Sound dampening

[air870]

I m not sure if I have missed an earlier thread. But, any recommendations, suggestions on sound dampening in cars ( brands/ effectiveness/ what areas addressed etc) along with an approximate cost. Thanks.

 

[edjamesx]

Sound damping definitely improves the sound in car. Also prevents outside noise entering into car.
I think it will cost minimum 1k to 5k per door , depends on the quality & thickness of material.

Choose medium priced damping sheets , that will be more than enough. Some brands are more expensive but u will see subtle differences comparing with the other cheaper brands.

If you are installing Component speakers with AMP in the car then it makes great difference.
You will be hearing a clear highs & tight bass with damping done.

 

[Kannan]

I m not sure if I have missed an earlier thread. But, any recommendations, suggestions on sound dampening in cars ( brands/ effectiveness/ what areas addressed etc) along with an approximate cost. Thanks.

I am not current with car audio marker, but Dr. Artex was a popular brand.
Unless your car is a noisy beast, it is enough to damp the front doors if you plan to install speakers only in the front. Damping will improve bass response.
In my experience, component speakers in the front doors.is more.than enough, you can entirely ditch the rear speakers.
For impactful bass you can add a subwoofer in the boot and if you want to retain boot space, you get shallow underseat powered subwoofers that you can put under the driver seat. If you install subwoofer in the boot, damp the boot aswell

 

[Analogous]

i used dampening in my previous car, a Renault Duster. The amount of road noise, engine noise tyre noise (highways) was considerably reduced.
I can recall the brand, but the material used was substantial in thickness (?2-3 cm) and heavy) the parts in front (close to the engine compartment, tyre wells are important. The doors too. If changing the speakers consider replacing the door panels with thicker ones to mount the speakers.
finally, the installer also fixed a additional rubber lining ( or gasket?) all around the doors. This did cause some problems with closing the doors at times ( more force required). The cabin was noticeably quieter (as in luxury cars) but this can also result in showing up the shortcomings of the OEM audio system . I ended up replacing the whole thing with a new head unit, speakers, wiring. (30k for insulation or sound treatment and 1L for the new audio gear. The improvement in sound was worth it. YMMV

One more thing to remember: if you add an amplifier as I did, remember not to play music for long with the engine switched off. I did for 15 min and the battery drained

 

[air870]

It's for a 2020 superb, petrol. Anyways a quiet car. I have already added sound deadlines in the doors under the cards. The present plan is for the firewall, under seat areas, dicky and maybe the hood. I have heard that Kilmat is pretty good, else Dynamat, butyl based and avoiding asphalt based material. I don't plan on upgrading the speakers in the near future. One step at a time.

 

[Nikhil]

Got my Innova Crysta damped last year (2022) so not really current with what is available right now. All I can say that it makes a huge difference to the sound inside the car. It costs a pretty penny but completely worth it if you are particular about this.

The work was done by a local car specialist Car Sonics located on Minister Road, Hyderabad.

 

[Dr.Lakshay]

It's for a 2020 superb, petrol. Anyways a quiet car. I have already added sound deadlines in the doors under the cards. The present plan is for the firewall, under seat areas, dicky and maybe the hood. I have heard that Kilmat is pretty good, else Dynamat, butyl based and avoiding asphalt based material. I don't plan on upgrading the speakers in the near future. One step at a time.

Any specific reason you want to get the firewall deadened? It's a cumbersome process involving u mounting of the entire dashboard.

 

[air870]

I was not looking at that detailed a install, just the footwear area which is easily accessible. I agree that removing the dashboard would be not only tedious but also risky for anything to go wrong on reinstallation

 

[Dr.Lakshay]

I was not looking at that detailed a install, just the footwear area which is easily accessible. I agree that removing the dashboard would be not only tedious but also risky for anything to go wrong on reinstallation

Well I don't understand what's your goal of sound damping?
For noise control/insulation? As you said superb petrol is already a quiet car.
For better sq? Not much use if you are on stock sound system.

 

[Analogous]

Well I don't understand what's your goal of sound damping?
For noise control/insulation? As you said superb petrol is already a quiet car.
For better sq? Not much use if you are on stock sound system.

I think this is an important question. A good Answer to this may be the best pointer for your decision on the next steps.

A possible question to start with would be: what is it you are not satisfied with in your Car audio experience currently?

 

[air870]

I am looking at the same principle as in home audio, 1) Suppress or control other sounds as a quieter environment will yield better audio quality with the existing equipment. 2) Take the next step in upgrading the equipment. I think starting with the dampening is the best route. Even with the car already being a quiet vehicle, gains will be made in reducing external sounds. The ultimate goal is better audio quality. As far as whether I am satisfied with my Car audio experience, it's a never ending quest in home/ car setups improvement. I m sure you guys have been bitten by this bug too.

 

[Analogous]

I am looking at the same principle as in home audio, 1) Suppress or control other sounds as a quieter environment will yield better audio quality with the existing equipment. 2) Take the next step in upgrading the equipment. I think starting with the dampening is the best route. Even with the car already being a quiet vehicle, gains will be made in reducing external sounds. The ultimate goal is better audio quality. As far as whether I am satisfied with my Car audio experience, it's a never ending quest in home/ car setups improvement. I m sure you guys have been bitten by this bug too.

I think for safety reasons it’s better not to get the car interior totally sound proofed from the outside?

 

[air870]

Not sure what you mean. Firstly it's not sound proofed ( which is not possible), just sound dampened. Also what is the safety reason? What is the question mark after your statement?

 

[Analogous]

Not sure what you mean. Firstly it's not sound proofed ( which is not possible), just sound dampened. Also what is the safety reason? What is the question mark after your statement?

I meant it’s safer to be able to hear horns, emergency sirens of ambulances and police etc.
The question mark was meant to not make it a statement but an invitation to agree or disagree with my opinion

I have a Skoda octavia and did not feel the need to add insulation as the cabin is quiet enough for me. But that’s just my opinion. While I am generally satisfied with the OEM audio system that came with the car, I do occasionally wonder if I should consider upgrading the head unit and speakers.

 

[air870]

Aah, that explains the?. There are many cars ( usually much more expensive) which have far better levels of dampening and they have factored in the emergency vehicles warnings. There was an advertised quote where this guy says that the only sound one could hear in the Rolls was of the dash clock. Extreme but illustrative to the levels that are present in certain models. I believe even certain models of Tesla s have active noise cancelation inspite of not having a ICE. Just my two bits. I personally wouldn't want to upgrade my head unit for fear of messing with the car integration, Speakers are possibly my next step. Just chasing the holy grail.

 

[Analogous]

I think challenges may be in the understanding of the terms dampening and sound proofing. They may be done together but have distinct purposes when it comes to audio

 

[chander]

Alright - so I did try this with my CRV which was a fairly quiet car on it's own - & though there were gains to be had, I am not sure if it was worth the effort & cost. The most amount of difference that was made to the road noise was when I changed the tyres. The sound of the system improved the most with the addition of a subwoofer (with a dedicated monoblock).

Also for reference -

. - go to 29:07 for results

- got to: 7:03 for results

***Not saying they are the authority in sound deadening a car. Judge for yourself.

 

[air870]

Taking the plunge on Tuesday [ scheduled]. Morel 2.1mm sheets going in. Next step is Hardware upgrades.

 

[Analogous]

changed the tyres.

Which brand makes least noise?
Continental?

 

[chander]

I don't think there is a specific brand known for low road noise, but they have some products. I do not remember what I upgraded from & to; but I got a Highway oriented tyre with good wet & snow performance - as that car travelled a lot in the himalayas.