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Acoustic foam!

G

Guest159

Super Member
I came across these guys the other day and just bought some of their products. They're based in Clawson, MI (Detroit area), and they have not only an astounding selection of acoustic foam products, but they're prices are among the best I've ever seen.

https://foamforyou.com/

Egg crate, corner bass traps, custom designs, 1-6 inch V cut panels, diamond pattern.... Check it out. Sound treatment apparently doesn't have to look like sound treatment.
 
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I know! The range of products is insane! I just bought 40 square feet of 2.5" black egg crate for 75 dollars delivered. It's cut perfectly straight and it looks great. I had an issue order online, but I had no problem calling and talking to real people that got me sorted out quickly. I'm a happy customer!
 
Foam is better than nothing...but won't effectively absorb as wide a frequency range as compressed fiberglass or rockwool of similar thickness. It's no doubt a quick solution for absorption with the benefit of easy installation and an alternative appearance to a properly constructed absorption panel, so I'm not knocking it. But it won't do what a proper absorption panel constructed around compressed fiberglass or rockwool will...a fact has been measured and demonstrated time and time again. My personal experience after using both is that foam doesn't clean up mid and upper bass frequencies as effectively as OC703 or rockwool...so if one really wants to achieve high resolution of those frequencies, better get a bigger hammer than foam. I don't mean to diminish the relevance of your discovery RL, just making sure people have the facts so they can make the best decision for themselves.
 
tomlinmgt said:
Foam is better than nothing...but won't effectively absorb as wide a frequency range as compressed fiberglass or rockwool of similar thickness. It's no doubt a quick solution for absorption with the benefit of easy installation and an alternative appearance to a properly constructed absorption panel, so I'm not knocking it. But it won't do what a proper absorption panel constructed around compressed fiberglass or rockwool will...a fact has been measured and demonstrated time and time again. My personal experience after using both is that foam doesn't clean up mid and upper bass frequencies as effectively as OC703 or rockwool...so if one really wants to achieve high resolution of those frequencies, better get a bigger hammer than foam. I don't mean to diminish the relevance of your discovery RL, just making sure people have the facts so they can make the best decision for themselves.
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For my purposes, it does what I need done. I don't really have problems in the bass regions. I picked this stuff up to kill reflections off the wall behind the speakers and it's very effective at doing that. I tried a 2'x4'x6" panel stuffed with rockwool once and that thing was a black hole for sound wherever I put it. This stuff sounds like it performs like 1.5" OC703 and it's doing the job.
 
ReactiveLoad said:
For my purposes, it does what I need done. I don't really have problems in the bass regions. I picked this stuff up to kill reflections off the wall behind the speakers and it's very effective at doing that. I tried a 2'x4'x6" panel stuffed with rockwool once and that thing was a black hole for sound wherever I put it. This stuff sounds like it performs like 1.5" OC703 and it's doing the job.
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Cool. Like I said, not trying to diminish your discovery. Foam has it’s place in the audio hobby and fits the bill for your unique needs and scenario. But it’s not the optimum acoustic treatment solution for absorption if one is making a deliberate attempt at effective room tuning. If it were, we’d see it used in professional studios (recording or playback)...where it’s virtually non-existent and OC703 or rockwool rules the day. I’d say your experience with your rockwool panel is unique as most report back with positive results after implementing absorption of same or similar construction. But that doesn’t make your experience invalid as it’s what you’re experiencing in your space with its own unique set of variables that’s relevant. I think it’s great that you even address room acoustics...because many (most, perhaps) in the hobby don’t...and certainly appreciate you sharing your experience.
 
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I checked it out before I commented to see if it was anything different than I’d seen (and/or used) before. Some of the patterns are unique, but at the end of the day it’s still foam. When they sculpt it into wedge/egg crate/pyramid so that half the surface area is valleys and half is peaks, it makes half the surface area of the panel virtually useless for absorption. I’d want something that’s the same thickness over the entire surface area...if I were forced to use foam.
 
ReactiveLoad said:
Well, there is a reason you don't see an parallel surfaces in anechoic chambers.
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None of us wants to listen to hifi in an anechoic chamber. But the non-parallel surfaces thing is certainly valid. If all rooms had non-parallel walls, half the battle against troublesome room acoustics would be half-way won before any of us even considered acoustic treatments made from this or that.
 
tomlinmgt said:
None of us wants to listen to hifi in an anechoic chamber. But the non-parallel surfaces thing is certainly valid. If all rooms had non-parallel walls, half the battle against troublesome room acoustics would be half-way won before any of us even considered acoustic treatments made from this or that.
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Not exactly my point... The non-flat shape is more effective at capturing sound than flat surfaces. It both absorbs and diffuses. It's why the walls of anechoic chambers have giant wedges filled with foam.


This video has some good measurements on various absorption materials and designs.

I find that there needs to be a balance between the area of absorption and reflection as well as amounts of each.
 
Nope. Those foam devices you’re using absolutely do not offer meaningful diffusion characteristics. That’s been proven over and over again, as well. Go start making these claims with the experts on GearSlutz if you need professional confirmation of this fact. I’m not here to crap on your thread, so I’ll sign out with that.
 
ReactiveLoad said:
Not exactly my point... The non-flat shape is more effective at capturing sound than flat surfaces. It both absorbs and diffuses. It's why the walls of anechoic chambers have giant wedges filled with foam.
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I think we all agree that anechoic chamber is not something we want to mimic for home stereo.

I have found uses for acoustic foam in my listening room in the past and well as bass traps, diffusers of several type and so on.

They all have their time and place, none of it bad unless overused.

Just a few words on anechoic chambers before serious misunderstanding occurs.

I am not an expert on their design, but it seems to me that all those foam fins increase surface area (absorbing area) and their various wedged angles help prevent the planar reflection characteristics of a flat surface,

An anechoic chamber as I understand it is all about absorption, and has nothing to do with diffusion, also called the scattering of sound.

Anechoic chamber
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anechoic_chamber
An anechoic chamber (an-echoic meaning "non-reflective, non-echoing, echo-free") is a room designed to completely absorb reflections of either sound or electromagnetic waves.
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I will admit that when I used foam it was a band-aid, but sometimes you need a band-aid - they work.
 
ReactiveLoad said:
For my purposes, it does what I need done. I don't really have problems in the bass regions. I picked this stuff up to kill reflections off the wall behind the speakers and it's very effective at doing that. I tried a 2'x4'x6" panel stuffed with rockwool once and that thing was a black hole for sound wherever I put it. This stuff sounds like it performs like 1.5" OC703 and it's doing the job.
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Yea, sounds like you built a black hole alright, no frequency discrimination, ate it all up indiscriminately.

When I built similar projects I had wood trim sides and back board of homesote. The face facing the room was either a very thin sheet of plywood or thin metal flashing material, and in a pinch aluminum foil which in theory these outer skins act like a resonator flexing. Some highs reflected, some absorbed but mostly an upper bass trap.

I've read others use a front face of 6 mil plastic to reflect some of the higher frequencies so it does not sound so dead.
 
kach22i said:
Yea, sounds like you built a black hole alright, no frequency discrimination, ate it all up indiscriminately.

When I built similar projects I had wood trim sides and back board of homesote. The face facing the room was either a very thin sheet of plywood or thin metal flashing material, and in a pinch aluminum foil which in theory these outer skins act like a resonator flexing. Some highs reflected, some absorbed but mostly an upper bass trap.

I've read others use a front face of 6 mil plastic to reflect some of the higher frequencies so it does not sound so dead.
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I didn't build it. A friend owns a recording studio and he built a bunch of those things for sorting out his studio and killing reflections. Toss one under a floor tom or in front of a kick drum and it really cleans up the sound. He loaned me a couple along with a few diffusers and I played with them to figure out what and where I should focus my attention. I don't have big problems in my room and I don't need big solutions. I don't think most people need strong solutions either.
 
Hi. My wall is made of concrete. I read that reflections should be covered, but I don't know what type of acoustic panel to use. What are your opinions?
 
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