Filling Bar base with insulation:

S

srenoch1

Audiophyte
I have a large 28 wide by 24 deep room
The theater/ audio system is on the long wall.
I have a bar with a 5” thick base. Would filling the cavity with insulation benefit acoustics at all?
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
As in a wet bar? Just trying to understand what you are describing.

That said, the cavity you discuss, unless it is open somewhere and can act like a resonator (think the way blowing across a glass bottle causes resonance), then no. I would say, it would be better to just close that hole up rather than stuffing it.
 
S

srenoch1

Audiophyte
Just redoing my bar/ theater.
I am replacing the bar top. No this is not a wet bar. The base will be 10’ long and 6” wide. Figured bass would travel through the base and back... filling with insulation could help with low frequencies.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Just redoing my bar/ theater.
I am replacing the bar top. No this is not a wet bar. The base will be 10’ long and 6” wide. Figured bass would travel through the base and back... filling with insulation could help with low frequencies.
What material was used for the base?

Low frequencies pressurize the room to whatever extent possible, determined by doors/windows and size. Because of that, objects won't do much unless they move when the energy from these sounds impacts the materials. When sound is absorbed, it's converted to a small amount of heat and once that happens, it will have no further effect on the sound. Large panels that can be made to vibrate sympathetically will reduce the energy but how well it works at each frequency depends on the mass, size and stiffness- think about the way a large window vibrates when a truck drives past. In addition, these vibrating objects can radiate sound if the level is high enough and the material can be made to vibrate strongly enough. I have heard drywall vibrate with some frequencies during a pure tone sweep, due to the lack of insulation that was supposed to be in that wall.
 
S

srenoch1

Audiophyte
Was my concern with resonances... I currently have a the bar top off and have a small wall that separates a fridge that I was considering insulating.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
The things you are talking about are not going to affect the room acoustics.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Was my concern with resonances... I currently have a the bar top off and have a small wall that separates a fridge that I was considering insulating.
Again, what materials were used to build the base? If it's wood framing and drywall, fill it- the drywall will act as a diaphragm if it can. If it's made from materials that are more dense, you shouldn't need to insulate it because, as I mentioned before, the sound will go around it.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
I have a large 28 wide by 24 deep room
The theater/ audio system is on the long wall.
I have a bar with a 5” thick base. Would filling the cavity with insulation benefit acoustics at all?
Yes, fill it with fiberglass insulation. In an HT room all cavities should be filled. that means a cavity like your bar, it means behind all sheetrock spaces, above ceilings and under floors. This is actually crucial to a good sounding room.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
To the OP- if you want to know if a wall, ceiling or other object will affect the bass frequencies, hit it with your fist. If you hear a low thump and especially if you hear it vibrate, insulate it. If you have access to the backside, you can add mass to it. If it vibrates, it acts like a drum head.

This works for removable ceiling tiles, too. When I worked for an audio store, they had a demo room with their 'high-end' brands that happened to be directly below the air handler which made a low, rumbling sound. Since it was always operating, it was always rumbling and while I was doing some other work, a couple of the sales people asked if something could be done to remove the sound because they were having a hard time selling equipment- the bass response was terrible because it was being masked and canceled by the air handler. I asked the mall's maintenance crew if the fan speed could be slowed and they did that- it helped, but didn't cure the problem because the room had 2' x 2' suspended ceiling tiles. Adding another layer of tiles and 6" fiberglass batts above made a huge difference.

If the top of that bar has any gaps that prevent the internal space being sealed, fill it. The air space inside can resonate, too- if you blow across the mouth of a bottle, it makes a sound and filling it changes the frequency. The space inside of the bar can work in the same way, but at a lower frequency if it's not insulated.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Would still love to know the answer to all the questions we asked! :)
What’s the volume of the space you are asking about filling?
Materials used in the bar construction?
Etc...
Keep in mind, please, it helps all of us learn! :D
 
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