[squirt]

I'm looking into sound dampening my room for speaker use which is about 10' X 12' X 8' and would like some tips and advice on effective methods of reducing sound escaping from the room. The use of acoustic panels such as sonex seems to be the best option though costly but I don't know how much wall coverage would be needed to be effective. Do the panels need to be touching or can they be spaced apart some? I'm assuming the wall that the speakers are facing would be the most important for coverage and the walls separating rooms. I know some folks use carpet but I have no idea how this compares to acoustic panels and carpet is really heavy so I'm not sure I want to deal with carpet unless its really effective. Anyway any help on this would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[pigmode]

Hey Squirt,

I'm in the same boat as you.

One of the most important positions for dampening is the first reflection point. Also, standing bass waves are another problem in a square room. Be aware that different materials have differing range capacities for absorbing sound waves. Search Audio Asylum for lots and lots of great info.

 

[squirt]

Hey Buta, looks like i still have lots to learn about sound dampening...i was thinking i could use acoustic panels in the room corners but install them to round off the corners to dampen bass reflections...i just ordered a pair of Sound Dynamics RTS-3 speakers since they're being discontinued so now i have to work out how to limit noise leaks so i don't bother others with my sometimes creepy tastes in music...all these headaches to worry about sometimes makes me wish i just stuck with my AM Checkers & Pogo clock radio...

 

[pigmode]

No worries squirt. Just take it easy and enjoy your new speakers. The hard part for me is trying to figure out if these expensive (acoustic) tweaks will make a noticable difference or not.

 

[squirt]

Buta, in case you haven't seen my debacle on Headwize on this issue, i've abandoned all plans to add any acoustic tweaks to my room under advice from others...i'm just going to have to listen to the speakers at low volumes during the day time only...As far as the RTS-3 speakers i hooked them up using some leftover Radio Shack speaker wire to my A500 Integrated Amp and the sound is surprisingly good. They are very decent speakers for the price...

 

[gerG]

Hi squirt. Don't give up! Changing room acoustics can have major effects, and it doesn't have to be very expensive.

Check out Auralex.com for more info on the topic than you probably want. Their foam is kind of pricey. I have gotten good results with flat polyester foam of 2# density and 2" thickness.

Soundproofing a room is a different matter, and is much more difficult. Go nearfield and keep the volume down.

A clarification: acoustic "dampening" is when you hose your speakers down with water. Acoustic "damping" is the absorbtion of unwanted vibrations.

gerG

 

[squirt]

Greg i won't bother with reducing sound leakage but i may plan on improving the acoustics of my room someday but I'm in no rush...i spent the day listening to my speakers at pretty loud volumes and there really wasn't as much sound leakage outside or inside the house as i expected or it was just not as obvious due to other ambient sounds outside such as children playing...i only plan on listening to the speakers during daylight hours and my K1000 during the night. Being that I do most of my listening after dark my K1000 will remain the primary source....

I tried the acoustic dampening method you mentioned on my speakers but now they only make strange gurgling and popping noises so now i'm thinking maybe i should have used distilled water instead of tap...

 

[gerG]

Hmmm... maybe you need a higher grade interconnect between the faucet and nozzle. I hear that Cardas is coming out with a new spiral wrapped double insulated garden hose!

An alternative method for sound dampening: when anybody complains about your music, nail them with a super soaker.


Hot and cold running nonsense. Gotta love it!


gerG