wuzzzer Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Here are a couple pictures of my basement stereo: {EDIT} See later post for pics I was thinking about buying a set of acoustic foam, either 1" or 2" thickness. On the right speaker I was considering putting foam from the wall outlet to the column that sticks out (exactly 48" in width). Height would be flush with the ledge that's about right in the middle of the total height of the wall (about 40" tall). The loveseat next to the wall by the left speaker isn't normally there. Usually nothing but a long bare wall up to the door at the far left of the pic. If I were to install acoustic foam on this wall, would I be better off matching the 48" width of the foam on the right wall or installing it all the way up to the door on the far left of the pic? Any advice or suggestions is always appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Symmetry is a good thing... Btw, for others to see your pictures you must first upload them to the internet - instead of using the attach picture button from the menu. At the bottom there is a file attachment feature that will do this and automatically add the picture to the bottom of your post (you get one picture per post). So what would you be trying to accomplish with the addition of this foam? In other words, what don't you like about your sound that you're hoping to improve? It seems like you're wanting to add some foam because you've heard it can be a good thing, but adding the wrong acoustical treatments can actually be detrimental to the sound too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted February 12, 2006 Author Share Posted February 12, 2006 Pic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted February 12, 2006 Author Share Posted February 12, 2006 Pic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted February 12, 2006 Author Share Posted February 12, 2006 Trying to tame the very bright basement room that my stereo is in. Some of the foam I'm looking at is cheap enough that even if it only made a minor improvement it would be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Get at least 2" thick. The 1" stuff doesn't do much at all, the 2" is much more effective. www.foambymail.com has good pricing btw. "would I be better off matching the 48" width of the foam on the right wall or installing it all the way up to the door on the far left of the pic?" No, I wouldn't match the foam height side to side. The open right side won't be reflecting the same way as the left so the treatments on the left should go higher to try the cut down the extra reflections from the left side compared to the right. Depending upon how much you are going to put up find the first reflection points and treat them first. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Another idea would be to put a big panel of it or misc pieces (maybe checkerboard) up one side of that open stairwell- that things an echo chamber. It might also help to reduce some transmission of sound to the upper floor. A friend of mine did this and used the 3" wedges from foambymail. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Here's another way to place foam. Get a mirror or piece of mirror tile. Set in main seating position. Have a friend move the mirror around on the side wall adjacent to a speaker. When you can see the speaker in the mirror, mark that spot on wall. That is the point of FIRST REFLECTION where you would want to consider placing a good chunk (maybe 3 x 3 ') of foam. I got the 4". Thicker works with lower tones. I also got a 4 pack of the corner type 'Lenrd' type traps and put it in the corner of the junction of the two longest walls to help trap standing waves. Works wonders. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 Mike's dead on here - slapping foam up all over the place doesn't really help - you need to attack the actual reflections that are going to slap you in the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted February 14, 2006 Author Share Posted February 14, 2006 Thanks for the replies. I do have a plan of attack if/when I put the acoustic foam on. The mirror trick sounds like a very good idea and makes 100% sense. It won't be just a random placement of foam. [] Would there be benefits by treating the ceiling too? I'm thinking there probably would be. Would the mirror trick be a good way to panel the ceiling also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 Would there be benefits by treating the ceiling too? I'm thinking there probably would be. Would the mirror trick be a good way to panel the ceiling also? Yes, on both accounts. The ceiling refections can be quite significant, esp when dealing with lower heights... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I would suggest going with diffusion along the cieling (ala skyline rpg diffusors) instead of acoustic foam... Tackling the side early reflections with foam is pretty standard, but I would suggest installing some bass traps first as they will probably have a larger impact on the sound. When you go around tackling all the early reflections points, before you know it you end up with a very dead anechoic chamber type sound - which is a most unpleasant listening experience. So when you can use diffusion to treat a problem, it is usually better (especially in smaller rooms) as it results in a more natural decay of sound in the room. Or if you wanted to be technical about it you would run around measuring the RT60 and aiming for one of the ideal targets. (RT60 refers to the length of time required for a sound source to drop 60dB at a particular frequency - you actually don't want the same decay rates for every frequency and the ideal RT60 charts indicate relative decay rates that sound the most natural). If your room is quiet, you might actually be able to hear where reflections are coming from without doing any fancing measuring. And then you can decide whether or not these reflections are beneficial to the sound and you can treat them accordingly. Just try to do everything with forethought and do one thing at a time so that you can get an idea of how each panel is affecting the sound. Using T-Pins is a great way of temporarily mounting foam to the wall so that you are free to move them around and experiment a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted February 15, 2006 Author Share Posted February 15, 2006 I do have a pretty short ceiling, I'm guessing its about 7 feet tall considering that I'm 5'10" and can touch the ceiling with my feet flat on the ground. My wife wasn't too keen on the idea of the foam on the ceiling, so those acoustic panels are worth looking at. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I vote yea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Shmoe Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 SO I understand the concept here... BUT, how do you make the foam not look like foam? Is there some nice stuff out there reasonably affordable that looks good? I just don't know how to stick some foam up on my wall without it looking out of place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Well making the foam look good is going to be different for everyone and for every application. You can cover any kind of foam with any color cloth - which is probably the first place to start. In dedicated rooms you can make the foam a part of the visual scheme in the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 My wife said she'd want me to paint the rest of the wall the same color as the foam or a color that blended good with it. She did see a show on one of the decorating channels of someone who put some fabric over them to hide them more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 She did see a show on one of the decorating channels of someone who put some fabric over them to hide them more. Depends on you artistic preferences, but I've always found foam an interesting material to work with. It can be used to create a couple of "minimalist" art works which control sound. In other words, instead of placing foam on your walls where needed... build a couple of foam filled art works, and hang those there instead. ROb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 The fabric covering is probably the best idea. One- it's cheaper if you buy the foam in Grey color. At the FOAMBYMAIL site, it's less expensive and you can trade in the corner blocks and spray glue for more squares. You'll want to use Liquid Nails or equivalent. I mounted mine to gatorfoam panels so I can move em around. I've also seen the more massive Lenrd corner bass traps covered in a shirred fabric and dramatically lit so it almost looks like an architectural column. Make a quarter circle of heavy wire, mount top and bottom on the wall around the foam blocks, then attach fabric panels bunched up so as to created the 'flutes' that a column would have. Place a small can light on floor a safe distance away. Instant art. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 The fabric covering is probably the best idea. One- it's cheaper if you buy the foam in Grey color. At the FOAMBYMAIL site, it's less expensive and you can trade in the corner blocks and spray glue for more squares. You'll want to use Liquid Nails or equivalent. I mounted mine to gatorfoam panels so I can move em around. I've also seen the more massive Lenrd corner bass traps covered in a shirred fabric and dramatically lit so it almost looks like an architectural column. Make a quarter circle of heavy wire, mount top and bottom on the wall around the foam blocks, then attach fabric panels bunched up so as to created the 'flutes' that a column would have. Place a small can light on floor a safe distance away. Instant art. Michael If you are going to cover it in fabric, why not use carpet foam? Really cheap and available locally in every city. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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