# acoustic tile



## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

Parts express is having a sale on Acoustic Wall Tile 2" x 12" x 12" and I was wondering if they were any good? http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-900
thanks for all your help!


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Honestly, no. Those will do almost nothing below 1kHz. You want more broadband treatments.

Bryan


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

And even if they were any good, a coverage area of 4x4' for $50 isn't that great. You can DIY for much less, or buy some pre-built from GIK or others that look great for not much more.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

ok thanks , can you go over the basic details on what to do when doing diy acoustic panels, im fairly new to this


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Think thicker, more broadband, and using materials that are better absorbers. Mineral wool, rigid fiberglass board, and acoustic cotton are all excellent candidates. 

Spend time and money getting the bottom end right. Measure your room to know where your problems are, what areas are causing them, and then target those places.

Bryan


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

OK thanks, we are getting the basement done soon so Ill check everything...I heard somewhere that its bad to put like gaps or spaces in it, is this true?
whats the optimal thickness that should be used by the way?
I do know your suppose to target reflections of walls, but how do you know where they are?
sorry for all these questions...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Not sure what you mean about being bad to have gaps.

To find reflections, you have someone sit in a seat. Another person slides a mirror along a wall until you can see a speaker. Mark the spot. Continue until you see the next speaker, mark it. Repeat for the 3 front speakers. 

Then, move seats and repeat. Number of points = number of seats x 3 front speakers. 8 seats, 24 points.

That's only the tip of the iceberg though. There are many other things besides just side wall reflections.

Bryan


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

wow lol, sounds really fun!
I love this stuff, on gaps I mean having insulation wood gap and repeat


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

You can also do a scale drawing of the room and draw a mirror image set of speakers the same distance outside the room from the inner side wall surface. Draw a line from the center of the front of each speaker to each seat. Where the line crosses the inner wall surface is where your reflections are. Graph paper is your friend! 

Don't use any wood except on the outer perimeter of any absorbers. Any wood or hard surface between layers or between the wall and the absorption will mitigate any benefit from the thicker absorption.

Bryan


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

OK thanks, are there any designs that have been proven to work that I could build?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Side wall reflections are easy. 1 pc of 2" OC703 friction fit in a 1x4 frame. Cover with cloth and staple on the back.

Corner absorbers, cut 2'x4' pc of OC703 into 8 triangles that are 17x17x24". 


 

Stack in the corners, use ripped 1x3 to hold in place, staple cloth on top and trim to cover the staples.

 


Bryan


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

OK thanks!


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Pics added for clarity. Sorry. It's a generic drawing I usually use for people building these behind a false screen wall - hence the comments about the muslin. If they're going to be exposed, definitely rip both ends for a nice way to cover with cloth.

You'll also need to rig some way to staple to the ends. The other option is to build a grille and use velcro to fasten the cloth/frame to the slats on the walls.

Bryan


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

The drawings are fine, so ignore the muslin part right, should the acoustic tiling be flush? I've seen some pictures of them being flush to the wall and others aren't...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Where I show the cloth, just use whatever you want to finish it with. Some people use Muslin. Some use Guilford of Maine FR701-2100.

Bryan


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

Wood regular speaker grill cloth work?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

That will work just fine though it's also pretty easy to see through and not everybody is thrilled with the bright yellow color of the 703 

Bryan


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

True true...sorry for my English back there lol, has anyone ever spray painted the insulation black, or would this effect how it absorbs?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Can't paint it. It will clog the pores of the fiberglass and ruin the absorption. That's why some people use Muslin as it's a bit more opaque and hides the color better without messing up the absorption characteristics.

Bryan


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

thats what I thought, thanks! so how can you tell if its working to its full extent (I figure REW is the best way)


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

REW is a way to tell you what's happening to start with, how to position things, what needs treating. After that, it's a matter of addressing the major issues and addressing positioning to smooth things as much as possible.

Bryan


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

OK thanks for clearing that(or I would have spent hours trying to do things)
thanks for all you help, anything else I should need to know?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Just to be patient, only change 1 thing at a time and pay attention to what changes both good and bad as you move things around.

Bryan


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## corock (Sep 7, 2009)

There is quite a bit that can be found on youtube as well. In regards to the actual construction


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## Endesereth (Sep 15, 2009)

I looked at some of the stuff on utube and Some of it was usefull but on some of the posts they said thats not how it worked
dont worry I will be very patient:bigsmile:


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