Absorbtion - SoundFoundations

Acupanel broadband absorbers

The soundfoundations Acupanel broadband absorbers are designed for ideal absorption at the primary and secondary reflection points in a room as well as to control heavy comb filtering behind the listener or to treat flutter and echo in large open spaces like restaurants , theatres etc.

Generally mounted on the walls these 2 by 4 panels are made from high density fibre wool backed by our chemically bonded stranded wood fibreboard.A combination of these absorption materials allows these panels to achieve an nrc of over 85% at 300hz and and average NRC of over 1.0.Thus proving to be excellent absorbers over a wide frequency range especially the all important midrange and in doing so pretty much outperforming most of our competition as you can see in the graph below.

This is a true broadband absorber

The panels also find use in the construction of a ceiling cloud or can be mounted behind the listener to control comb filtering that usually happens when the rear wall is close to the listeners head

The panels are 3 inch thick and an internal framework ensures straight and sharp edges .the Acupanel is finished by our imported acoustic fabric that can be easily wiped down.
Available in a steel grey color the panels feature double keyhole slots at the rear that allow them to be mounted on the wall as easily as you mount a photo frame

Custom sizes may also be ordered.
Note: we request, that if comparing prices with other manufacturers please consider product size, thickness and,NRC values at important octaves as well as construction.

Specs

Size – 24inch* 48 inch
Thickness – 2.5 inch

ULTRA control panels – Broadband Absorbtion

The ultra panels are an upgrade over the Acupanel broadband absorbers.
These 3 inch thick control panels feature a composite construction of chemically bonded recycled wood fibre together with high density polyfibre wool and composite recron

The combination of these absorption materials allows these panels to achieve an nrc of over 88% at 300hz and 70% at 200Hz and average NRC of over 1.0.Thus proving to be excellent absorbers over a wide frequency range especially the all important midrange and in doing so pretty much outperforming most of our competition as you can see in the graph below.

Ideal to treat primary and secondary reflections these panels also will control flutter and echo and can also be used in a cloud format for ceiling hung installation (we can provide hardware for this when requested).
All panels come with keyhole slots that allow mounting of the panel using to wall mount screws just like a photo frame.

Finished with a natural polished maple wood outer frame and our imported black acoustic fabric these not only offer better performance but also look far more aesthetically pleasing and are suitable for stylish listening spaces and 5star properties. In fact they mimic a classy panel speaker!!

Specs

Size : 20inch*40 inch
Thickness : 3inch

The Bass Buster

The Bass buster is our propreitory bass trap that provides absorption of low frequencies down to 60Hz and is an absolute essential to take care of the bass boom that plagues many studio and listening rooms
Bass frequencies are difficult to control and absorb due to their wavelengths and a separate product is required for it

Ideally to be mounted in the 4 corners of the room using the provided keyhole slots we advice that the traps are mounted flat against a wall as opposed to the 45degree mounting that is adviced by some manufacturers.Please understand that sound is a wave and flows in all directions and 45degree mounting serves no extra purpose – but in fact just takes up more space.

One should note that a Bass trap is very different from a broadband absorber in the construction and function.Many a time users just tend to use a 1 or 2 inch thick broadband panels as a bass trap.One should note that this thickness will absorb absolutely no bass!!

The bass buster is a 20 inch by 40inch panel that is 6 inches thick.it consists of multiple alternate layers of high density glass wool and polyfibre wool.An air gap strategically included in the construction goes a long way in tackling the lower octaves.The panel is then backed with our special chemically bonded stranded fibre board which is an essential tool in lower octave absrobtion – our last line of defence.The above layers are housed within a wood framework to get the neat and sharp edges.Lastly the panel is draped within our acoustic grey fabric.

The “Ultra” Bass Trap

The Ultra trap takes bass traps to the next level and employs a construction that is used by GIK acoustics. The trap that provides absorption of low frequencies down to 50Hz and is an absolute essential to take care of the bass boom that plagues many studio and listening rooms

Ideally to be mounted in the 4 corners of the room using the provided keyhole slots we advice that the traps are mounted flat against a wall as opposed to the 45degree mounting that is advised by some manufacturers. Please understand that sound is a wave and flows in all directions and 45degree mounting serves no extra purpose – but in fact just takes up more space.

The Ultra bass trap is a 20 inch by 40inch panel that is 6 inches thick.it consists of multiple alternate layers of high density composite wool and polyfibre wool.An air gap strategically included in the construction goes a long way in tackling the lower octaves. Behind the Air gap is a resonating diaphragm that is the most instrumental is absorbtion of the lowest octaves.
The panel is then backed with our chemically bonded wood fibre board and finished within a wood framework to get the neat and sharp edges.The outer edge is remoulded with a clasy Maple wood outer framework over our imported black acoustic fabric just like our ultra control panels

Room Acoustics by SoundFoundations

Most people who have got acoustics done will agree that is one of the most important things to take care of when building a studio or listening room or a home theatre. The returns are definitely way better than any exotic cable upgrade you can ever do.

There are already some excellent articles about acoustics on the internet. Instead of rephrasing existing matter in our own words and plagiarizing an expert’s work we thought it would be far more informative if we provided our visitors with the links to articles that we think are written by pioneers in the acoustic field and are not only truthful but also useful. A good starting point are the following

Acoustic 101 and acoustic myths
http://www.primacoustic.com/absorption-video1.htm

Controlling sound with Absorption
Part 1
http://www.primacoustic.com/absorption-video2.htm

Part 2
http://www.primacoustic.com/absorption-video3.htm

There are several websites selling acoustic aids

However one should note that most of them fail to tell you or sometimes tend to ignore or worse , hide certain basics that one should be aware of.

1. So called ‘acoustic foam panels are nothing but slightly higher density pu mattress foam. Easily available? Yes. But please understand these foam panels do absolutely nothing to treat mid bass and lower bass which is what our fight is really against.All they will do is look good while taming the upper mids and the higher octaves and give probably lure you into a feeling of satisfaction
2.”Average”NRC ratings for a particular acoustic material or panel mean nothing. What you need to really study is what is the specific NRC values of the product at lower octaves say 500 hz and 250hz and 100hz..This is where the real party is and this is what many acoustic product selling websites normally do not publish info on.
For us anything BELOW 60 percent at 250hz (I.e NRC of 0.60 at 250 hz) is petty much no fun because these low frequencies are the ones we which to treat.
3. Thicker the panels the better
1.0 inch will do absolutely nothing no matter it’s density , the larger wavelength of lower octaves will just demolish it. However we do understand that in home environments we cannot have the space for 6 inch panels many a time
So what is the solution?
A combination of high density material that continues to provide good NRC values below 500 hz down to maybe 200hz with adequate thickness is what you should look at.

96kg per meter cube is a good start. Using 2.5 to 3 inch of such a material would be decent is our books ( the 48 density product is not as effective as you can imagine )
4.diaphragms and air cavities is another trick to get the NRC value down. This is a cheat code into using 2.5 inch panel where normally 4 to 5 inch would be required
5. Acoustic fabric: here is another matter many users like to discuss
Unfortunately in India most sellers pass on felt based products or jute based material as “acoustic”fabric.None are acceptable
Blow air through the fabric, see how much reaches your hand on the other side,you will know what suitable.
True acoustic fabric is actually “non woven” breathable stuff.
Though speaker grill cloth would make good covering it is too thin and prone to tear and doesn’t look good in a living room.
Good alternatives like guilford of Maine exist in America .if you are able to get hold of them , nothing like it
6. Bass traps
These generally go into the four power corners of your room and cover at least one tri hedral corner if not two. These do require attention and are normally built to treat lower octaves than your regular wall panels. Hence they often contain a combination of material , are thicker and probably cost more than your regular wall panels.
For such traps NRC values of 80-175 hz become very important.
7. Diffusion
Here’s another field in which there is lot of discussion.there is a lot of matter on the internet and we can barely scratch the surface.once again we are here to tell you what most articles and sellers will probably hide away
Diffusers in general as you know are used to liven up are room and reduce flutter and add a feeling of space to the room , thus sometimes making the soundstage appear larger.hence it’s positioning becomes important in a small room
There is no rule ,but diffusion generally helps in larger room and works best kept with a minimum distance of 7-10 feet from the listener.if kept close to him he will hear the dispersion and the focus in the soundstage is lost.diffusers now are 1d 2d (most quadratic diffusers, the lean fuse and the razed blade) and now even 3d(skyline or qrd difuser hollow )

How much absorption do I need ?
Generally We have seen 30% of wall area works the best and it is the most bang for the buck The point of diminishing returns though is 55%

There are a couple important markers one should keep track of while selecting products for absorption The 0.5 NRC mark is what you should watch Anything below the 0.5 mark offers less than 50% absorption – which personally for us rings warning bells. The 200-250 Hz frequency band is another marker to watch Most vocals and deep midranges lie in this area ( 200-700Hz) and hence this frequency range becomes the most important for absorption panels on the first reflection points

Panels that absorb these frequencies well are generally termed as “BROADBAND absorbers”

1 inch thick fibreboard or glass wool(96 density) is practically useless in this case as one can see from the graph.Even 2 inch thick ( 96 density ) glass wool has its limitations.What is needed here is a proper higher density acoustic absorber.So called acoustic foam will just be a joke controlling these frequencies

Lastly comes the low frequencies below 150Hz

This is what generally accounts for the BASS, and hence a BASS trap should be effective at frequencies below 150.There is no point in having 4 inch thick “foam” panels or even2 or 3 inch thick glass wool panels when your aim is to absorb the BASS. 2-3 inch thick fiberglass or high density fireboard (as some sellers call it ) just WONT do anything at these frequencies.What is needed here is actually a composite panel consisting of 2-3 materials with an air gap in between.A resonating diaphragm thrown in works even better as world renowned GIK acoustics has proved

Acupanel broadband absorbers

ULTRA control panels – Broadband Absorbtion

The Bass Buster

The “Ultra” Bass Trap

Room Acoustics by SoundFoundations

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