[daddydoom]

I am just now completing a sound proof listening room and my question is which is better for bass traps. Rockwool panels or foam traps (Auralex and such).

I know that the DIY rockwool would be cheaper and i have some left over from the build, but time is not on my side. And if the foam corners are as good i will probably go ahead with them.

I'm not sure if the construction of the room makes a difference or not. It is a studio quality build with resilent channels, 10 inch thick walls with double layered drywall both sides with 6 inches of rockwool with air gap and soundproof doors.

If i don't hurry up and get my system set back up i will have to go to rehab.

Thx

Matt

[yagimax]

I used OC703 for my bass traps. I would think stuffing the rockwool in a wire mesh cylinder and  16 in.round wooden caps for support would do the trick. I've seen several DIY projects constructed in this manner.

Or compressing the rockwool in a triangle shape with three wood dowels for support etc.

Then cover the entire mess in some accoustic cloth from a fabric store.

Good luck in your project,  Gary

[persisting1]

Don't waste your time and money on foam.

[daddydoom]

Thanks for the info,

It's not what i wanted to hear, but what i needed to know

I guess i need to get  started.

Gary you mentioned round traps.i've seen some online. Do they work in corners as well as triangles.

Matt

[bpape]

You can certainly do round ones in corners.  IF you fill them full as opposed to just a round, hollow cylinder, they can perform very well - although taking up a lot more space in the room.

One other thing you can do is a 12" or 16" square which takes up a little more room but also will reach deeper.

Bryan

[Big Red Machine]

Foam bad.  703 good.  Learned the hard way.  703 isn't really that expensive and can easily be cut on a table saw (watch that extended blade).  It's the pound cake of insulation materials.

[yagimax]

Gary you mentioned round traps.i've seen some online. Do they work in corners as well as triangles.

Matt
[/quote]

The reason why I mentioned OC703 is because it's much easier/sturdier to work with to obtain nice crisp edges and a better end product.

If you have ample wool left over then use that instead.

Both triangles or round are great corner traps,especially full length floor to ceiling height. 

[richidoo]

From what I've heard rockwool is a crude product compared to FG, it is nasty to work with. It is cheaper for a reason. Stick with Owens Corning or real FG product made with custom formulated glass, not just molten sand. Try to get it without formaldehyde sprayed on.

[daddydoom]

The main reason I used rockwool is because I am a commercial construction subcontractor.
Several different trades use it. At the end of most project they throw what they have left over to keep from having to store it. In the last 8 months I have collected a 16 ft inclosed trailer full from front to back. It's hard to pass up free.

The 4 lb. stuff is nasty and i didn't use it. All I used was the 8 lb. stuff and it's not bad to work with. In my area the 703 is just a few cents more per ft. than the rock wool.

[schastleevo]

I've been doing research about acoustic treatment in the room that I'll be using for a music room. I'm thinking about using OC703 Superchunk for the corner bass trap, I assume that the Superchunk with the 34" front face will be more efficent than the smaller chunk with the 24" front face. I assume that using hot glue to hold each of the wedges together would be good.

Bass Trap wedges work well in the corners, so I assume that they would help out if some were placed at some even smaller ones (maybe 10"x10"x14") at the wall floor junctions.

I'm also thinking about placing OC703 2'x4'x2" sheets at the points where I can see a reflection of the Magnepan 3.6Rs in a mirror would be good.

Would it be benefitual if I were to add some diffusers to the room as well. If so, would it be better to place them behind the maggies since they are a Dipole speaker?

[richidoo]

It's hard to pass up free.

The 4 lb. stuff is nasty and i didn't use it. All I used was the 8 lb. stuff and it's not bad to work with. In my area the 703 is just a few cents more per ft. than the rock wool.

Free is definitely good! Good to know the 8pound stuff is not so bad. It is tighter fibers, does the efficiency go down with the higher density as is does with 705<703. Maybe excellent absorber for low bass though..

schastleevo, wait til you get in there and hear it before making any plans. Maggies being dipole will have a much easier time with bass, so you might not need much.  Speaker placement might be good enough to get you a good sound in sweet spot. That was my experience with Quads, I eventually tookout all the treatment that I needed from previous cone speakers and started to get the magic.  When monopoles returned then I needed the treatment back again.  But for midrange, it's always good to kill corner reflections anyway. Let your ears guide you.

[bpape]

I've been doing research about acoustic treatment in the room that I'll be using for a music room. I'm thinking about using OC703 Superchunk for the corner bass trap, I assume that the Superchunk with the 34" front face will be more efficent than the smaller chunk with the 24" front face. I assume that using hot glue to hold each of the wedges together would be good.

Bass Trap wedges work well in the corners, so I assume that they would help out if some were placed at some even smaller ones (maybe 10"x10"x14") at the wall floor junctions.

I'm also thinking about placing OC703 2'x4'x2" sheets at the points where I can see a reflection of the Magnepan 3.6Rs in a mirror would be good.

Would it be benefitual if I were to add some diffusers to the room as well. If so, would it be better to place them behind the maggies since they are a Dipole speaker?

Diffusion behind the Maggies is definitely a nice way to go.  In the rest of the room, it would depend on the layout.

2" 703 at the reflections is good.

The 34" is more surface area and will also reach deeper into the bottom end.

Bryan

[daddydoom]

richidoo,

My research showed that the dense rockwool handled the lower octives better than the 703.
The OC 703 was developed to be used in machine room walls to help with the high pitch of machines and equipment.

The rockwool cuts clean, but the 703 is better for glueing cloth directly to it and makes  cleaner corners on panels.

[richidoo]

The OC 703 was developed to be used in machine room walls to help with the high pitch of machines and equipment.

"I did not know that!"

Cool!  I always pictured it glued to the sides of huge boilers in electric generating plants.
Thanks doom

[bpape]

It all depends on how it's used.  IF you're only going to use 4" thickness for bass panels, then the higher density will provide a SLIGHT benefit in the bottom end.  In thicker applications, like the chunk style absorbers, there's no need for the additional density as it provides no improvment.

Also, any panel that has to also do full range duty should not use the higer density materials as high frequencies hitting at high angles of incidence will skip right off like a rock on water.

Bryan

[yagimax]

Schastleevo:

I have the Mag 3.6Rs as well. Being a dipole I find adding my 4'' oc703 broadband absorbtion to the sidewalls was not as noticible as compared with box speakers.
However a few of these panels behind me was perfect.

Diffusion is my next project, maybe using six 6ft. long PVC pipes if my wife will let me!

The Super 77 3M glue would tack together these panels for a triangle bass trap.