Bass Traps: Auralex worth the money?

[Josh784]

I have a fairly basic stereo in my bedroom. It consists of a pair of Axiom M2i speakers on 42" stands, a Yamaha HTR-5550 receiver, Pioneer 573(?) CD/SACD/DVD player, and Velodyne VX-10 sub, which I will hopefully be replacing soon.

As the room is square, members of this board have in the past suggested the use of some bass traps in the corners. I have been putting it off, but am still interested in doing this. I may also install some foam panels on the walls. I remember being recommended Auralex products, however they aren't cheap. I was browsing ebay and found a similar product at a much cheaper price (link to auction) so I have to ask - is there a big difference in the performance of Auralex products and cheaper alternatives?

Thanks,
Josh

 

[sploo]

If you want to get your hands dirty, then you can use 4'x2' panels of 4" fiberglass, placed in the corners of the room.

You'll want the dense versions (6lbs/ft^3) with a foil facing - such as Owens Corning 705-FRK.

For more info look here: http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

If you don't fancy making something yourself, then take a look here: http://www.realtraps.com/

BTW You might get more/better responses with a post to the "Room Acoustics, System Layout & Setup" forum.

EDIT: I've just noticed the time of your post - are you in the UK? If so, go to the room acoustics forum and take a look at my thread "Yes, it's another Bass Traps thread..." for info on UK suppliers. It's here: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11011

 

[Josh784]

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately fiberglass bass traps are almost out of the question as it is a small room (12x12x12) and there simply isn't room. It seems like my best option is for some foam bass traps to place in the upper corners, and in the far corners of the copen closet adjoining the room. This is why I am asking about the value of Auralex products.

I am not in the UK, I was just up pretty late last night

Thanks
Josh

 

[sploo]

Very late by the sound of it!

12'^3 is going to be a problem. Room modes will be a real issue here as it's a cube, and, as I've found in my room (though larger) you end up with speakers near the walls. This will result in some pretty unpleasant reflections which will make stereo imaging very odd.

I've not yet got the thicker boards for the bass traps, but I can tell you that some 1" boards (of a lower density) placed on the side walls at the first reflection points has made a huge difference to the quality of sound in the room.

I seem to recall that Ethan, and a few others involved in the field of room treatment, are not too impressed with foam traps. Unfortunately, to trap bass you do need density and size.

You can make traps that are smaller - there's a great article by Thomas Andry (mrnomas) here: http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/roomacoustics/DIYabsorbersacoustics.php

 

[Josh784]

Thanks again for the reply. I will look into building some fiberglass traps. Roughly what cost in materials am I looking at for a project such as this?

Thanks

 

[sploo]

Well now, that depends on what you want to do

Any prices I give are in GBP, and the current exchange rate means you'd need to multiply by around 1.76 to get USD. However, this will be very rough, as the pound's pretty strong at the moment and, from what I've seen, tools and materials are much cheaper in the US.

I bought six 1" panels and four 2" panels, each about 4'x2' for less than 30GBP.

The ten 4" foil faced panels I'm buying will be much more expensive - somewhere between 120-150GBP.

Wood for framing the thinner panels was less than 30GBP. I'm not totally sure what I'm doing with the thicker panels yet.

Covering material is more expensive. The batting/wadding used to 'seal' the fiberglass was less than 1GBP per meter. The white muslin cloth I'm using was just over 2GBP per meter.

Obviously you won't need (or be able to fit) that much into your room, so I'd be surprised if you needed to spend much more than 300USD - a damn site less than some fancy cables