Home Audio DIY Acoustic Treatments

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Acoustic Treatments for Your Home Theater

acoustic_treat_room2_800_504x358.shkl.jpgFocusing on ways to improve your hi-fi listening experience through affordable, DIY acoustic treatments. I've made DIY bass traps and Acoustic Panels based on the designs of Jon Risch and comments on the Audio Asylum Forums. This lense will teach you how to make affordable acoustic treatment for your listening room with materials readily available at your local home and fabric stores.

Remember: treat room acoustics acoustically, not electronically (unless it's for frequencies below 120 Hz where your brain cannot tell the difference between your loudspeakers and subwoffer and your room).

Geek with Family Acoustics 

Posts describing the construction and application of acoustic panels and bass traps in my listening room.
DIY Acoustic Panels Reveal Depth and Clarity in Orchestral Recordings
With my six acoustic panels in place I sat in my sweet spot Saturday morning to listen to the Broadway soundtrack. I was curious if the panels would clarify the soundstage of complicated recordings like an orchestra and a musical theater cast.
How To Build Jon Risch’s DIY Acoustic Panels
Jon Risch's DIY acoustic panels have changed my system more than any other tweak and component upgrade. After placing the panels at my listening room's early and diffraction reflection points (two behind the speakers and four on the sidewalls (the two panels closest to me actually sit in easy chairs because I can't move the chairs out of the way)) I heard these improvements.
5 Hi-Fi Listening Room Habits for Healthy Audiophiles
I've made major improvements to my music listening experience over the last year, some at no cost. The following distills the top five guidelines I've followed to optimize my enjoyment.
Why You Must Acoustically Treat Your Hi-Fi Room
Holy crap! My DIY acoustic panels (following Jon Risch's recipe, my own how to experience coming soon) have improved my listening experience like nothing else. You have got to try these. I wish you could borrow mine. For the price of two sets of Black Diamond Racing Cones you can change your whole music listening experience for the better. This is the most noteworthy upgrade I have ever made.
Jon Risch Quick and Dirty Bass Traps Dressed Up By Ikea
My DIY acoustic panels project is on hold until I can breathe again (nothing like a cold over Labor Day weekend). I've built the wooden frames but haven't begun to work with the fiberglass because I can't imagine coughing through a respirator. So, to feel like I was making progress I threw together two Jon Risch Quick and Dirty Bass Traps (scroll down to "New Quick & Dirty Recipe").
Why I Need to Build Jon Risch’s DIY Acoustic Panels
For the past two weeks I've been obsessed over my listening room's acoustics. I'm sure that acoustic problems are now invading the space (or I've read too much about the subject and I'm just noticing them now, always train your ears). The most obvious problem is too wide a stereo image. For example, I'll get a tight, centered combo of snare and kick drum that I can imagine a drummer playing and then he hits a cymbal eight feet away over past the right speaker. Another problem is losing center imaged singers to a weird lobing split between either speaker-the voice may suddenly collapse to one side. These anomalies are subtle, don't think my room is crap.

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Recommended Acoustic Books on Amazon 

Master Handbook of Acoustics

Amazon Price: (as of 12/21/2009) Buy Now

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook (Yamaha Products)

Amazon Price: $23.07 (as of 12/21/2009) Buy Now

Critical Listening Skills for Audio Professionals Book/CD

Amazon Price: $31.49 (as of 12/21/2009) Buy Now

Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science (Book)

Amazon Price: $43.95 (as of 12/21/2009) Buy Now

The Complete Guide to High-End Audio

Amazon Price: $19.23 (as of 12/21/2009) Buy Now

Reader Feedback 

How have you acoustically treated your listening area?

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    basementjack basementjack Oct 29, 2006 @ 6:52 am
    I've built some of those DIY tube traps, and I've got a panel on the wall covered by fabric.

    I hope to get some pictures up on www.acousticsoftwarereviews.com, but the site's just getting started....

Great Movies to Show Off Your New Acoustic Treatments 

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Georgia Nicolson (Georgia Groome) has two goals in life: Get a gorgeous boyfriend, and throw the bes...
Call of the Wild

Nine-year-old city girl Ryann Hale (Ariel Gade) is a real fish out of water when she visits Grandpa...
(500) Days of Summer

When his girlfriend, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), unceremoniously dumps him, greeting-card copywriter a...
All About Steve

While Steve (Bradley Cooper) would have to disagree, socially inept Mary (Sandra Bullock) thinks he'...
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

When Rob (Bug Hall), Nathan (Kevin M. Horton) and Lube (Brandon Hardesty) discover the sex bible lef...
Chasing Butterflies

After Nina (Amy Brienes) runs away from her wedding, her mother (María Cellario) marries the groom...
Extract

Encouraged by his friend, Dean (Ben Affleck), factory owner Joel (Jason Bateman) considers escaping...
Off the Ledge

As they ring in the New Year at a high-class bash deep in the Hollywood Hills, four guests discover...
The Art of Pain

Uninspired artist Jack (Anders Erickson) is a living out a robotic existence working at a movie thea...
The Auteur

Melik Malkasian stars in this charming offbeat comedy from director James Westby (Film Geek) as infa...
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Other Acoustic Treatment Sources 

Forums, Tutorials and Retail Sources for Acoustic Treatments

Room Acoustics Forum by Rives Audio
Audio Asylum's Acoustic Treatment Forum hosted by Rives Audio. Great source for DIY projects and reviews on other solutions.
Jon_Risch's Web Page, Index
I have based my acoustic treatment designs on Jon Risch's various DIY projects. Detailed instructions, pictures and material sources can be found at his site.
RealTraps
Affordable acoustic treatments and knowledgeable advice.
Home Audio Acoustics - Home Theater Shack
Home Audio Acoustics on Home Theater shack. Home Audio Acoustics includes acoustical treatments for your home theater or listening room.
Moderators: Alan Brown, bpape, Ethan Winer, Glenn Kuras
GIK ACOUSTICS
More affordable Bass traps and acoustic treatments with attractive fabric covers.

My Audiophile Albums on Amazon 

At Action Park

Amazon Price: $15.98 (as of 12/21/2009) Buy Now

Transaction de Novo

Amazon Price: $14.98 (as of 12/21/2009) Buy Now

Yanqui U.X.O.

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/21/2009) Buy Now

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Acoustic Treatments on eBay 

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by geekwithfamily

I'm Kyle Kolbe, the voice behind the audio video geek blog, Geek with Family

Father, Husband and Geek.

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