Most of us know that the room is one of the most important components in a sound system but few of us actually seem to do anything serious about it. In the past I built some DIY home depot special acoustic panels that I really did not think did much.
Fast forward a few years and I have a much smaller room that is less than ideal.. Different speakers.. etc.. Basically I was never really satisfied with the sound enough to sit down and do any real listening anymore. I noticed that in the current room I have that when I turned up most music it would just become fatiguing after a while which I had not experienced in the past.
Well, I decided to build some real acoustic panels. Did a little research, I was going to get the Owens Corning 705 but according to the specs for what I wanted it seemed like the much cheaper Roxul rockboard 60 was essentially the same acoustically. Ordered a 6 pack from ATS acoustics of 24x48 rockwool panels. They arrived safe and sound. And much to my surprise were very precisely cut to specifications and held their shape despite the box being banged around a little.
Since my only options for a workshop right now are my garage (about 25 degrees right about now and not heated.. Or lighted) Or.. Inside the house. Well I set up a tarp across half one of the rooms we don't use much and threw a tarp down on the floor. And setup shop!
The rockwool was heavier than I expected. The pack of 6 shows 51LBS on the shipping label.
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Built frames out of 1x3 cedar since it was cheap and I think looks better than other cheap woods. Also very lightweight. I made them with an inside dimension of 24x48
Used some burlap fabric from the local salvage/discount store that was still 4.99yd. They did not have much to choose from so this was the least offensive of the available options. After seeing the panels finished though I am very happy with the fabric choice.
After gluing the fabric to the rockwool with 3M Super 77 I cut some flaps that I stapled to the frame on the back to prevent the insulation from falling out of the frame. Actually though it is a good fit and the rockwool had to be carefully pressed into the frame with the help of a putty knife to help guide it in.
The braces in the back not only strengthen the frame but again help secure the rockwool and keep it from being pushed into the frame too far. This space in the back lets me flush mount these on the wall completely concealed.
fabric flaps stapled then glued back down.
Front & Back
to flush mount the panels I attached two eye hooks with a piece of wire that has ring terminals crimped onto the ends that hook onto heavy duty picture hangers.
I do not have a chop saw yet so I used my skil saw with a good finish blade and used a speed square and clamped each piece to cut it using the square as a guide. You can get very good cuts doing something like this. I actually think you can get better cuts with a skil saw and a guide than you can on a table saw for most projects. And its easier for one person to handle ripping a 4x8 sheet alone.
built 5 panels. I originally planned on the three in the back then the other two right next to the speakers on the side but after hearing that configuration compared to one like I ended up with where the first reflections are getting killed it was a no brainer. Even if it meant covering half a window up!
The difference with and without the panels is simply astounding. I could not believe how the imaging is so much more focused and everything seems much clearer. You would have to hear it to believe it. I do not know why I waited so long to do this. Acoustic treatments are something everyone really should look into because while I knew they were important I never knew how bad my room sounded without them.
Next up will probably be some Bass traps. Especially considering I want to build dual 18" vented subs which are way overkill for this room but this place is only temporary.
