Help to find Cheap but good quality damping materials

[tony_M]

Hi there,

I will built statement speakers and still looking for cheap but good quality damping material for the speaker.

I found from PE (SONIC BARRIER #260-530) which cost very expensive (18"x24") around $16.69/pcs and based on STATEMENT Speaker calculation (rough one) I need at least 20 pcs of it.

Any other suggestion that is comparable but cheaper?

I am not sure that this one

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=30943&highlight=cat5

using the same damping material or not

pls help me ;x(

[AdelaaR]

The cheapest and best price/quality ratio is glasswool or rockwool insulation.
That's what I will be using for my statements as it is extremely cheap compared to the "professional" acoustic lining yet has almost the same effect.
There are several varieties of denseness for glasswool so try to find the most dense around.

[tony_M]

The cheapest and best price/quality ratio is glasswool or rockwool insulation.
That's what I will be using for my statements as it is extremely cheap compared to the "professional" acoustic lining yet has almost the same effect.
There are several varieties of denseness for glasswool so try to find the most dense around.

Hi Adelaar, do you know where should I buy from?? tks

[ClosetSciFiGeek]

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=260-515

I like the above stuff with dacron stuffing at the opposite end from the woofers. This has worked well for me on many builds. I just couldn't see the cost of Black Hole or some of the other more expensive stuff. I don't believe in the added mass method that Troelsgravesen puts out. It is basically like addind roofing material that has an asphalt kind of odor to it placed on the interior of the enclosure. If you think you need more mass to dampen stuff you probably didn't build the enclosure with thick enough mdf or enough bracing.

[john trials]

Fiberglass insulation from your local hardware store...works great and there is nothing cheaper (under $20). For the tunnels, go to a fabric/craft store and buy 1" thick seat foam cushion (open cell) for the mid tunnels (about $10 for 2 tunnels).

[AdelaaR]

Hi Adelaar, do you know where should I buy from?? tks

Any typical construction or diy hardwarestore had this stuff ... it is the same stuff people use to insulate walls and roofs of their houses.
I live in Belgium and so the stores overhere have different names.
As I said there should be various qualities in denseness of the fabric ... it would be best to use the most dense variety.

[Warrant]

Has anyone objectively tested the difference in materials? you know rock wool vs fiberglass vs acoustifoam etc.?

[krips]

I've got, i'm guessing, about 3x3x6 or so? of 8lb/sqft 1" thick rockwool. I'm wondering what would the best thickness be?

[wettou]

I have used Fiberglass from Owen corning 705, plain and 703,

http://commercial.owenscorning.com/products/pipe/fiberglas-700-series-insulation/

and also

Wool carpet Godfrey Hirst’ Nature Underfoot – Big Foot pads cut to make 4 inches thick panels. Works great

Nature Underfoot – Bigfoot

[fbov]

I see acoustic absorber (in-speaker) as a good/better/best scenario, accompanied by cost range. You always get something for your money, but I don't thing it's always better sound.

Best are things like OC703/705/Roxul panels at the cheap end; Sonic Barrier/Black Hole at the other. Very dense, highly absorbant, but still dependent on thickness for effectiveness. I'd use the panels for room treatment in a heartbeat, but only use the high-end comercial stuff if it's free (sometimes get scrap from work).

Better are things like carpet underlayment at the cheap end; egg crate foam at the other. Not so dense, so not as absorbent, but works well in multiple layers, and doesn't shed. One's prettier than the other, but I've seen both in very high quality speakers.

Good in my book are effective things like loose fiberglass insulation (panels are bonded fiberglass) or cotton batting, that have drawbacks, like shedding, or insufficient density to work as surface treatments, like acoustic fill.

The kicker is that you should tune by how it sounds, and the subjective nature of audio will make you think the expensive stuff works better. It doesn't, but that's another story. $15 buys enough tattered carpet padding for lots of projects, and no one sees inside the box.

Have fun,
Frank

[tony_M]

Guys, thank you so much.
I will post my project Soon

[Silver1omo]

Does upholstery foam work ok for the interior?

[fbov]

Any open-cell foam will have some acoustic absorbancy. The simple test is to breath through it; if you can, it will absorb sound.