When you have ever sat in a well-configured home theater and suddenly thought that the dialogue sounded hollow or the bass sounded muddy - the fault was not usually with your speakers. It's your walls. Acoustic treatment may change the way your home theater sounds entirely and the appropriate wall panels matter.
Having done some research and experimentation into what actually works, the following is a simple breakdown of what constitutes the best acoustic wall panels to use with a home cinema set up, and is not written by an acoustics engineer, but by a real person.
What Actually Works: The Types of panels that are worth your money.
Wrapped Fiberglass or Mineral Wool Panels in Fabric.
These are the gold standard - and rightly so. Fiberglass or mineral wool-stuffed panels, covered with breathable material, absorb sound over a very broad band of frequencies, including mid-range conversation and the hiss in the higher frequencies that makes rooms sound live. The optimum thickness range is 2 to 4 inches. Make it thinner and the low-frequency control is lost. Bigger and bigger and you are paying to diminish your returns.
Bass Traps
Bass traps are not the only acoustic treatment guides that should be mentioned and they should be put in their own limelight. Low frequency is known to accumulate in corners of rooms and this is what makes action scenes look more like a washing machine than a movie. Install heavy bass traps on the floor to ceiling corner and you will notice a ready increase in tightness and clarity.
Akupanel Style Wooden Slatted Panels.
Wooden slatted panels are the solution to those who do not wish to make their home cinema look like a recording studio. Even panels such as the Akupanel, with vertical wood slats over acoustic felt, serve two purposes: they both sound reflections as they scatter and mute, and look simply gorgeous. These are well worth the money in case you are using your home theater as a living room or are concerned with interior design.
Poly Fibre Panels
Poly fibre panels are new entrants in the acoustic panel market and are lightweight, ornamental and remarkably efficient. They are effective with mid and high frequency reflections and are available in shapes and colours that can actually bring character to a room instead of merely dulling it.
When to Buy or Not to Buy.
The thickness is not as insignificant as some may assume. A 1 inch foam tile by a cheap supplier will not sedate the reflections in an actual cinema room. Use 2-4 inch panels, particularly when you have hard flooring or bare walls in your room.
Check the NRC Rating. The Noise Reduction Coefficient informs you of the amount of sound that a panel will absorb, a rating of 0.85 and above is good in home cinema. The more similar to 1.0, the more the better the absorption.
Placement is everything. There is no need to paint every inch of wall. Pay attention to the initial points of reflection namely, the side walls at the ear level where sound rebounds of your speakers to your ears and the rear wall behind your seating. It is where treatment is heard the most.
Aim for 25-30% surface coverage. This is the good range of most home cinemas. Excessively small and the room remains echoing. Excessively and it will be unnaturally dead, which is equally inappropriate.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions about our company.
To achieve enough sound absorption over a useful frequency range, use panels that are 2 to 4 inches thick. Slimmer panels (such as 1 inch foam) will only treat higher frequencies and will not really have a significant impact on the entire cinematic experience.
This trips up a lot of people. Acoustic treatment (panels, bass traps) regulates the sound behavior in the room - suppressing the echo and enhancing the clarity. Soundproofing prevents the transmission of sound across walls.
They are absolutely different solutions. Panels do not prevent your neighbours hearing you play a movie, but they will make the movie sound a lot dramatical in the room itself.
Begin with the reflections on the first reflection points on your side walls - about half way between your speakers and where you are sitting. then treat the wall at the back of your seats and the wall in front of the screen. Install bass traps in the four corners that are floor-to-ceiling.
That arrangement will only provide a significant change in the majority of rooms.
They are effective, but different. Fabric-coated fiberglass panels have a higher frequency range of absorption and are more technically competent.
The main scattering and partial absorption of sound produced by wooden slatted panels can be effective in a room which requires diffusion as well as absorption.
It is a combination of both that is used in many designed home cinemas to achieve the most sonic and visual effect.