# Thoughts on Microsuede as a Cover



## ggallaway (May 13, 2008)

I have seen microsuede at ats acoustics and thought that it looks pretty nice however I was hoping to use it for first reflections and it seems that it doesn't pass the "blow" test due to the tight weave on the back. what is the general consensus on this material for first reflections?

g.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

At high freqeuencies, it would likely be OK as the suede itself is absorbtive. In the upper mids, it may be somewhat reflective though.

Bryan


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## monomer (Dec 3, 2006)

Could you put some numbers on those "upper-mid" frequencies? Just some kind of approximate range so I can get an idea of what to listen for (and look for in REW). Seems I bought some of that microsuede from ATS and recently made a giant (4'X8'X4" - 703) absorber to span the ceiling above the listening area and the OP is correct, its doesn't pass the blow test... its not even close. I also have some velour "sound absorbing" curtains draped over 3" foam (4'X6') attached to the wall that are meant to handle first reflections coming from the mains and it seems they too fail the blow test miserably. I've had these up for years and they appeared to work quite well but now I'm beginning to wonder if I can/need to do something better...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Well, what it won't pass due to the blow through issue, it will absorb. You're looking in the kHz range.

The other issue is that being that tight, you will get some membrane effect from it. The thing is, you don't know where it will be, how intense, how wide, etc.

Bryan


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## monomer (Dec 3, 2006)

So what you're saying is it won't work predicably as a broadband absorber for the bass frequencies but might instead possibly attenuate a much narrower band within the bass freq range depending upon dimensions, etc. (like a panel resonator)??? Am I understanding this right?

BTW, that was a very fast response... kinda spooked me actually.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Not really. What may happen is that you'll get a hump in absorption somewhere in the bass range. It may or may not be where you need the extra. It will still be relatively broadband though.

Bryan


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## monomer (Dec 3, 2006)

Much thanks for responding Bryan... you ever get a chance to sleep?
So far I'd been statisfied but then again they say ignorance is bliss... and now that I know better I will have to further examine my FR, impulse and waterfall graphs (REW) more critically and decide if it might be worth the effort to swap out to a more breathable fabric choice... fortunately cloth is relatively cheap compared to so many other things in audio and acoustics.
Again thanks...


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## monomer (Dec 3, 2006)

Just a quicky follow-up... Yesterday I went ahead and purchased some breathable cloth that vaguely resembled the microsuede (at least the color match was close), its feels a little like polar fleece and is very easily breathable (when placed over the nose and mouth it feels like nothing is there)... cost was all of $12 for 3 yards of the stuff (@60" wide). So today I was ready to swap out the microsuede fabric for this 'polar fleece-like cloth' but decided to first take some REW baseline readings to use for comparison later. I built the absorber with an easily removable grill (attached with industrial strength velcro). So I took a reading with the grill in place and then just for the hell of it, I removed the grill and took another reading. Nothing else in the room was changed... the mic was on a tri-pod and unmoved and I remove the grill from the room completely. After comparing the graphs from these two readings, I determined it wasn't worth the effort to replace the microsuede as the difference was so minor... that tiny (3dB) bump at 2k. Below the graphs are in this order: First is with the microsuede grill on; second is with the microsuede grill removed; third is a comparision graph of the two previous graphs


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Good solid science there. Nice job. A vs B, no other variables changed, etc.

Bryan


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## TooManyToys (Jun 2, 2008)

monomer,

Thanks for posting that. It helped me with one of my decisions.


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## monomer (Dec 3, 2006)

Whoa, don't jump to conclusions too quickly here... I don't know what decision exactly you are referring to but you should keep in mind the posted FR was specific to my theater and absorber location and listening position. This particular absorber is on the ceiling over the front row seating positions (a four-seater couch). The intention was to deal with any echo due to a rather large coffee table below which I don't want to "cover-over" and a poured concrete floor with thinly padded indoor/outdoor carpeting. I actually may have "robbed" too much freq energy from the 200-400Hz band as you can see from my REW FR graph but the way I look at it is, its still all a work in progress. What I'm getting at is if this absorber were located more for a first reflection or on a back wall or if I'd taken the REW 'reading' from a different seating location, like in the back row for instance, the difference between "grill-ON" and "grill-OFF" would most surely have been affected... how exactly I cannot say but just be careful and realize that my specific graphs should only be regarded as a very generalized depiction that there is indeed some effect in the higher frequencies, mainly those above 1.5K, but don't take it all too literally. Good luck with whatever it is you are trying to do.


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## TooManyToys (Jun 2, 2008)

Before you get too hyper, all I meant was that you showed that your really need to try a product that isn't the typical "breath test" ideal, and there is potential for that out of the norm product to work for you without a serious liability. Testing with and without is the only way to know for sure.


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## monomer (Dec 3, 2006)

TooManyToys said:


> ...Testing with and without is the only way to know for sure.


Very true... odd that it had not really occurred to me before this thread to actually run an REW with and without the fabric grill for a direct comparison to determine the effects of this microsuede.


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## ggallaway (May 13, 2008)

WOW! Thanks for putting so much effort into answering my question :bigsmile:


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## TooManyToys (Jun 2, 2008)

As the saying goes, "Your results may vary....." :devil:


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## Lonely Raven (Aug 27, 2008)

Thanks for the measurement. I've been curious about this myself, as I like the look of Microsuede, but my instincts tell me the Dazian Expofabric being more open, does what I need better. I may still try a piece of Microfiber and run my own measurements to see what I can get away with.


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