does. You should be able to find the stuff at Home Depot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted June 15, 2003 Share Posted June 15, 2003 No, it is not going to help much. You're interested in cutting down on reflections. Drapes, carpet, and fabric covered furnature do a good job of this. As you might know, a lot of the items sold professionally to place on walls to absorb sound is, essentially, a big pillow in the form of a panel. It is a fabic covering to mechanically surround wool, cotton, or fiberglass batting. Surface area is big issue. When people want to make an anechoic chamber (no echo room), they make up wedge shaped pieces. This increases the surface area. This is similar in geometry to a pleated paper air filter. The other issue is dispursion. The big flat wall just sends an echo to the other big wall on the other side of the room. Not good. Of course a box type room has three pair of walls, ceiling, floor doing this. One help is the use of cylindrical panels which break up the flat surface. PWK has a Dope From Hope on it. I can post a copy if you like. I made up two of these out of foam core and glued large Monet reproductions on them. They worked well enough in my office. Each is about 24 inches by 36. There is a very simple experiment to let you get some insight into how "live" with echos a room might be. In a quiet setting, stand in the middle and slap your hands once as hard as you can. You'll hear, usually, a slap echo. Somewhat like a sound effect. Like a mild "booiinng." For example, my living room with furnature is not too bad. An empty bedroom is worse. The big reception area room at the office has a pronounced effect. You can try this in various environments in your daily travels. It is quite educational and costs nothing. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Boone Posted June 15, 2003 Share Posted June 15, 2003 ---------------- On 6/15/2003 5:42:36 PM kraemer wrote: I have a bunch of 3/4" R4 Styrofoam insulation. ---------------- I would make sure whatever you use is fireproof. Tony B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraemer Posted June 16, 2003 Author Share Posted June 16, 2003 I would love to get a copy of the dope from hope paper you are referring to. Thanks in advance. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted June 16, 2003 Share Posted June 16, 2003 ---------------- On 6/16/2003 12:07:51 AM kraemer wrote: I would love to get a copy of the dope from hope paper you are referring to. Thanks in advance. Nate ---------------- email me, i can have some sent out to you by tuesday! justin@soundwise.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Here is a picture of a polycylindrical reflector. I have to go back and see if I can catch the URL and do something with HTML. Gil <img src="http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/download.asp?fileID=27461&topicID=35828&forumID=66&catID=19&sessionID={1BF12285-6F0C-422F-9CC2-7E7124A14BD5}"> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Can anyone out there tell me what is wrong with my attempt to insert the picture? I'm getting pretty annoyed. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 you've got the wrong address... try; http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/files/Mvc-001s5.jpg The page uses scripts... so i got that from the URL bar once i clicked on the "download" button... and i think it's single quotes around the url... <.img src='http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/files/Mvc-001s5.jpg'.> without the . periods gives Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Formica, you ARE a buddy. 1E3 thanks for sorting this out. I will have to start a new topic about the DfH on polycylindrical reflectors per Doctor Boner to be mounted on the wall to cause acoustic dispursion. PWK made them up out of masonite and hardwood frames. It was an age of iron and wood. He had an aside about the challenge that this can cause for decorating. My approach was to first find the bigest Monet poster available. It was a special order. If you're looking at doing this sort of thing, the first item may be to decide what to put on the bowed front face. It was my second thought to build the structure up out of foam core. At the law office, this is used for big exhibits. It is not particularly inexpensive but results in a lightweight structure. The structure you're seeing is my first effort. I made the arched side pieces by drawing an arc, then glued front and back panel to it. The second effort was more in keeping with what PWK did mechanically. I cut the front surface to match the poster. Then cut the back panel a few inches shorter. Then, essentially, strung a bow. It was just a matter of shipping tape. The results were pretty good in either case. You wind up with a cylindrical surface with a work of art on the front. The poster gets glued on last; you just have to make allowances for it in the first design. The result is something which is estetically pleasing and may have the right acoustic results. More later Gil Thanks again Formica. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Just lending a helping hand... not unlike yourself... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Gil- Great idea with the diffusors!! I'm going to copy you heavily!! Speaking of that boink sound effect, there's a spot at SUNY Fredonia where you can tap a coin on the library's corner window, and the reflection off Jewett Hall would go "goink". I can't believe we never got arrested in the middle of the night-if you know what I mean. Lots of cool archetecture there. I.M. Pei designed a handful of buildings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Thanks for the kind words. I attended Illinois Institute of Technology which has a lot of Meis Van Der Rohe (sp?). I'll have to go back and look. However, some had acoustic treatment. The buildings are big glass boxes. Some quite elignant. One E.E. professor, during a lecture quipped, "This is square wave, or a Meis design. No, it IS a square wave." Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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