# Acoustic properties of horizontal wood blinds



## t7492b (Sep 11, 2009)

Hello all,

I'm just getting into this, and am trying to use CARA for some room analysis.

I have horizontal 2" faux wood blinds over a triple wide window in my theater room, and am wondering what the absorption coefficient or other acoustic data is for that combination. If anyone know this, I'd appreciate learning about it. I plan to cover the blinds with a heavy drape, but for now, that's all I have. I'm also wondering if the blinds are different closed vs open, and do they act like diffusers when open?

Thanks,
Tom


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Wood blinds over glass have a coefficient of, well, about zero. Glass will allow some bass to pass out of the room.

Blinds will push sound other than flat off the glass but it's nothing like diffusion which scatters evenly, randomly, and also in time in addition to space.

Bryan


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## t7492b (Sep 11, 2009)

Thanks, Bryan,

I assume when you say zero, you are referring to open blinds, so the surface absorbs like a piece of glass, or almost totally reflects. Can I assume that closed blinds act like a thin sheet of wood with an air gap behind it?

Tom


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Pretty much. But, not being stabilized in any way and not having a sealed cavity behind them, they're still going to reflect pretty much everything.

Bryan


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