Kind of loosely related to speakers: does anyone know any good soundproof doors?

[RichardCory]

I'm kind of feeling that headphones really aren't my thing, and I'd just rather fill my room with music from a good pair of speakers, instead of filling my head with music with something I have to wear on my head. But, my bedroom door leaks a lot of sound, and I need something that can better contain the music from my speakers. Anyone have any experience with a soundproof door, or know what kind insulation can be put on a normal door to prevent so much sound leakage? Thanks.

[ilikemonkeys]

is it bass or all the sound?

[RichardCory]

Well, definitely the bass; but if it's a song with vocals, those can be heard as well--albeit somewhat muffled.

[ilikemonkeys]

Turn the bass down.

Other than that......I"ve heard of people taking a sheet of styrofoam and strapping it to the door, but I seriously doubt that would be really effective.

[RichardCory]

Haha, well, turning the music down is really not an option. It's really not even loud at all--the door just has piss-poor sound leakage. I don't know what's in my walls, but they work a lot better since all you can hear is the bass, and you have turn the music really loud to hear it. I'm just looking for a door that has the same kind of construction as a good wall, I guess.

[Sleestack]

Interesting question that I am looking into myself. I am starting massive renovations on my home very shortly and need extremely heavy doors that are resistant to vibration and form seals that rest perfectly flush with the walls. I need on in my office so I don't wake the wife and kid and a few in my HT room b/c those LFE signals can get things shaking in a way that I don't like. I'm waiting to hear back from my contractor on his reccomendations.

[TheSloth]

Well I must tell you that a real serious sound-proof door that is cosmetically acceptable in a domestic environment is VERY expensive. I happen to have one in my music room in London to allow me to practice 24/7 - nearly 1' thick wood, lead plated on either side, and then another piece of paneled wood on either side for cosmetic reasons. It is sealed to the frame when closed by magnetic/rubber seals (similar to a fridge door for example), and the underside is sealed by a rubber drop seal that is pushed against the floor as the door closes. Has a brass self closing mechanism to allow it to have no standard lock - no holes in the door.

Of course you may not want/need all of that, but it's still going to cost you thousands of dollars if you want something that actually works. Sound proofing of any kind is probably the kind of work that is most ineffectually carried out. It's actually incredibly difficult to get right, and every contractor on the planet thinks he knows something about it.

[RichardCory]

What do you think of this thing:

http://www.soundprooffoam.com/door-soundproofing.html

I would need a 30" x 80" piece to cover the entire surface of my door, so I could get a custom cut piece. I think the cheapest type there would be good enough, although I'd need to see some reviews about it before spending that much.

[bhd812]

any foam less then 4 inchs thick will not stop bass. Bass is something that can travel threw anything it wants..well almost.

I would go out and get a solid wood door and then nail on a frame around it filled with layers and layers of PINK fiber glass insulation. that should not only stop your high's and mids but will absorb most low bass nicely.
its cheap compared to other ways, you can cover the layers of insulation frame with burlap or better yet paintable canvas.


Foam is more effective for treatment of sound by diffusing or absord inside relections. to actually stop (not absorb) sound is alittle harder for foam (unless you have massive amounts in the walls).

depending on where the door is located in the room you may have a dead spot also, maybe good or bad for your sound in the room.

if you do this then after put your ear to the top,bottom, sides of the closed door standing on the other side while the music is playing...hear the sound leaking?

[RichardCory]

They do claim that it does reduce noise by a considerable amount (80-85%):

http://order.americanmicroinc.com/cg...536X80PSA.html

But I don't know--they might be full of it. Either way, I'm not really up to the task of doing any real construction work. Maybe my father might know something about all that, but I wouldn't be able to do that. Thanks for the info, though.

[ilikemonkeys]

Most interior doors are made from recycled egg shells and twine. I would think that anything you did to it would help considerably.

Try this.....nail a heavy bedspread over the door so that it completely covers it and any openings. That would be a nice cheap quick fix.

[Icehawk]

A new, well fitting solid door should help signifigantly and not cost very much ($50-100). Acoustic foam or heavy matting on top of that should work pretty good.

I'm fighting a similar issue with the front door to my condo - I can't change it to another one and I don't want to use an ugly (or expensive) solution.

The room contents, flooring, and ceiling also make a difference.

[Sleestack]

Originally Posted by TheSloth

Well I must tell you that a real serious sound-proof door that is cosmetically acceptable in a domestic environment is VERY expensive. I happen to have one in my music room in London to allow me to practice 24/7 - nearly 1' thick wood, lead plated on either side, and then another piece of paneled wood on either side for cosmetic reasons. It is sealed to the frame when closed by magnetic/rubber seals (similar to a fridge door for example), and the underside is sealed by a rubber drop seal that is pushed against the floor as the door closes. Has a brass self closing mechanism to allow it to have no standard lock - no holes in the door.

Of course you may not want/need all of that, but it's still going to cost you thousands of dollars if you want something that actually works. Sound proofing of any kind is probably the kind of work that is most ineffectually carried out. It's actually incredibly difficult to get right, and every contractor on the planet thinks he knows something about it.

That sounds about right. My contractor came back to me today and quoted me $3K per door, which is fine. He's actually subcontracting a sound proofing specialist just to do those doors.

[RichardCory]

$3,000 would definitely be too much. I would not even want to consider spending more than $300-400. What you and TheSloth are working with seem to be professional-grade doors, but I just need something simple. It should be fine if some bass leaks out, and it will even be fine if people can hear my music while standing right outside my door. I just don't anyone downstairs to be bothered by the music, because my bedroom door is right next to the stairs--with the living room and dining room along each side.

[Sleestack]

Originally Posted by RichardCory

$3,000 would definitely be too much. I would not even want to consider spending more than $300-400. What you and TheSloth are working with seem to be professional-grade doors, but I just need something simple. It should be fine if some bass leaks out, and it will even be fine if people can hear my music while standing right outside my door. I just don't anyone downstairs to be bothered by the music, because my bedroom door is right next to the stairs--with the living room and dining room along each side.

I'd say get a heavy door that fits nice and snug. Tack a good rubber seal and the bottom and cover the door in sound proofing foam. That will probably get you close without the ridiculous price tag... but don't take my word for it.