# Front Wall Trap Design



## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Here is my front wall trap design. By damping any resonances or reflections involving the front wall, making them decay and die down quickly, bass snappiness is improved, and soundstage and imaging (SS&I) detail are improved. With the two layers of absorptive material and a gap between, max LF absorption is accomplished. I made no attempt to enhance absorption at a specific frequency.

Here is a rough diagram showing the basic design.







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The traps will stand so that ALL energy directly from the speaker reflecting off of the trap (early reflection) will be directed AWAY from the LP. Experiments have shown this to be critical for good imaging. Even a narrow edge of a board situated to send reflected energy toward the LP will cloud the SS&I performance.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

That looks great Wayne, do you plan on building this? If so please post lots of Pics. I assume a version of this could go behind each main speaker (maybe the same design split in half?). Would be really nice if you could post production costs.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Yes, I am building it this week. The materials have been propped up against my front wall for some time as a proof-of-concept. Today I start cutting wood. There will be lots of pictures, and I will add detail to my diagram as well. It is a single unit that covers the wall between the speakers.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

Is it a diffuser with absorption in the back?


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

ellisr63 said:


> Is it a diffuser with absorption in the back?


Yes, with a couple of qualifications. It is designed so more vertical slats can easily be added for experimenting with different types and amounts of diffusion. Also the angle of each free-standing panel can be varied.

The one imperative is there be NO surfaces that can contribute to early-reflection sound toward the LP, as it degrades Image Clarity at HF. There will be MF/HF absorption on the side of each panel that faces the LP and on the side of any 1-inch board (3/4 inch actual) that faces the LP.

Also, i will be looking at acoustically-transparent materials to cover it with. Dress it up a _little._


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

Looking forward to seeing this build come together Wayne. Please post lots of pics, yours looks like a pretty complex setup, at least assembly-wise, and I'm very interested in how it all comes together, and what your results look like.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

Did you ever complete this...did it work out as planned, pics?

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

That's funny! I forgot all about this build. If I know Wayne he has his hands on about 50 projects r/t audio!!! He will get to it in due time unless something better comes along. We all know how that goes in the world of audio!


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

...and I'm just now discovering it. Way cool! Subscribed!!


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