Help with basic acoustic/wall setup

[tgoldbeck]

I have a room in our new house designated exclusively for a home theater (my wife got a huge closet in exchange for my home theater), and need some advice on how to set it up. The room is 18’ wide, 28’ long, 8.5’ tall, and is completely underground (beneath the garage). Three walls and the ceiling are poured concrete and one long wall is just framed 2x4’s right now.

My first question is: do I need to drywall any of the concrete walls/ceiling, or can I cover them as they are with acoustic panels? Also, do I use plywood, drywall, or something else to cover the 2x4 framed wall? I was planning on using as many acoustic panels as needed to cover the walls and ceiling.

My second question is: how many acoustic panels should I use. Budget is not really an issue, but I enjoy being hands on, so I will build the risers for 3 levels of seating and also the acoustic panels. I have done some research, and it seems that using Roxul 60, with a colored burlap fabric will work great for absorbing any reflected sounds.

I have some pretty good hardware (projector, screen, speakers, receiver, etc), and will probably upgrade several pieces once it is operational, but want to make sure I get the proper acoustics so it sounds as good as it possibly can, before hooking anything up. Any help you can provide would be much appreciated. I want to get the walls all built and covered now, so let’s start there first. Thanks!

 

[afterlife2]

Read these articles:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/877661-post3.html

 

[tgoldbeck]

Thanks. Those great articles, but I am trying to determine the wall treatments first before placing any of the equipment.

 

[jcl]

I think you'd get more response posting to the room-acoustics-system-layout-setup forum -
Room Acoustics, System Layout & Setup - Audioholics Home Theater Forums

Some of the articles linked to in this post should help as well -
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/room-acoustics-system-layout-setup/8119-acoustics-faqs-read-first-before-posting.html

If you are buying acoustic panels many of the makers are more than willing to help you spend your money, I mean help you to design / treat your room. If you're just buying acoustic materials I'm not so sure they'll help, but it can't hurt to ask.

I'm not sure where you are, but you may want to cover the concrete for temperature insulation purposes in addition to acoustics.

You also don't state if you're trying to just get good acoustics in room, or prevent sound leakage out of the room. Two different goals with different solutions...

 

[tgoldbeck]

Good question and ideas. I'll repost on the other forum. I did not see that when I first posted. I am not concerned about leakage in the room, just sounding good, so acoustics are most important. Also, temp is not an issue. The whole room is completely underground, so temp is stable always. I just had a company contact me and tell me I should frame the walls with 2x4's, then fill directly with the acoustic insulation and cover with transparent fabric. That seems to make sense...that way the whole room would be covered with insulation and fabric. Thoughts?

 

[jcl]

I'm no expert, and what I've looked into has be treating existing rooms. However, my understanding is that you want to 'reduce' reflections but not eliminate them. I think doing what you describe would damp the room too much.

 

[tgoldbeck]

Thanks. That is the part I'm having trouble with...I can't figure out how much/how little to include. However, I am sensing that you are right on with yiour assesment. Thanks again.