How about using Mattress material for treatment
- Thread starter Electrify
- Start date
Absolutely! It is the best option available! Then, like Manu, you can change your system three times a year wondering what is wrong with the sound. 
There are lots of misconceptions and myths around about sound absorption. An egg crate, for example, is made to store eggs, not diffuse sound. A mattress is made for people to sleep on, not absorb sound. Why? Simply because, materials have to have certain density before they can absorb or diffuse sound. If you use a mattress, you have to stack at least three mattresses together to get a decent NRC of even 0.5. Professional sound absorbing materials are made with a enough density to achieve the NRC claimed.
In addition, mattresses will tend to sag. If stuck permanently to the wall, they will absorb (not sound) but a lot of dirt, and start smelling.
Before using or thinking of using any material, the first thing to do is to find out it's NRC.
Cheers
There are lots of misconceptions and myths around about sound absorption. An egg crate, for example, is made to store eggs, not diffuse sound. A mattress is made for people to sleep on, not absorb sound. Why? Simply because, materials have to have certain density before they can absorb or diffuse sound. If you use a mattress, you have to stack at least three mattresses together to get a decent NRC of even 0.5. Professional sound absorbing materials are made with a enough density to achieve the NRC claimed.
In addition, mattresses will tend to sag. If stuck permanently to the wall, they will absorb (not sound) but a lot of dirt, and start smelling.
Before using or thinking of using any material, the first thing to do is to find out it's NRC.
Cheers
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Hi,
I have been contemplating this for a while now... but, using the regular matress material might not work... however there are products that do use these properties effectively!
here a link or two:
For components:
Gutwire Notepad Vibration Control 800-229-0644 Gutwire Notepad Vibration Control
For sound absorption/room tweak:
http://www.noiseout.com/Acoustic-Pillows.pdf
I have been contemplating this for a while now... but, using the regular matress material might not work... however there are products that do use these properties effectively!
here a link or two:
For components:
Gutwire Notepad Vibration Control 800-229-0644 Gutwire Notepad Vibration Control
For sound absorption/room tweak:
http://www.noiseout.com/Acoustic-Pillows.pdf
Simple cotton rugs work pretty decently at side wall refelection points, in the centre behind the speakers and on the floor. Of course the specialised products work better but they may look ugly in the living room. Also you can try small triangular cotton pillows at the top 4 corners of the room where the side walls meet the ceiling.
You can also try a silk cotton pillow under a cd player. In some cases it works way better than other resonance devices.
You can also try a silk cotton pillow under a cd player. In some cases it works way better than other resonance devices.
manu4panjab
New Member
u r right that's why just order auralex absorption panels and bass traps :yahoo: total cost me around 21000 with shippingAbsolutely! It is the best option available! Then, like Manu, you can change your system three times a year wondering what is wrong with the sound.
There are lots of misconceptions and myths around about sound absorption. An egg crate, for example, is made to store eggs, not diffuse sound. A mattress is made for people to sleep on, not absorb sound. Why? Simply because, materials have to have certain density before they can absorb or diffuse sound. If you use a mattress, you have to stack at least three mattresses together to get a decent NRC of even 0.5. Professional sound absorbing materials are made with a enough density to achieve the NRC claimed.
In addition, mattresses will tend to sag. If stuck permanently to the wall, they will absorb (not sound) but a lot of dirt, and start smelling.
Before using or thinking of using any material, the first thing to do is to find out it's NRC.
Cheers
This is interesting. Ofcourse NRC is an important value, but If high NRC is the target then would the room not become "anechoic" robbing of liveliness. Here I am thinking on the lines of prem, I would also think that it might be an improvement to rightly place some kind of treatment material to get the non low frequency corrected.
Most of the DIY stuff is based on locally available resources, which is synth, glasswoorl, mineralwool etc. Since we are lucky to have coir in abundance which western countries may have not exploited was hoping it could be secret to be discovered. I just googled up and got some hits for rubberized coir for acoustic, Will dig in for more details and update.
Manu, any particular reason why you chose Auralex, reviews? or availability
Most of the DIY stuff is based on locally available resources, which is synth, glasswoorl, mineralwool etc. Since we are lucky to have coir in abundance which western countries may have not exploited was hoping it could be secret to be discovered. I just googled up and got some hits for rubberized coir for acoustic, Will dig in for more details and update.
Manu, any particular reason why you chose Auralex, reviews? or availability
Negative!! When I use my mattress to "treat" my girlfriend, I tend to hear lots of high pitched screeches and squeals.
hyeah: and the whole experience becomes kinda scratchy ... Not sure where and how other folks got the idea that it can work
Cheers
My experience with acoustic material has shown that 1. thickness 2. density are the most important characterisitics for broad band frequqncy absorbers and rock wool or insulation products seem to be the best. The rest of the material such as foam, carpets and other fabrics may work but not as efficiently. Thick carpets (2") in first reflection points will work to mitigate high frequency refelections if that is the goal but will not do much in mid bass or bass frequncy absorption.
Cheers
Sid
Cheers
Sid
There are sound absorbers and there are sound isolators. Even if you cover a room completely using sound absorbers, you can never make it like a anechoic chamber. To achieve the level of sound acoustics of a anechoic chamber, be ready to shell out a million dollars.
Yes, you can make a room dead - very similar to what is done in cinema halls. This is an option that you have. The easiest room acoustics that is possible is to kill sound reflection by identifying the reflection points and using sound absorbers. In addition you cover the corners with bass traps. This will keep the room alive for music, and restrict sound reflection that could create strange effects in movies.
I would love to understand how hand made coir can act as a sound absorber. The material is too porous, and I guess will have a very low NRC. Similar to the mattress, you may have to stack something like 10-12 inches of the material for it to do any serious acoustic work.
If the coir is made by a machine, it can be made to be dense with the coir fibres closer to each other and packed tightly. That would certainly have better acoustical capabilities, but I wonder if it will be effective.
One of the most important cons of coir will be it's life. After a period of time, the fibres will start turning brittle and breaking off. In addition, you have limitation of the kind of finish you can provide because of the density.
Cheers
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Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
The coir mattress I used to sleep on would probably have reflected as much sound as ceramic tiles. It certainly didn't feel any softer!
Gobble, it sounds like yours, in your chosen application, is working very well!
Now I come to think of it... my coir mattress was very good at transmitting the slight hum from the fan in the room below. I doubt that it absorbed sound at all!
Gobble, it sounds like yours, in your chosen application, is working very well!
Now I come to think of it... my coir mattress was very good at transmitting the slight hum from the fan in the room below. I doubt that it absorbed sound at all!
sound_advice
Member
Just an add-on on EGGS.
a low cost temporary solution which lasted over 6 mts was the use of hard Paper egg trays lined on the walls for sound absorption . This was done inside Pro music's recording and sampling studio when Mike was the sound engineer. This was in the early 2000
a low cost temporary solution which lasted over 6 mts was the use of hard Paper egg trays lined on the walls for sound absorption . This was done inside Pro music's recording and sampling studio when Mike was the sound engineer. This was in the early 2000
Well,
If your sidewalls are not very far from speakers, foam mattresses at the first reflection points does just enough to take care of the high frequency reflections .Just find the mattress with the highest density and minimum 50mm thick.why not conduct an experiment and find out?In my case, a combination of foam mattress and heavy curtains does quite well for the high frequencies in the smallish 12x14 room as i have compared extensively with bare walls.Of course it does nothing for the lower frequencies for which the speaker placement and the room modes are the key.
cheers
himadri
If your sidewalls are not very far from speakers, foam mattresses at the first reflection points does just enough to take care of the high frequency reflections .Just find the mattress with the highest density and minimum 50mm thick.why not conduct an experiment and find out?In my case, a combination of foam mattress and heavy curtains does quite well for the high frequencies in the smallish 12x14 room as i have compared extensively with bare walls.Of course it does nothing for the lower frequencies for which the speaker placement and the room modes are the key.
cheers
himadri
there seems to be a consensus about the use of cotton/coir mattresses for "treatment" of the listening room -
the consensus being - "yes, it is a good thing to do"
(notwithstanding venkatcr's caveats about those items collecting dirt and smelling after a period of time - and if one has live-in dogs then one can be sure that they will mark those mattresses as their own (with raised leg).
perhaps a committed audiophile will do it like this-
one silk cotton mattress between two coir mattresses - stitched together by a cobbler (this to completely confuse the sound waves and make them panic) -
the wall on which this triple layer sandwich is to be mounted is pitted with about 30 pits/square inch - fevicol sr is applied on the entire wall and dynamat (The Official Dynamat Website) is applied -
with large jumper bolts the triple layer sandwich is suspended lateral to the dynamat-
this "treatment" is done for the three walls proximal to the listener (back and two side walls).
for an 18' x 12' foot room - one might need 18 mattresses in toto (12 kurlon coir and 6 silk cotton)
kurlon mattresses cost INR 4800/piece and silk cotton(superior - beaten) about INR 800/piece.
cost of fevicol sr = 480 INR (approx.)
cost of dynamat = ? (rallynut - please supply this information urgently) - let us assume, for the moment, that dynamat = INR 15,000.
so, approx. INR 106,680/- will make the room an audiophile's dream.
if the audiophile is married - he can add to this the costs of a messy divorce.
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Thank you Suri. You have not only proved the effectiveness of the coir and other mattresses, you have also provided a detailed BOM and an instruction manual. Can we add a 50K a month as alimony? Assuming that with all the bolts and pits, the walls do not crash.
Cheers
Assuming that with all the bolts and pits, the walls do not crash. Cheers
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Thank you Suri. You have not only proved the effectiveness of the coir and other mattresses, you have also provided a detailed BOM and an instruction manual. Can we add a 50K a month as alimony?
Cheers
well, venkatcr -
50K as alimony/palimony will be the minimum - i think -
the women, these days, are savvy - and like to do what they want to do-
and, being suspicious of their (own and personal) husband's online activities -
would have accessed his browsing history -
where, of course, -
she would be brought up to speed (in the general lounge) - about appreciation of fine wines, beer and (single malt) whiskies - not to forget Jack Daniels.
these habits have to be supported by the (audiophile) ex-husband.
regds suri
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Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Or even the ex-audiophile husband?
...And, having been educated in the nature of good quality sound, which I am now unable to live without, I claim custody of the hifi...
hehehe! -
that is a thought!-
of course, if my wife's lawyer sprang (were to spring that on me) that on me in the family court -
i would be on death row!
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