[Mike-48]

I'm considering replacing about 24 sq ft of skyline-type diffusers on the front (speaker) wall of my listening room with something like 6" Alpha panels, to get more bass absorption. That end of the room still seems to ring a bit at low frequencies.

To understand the situation better, I looked at test results GIK has published for Monster traps and 6A panels.

• The Monster result is in Sabines/unit, while the Alpha result is in sound absorption coefficient. How can I compare the two?
• The Alpha report show two sets of results, apparently for two different ISO tests. One shows sharply lower absorption below 250 Hz; the other, only slightly lower. Which would be most applicable?
• And finally, would making this change (skylines to Alphas) produce the desired result (more bass absorption without deadening the room)?  Will changing from skyline diffusion to diffraction diffusion make much difference to the listener? If so, what would that be?

A photo of the front of my room can be found here, if that helps.

Thanks!

[Glenn Kuras]

It is a little difficult to compare the 2 tests as one was done in the UK and the other in the USA, but with that said the Alpha 6A is going to work better than the Monster (full range) flat on the wall. Basically the plate is not only diffusing the upper frequencies but also acting kind of like a membrane like the Monster w/limiter..

Hope that helps!

[Mike-48]

Thanks, Glenn. Any further comments you'd care to make (about my other questions) would be appreciated, too.

[Glenn Kuras]

Sorry I missed the 3rd question.

For sure it will make a difference. Generally speaking you are going to have more low end problems coming off the wall in front of you vs upper frequencies. The Alpha scatters/reflects a lot of upper frequencies back into the room, so it will NOT make the room sound dead.  That  is part of the beauty of the product.

[Carl V]

Nice Room, Nice setup ,nice system.

Couldn't you add a GIK panel behind those Sky Line Diffuses?

Also What are the square items behind your listening seat?
(they are in front of your Corner Traps)

[Mike-48]

@Carl -  Thanks!  It's possible I could put absorptive panels behind the skyline diffusers. I'd have to think about how to mount everything that way.

The items you asked about are GIK soffit traps, which give a little more bass control. They also serve as tables for displaying a few odds and ends, to make the room less sterile.

Mike

[Mike-48]

I would still love to get, it it's factually possible, some insight into my question #2: w\Which absorption curve is likely to be more applicable, using 6A panels in a domestic room? If that can't be answered from the test results, can it be answered with good probability from experience with analogous products?

[JWL.GIK]

The reality is that there's not a huge difference between an Alpha 6A, and a Monster trap with a Range Limiter and Scatter Plate installed. The monsters have the plate under the cloth, whereas the Alphas have the plate external to the cloth. And, the Monsters have a built-in airgap so appear to be a bit thicker, but the actual absorbent material is equivalent on both.

The Alphas also give you 3 different diffusion patterns to choose from, whereas the Scatter Plates just come in one type.

Apart from these minor differences, performance is quite similar across the board. It's mostly an aesthetic difference -- do you want to see cloth, or the Alpha plates on the front of the panel?

[Mike-48]

Thanks, JWL. So I could look at absorption data for the Monster trap with scatter place and expect it to be similar to the Alpha 6".

It seems to me that, besides the differences you noted, the Alpha plate patterns are more fine-grained, so they might be better audibly when the panel is relative close to the listener. Is that a fair assumption?