# Broadband panels and bass traps



## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

I am getting ready to make some 6" deep bass traps out of Roxul R60, and some 4" deep Broadband panels from Roxul R80... 

I am making the Broadband panels using R80 2" think (doubled to 4" thick), and these will go at my first reflection points on the ceiling, and side walls in my Home Theater.

I am planning on using the Roxul R60 to cover my whole wall (one layer) behind my AT screen. For my back wall I am planning to cover the whole back wall with 2 layers of Roxul R60 3" (6" total thickness). There will be corner bass traps too.


Question: Would it be beneficial to make the front of the panels using pegboard? I am thinking that it adds a little weight, but will strengthen the frame plus reflect some of the high frequencies. I am thinking of this so as to not dampen all of the high frequencies in the room. 

All panels will have GOM wrapped over the face of the frame.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Too stiff on the front to allow much absorption plus the front we want full range.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

bpape said:


> Too stiff on the front to allow much absorption plus the front we want full range.


I have some thin rubber sheeting (about 1/4 or less the thickness of pond liner)... Would that be better to use on the front of the bass traps, or is it not an issue?


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Tha pegboard sounds like an interesting experiment. You sure don't want the rear wall too dead. Are you hoping to trap bass with the back wall completely covered? I don't think it would have an appreciable effect for LF's. The pegboard might not be as reflective as we think (compressed paper). I don't know. If it did work, I could see it smoothing out the responce over a wider area. Might also consider just covering the lower 1/2 of the wall & adding a couple of diffuser plates on the upper 1/2.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

That would be fine with the pond liner. It will restrict HF absorption.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

Tonto said:


> Tha pegboard sounds like an interesting experiment. You sure don't want the rear wall too dead. Are you hoping to trap bass with the back wall completely covered? I don't think it would have an appreciable effect for LF's. The pegboard might not be as reflective as we think (compressed paper). I don't know. If it did work, I could see it smoothing out the responce over a wider area. Might also consider just covering the lower 1/2 of the wall & adding a couple of diffuser plates on the upper 1/2.


My rear wall is only 5' tall after subtracting the soffit (1' from ceiling), and rear seating platform which is sitting on top of a DTS-10 sub (which takes 2' more away from the height). I was thinking of making the panels 4' tall and then some 1' tall ones to make up the rest (which could be filled with anything). My rear seating is only a couple of feet away from the rear wall so I can't use diffusers. I am tempted to make the panels stick out from the walls too, but that would mean making a mouth to direct the output from the Danley come out through the bass traps. I was thinking of maybe making it out of 3/4" plywood, and angling it out at about 45 degrees.

If I go deeper on the back wall... I could go to 14" max depth.


I am assuming that I could actually have the rear seats almost touching the bass traps to really get down low? I have my HIPs on the rear wall and could go as deep as the depth of them if necessary (would also look better I believe if the panels had the HIPs flush mounted with the bass traps).


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Have you measured the room yet? I'm feeling a little blind. Theory is good (like the front wall completly dead), but we need to measure before we actually plan for the rest of the absortion.


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

Tonto said:


> Have you measured the room yet? I'm feeling a little blind. Theory is good (like the front wall completly dead), but we need to measure before we actually plan for the rest of the absortion.


Agreed. What works in one room could make things worse in another. I'd hate for you to go through the trouble and find it didn't have the desired result.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

I have everything to measure with except I have no laptop. From what I understand I can't run REW without a laptop or a separate sound card. My iNUCs run the audio off of a chip, and I only have 2 USB ports. Do I need to buy a USB soundcard to run REW?


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

ellisr63 said:


> I have everything to measure with except I have no laptop. From what I understand I can't run REW without a laptop or a separate sound card. My iNUCs run the audio off of a chip, and I only have 2 USB ports. Do I need to buy a USB soundcard to run REW?


I don't know much about the NUC - does it have an audio output, like a headphone jack or something? What kind of mic do you have?


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

Peter Loeser said:


> I don't know much about the NUC - does it have an audio output, like a headphone jack or something? What kind of mic do you have?


No audio out at all... 2 HDMI, and 3 USB is all it has plus power. I have the USB UMIK-1.


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

ellisr63 said:


> No audio out at all... 2 HDMI, and 3 USB is all it has plus power. I have the USB UMIK-1.


The HDMI outputs are video only? Are you running Windows? This might help depending on the answers to those questions: http://www.minidsp.com/applications/acoustic-measurements/umik-1-hdmi-on-windows


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

Peter Loeser said:


> The HDMI outputs are video only? Are you running Windows? This might help depending on the answers to those questions: http://www.minidsp.com/applications/acoustic-measurements/umik-1-hdmi-on-windows



No we have no separate audio out... Only HDMI for our audio, and video. Yes we are running Windows 7. I will check out the link. :T


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## williamtravis (Aug 12, 2020)

Broadband Speed Test


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## chych7 (Aug 27, 2020)

You need to measure your room without absorbers first to determine how much absorption you need. In my room I am using 4" R80 for bass traps and 2" R80 for broadband absorbers, and it's almost damping too much mid/HF. I am wrapping most of my traps with 6 mil plastic to alleviate this. The 4" bass traps is sufficient to manage bass in my room, 6" would be more than needed.


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